Libratone’s got a new soundbar, and yes, it’s covered in wool

If only there was a way to combine your two greatest passions: high-quality audio and soft, fluffy fabrics? Well as it turns out, Libratone is kind of a specialist in that field, and for its next wool-covered creation, the company is revisiting soundbars with the “Diva,” announced today. Following on from its “Lounge” speaker of several years past, the Diva trades the square form factor for a curvier, oblong shape. And while it’s supposed find a home under your big-screen TV, the idea is the Diva can be your primary sound system, rather than just an accessory. Nestled beneath its woolen coat are two 1-inch, 25W tweeters taking care of the higher end; two, 3-inch 50W mid-range speakers; and one, 5-inch 75W subwoofer dealing with bass tones. In addition to the on-board digital amplifier, that sub is also supported by two passive radiators that are meant to facilitate a richer low-end sound without increasing energy consumption or weight.

There are only a couple of ports on the back of system for a 3.5mm line-in or optical input. There are several other ways to pipe music through it wirelessly, however, over WiFi or Bluetooth 4.0 (plus aptX), with an NFC chip for hassle-free pairing. Apple’s AirPlay and HTC’s Connect protocols are both catered for, as well as good ol’ DLNA. The Diva also works with Spotify Connect, which streams tunes straight to the speaker so you can use the source device for other things. An IR learning feature means you can make it play nice with any of your existing remotes, and Libratone’s iOS and Android apps will optimize output based on where it’s installed, if you feed in a few basic parameters like room size.

The Diva includes a normal stand and simple wall mount, which doesn’t need to be elaborate given the thing only weights 5.5kg (194 ounces). Since you’re likely position it under a TV, both mid-range speakers and tweeters have cup-like structures behind them that reflect some sound upwards, which is supposed to give the impression it’s coming at you from the TV. Vents in the back also bleed noise in that direction to give something of an omni-directional sound.

The Diva only comes with a black woolen cloak in the box, but you’ll get a code to order another free sheath in one of eight colors. Three more hues are due in time, which may or may not replace some of the existing options. Having been treated to demos including a live Foals concert and Batman movie trailer, it’s safe to say it sounds pretty nice. Then again, you’d expect it to at a price of £649 when it goes on sale in the UK and Europe from mid-October. We haven’t heard anything about a US release, but considering Libratone’s past history, we’d expect to see it reach the region in due course.

Filed under: Portable Audio/Video, HD

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iOS 8 helped Virgin Media smash download records

In our iOS 8 review, we said it Apple’s latest smartphone update was well worth the wait. Clearly, Brits agreed, because they helped Virgin Media set a new all-time download record. The provider’s busiest ever day came on September 17th, day one of downloads, which is impressive in its own right, as Apple’s servers didn’t actually go live until 6pm UK time. Virgin saw traffic rise 10 percent compared to the previous week, as the total data consumed reached an impressive 5,900 terabytes. To put it in perspective, that’s 11,800 PlayStation 4 hard drives or 1398 times the amount of data IBM’s Watson supercomputer had access to when it destroyed all humans on Jeopardy!

Filed under: Internet

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Source: Virgin Media

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Netflix’s European tour comes to an end in Belgium and Luxembourg

This week began with Netflix launching streaming video service in France, and since then it’s added Germany, Austria and Switzerland to the list. Belgium and Luxembourg are the final two on the list this fall, putting them among the 40 or so countries where Netflix now offers its services. CEO Reed Hastings (pictured above at the launch event in Berlin) called out the ” incredible viewer enthusiasm” for the service’s original series, including the ones coming to Europe for the first time like Orange is the New Black and Bojack Horseman. Upcoming Netflix series will remain exclusive to the service as well — some of the existing ones like House of Cards are tied up in exclusivity deals with other broadcasters for now. Netflix is also the only place to (legally) watch a few other shows like From Dusk Till Dawn, Fargo and Penny Dreadful. No matter what country you’re in, if you’re looking for the something to watch we have a few suggestions on how to find it. If you just want the exclusives though, a recent tweak to the website means you can just search for “Netflix” and they will appear.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: Netflix PR

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Notion Ink quietly releases Cain, a 10.1-inch Windows 8 tablet

The Notion Ink Adam was a tablet with big dreams, but it hit the market with a loud flop. It’s successor, the Adam II, whooshed by with almost no public notice at all. Now the company is back, but it’s not trying to redesign the Android tablet anymore. No, this time the company is building a Windows 8 tablet: the Notion Ink Cain. The Cain is a 10.1-inch, 1.8GHz Intel Atom-powered tablet with 2GB of RAM, 32GB of expandable storage and a detachable magnetic keyboard. Despite a sleek design and a rather snazzy folding keyboard case, however, the Cain appears to be a fairly straightforward implementation of Windows 8: no custom apps, or skinned interface included. Less bold than the company’s other ventures, but less risky too.

There’s no mention of the new tablet on Notion Ink’s website, but it’s currently available for order at Snapdeal, one of India’s most popular online marketplaces. Interested? The slate can be had for 19,990 Indian Rupees, or about $327. Check out the full product page at the source link below.

Filed under: Tablets

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Via: WPCentral

Source: Snapdeal

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Researchers use cell-phone data, not precogs, to predict crime in London

Just this year we’ve seen open data give rise to recreations of Denmark in Minecraft, the ability to compare cities at the same scale and also collections of geo-mapped tweets and traffic lights. But what about a practical application for all of that info, one that has a more tangible benefit to society, like, say, crime prediction? That’s what the University of Trento in Italy had in mind with its “Once Upon a Crime” study. The researchers coupled freely available (and anonymous, aggregated) demographic and mobile phone data with real crime data to forecast where in London an infraction might occur. Just how accurate was it? The Italian scientists say that their predictive algorithm was on-point, accurately anticipating whether an area would have either high or low levels of vice, 70 percent of the time. No, it’s not quite enough to let Chief Anderton and co. start running wild just yet, but it could be a way to help cities struggling with budget woes decide what areas need more (or fewer) police patrols.

[Image credit: Getty Images]

Filed under: Cellphones

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Via: Slashdot

Source: Arxiv (PDF)

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