Thursday, March 15, 2012

Google to switch on 'semantic search' within months, emphasize things as well as words

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/15/google-semantic-search/

Google to switch on
A search engine should be about more than just keywords. MC Hammer believes that passionately and Google must do too, because over the next few months and years it'll gradually adjust its own algorithms to put greater emphasis on "semantic search". Under this system, search queries are run through a vast knowledge database that discovers relationships with other words and facts. A Mountain View exec explained it thus: If you search for "Lake Tahoe", you won't just get ranked websites containing those two words but also key attributes about the lake, such as its location, altitude, average temperature and Bigfoot population. If a piece of knowledge isn't the in the ever-expanding database, the search engine will still use semantic search to help it recognize and evaluate information held on websites. In doing this, Big G hopes to compete with social networks that are amassing their own valuable (and sometimes intrusive) databases full of personal information, while also encouraging people to stay longer on its site and see more targeted ads. Google, who is Viviane Reding?

Google to switch on 'semantic search' within months, emphasize things as well as words originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Mar 2012 04:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 brings an NVIDIA Kepler GPU to the ultrabook party

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/13/acer-aspire-ultra-timeline-m3-brings-an-nvidia-kepler-gpu-to-the/

Acer unveiled several new Ultrabooks at CeBIT last week (we spent time with the V5 and V3) but its M3 may be the most special one of all. NVIDIA mentions it will not only be the first with a discrete GPU -- beating Lenovo's T430u to the punch -- but that the included GeForce GT640M is based on the long-awaited 28nm Kepler architecture. That should give it enough power to run the latest games while still remaining true to the ultrabook tag with a 20mm thick frame and (promised) 8 hours of battery life thanks to Optimus technology. The 15-inch Aspire Timeline M3 Ultra also breaks the mold by squeezing in a DVD drive for games you can't get from Steam, along with options for either a hybrid hard drive / SSD or SSD-only storage setup. Neither company has included a pricetag in their joyful announcements, but these no-compromise packages are expected to begin shipping later this month.

Acer Aspire Timeline Ultra M3 brings an NVIDIA Kepler GPU to the ultrabook party originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 23:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung considering Android-based digital camera

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/14/samsung-researching-android-based-digital-camera/

Android on a mainstream digital camera? Yes, you could live to see the day. We're at Samsung's Korean headquarters this week, where we had an opportunity to sit down with the company's research and development team to talk about the past, present and future of digital imaging. One interesting bit of discussion: Samsung is considering an "open" camera operating system. It's still early days and nothing is confirmed but, given the company's support for Android on other platforms, that OS would be a logical choice. What we know is that Samsung R&D has been researching bringing Android to its digital cameras -- a move that would be far from shocking, considering that development teams do tend to collaborate, and the company clearly has experience with the Google OS. And while there are likely to be such open OS prototypes buried deep within Sammy HQ, they're mere experiments at this point -- at least from a production perspective.

What exactly would an OS like Android mean for digital camera users? It could be a major breakthrough from a usability standpoint, opening up the in-camera ecosystem to third-party developers. We could see Twitter and Facebook apps that let you not only publish your photos directly with a familiar interface, but also see photos shared by your friends. A capacitive touchscreen would let you type in comments directly as well. You could publish to web-based services, utilize apps that enable post-capture creativity or receive firmware updates directly over WiFi. That hotshoe or USB port could acc! ommodate a variety of different accessories, like a microphone or 4G modem that could be used with several models, including those from other manufacturers. While there's nothing making Android integration impossible from a technical standpoint, there are obvious disadvantages as well -- especially for camera makers. Stability would become an issue -- your camera could need a reboot just as often as your smartphone -- and such a powerful imaging device could theoretically cannibalize tablets and smartphones, though on a limited scale. Sadly this is merely educated speculation at this point, pending a product announcement from Samsung, though we wouldn't be surprised to come to fruition -- perhaps even before the next CES.

Update: Samsung reached out to us asking to clarify that this is simply something under consideration; nothing is confirmed yet. We've updated the post above to match.

Samsung considering Android-based digital camera originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Mar 2012 10:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Tuesday, March 13, 2012

ARM's Super-Efficient New Chip Can Get "Years of Battery Life" [Guts]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5892873/arms-super+efficient-new-chip-can-get-years-of-battery-life

ARM's Super-Efficient New Chip Can Get "Years of Battery Life"With processors, it's easy to get caught up in gigahertz and petaflops and the top-end specs. But blazing fast speed doesn't mean all that much for, say, your refrigerator. ARM's says its Cortex-M0+ chip will connect your dumb appliances to a smart grid, and offer "years" of battery life on some of them.

The Cortex-M0+ chip is capable of 32-bit processing, measures 1mm x 1mm, and is based on Flycatcher architecture. ARM says it's the world's most energy-efficient design. It's even more efficient than the 8- and 16-bit MCUs it's replacing.

The idea is that if the "Internet of Things"—that near-future sci-fi aspiration where your toaster knows when your dishwasher is using too much power—is ever going to happen, we'll need super low power chips to make it possible. [ARM via Geek, BBC]

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Rdio rolls out redesigned website and desktop apps, promises to make things more social

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/13/rdio-rolls-out-redesigned-website-and-desktop-apps-promises-to/

If you've checked into Rdio's website this afternoon (and are a web or unlimited subscriber) you've probably noticed a message prompting you to try out the "new Rdio." Clicking on it will take you to the redesigned website that the music streaming service has rolled out today -- something the company claims is "faster, simpler, and more social." That includes a completely overhauled layout that puts it slightly more in line with the likes of Spotify and iTunes, and social networking features that are brought to the fore, including a new "People Sidebar" where you can see who's online and what they're listening to (along with suggestions of people to follow). You can also now simply drag tracks to the People Sidebar to share them with friends, or drag entire albums to add them to a playlist. What's more, that overhaul also carriers over to Rdio's desktop apps, which now mirror the web interface quite closely. Hit the links below to take a closer look or try it for yourself.

Continue reading Rdio rolls out redesigned website and desktop apps, promises to make things more social

Rdio rolls out redesigned website and desktop apps, promises to make things more social originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Mar 2012 13:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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