Google now shows what you can do near your hotel
When you land in a strange new city, your first instinct may be to see what there is to do near your hotel. However, searching Google for nearby attractions can be a hassle if you don’t remember your hotel’s name or address by heart. That memorization is no longer necessary after today, though — Google has updated its search engine to use the booking confirmation in your Gmail as a locator. If you want to look for a late-night diner, all you have to do is ask Google to “show restaurants around my hotel.” You can also get directions to or from your accommodations, so you should reach a welcoming bed (or your flight) just a little bit faster. The addition makes the most sense if you’re using voice search in one of Google’s mobile apps, but any traveler can give it a spin.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Google
Source: Google+
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Engadget Daily: EA Access, upgrading your dumb home on a budget and more!
Today, we review LG’s Heart Rate Monitor earphones, learn how to upgrade your dumb home on a budget, check out Apple’s new Retina Macbook Pros and learn about a new Xbox game-streaming service called EA Access. Read on for Engadget’s news highlights from the last 24 hours.
How to make your dumb home smarter without spending a fortune
Want to make your home smarter, but can’t afford premium services like ADT Smart Home or Vivint? Don’t worry, we’ve compiled a list of the best (and more importantly, affordable) gadgets that can upgrade you abode.
‘EA Access’ subscription on Xbox One brings all-you-can-eat gaming for $5 per month
Look out PlayStation Now. Earlier today, Microsoft and EA announced their own game subscription service called EA Access. For only $5 per month, users get unlimited access to a vault of games, including Peggle 2 and Battlefield 4.
Apple gives Retina MacBook Pros a speed boost ahead of Yosemite rollout
OS X Yosemite is reportedly due sometime this October, but Apple’s not waiting around to revamp its line of Retina Macbook Pros. As of today, both the 15- and 13-inch models received a few upgrades in preparation for the upcoming OS.
LG Heart Rate Monitor Earphone review: good fitness gadget, poor earphones
LG’s Heart Rate Monitor Earphones (which do exactly what you’d expect) mean you need one less gadget to track your workout. The only problem? These Bluetooth buds sound pretty bad.
You also might like:
Filed under: Misc
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Skullcandy’s Method sports buds will get tunes stuck in your head
If you’ve ever gone running with earbuds, you’ll be familiar with the condition “pushem-backin-itis.” It’s an affliction that troubles many music-loving joggers once they break a sweat. Some companies prescribe over-ear hooks, or “wing tips” to combat this; Skullcandy is taking a different approach. Its new “Method” and “The Chops” in-ear lines come with sensual “Stickygel” technology. No points for figuring out what that is. Skullcandy claims their proprietary bud gels are 30 percent more loving to your earlobes (well, the skin at least) than standard tips. We mean loving in the attachment sense of the word. The sensual part? The adhesive action only kicks in once you work up a sweat, so you’ve got to earn that affection. As per always with Skullcandy, there’s a choice of colors and styles — and at $30 for the Methods, the grabby part doesn’t extend to your wallet, either.
Filed under: Home Entertainment
Source: Skullcandy
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Xiaomi leapfrogs Apple for number 2 spot in China, Samsung next in Sights
Xiaomi is a name that is still very foreign in the Western smartphone market, though they have recently been on the radar courtesy of their bold “Hunger Marketing” campaigns which generally result in thousands of devices being sold in not much time at all. While that in itself may not be impressive news to you, you may need to start paying a bit more attention to to the Chinese manufacturer as Xiaomi leapfrogs Apple for the number two spot in the Chinese smartphone market. From January, 2014 to May, 2014, a Kantar WorldPanel report says that Xiaomi has comfortably overtaken Apple, capturing a 21% market share compared to Apple’s 16% in the rapidly expanding market. And if that wasn’t impressive enough, Samsung‘s share in China sits at 23% which may eventually start getting eaten into by Xiaomi.
