Saturday, October 22, 2011

drag2share: Amazon Prime Instant Video expands its library with even more video from PBS

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/21/amazon-prime-instant-video-expands-its-library-with-even-more-vi/

PBS has been down with Amazon's Prime Instant Video service since it launched, and now it's providing even more all-you-can-eat video for streaming under an expanded agreement. Naturally that means lots of episodes of NOVA and Antiques Roadshow, and "for the first time on digital video", 200 episodes of The French Chef with Julia Child. According to Amazon, that puts its total number of selections over 12,000, more than double the amount of content it launched with. It still has a ways to go to match Netflix, but with a lower yearly price, sweet shipping deal and now the ability to teach you how to make an omelet, Amazon has developed a very compelling alternative.

Continue reading Amazon Prime Instant Video expands its library with even more video from PBS

Amazon Prime Instant Video expands its library with even more video from PBS originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 13:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus WiFi hitting the US November 13th for $400, available in 16GB for now

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/21/samsung-galaxy-tab-7-0-plus-wifi-hitting-the-us-november-13th-fo/

Nearly a month after its initial announcement, Samsung's ready to deliver the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus to the good ol' US of A just in time for the winter gift-giving season. The WiFi-only device, which packs a 1.2GHz dual-core CPU with 1GB of RAM, Android 3.2, 3MP camera with 720p HD video capture and a 7-inch LCD with 1024 x 600 resolution, will be begging for your credit card as of November 13th at Best Buy, Amazon and other retailers. Are you an early adopter? No prob -- you'll have the opportunity to pre-order yours at "select retailers" this coming Sunday, though no specific outlets were called out by name. The 16GB is the only version arriving so far, but Sammy told us to expect the 32GB flavor later this year or early 2012 (likely for $499, if yesterday's brief appearance on Amazon is any indicator). No word on partnerships with carriers yet, but we'll keep you posted on any updates. View the press release in all its glory below.

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus WiFi hitting the US November 13th for $400, available in 16GB for now

Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus WiFi hitting the US November 13th for $400, available in 16GB for now originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 14:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: ASUS Zenbook UX31 review

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/21/asus-zenbook-ux31-review/

It was just last week that we got to take home the Acer Aspire S3, the first Ultrabook to go on sale here in the States. Unfortunately, it doesn't live up to the pillars laid out by Intel: its performance trails similar machines, its battery craps out early and the design, while portable, is too chintzy to make it a bellwether for skinny Windows laptops. Our verdict, in a sentence, was that you'd be better off getting a MacBook Air, or at least considering other Ultrabooks -- namely, ASUS' line of Zenbooks.

As it turns out, one showed up on our doorstep just a few days later. In many ways, the UX31 is everything the S3 is not: it has a gorgeous all-metal design and comes standard with an SSD and 1600 x 900 display (not to mention, a case and two bundled adapters). And with a starting price of $1,099, it undercuts the entry-level (and similarly configured) MacBook Air by two hundred bucks. So is this the Ultrabook we've all been waiting for? We suggest pouring yourself a large beverage, settling into a comfy chair and meeting us past the break. We've got a lot to say on the subject.

Continue reading ASUS Zenbook UX31 review

ASUS Zenbook UX31 review originally appeared on Engadget on F ri, 21 Oct 2011 16:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: Verizon (finally) confirms it will have the Galaxy Nexus

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/10/21/verizon-finally-confirms-it-will-have-the-galaxy-nexus/

After a few leaks and false starts, Verizon has finally made its plans to offer the Galaxy Nexus "later this year" official. That's really the only detail revealed, as its price, release date and availability on other carriers are still unknown. Check out the press release after the break if you need any more confirmation.

Continue reading Verizon (finally) confirms it will have the Galaxy Nexus

Verizon (finally) confirms it will have the Galaxy Nexus originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Oct 2011 18:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Friday, October 21, 2011

drag2share: Iris for Android: Kind of Like Siri, But for Android [Android Apps]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5851896/iris-for-android-kind-of-like-siri-but-for-android

Iris for Android: Kind of Like Siri, But for AndroidHave an Android phone? Jealous of Siri? Probably not. But if you are! There's a new application called Iris (Siri backwards, heh) that kind of, sort of emulates what Siri does. You tap a mic, you talk and Iris responds to you.

What's it do?

Let's be honest here, Android has always had an emphasis on voice control in its OS but it's never been as converational as Siri is for the iPhone 4S. Iris, which was amazingly completed in 8 hours by Android dev Narayan Babu and his team at Dexetra, is a heckuva more conversational. It understands the questions you ask by voice and then spits out answers back at you. It's not always accurate (neither is Siri) but it's only in alpha and has a pretty good sense of humor about itself. You can have a general conversation with Iris or ask her questions about science, history, culture and more. Iris doesn't seem to have any math skills but she's quick on the draw with Wikipedia responses (which is all I really want).


Why do we like it?

The app isn't nearly as useful as Siri, it's also a lot slower than Siri but it's proof that the Android dev community is amazing. That's more or less the reason I love Iris, Android devs can get inspired from an idea and turn it around into a usable app in no time. Iris does a pretty good job in understanding what I'm saying, which is great! But it doesn't do as good a job processing my question into a relevant answer. When I asked what 5+5 was, it responded "the audio work by Kit Clayton vs Safety Scissors'. Basic, simpler and non-math queries work decently well but you shouldn't expect it to solve the harder questions (though it'll be funny!). It flashes the potential every now and again though.

Iris

Download this app for:

The Best

Hilarious!

The Worst

Slow

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