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Friday, May 03, 2013

Spark Core board adds WiFi to almost everything, takes input from anywhere (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/03/spark-core-adds-wifi-to-everything/

Spark Devices wants the inclusion of WiFi in devices to be a matter of when, not if -- and if its new Spark Core gets to market as planned, tinkerers might never have a moment of doubt. The tiny board combines an Arduino-compatible ARM Cortex-M3 platform with a TI CC3000 WiFi chip that not only simplifies getting online, but could save the DIY crowd from having to touch projects afterward. Owners can flash the firmware with new code over WiFi, for a start. A free Spark Cloud service also allows for custom apps that interface with the Core through seemingly anything with an internet connection: if you want to reconfigure a homebrew security camera from your phone, you can. While Spark Devices is relying on crowdfunding to fuel its connected strategy, the company is comfortably past its $10,000 goal and should deliver both the Spark Core ($39) and optional shields to new contributors around September.

[Thanks, Greg]

Filed under: Misc, Networking

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Source: Kickstarter

New Toshiba AT10LE-A tablet leaked: Tegra 4, Android 4.2 and a keyboard dock

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/03/new-toshiba-tablet-leak-keyboard/

You might not have noticed, but Toshiba's been playing the Android tablet game for the last few years. Now, a new leak suggests Toshiba's next slab will house NVIDIA's new Tegra 4 mobile chip (clocked at 1.8GHz, according to an AnTuTu benchmark) and almost the very latest version of Android -- that's 4.2.1, if you've been keeping count. According to techblog.gr's stolen glances, there's also a dockable keyboard with chiclet keys, but no trackpad. It appears to be more of a standalone dock than connected lid, with the tablet connected and propped at an angle rather then joined at a seam, although it may lie on top of the tablet to protect the screen when not in use.

We also got a peek at the ports along one of the edges, which includes micro-USB, micro-HDMI and a microSD slot, but no word just yet on internal storage and, well, much else at this point -- not a digitizer in sight. We've added a shot of the keyboard add-on after the break and if you're interest has been piqued, there's more photos at the source.

Filed under: Tablets

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Via: Liliputing

Source: techblog.gr

Thursday, May 02, 2013

Install Google Fonts on Windows or Mac for Faster Web Browsing

Source: http://lifehacker.com/install-google-fonts-on-windows-or-mac-for-faster-web-b-487124077

Windows/OS X: Google is now offering a convenient way to download Google Fonts, its 1,000+ collection of free, open-source fonts, to your desktop. Not only will your downloaded fonts sync to Google, they'll also help load websites faster if they use those fonts.

Although there are other ways to download Google Fonts to your computer, if you use the free tool SkyFonts as Google recommends, your fonts will be synced with Google's directory. So you'll always have the latest versions of the fonts (for example, if new characters are added).

Even if you don't plan on using the fonts for your own projects, installing the fonts locally, Google says, will make browsing websites that use those fonts faster, since your browser won't have to fetch the font data.

Download SkyFonts and Google Fonts via the link below. Once you've installed SkyFonts, browse the fonts collection on the website and select the ones you want to install. (Too bad there's no "select all" option.)

Sync Google Fonts to your Desktop with SkyFonts | Fonts.com via Google Developers Blog and TechCrunch

Add Google Calendar Events Directly from Gmail

Source: http://lifehacker.com/add-google-calendar-events-directly-from-gmail-487750718

If you use email as a primary means of communication, chances are you're moving between Gmail and Google Calendar to schedule various meetings and events. Good news: now you don't have to! You can now add events directly from Gmail.

This new feature doesn't require much effort on your part. Any time someone specifies a date and/or time in an email it'll become a link that you can use to create a Google Calendar event. Not everyone has this feature just yet but can expect to see it hit their account over the next few weeks. For more information, check out the full post over at the Official Gmail Blog.

Add events to Google Calendar from Gmail | Official Gmail Blog

Pelican Imaging's 16-lens array camera coming to smartphones next year

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/02/pelican-imaging-array-camera-coming-2014/

After yesterday's news about Nokia investing in Pelican Imaging's plenoptic camera system, it was hard not to feel impatient about exactly when this technology might arrive in real, commercially available smartphones. Well, we have an update on that front: although the company's CEO, Chris Pickett, wouldn't tell us which OEM(s) he's been talking to, he did say that his product is currently being trialed by device manufacturers and is scheduled to be part of at least one new smartphone launching in 2014. Now, this next bit is pure speculation on our part, but given that carrier testing alone can take six months, and we're already nearly halfway through 2013, this strongly implies that a hardware deal has already been inked -- which means next year could potentially bring the biggest news in smartphone cameras since the eternally underappreciated Nokia PureView 808. Speaking of which, Pelican Imaging also has some intriguing things to say about what could happen if its array camera was paired with Nokia's PureView technology -- read on for more.

Gallery: Pelican Imaging 16-lens reference design samples