There is a small amount of irony in Xiaomi leapfrogging Apple when the Chinese manufacturer was often referred to as the “Apple of China”. Though where Apple aims for the premium market, Xiaomi’s products offer flagship performance for ridiculously low prices; case in point, Xiaomi’s latest flagship, the Mi4, costs only $320 USD for a device powered by a Snapdragon 801. In fact, so impressive are Xiaomi’s products that Kantar is reporting that 70% of its buyers are switching from a device made by a different manufacturer (mostly Samsung), with another 20% upgrading from an older Xiaomi device.
What do you think about Xiaomi’s success in China? Do you think they could do well in the Western markets? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
Source: Kantar via Phone Arena
//<![CDATA[
ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random()*1E16);
document.write('’);
//]]>
The post Xiaomi leapfrogs Apple for number 2 spot in China, Samsung next in Sights appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
.CPlase_panel display:none;
OWC Shares Mid-2014 Retina MacBook Pro Unboxing, SSD Tests [Mac Blog]
Following this morning’s release of Retina MacBook Pros with improved Haswell processors, OWC has procured both the entry-level 13-inch and and the entry-level 15-inch 2014 Retina MacBook Pro and provided a gallery of unboxing photos featuring the new devices.
As expected, the packaging on the updated versions is the same as previous-generation Retina MacBook Pros. The site did a quick teardown as well, revealing the internals of the new machines, which also appear unchanged.
Internal view of the mid-2014 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro
OWC also conducted some speed tests on the solid state drives of the two machines, testing the 128 GB drive of the entry-level 13-inch version and the 256 GB drive of the entry-level 15-inch model using QuickBench 4.0.
The 15-inch machine (equipped with a Samsung SSD) saw random read/write speeds much higher than that of the 13-inch version, averaging in at 194 MB/s for random reads and 322 MB/s for random writes and 262/245 MB/s for sequential read/writes.
The 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro, meanwhile, saw average random read/write speeds of 165/131 MB/s and average sequential read/write speeds of 263/244 MB/s with its Marvell-controlled SanDisk SSD.
Launched earlier today, the new Retina MacBook Pros feature upgraded Haswell processors, more standard RAM for entry-level machines (8 GB for the 13-inch model, 16 GB for the 15-inch model) and a $100 price cut for the high-end 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro. The refreshed Retina MacBook Pros are available at Apple retail stores and in its online store.
For the full array of unboxing and teardown images, make sure to check out OWC’s blog post.
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Canon’s new PowerShot cameras are for super-zoom lovers
Despite the popularity of smartphone (and tablet) cameras increasing by the minute, companies like Canon aren’t ready to throw in the towel for classics such as the point-and-shoot. With that in mind, the Japanese camera maker has introduced a pair of compact, super-zoom shooters: the PowerShot SX400 IS and PowerShot XS520HS. For starters, the entry-level SX400 IS, priced at $250, comes with a 16-megapixel CCD sensor, Digic 4+ image chip and 30x optical zoom, plus a number of “Smart Auto” features that Canon hopes make it easy for users to snap some great quality photos and video. The SX520 HS, on the other hand, is $400, but the heavier price tag, naturally, signifies a better spec sheet. There’s a 16-megapixel High-Sensitivity sensor (with the same image processor as the SX400), 42x optical zoom and a mini-HDMI, as well as speedy autofocus and enhanced stabilization systems. If you’re interested, you won’t have to wait long to get one — Canon’s bringing the new PowerShots to market soon, starting with the SX400 IS in August and SX520 HS the following month.
Filed under: Cameras, Misc, Canon
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Netflix cut a deal with AT&T, just like the ones with Verizon and Comcast
Almost as soon as news broke in February that Netflix had agreed to pay Comcast for a direct connection to its network, Verizon and AT&T were in line with their hands out as well. Verizon reached a deal months ago — that so far has done little to resolve streaming issues — and now Netflix and AT&T have confirmed that they reached an agreement in May, as first reported by Mashable. In a statement, they said the process of turning up the connections should take place “over the coming days.” Netflix CEO Reed Hastings already laid out his disapproval of the ISPs and their policies, and more recently suggested that if the Comcast / Time Warner Cable merger goes through, the combined behemoth should be barred from charging for interconnects. We wouldn’t be surprised to hear something similar about the proposed AT&T / DirecTV combo too, and with the FCC’s recent statements on this issue we suspect things are far from settled.
