Hasta La Gadget!

This article was written on May 06, 2011 by CyberNet.

There are plenty of Twitter clients out there for all of the different desktop platforms, but it seems like many of them are powered by Adobe Air since it provides a no-hassle cross-platform solution to developers. I always prefer native apps though, and MetroTwit is a shining example of how smooth a native Twitter client can be. It has a beautiful interface, all of the right features, and continues to get better over time.

One of the features that was just added last week was an in-app media viewer for third-party sites like YouTube and TwitPic. I hate apps that open images or videos in a browser window because it can really disrupt you while you’re reading through your timeline. Now that they’ve added this feature I really feel as though MetroTwit has earned its spot as one of the best (if not the best) Twitter client available for Windows.

If you haven’t already tried out MetroTwit here’s a look at some of the other features that makes it so great:

• Drag-and-drop image uploads
• Uses TwitLonger if you go over the character limit
• View entire conversations
• Infinite scrolling of tweets
• URL shortening and previews
• Autocomplete for usernames and hashtags
• Windows 7 taskbar integration
• Customize the appearance with themes
• Notifications
• Resizable columns

The cherry on top is that MetroTwit is completely free. They did throw in some ads to try and recoup some of the costs, but they removed them after they got some feedback from their users. It’s possible that they will introduce the ads again in the future to keep the app free, but I’m sure at that point they’ll also provide some way to remove them (which may be in the form of a small fee).

MetroTwit Beta Homepage (Windows only; Freeware)

Copyright © 2014 CyberNetNews.com

Microsoft is not going to change their minds concerning support for Windows XP, where such support is still on track to end 90 days from now, and the date in question would be April 8th, 2014. Apart from that, the software giant has also confirmed quietly what had been making its way across the grapevine, that Microsoft will also stop offering Microsoft Security Essentials for the Windows XP operating system after April 8th as well.

This bit of news arrived through a new revision of Microsoft’s Windows XP end-of-support web page which sported that little bit of detail. To be more specific, it read, ”Microsoft will also stop providing Microsoft Security Essentials for download on Windows XP on this date.” I guess that’s that, and all good things must always come to an end. Still, if you want to continue using Windows XP, it always pays to be careful, and Microsoft has recommended a bunch of best practices to follow in order to protect your PC from any unwanted intrusion, including running an up-to-date antivirus, applying security updates regularly for the remaining software installed, as well as using modern software that will feature advanced security technologies, followed by the support of regular security updates. We have been warned, that’s for sure. Would this make you ditch Windows XP and upgrade to a newer version of Windows?

Windows XP For Microsoft Security Essentials Ends This April 8 original content from Ubergizmo.

Tobii’s eye-tracking technology continues to make its way to mainstream devices. We’ve seen it work with laptops, arcade machines and Windows 8 tablets, and now Tobii has partnered with SteelSeries to release the EyeX, an eye-tracking accessory meant to work with PC games.

In case you’re not familiar with Tobii’s technology, its eye tracker uses microprojectors to beam near-infrared light to the users’ eyes. Then the trackers’ sensors analyze the reflections of that light along with the user’s facial features to accurately detect where he’s looking.

In the demo below, Tobii shows three ways that eye-tracking can be used to augment StarCraft II. First is the ability to move the view to a particular location by looking at an enlarged view of the mini-map (i.e. a map). Second is the ability to center the view to the point where the user is looking, and finally the ability to order units where to move, attack and more just by looking at the target. Skip to around 2:45 in the video for the demo:

The EyeX can also be used in e-sports broadcasts and to help developers improve their game by showing where a player is looking as he’s playing. Skip to around 12:30 in the video below to see that function in action:

As you can see the hardware seems quite capable, but it’s not going to succeed if developers don’t integrate it – and integrate it well– into their games.

Tobii & SteelSeries will release EyeX developer kits this year for $195 (USD), but for a limited time they can be bought for a steep discount: $95 for US customers and €75 for non-US customers. Just enter the promo code ‘CES2014′ on Tobii’s online shop when prompted. As with its tablet incarnation, I can see the EyeX being a boon not just for creating better or new ways to play games, but to help the disabled play conventional games as well. I hope developers and hardware hackers will explore that possibility too.

[via Tobii via Destructoid]

Yesterday, Intel announced its plans to run Android and Windows on the same PC in perfect harmony. Now, it seems AMD has the exact same plan.

Read more…

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