Yahoo's IntoNow TV companion app for iOS adds screen grab, music recognition and chat features

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/31/intonow-tv-music-sync-capit-chat/

At CES 2012 we were promised that Yahoo would integrate IntoNow's SoundPrint technology with its backend to pull up useful extra content about whatever TV program was being watched and now it's delivered that and more. IntoNow 3.0 for iOS (no upgrade yet for the Android version) enhances the app's TV companion experience in three key ways: TV / Music Sync, "CapIt" screengrabbing and finally Group Chat. The TV and music sync brings not only the associated info we'd heard about before, but also brings Shazam-style information about any music that might be playing. CapIt can pull screenshots from the cloud of any of the TV shows IntoNow's backend is monitoring, which adds up to about 13 million frames a day, then pops them up ready for meme creation and sharing. Group Chat does exactly what it sounds like, and lets you talk to friends or set up circles of fans around particular shows.

We gave the app a try and found it worked as advertised, quickly identifying what was playing whether live or on DVR and popping up episode info, cast listings and Wikipedia links. The CapIt feature (shown above) pulls frames with surprising speed and ease, even on live broadcasts, and allows users to scroll backwards or refresh for new freezes to grab just the right one. It doesn't monitor what you're watching live, but punching the green TV icon in the upper left corner causes it to sync right away, which also creates an entry of what w! as being watched and when.

Continue reading Yahoo's IntoNow TV companion app for iOS adds screen grab, music recognition and chat features

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Tablet PCs

Yahoo's IntoNow TV companion app for iOS adds screen grab, music recognition and chat features originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 19:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Twitter quietly adds clickable stock symbols

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/31/twitter-adds-clickable-stock-symbols/

It might not pack the same thrill as the rumors of in-feed video, but Twitter has added clickable stock symbols on tweets. This now throws up search results for both the stock and the company, using a new 'cash' tag, like $FB, to differentiate from typical links and tags. As noted by TNW, it's bad news for the founder of StockTwits, a service that offered similar functionality to gather tweet-based financial nuggets. The new feature is live across Twitter's web client -- though it hasn't hit TweetDeck just yet -- and should make discovering exactly how many millions companies have made (or lost) all a bit faster.

Filed under: Internet

Twitter quietly adds clickable stock symbols originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 05:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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First GHz Edition Radeon HD 7970 hits shelves, throws $699 wrench into AMD's pricing strategy

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/31/sapphire-ghz-edition-radeon-hd-7970/

The GHz Edition was supposed to deliver a significant mid-cycle performance bump to AMD's flagship 7970, without any attendant rise in cost. Instead, according to AnandTech, it looks like third-party vendors are looking to exploit the GE has a chance to max out every other spec in addition to the updated silicon and then charge a premium. Sapphire's new Toxic card is a case in point -- a 6GB double-helping of VRAM and a "Lethal" BIOS mode that takes base clock up to 1150MHz and memory clock to 6.4GHz (compared to 6GHz on the stock card). Those who can splutter up $699 will surely love it, but it's no substitute for the $499 upgrade that AMD originally intended.

Filed under: Desktops, Gaming

First GHz Edition Radeon HD 7970 hits shelves, throws $699 wrench into AMD's pricing strategy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 05:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic Photosynthesis System converts carbon dioxide to organic material with plant-like efficiency

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/31/panasonic-artificial-photosynthesis-system/

Greenery may fulfill a superficial need to improve the landscape aesthetic, but plants play a much more critical role in regular life function, converting carbon dioxide to oxygen through a process called photosynthesis. Panasonic is among the companies attempting to replicate this natural procedure through artificial means, and it looks like the Japanese electronics maker is well on its way towards a viable solution. Presenting at the International Conference on the Conversion and Storage of Solar Energy this week, Panasonic announced the development of an Artificial Photosynthesis System, which uses a nitride semiconductor to convert water and carbon dioxide -- a byproduct of factories and power plants -- into an organic material called formic acid, which is used in the manufacturing of dyes and fragrances. Covering the planet in formic acid wouldn't necessarily represent progress, but assuming demand isn't exceeded, it certainly beats CO2. Best yet, Panasonic claims that the system converts the substances at plant-like efficiency rates, or 0.2 percent. Hit up the PR after the break for a more granular look at the company's creation.

Continue reading Panasonic Photosynthesis System converts carbon dioxide to organic material with plant-like efficiency

Filed under: Science

Panasonic Photos! ynthesis System converts carbon dioxide to organic material with plant-like efficiency originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Jul 2012 06:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Build a XBMC Media Center with a $35 Raspberry Pi [Xbmc]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5929913/build-a-xbmc-media-center-with-a-35-raspberry-pi

At Lifehacker we're big fans of the XBMC video player and home entertainment hub. Combine the awesomeness of XBMC with a Raspberry Pi, the $35 low-power computer board with a built-in SD card reader, USB ports, ethernet port, and HDMI output and we have the makings of a powerful-but-cheap home media solution.

Credit goes to The How-To Geek for putting it all together. Older PCs are typically used for XBMC rigs but they often come with a lot of fan noise. Another popular option is to purchase an Apple TV, jailbreak it, and install XBMC but in that case you still need to purchase a $99 Apple TV.

Combined with the Raspbmc media center distribution for XBMC on the Raspberry Pi you likely have most of, if not all the items you need to use with a $35 Raspberry Pi board to make a service home media center:

• HDMI cable
• SD card
• Micro-USB charger
• USB keyboard or media center remote
• Raspberry Pi board case (purchased or DIY)
• Raspbmc Installer

Except for the Raspberry Pi board case, I have all of this on hand. My Xbox 360 remote control works out of the box with this setup. The only tricky part is that since the Raspberry Pi is in such demand right now you'll have to wait 4-5 weeks to get the $35 board delivered. If you're in a hurry you can pay a few more bucks and get it now from eBay. Once you get the system setup you can use almost all of the standard XBMC tweaks and tricks.

The only downside is that due to licensing restrictions you can't play MPEG-2 videos on a Raspberry Pi, so if most of your video library is in that format this setup probably won't work for you.

For full details on how to setup your Raspberry Pi-based XMBC media system check out the source link at The How-To Geek below.

Build a $35 Media Center with Raspbmc and Raspberry Pi | The How-To Geek

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