Google's latest Gmail tweaks bring contact info to search results, enhanced Circle integration

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/16/google-gmail-update-contact-details-circle-integration/

By any means, this is certainly far from being one of the biggest changes Gmail's ever seen -- still, it's one that's likely to make a few tasks a wee bit easier for you. Inside the recent tweaks, Google added a new quick access trait that makes contact details -- such as phone numbers -- show up automatically in search results within your cherished G inbox. Additionally, the Android-maker has improved the Google+ integration (again), now allowing folks to narrow down conversations from specific Circles in the search box (you know, something like Circle: Awesome Engadget editors). Google says the changes will be rolling out over the course of the day, but in the meantime, you could always check out what exactly happens behind Gmail's closed doors.

Google's latest Gmail tweaks bring contact info to search results, enhanced Circle integration originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 18:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The mysteries of the CCD revealed (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/16/the-mysteries-of-the-ccd-revealed-video/

Sure, we've explained to you why sensor size matters in a digital camera, but maybe you need to take it back a bit. Maybe, you're not entirely sure how those sensors work in the first place. Well, Bill Hammack, better known as The Engineer Guy, is here to help. After breaking down LCDs and hard drives for your amusement and education, Bill has turned his attention to the CCD. The charge-coupled device is the heart and soul of many a digital camera, turning incoming photons into a charge that the impressively complex processor inside can convert into an image. What makes the CCD so impressive is it's rather ingenious solutions to problems such as interference (no wires, just a shift register) and color reproduction (pixel-sized filters and a hue-flattening algorithm). For more, check out the video after the break.

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The mysteries of the CCD revealed (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 May 2012 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our ter ms for use of feeds.

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Netflix web streaming interface gets a new look with bigger icons, embedded previews

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/16/netflix-web-player-updated/

With the exception of tweaks for new features like HD video and closed captioning Netflix's Silverlight-based web player has been largely unchanged for years, but today everything is being reworked. As detailed in a post on the company's blog, PC and Mac users (no word on ChromeOS) the size of the player controls now scale to the window they're in and replace words with icons. Other new features users will notice is the ability to preview additional episodes of TV series without stopping the stream, title information that pops up when the stream is paused and that full screen viewing now has the same options as the windows player. The finale tweak is that the back to browsing button that brings viewers back to their queue has shifted from the bottom right to the top left. Hit the blog for the full breakdown, or just expect a surprise tomorrow when you're watching Downton Abbey at work Drive in the comfort of your own home during leisure time.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Netflix web streaming interface gets a new look with bigger icons, embedded previews originally appeared on Engadge t on Wed, 16 May 2012 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google bots learning to read webpages like humans, one step closer to knowing everything

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/google-bots-read-webpages-like-humans/

Google just launched its Knowledge Graph, a tool intended to deliver more accurate information by analyzing the way users search. Of course, with a desire to provide better search results comes a need for improved site-reading capabilties. JavaScript and AJAX have traditionally put a wrench in Google bots' journey through a webpage, but it looks like the search engine has developed some smarter specimens. While digging through Apache logs, a developer spotted evidence that bots now execute the JavaScript they encounter -- and rather than just mining for URLS, the crawlers seem to be mimicking how users click on objects to activate them. That means bots can dig deeper into the web, accessing databases and other content that wasn't previously indexable. Looks like Google is one step closer to success on its quest to know everything.

Google bots learning to read webpages like humans, one step closer to knowing everything originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 00:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hillcrest Labs open sources Kylo web browser for TVs, hopes the people want one

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/17/hillcrest-labs-open-sources-kylo-web-browser-for-tvs-hopes-the/

We didn't hear much from Hillcrest Labs' Kylo web browser for TVs after it launched in 2010, but now the company is apparently turning its fate over to the community. A Mozilla-based browser, Kylo will work with any mouse but is designed specifically for its Freespace pointer controls. It's available under the Mozilla Public License which means others can use it for commercial products, but so far web connected products have been slow to take off and even Google TV has had trouble pushing a typical browser experience on HDTVs. Interested devs can snag the code at Kylo.tv or GitHub, we'll see if anyone builds anything with more market impact.

Continue reading Hillcrest Labs open sources Kylo web browser for TVs, hopes the people want one

Hillcrest Labs open sources Kylo web browser for TVs, hopes the people want one originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 May 2012 03:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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