Hardware Dev

Dell’s newest desktop is an 18-inch tablet

As reported on TechCrunch. By Jeff Blagdon Lots of devices are trying to combine the portability of a tablet with the full-featured experience of a laptop. Today at SXSW, Dell’s showing off a new computer that’s taking things one step further — the XPS 18 All-In-One is an 18-inch Windows 8 tablet / desktop hybrid that weighs in under five pounds.   AT LESS THAN HALF THE WEIGHT OF THE TAP 20, THE XPS 18 IS…

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Microsoft Tablet

A look at Microsoft’s top-secret Surface prototypes

As reported on The Verge. By Tom Warren From concept to reality: how Redmond’s iPad competitor came to be Microsoft made a bold bet to build its own hardware, competing directly with Apple’s iPad, but it was never an easy task to create something new and unique. Microsoft’s own tablet is the result of it facing a “big challenge”relying on its hardware partners to create a high quality physical device that could go up against Apple. Project…

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Cloud Culture Google

Google Confirms Glass Will Eventually Work With Prescription Lenses

As reported on TechCrunch. by MATT BURNS Geeks rejoice! Hot off exciting news from SXSW, Google just confirmed via the Google Glass G+ page that Glass will, of course, work with prescription lenses — that is, in future models. The design is still in the works. Apparently the Explorer Edition is not compatible with custom lenses, but Google says to expect the new design this year. As noted in the posting, the Google Glass design is modular, allowing for…

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Google

Google Launches “Help For Hacked Sites” To Teach Site Owners How To Recover Their Hacked Sites

As reported on TechCrunch. by FREDERIC LARDINOIS No site is fully immune to getting hacked, but there are some obvious things every site owner can do to make it a bit harder for hackers to break into a web server and add rogue links or take over a site completely. Today, Googlelaunched its new “Help for Hacked Sites” series to teach webmasters how to avoid getting hacked in the first place – and how to recover their sites if…

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Application Automotive

With Mobile Apps And Hardware, YC-Backed Automatic Launches To Help You Get More Out Of Your Car

As reported on TechCrunch. by RYAN LAWLER People spend a ton of money on their cars every year, from car payments to insurance to gas to maintenance. But for such expensive assets, most people normally don’t know a whole lot about what’s happening under the hood, or how they can drive or maintain their cars better over time. The folks at Automatic want to change all that, with a smart combination of hardware and mobile apps to keep…

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Application

Users Have Low Tolerance For Buggy Apps – Only 16% Will Try A Failing App More Than Twice

As reported on TechCrunch. by SARAH PEREZ The mobile app ecosystem isn’t poised to decline any time soon, according to a new study from Compuware, which finds that the majority of smartphone users (85 percent) still prefer mobile apps to mobile websites. Users believe apps to be more convenient (55 percent), faster (48 percent) and easier to browse (40 percent). That data isn’t shocking, of course – native experiences do tend to work better, after all –…

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Cloud Culture

Draft cloud editor saves writing in stages, imports from just about anywhere

As reported on Engadget. By Jon Fingas Although web-based editors like Google Docs are wonderful for writers who don’t have a save shortcut hardwired in their muscle memory, they’re lousy for anyone who’s interested in seeing major revisions on the road to a final copy. Nathan Kontny’s new Draft web app might be far more helpful for those creators who work step by step. It lets writers declare given document versions as mid-progress drafts, and offers editing side-by-side…

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Application Culture

Breathometer lets phone users keep alcohol in check from a keychain (video) Mobile

As reported on Engadget. By Jon Fingas Who knew that smartphone owners were suddenly such temperate drinkers? Just days after Alcohoot unveiled its take on a phone-friendly breathalyzer, Breathometer is here with its own way to watch our tipsiness. The namesake, FDA-approved gadget will plug into the headphone jack of an Android or iOS device and warn if our blood is too alcohol-rich, all while staying small enough to fit on a keychain. Plans are underway to eventually let soused…

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Culture Education

Teachers Are the Key to Everyone Learning to Code

As reported on WebMonkey.com By Scott Gilbertson Code.org recently made a splash with its high-profile supporters — everyone from Bill Gates to Snoop Dogg have offered up their support for Code.org’s premise: that everyone should learn to code. While Code.org’s goals are admirable, the movie above spends near zero time talking about what might be the most important part of the equation: computer science teachers. The Code.org website has info for interested teachers, but the emphasis is still…

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Mobile

Alleged Galaxy S 4 video shows a lot more than Samsung’s teasers

As reported on The Verge. By Vlad Savov Samsung’s rapidly approaching fourth-generation Galaxy S handset may have just made its video debut, courtesy of a hands-on overview from the same source asyesterday’s purported leaked pictures. While it remains impossible to be sure that this is the Galaxy S 4, we are indeed looking at a real, functional device, bearing all the usual hallmarks of Samsung design. It appears to have a 5-inch display, with a thinner bezel than…

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