For all those social media addicts out there who constantly chase the "numbers — whether it be followers, friends
or page views — Google, in its inimical wisdom is here to tell you,
popular videos are no longer a guarantee you will go viral on YouTube.
In case you’re not aware, with the 301 Freeze Rule, your video could be frozen in time, never to see any additional add-on ever again.
What’s that buzz . . . tell me what’s happening? While the Internet of Thing’s clarion call has awakened the early
adopters, many of us still have it on snooze alarm. We may have seen
bits and pieces of it, like those that have popped up as apps on our
mobile devices. Perhaps we’ve recently purchased a Smart TV — or have
recently been intrigued by Nest’s Thermostat [after Google plopped down a hefty $3.2 billion to acquire it].
Over the last ten years, Google’s foray into the smartphone market has established its Android phones as a viable
competitor to Apple’s iPhones. However, in the years to come, mobile
revenues will be more or less chump change in comparison to the returns
Google will be able to derive from robots and artificial intelligence.
What comes to mind when one talks about disappearing text messaging? You know, the "now you see it, now
you don’t" type of communique that might have saved the career of one
"what was he thinking" politician with the unfortunate name of Weiner.
For AirPlay speakers, there’s a lot of choice out there. Often that can result in the feeling that there are essentially a lot of people sticking to an easy formula and churning out virtually interchangeable devices, but Libratone is a speaker-maker that makes AirPlay sound ware that stands out, and the new Loop is no exception.
Cons
Libratone’s strength is design: They make speakers that don’t necessarily look like you’d expect from something fitting that description, using heathered felt and odd shapes to surprise and also better mesh with modern interior design. A signature Libratone move is to offer interchangeable felt covers for its speakers so that owners can color coordinate with their existing setup, and the Loop offers this (spare covers will cost you extra, however).
The disc design is a bold one, and might not mesh with everyone’s tastes, but it makes the speaker an object of art itself, rather than something you’re trying to hide away. Resting atop a TV bench or even just propped on its included stand by itself in the corner of a room, it looks at home and like a design decision rather than an afterthought.
There’s another great aspect to the Libratone Loop’s design: its mounting hole and peg make it very easy to hang on the wall (where its disc-shaped design is especially attractive), and yet also keeps it portable should you want to take it with you to another room.
The Loop not only looks good, it also renews my faith in Libratone’s ability to put out speakers that sound great. The Zipp impressed me with its sound quality, but the Loop carries that further, with a richer sound that’s better for a full-on living room home audio setup replacement.
It’s a speaker that can get very loud without offering up any kind of distortion, and while it might be a little heavy on the bass side for many users, it’s probably right in the sweet spot for most people looking for an AirPlay speaker that’s pricey without being ridiculous. It’s also easy to set up, and you don’t need anything beyond an iPhone or iPad to do it. PlayDirect, the AirPlay that doesn’t require a shared network (the Loop can provide its own) is also a huge selling point that isn’t necessarily shared by Libratone competitors.
Speaking of the competition, Libratone has a healthy crop. At this price range, there’s the new and very capable line of Cambridge Audio speakers, including the Minx Air 200 that I’d consider its closest rival. For an extra $100, the Minx Air 200 offers preset Internet radio stations that don’t require a computer or other audio source to listen to, and there’s Bluetooth built in. The Loop is cheaper, however, and better looking, plus it has deeper bass (though executes with less clarity in the mid-range) if that’s your bag.
The Loop is a great AirPlay speaker, and with DLNA support, it’s relatively platform agnostic. I’m a sucker for the design aesthetic Libratone has chosen, too, so that’s a big selling point as well, but it’s the sound that brings it home. Libratone is essentially a boutique shop specializing in AirPlay sound, and it shows, so you can’t go wrong with their lineup, and the Loop fits nicely price wise in a gap between its Zipp and Live range of devices.
Could eating a diet based on your blood type — O, A, B, or AB — help you shed some LBs while improving your overall health. That’s the idea behind the Blood Type Diet spawned by naturopath Peter J. D’Adamo.
Ask any cyclist: Racing saddles are uncomfortable. Especially for the first few months, when they feel like pieces of wood. But Brooks, the venerable British saddle maker, wants to change that with Cambium, a new saddle that arrives already broken in—without any of the normal torture. Your more sensitive parts (read: your crotch) will thank you.
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OK, so a $3.2 billion acquisition is nothing to sneeze at! However, when your current stock price on the Nasdaq exchange is trading at $1148 per share, and your coffers are overflowing in excess of $57 billion in cash and marketable securities – $3.2 is more or less chump change. . .
Winamp died
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Shortly before the first Galaxy Camera came out, we knew that Android cameras were going to land and stay. As cameras get smarter, the complexity of the software stack also becomes too hard to develop for camera makers (which are definitely NOT software-centric folks). Samsung is the company that has the best Android Camera offering today, and with the Galaxy NX, it just took the whole sector to the next level.
Optically, the Galaxy NX is more or less a Samsung NX300, a rather potent interchangeable lens camera that our friend Karsten Lemm has reviewed recently. The user interface is however a powerful Android platform that comes with everything that you can expect from a high-end phone, including a 4G LTE connectivity (you have to provide the subscription, obviously). The combination is the Galaxy NX, a smart camera that you use like a smartphone, but that has the image quality of an enthusiast shooter. I’ve used it for a few weeks, and I will tell you how my experience could map into your own. (more…)
Samsung Galaxy NX Camera Review original content from Ubergizmo. 
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This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
