HP’s first Chromebox arrives this spring
HP has revealed more about the Chromebox that it’s making to support Google’s video conferencing system, and we have good news: it won’t be confined to meeting rooms. The company’s inaugural Chrome OS desktop will be available to both home and business customers when it ships sometime in the spring. It should also be more powerful than the North American version of ASUS’ Chromebox, since at least one US variant will arrive with a Haswell-based Core i7 processor inside. DisplayPort, HDMI and four USB 3.0 ports will come standard. There isn’t any mention of pricing at this point, although it’s safe to presume that the Core i7 Chromebox will cost more than ASUS’ $179 entry-level model.
Filed under: Desktops, Internet, Google, HP
Via: GigaOM
Source: HP
Here’s a possible sneak peek at the homescreen for HTC’s next flagship
The online rumor mill’s been working overtime where HTC’s upcoming M8 flagship is concerned, with some even going so far as to conjure fake mock-ups of the device. Leave it to @evleaks then to give us our first alleged glimpse of the handset, albeit via the device’s homescreen. From what we can see in the image above, it looks as though HTC’s given Blinkfeed, its Flipboard-like service, a slight makeover. There’s also the presence of onscreen virtual navigation buttons, which gives some weight to the recent gossip we’ve heard about the M8′s build. Beyond that though, it’s hard to tell just how much HTC’s evolved its Sense UI for the device. But with Mobile World Congress just a few weeks away, we should know the full monty soon enough — that is unless HTC’s cooking up a separate event of its own.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HTC
Source: Evleaks (Twitter)
Apple Representative Appears at Senate Hearing on Distracted Driving [Mac Blog]
Apple’s director of Federal Government Affairs appeared at a daylong summit for the U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation to discuss distracted driving. A number of other executives appeared at the session as well, including representatives from Google, Samsung, AT&T, Sprint, Toyota, General Motors, and more.
The summit, a multi-part roundtable discussion called “Over-Connected and Behind the Wheel: A Summit on Technological Solutions to Distracted Driving”, will look at what manufacturers, OS makers, carriers, and car companies can do to decrease distracted driving.
On Thursday, February 6, 2014, at 10:00 a.m., U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV will host a daylong summit titled, “Over-Connected and Behind the Wheel: A Summit on Technological Solutions to Distracted Driving”. The meeting will explore how technology can be used to minimize distracted driving, which has become a major public safety concern in recent years. With the explosive growth of cellphones and smartphones, and the increasing levels of online connectivity available to people at all times, more drivers are tempted to stay connected in their cars.
In the final discussion, Senator Jay Rockefeller IV will issue “a public challenge” to all parties to “collaborate and build more robust technological solutions to distracted driving”.
The Committee has posted video of the discussion on its website.
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Minimalistic Puzzle Game ‘Threes’ From Developer of ‘Puzzlejuice’ Now Available [iOS Blog]
Threes! is a simple puzzle game that’s easy to pick up but difficult to master. Made by Greg Wohlwend and Asher Vollmer, developers that have been behind some popular apps like Puzzlejuice, Hundreds, and Ridiculous Fishing, Threes!‘ gameplay can be distilled down into a single easy-to-grasp concept: combine blocks in factors of three to create ever increasing numbers.
Gameplay consists of sliding numbered blocks onto one another to form higher numbers, but some important rules turn an easy concept into a challenging puzzle. Only like numbers can combine together, for instance, 3 and 3, to form a 6, which can then only combine with another 6. 1 and 2 are limited to combining with each other.
Each slide produces additional numbers on the board, and the idea is to continually clear numbers by combining them, because the game ends when the board is full. Our sister site TouchArcade has published a review of Threes!, essentially calling it simple, accessible, and well-designed.
Games of Threes! quickly escalate to an epic dance of block management, as much like the classic puzzlers we grew up on, you’re given a hint of what’s coming next in the form of a red “2″ block, a blue “1″ block, or a white numbered block. When you slide the blocks in a direction, whatever block is next slides in from the opposite direction, leaving you with a shocking amount of things to consider each time you place your thumb on the screen.
For each flawless movement, without some intense analysis, there’s also an equal chance that you’ll accidentally make an unintended combination and in turn wind up with a block you can’t immediately using junking up one side of the game board.
TouchArcade gives Threes! five stars and says that it is “about as close as it gets to a perfect mobile game.” The site has also posted a TA Plays video depicting the gameplay.
Threes! is a universal app that can be downloaded from the App Store for $1.99. [Direct Link]
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New High-End Nexus Tablet Could Bear HTC Branding
Seems HTC is taking the headlines today with talks of wearables and KitKat updates. Seems a new report is surfacing overseas that HTC has won a contract to make the next Nexus tablet. In the past we have heard of various OEM’s submitting devices or device designs and outlines, to Google to be the next manufacturer of a Nexus device. Obviously Samsung had their run, LG is doing their thing and ASUS had some of the tablets cornered.
HTC was the first OEM to build and offer a Nexus phone when the Nexus program first started off. I remember it quite well as it was the first Nexus device and I worked at T-Mobile and that was one of the big network partners it was launched working with. That was before the line took off and carriers started selling them in stores though.
If HTC has been picked up for a new high-end Nexus tablet we fully expect it to be quite a powerful, stock, monster. It would be good for HTC to get back into the tablet market with something in the Nexus line. Their last attempts at the tablet market were lackluster, even though they had some great designs and features. The tablet market has changed quite a bit since then though.
All of this is just chatter crossing the Taiwanese based websites right now. If the chatter is to believed though, we could see a new HTC made Nexus tablet sometime in the 3rd quarter of this year. Now, will it be aluminum bodied with 4 front facing speakers, or go for a more streamlined Nexus look? The better question is if HTC is making a Nexus tablet, will you be down to purchase one?
Source: focustaiwan via Droid-Life
Img via Phandroid
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