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Wednesday, May 15, 2013

Google's conversational voice search reaches the desktop through Chrome

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/15/google-conversational-search-reaches-the-desktop-through-chrome/

Google conversational search

We're used to Google's mobile search apps letting us ask questions as we would with real people, but the desktop has usually been quite stiff. That's changing today: Google is bringing conversation-like voice search to our computers through Chrome, with no typing required. Web denizens just have to say "okay, Google," ask their question, and get back a spoken response similar to what they'd hear on their phones. The company hasn't said just how soon Chrome will incorporate the new voice features, however.

Gallery: Google I/O 2013: Google conversational voice search

Filed under: Internet, Mobile, Google

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Google Just Massively Upgraded Its Core Product, Google Search, With Google Now For Desktop (GOOG)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/google-just-massively-upgraded-its-core-product-google-search-with-google-now-for-desktop-2013-5

google io search

Google just brought Google Now, its voice-recognizing search product for mobile, to the desktop.

It announced the news at Google I/O, a conference for developers held today in San Francisco.

Business Insider's Steve Kovach, who's on the scene and saw the demo live, says, "that was an incredible demo. This is the future."

Any meaningful upgrade to Google search on the desktop is huge news. Google search is the desktop Internet's most perfectly profitable business.

So, what does Google Now for desktop do?

It's basically a voice-recognizing robot assistant.

For starters, you can use it to search the Web by talking to your computer.

Except you don't have to talk in the same funny way you would type out a search on Google.com.

You can speak normally and get useful responses.

For example, you can say: "How long will it take me to drive to Santa Cruz beach?," and Google will show you directions with Google Maps and tell you how long it'll take to get there.

Google Now also does more than just search the Web.

Because it is connected to Google Now on mobile, you can use it to set reminders, and have them be triggered by times, dates, and locations.

For example, you can, from your desktop at work, tell Google Now: "Remind me to take out the garbage when I get home," and Google Now will remind you when, through your smartphone, it senses you are back at home.

Beca use Google Now has acces to your calendar and other Google services, such as Google Maps, it can pull off lots of other cool tricks, too.

For example, if you have an appointment in your calendar and Google knows traffic will be heavy getting to it, Google Now will warn you to leave early.

Most of these features have been available in Google Now for a while now.

What's new is that it's now available on the desktop through Chrome browsers. Also, Google Now will now also recommend things for you to do.

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ASUS GTX 670 DirectCU Mini set at $399 with May 20th release, up for pre-order (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/15/asus-gtx-670-directcu-mini-pre-order-399-dollars-may-20-launch/

ASUS' GeForce GTX 670 DirectCU Mini graphics card first broke cover in April without a price or concrete release date, but now Newegg has dished out just those details along with extra specs. Loaded with 1,344 CUDA cores and 2GB of 256-bit GDDR5 RAM, the silicon boats a base clock of 928Mhz and a boost speed of 1,006MHz. The 6.7-inch-long hardware bound for diminutive -- or even full-size -- PCs rings up at $399, and is slated for availability on May 20th. Click the source link below to pre-order the dual-slot dwarf or head past the break for the retailer's unboxing video.

[Thanks, Cody]

Filed under: Desktops

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Source: Newegg

HP intros the Split x2 Windows hybrid and Android-based SlateBook x2 (hands-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/15/hp-split-x2-slatebook-x2/

The Envy x2 has never been our favorite Windows 8 tablet, but that hasn't stopped HP from selling loads of them. The device has been such a success, in fact, that the company is expanding the x2 series to make room for two follow-on products: the Split x2 (a Windows 8 hybrid) and the SlateBook x2 (an Android tablet). Starting with the Split (pictured above), this is the first time HP's made a laptop / tablet hybrid with a laptop processor inside, though Microsoft and others have of course done this already. In brief, it's a 13-inch slate with a 1,366 x 768 display and your choice of Core i3 or i5 processor (these are Intel's Y-series Ivy Bridge chips we're talking about). As you'd expect, the keyboard dock packs a second battery, though it also makes room for an optional 500GB hard drive to complement the SSD inside the actual tablet. Other specs include two USB ports (one 2.0, one 3.0), HDMI, Beats Audio, WiDi and expansion slots for both microSD and full SD cards.

The SlateBook (shown below) is a 10-inch tablet with a Tegra 4 chip -- one of the first to be announced by any company, in fact. Though it's a companion to the $169 Slate 7, it packs considerably higher-end specs. There's that Tegra 4 SoC, for one, as well as a 1,920 x 1,200, 400-nit IPS display and the latest version of Jelly Bean (4.2.2). As with other dockable tablets, its keyboard has a battery built in. Here, though, the keyboard also includes shortcuts for Google voice search. There's even a laptop-style trackpad supporting multitouch gestures -- a rarity on products like this. The hardware itself weighs about 2.8 pounds in total, with a spec list that includes two USB sockets, stereo speakers and SD / microSD readers. Both products will be available in August, with the Split x2 priced at $800 and the SlateBook x2 going for $480. Now all we need are some battery life claims. In the meantime, check out our hands-on photos below. (Pssst: the Split unit we photographed was just a mockup.)

Filed under: Tablets, HP

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AMD unveils Radeon HD 8900M laptop graphics, ships them in MSI's GX70 (eyes-on)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/15/amd-unveils-radeon-hd-8900m-graphics-and-msi-gx70/

Did you think AMD showed all its mobile GPU cards when it launched the Radeon HD 8000M series in January? Think twice. The company has just unveiled the 8900M series, an adaptation of its Graphics Core Next architecture for desktop replacement-class gaming laptops. To call it a big jump would be an understatement: compared to the 8800M, the flagship 8970M chip doubles the stream processors to 1,280, hikes the clock speed from 725MHz to 850MHz and bumps the memory speed slightly to 1.2GHz. The net effect is about 12 to 54 percent faster game performance than NVIDIA's current mobile speed champion, the GTX 680M, and up to four times the general computing prowess in OpenCL. The 8970M is more than up to the task of powering up to 4K in one screen, and it can handle up to six screens if there are enough ports.

We'll see how long AMD's performance reign lasts, although we won't have to wait to try the 8970M -- MSI is launching the GPU inside the new GX70 laptop you see above. We got a brief, hands-off tease of the 17.3-inch GX60 successor at the 8900M's unveiling, and it's clear the graphics are the centerpiece. We saw it driving Crysis 3 very smoothly on one external display while powering 2D on two other screens, albeit through a bulky set of Mini DisplayPort, HDMI and VGA cables. Otherwise, the GX70 is superficially similar to its ancestor with that chunky profile, an unnamed Richland-based AMD A10 processor, Killer networking and a SteelSeries keyboard. More than anything, price should be the clincher: MSI is pricing the GX70 with the new Radeon at $1,100, which amounts to quite the bargain for anyone whose laptop has to double as a primary gaming PC.

Gallery: AMD Radeon HD 8900M presentation