Netflix / AT&T:
We reached an interconnect agreement with AT&T in May and since then have been working together to provision additional interconnect capacity to improve the viewing experience of our mutual subscribers. We’re now beginning to turn up the connections, a process that should be complete in the coming days.
Filed under: Internet, HD, Verizon, AT&T
Source: Mashable
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Playdate: We’re livestreaming ‘The Last of Us: Remastered’ on PS4!
Welcome, ladygeeks and gentlenerds, to the new era of gaming. The one where you get to watch, and comment, as other people livestream gameplay from next-gen consoles. Because games! They’re fun!
Developer Naughty Dog’s post-apocalyptic opus The Last of Us released last June, delivering at least a few punches to the guts of almost everyone who played it on the PlayStation 3. Despite the some 80 million (and counting) PS3′s sold worldwide, though, Sony estimates that there’s still a bunch of people who haven’t experienced the game. So, with no small amount of effort porting it from the PS3, we now have The Last of Us: Remastered on the PlayStation 4. But, let’s say you’ve already played through the game and its downloadable episode on Sony’s last-gen console, is it worth double dipping? Join me today at 7 p.m. Eastern / 4 p.m. Pacific as I stream it, and find out. I’ll be starting a few hours into the campaign, but bear in mind that there’s a very high chance for spoilers, especially if you missed playing the game last year.
Watch live video from Engadget on www.twitch.tv
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Sony
Source: Twitch
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Physicist concocts ice cream that changes color when you lick it
What happens when a physicist decides to become a chef? If they’re anything like Manuel Linares, then you can expect a fusion of food and science to come out of their kitchen. For instance, one of the Spaniard’s masterpieces is an ice cream that changes colors when you lick it. He calls it the Xamaleón, a play on the Spanish word for chameleon, and it originally starts as a periwinkle blue frozen treat until it’s spritzed with Linares’ “love elixir,” a super secret mixture he concocted himself. This mixture reacts to changes in temperature and saliva, causing the tutti-frutti-flavored ice cream to turn into purple, then into pink as you lick.
As unusual as it sounds, this is just the beginning of Linares’ foray into the color-changing ice cream business: he also plans to whip up ice cream that turns from white to pink, and another one that glows under ultraviolet light. You can only get a scoop of this chameleon ice cream from one the creator’s shops in Spain right now, but he’s looking to export it to other countries, according to The Mirror. Until that happens, you can check out this video that shows how the yummy dessert transitions from purple to pink.
[Image credit: Manual Linares/IceXperience / Cocinatis]
Via: Geek
Source: Cocinatis, Diari de Girona
.CPlase_panel display:none;
Double Dragon Trilogy from DotEmu on sale for $099
Looking for another game to take you back to your childhood? Maybe you want to introduce your kids to your gaming history. While pulling out the old Sega and dusting off the cartridge is nice, it isn’t always feasible. DotEmu has your back on a few choice classic games and one that I remember spending countless hours playing is the Double Dragon series. I was a bit more partial to Battletoads Double Dragon though. The classic side scrolling street fighting game has sat comfortably at $2.99 but is currently wrapped up in the Summer sale on the Play Store for just $0.99.
For those that are wondering, this title does support a variety of Gamepads like the Moga line as well as the M.O.J.O. and Nvidia Shield. Head down below and go pick it up when you have a few minutes. Just don’t forget to grab it before the sale ends.
//<![CDATA[
ord = window.ord || Math.floor(Math.random()*1E16);
document.write('’);
//]]>
The post Double Dragon Trilogy from DotEmu on sale for $099 appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
.CPlase_panel display:none;
AIVAnet 