Government

New York puts state troopers in unmarked SUVs to catch texting drivers in the act

As reported on The Verge. By Chris Welch New York state is getting even more aggressive in its pursuit of drivers that text on the road. Thirty-two unmarked SUVs are now traveling the state’s highways in hopes of catching distracted drivers in the act. The tall vehicles give state troopers a better vantage point than traditional police cars, which put them at eye level with other drivers and can make it difficult to spot when someone…

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Business Culture

Half Of All PCs Shipped in 2014 Will Be Tablets; Android 65%, Apple 30% And More Profitable: Canalys

As reported on TechCrunch. by Ingrid Lunden The growth of tablet sales has been outstripping that of more traditional desktop and laptop personal computers for a while, and now it looks like we are finally approaching the tablet/PC tipping point, where the cheaper, more portable tablet is becoming the de facto PC: 2014 will be the year that tablets account for 50% of all “PCs” shipped globally, according to researchers at Canalys. Leading the charge will be…

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Google

Google now inviting developers to buy Glass

As reported on Engadget. BY JON FINGAS Now that Google has offered a preview of Glass’ SDK and opened the Mirror API toall developers, it has a strong incentive to get its eyewear in the hands of app writers. Accordingly, the crew in Mountain View is now inviting developers to buy Glass’ Explorer Edition; you’ll find one such invitation pictured above. We’ve asked Google about the scale of the expanded Explorer program, and we’ll let you know if it…

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Application Entertainment Google

Chromecast stand-in CheapCast now beams browser tabs to your display

As reported on Engadget. BY TIMOTHY J. SEPPALA  CheapCast is a great way to get some of Chromecast’s functionality for free, sure, but it’s been lacking a few of the Google dongle’s features since the app launched. If you’ve been hankering to beam browser tabs to your TV (via an HDMI-or-WiFi-connected mobile device, of course), CheapCast’s latest update enables just that.Android Police notes that this seemingly only works with tabs and not fullscreen casting, while DRM’d services like Netflix and Google Play Movies “actually…

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Apple Culture

Lumen Bluetooth smartbulb challenges Philips Hue to offer app-controlled home lighting

As reported on Engadget. BY MARIELLA MOON The smartbulb throne isn’t exactly the most exciting one to occupy, but Philips Huehas its fair share of challengers, such as the freshly released Bluetooth-controlled Lumen. Similar to Hue, you can tweak not only the bulb’s color, but also its intensity. In addition, several modes come baked into the light source, including one that programs the Lumen to flash whenever a call comes in, and another that syncs its effects…

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