Google's Alfred service shutting down on July 19th

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/11/google-alfred-closing/

Google's not done shuttering wares this month, apparently, as the local recommendation service Alfred is headed for the digital cemetery on July 19th. The app issued a warning to its users, spotted by TechCrunch, announcing its impending death and warning users to request data through the feedback tool should they wish to use it post-July 19th.

Mountain View purchased Clever Sense, the company that created Alfred, back in late 2011. The team responsible has since moved on, internally, to other projects (CEO Babak Pahlavan, for instance, is now part of Google's Analytics division). Apparently their baby couldn't escape Google's ever-looming axe, and it joins Latitude in the most recent round of service cuts.

Filed under: Software, Mobile, Google

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Source: TechCrunch

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drag2share: How Nokia's Radical New Zoom Tech Works

source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/vip/~3/UNXkxl3gZz0/how-nokias-radical-new-zoom-tech-works-744505287

Nokia's new Lumia 1020 comes with a host of features you might not be used to on a humble smartphone. And one of the most intriguing is the Lumia's radical new approach to zoom. Here's how it works.

Because the Lumia 1020 shoots so many pixels on the 41MP sensor, it doesn't have to lose any actual "pixels" when it zooms in. It can go to 6x zoom by just cropping down on the original image taken (sort of like how the D4's 1080p crop mode works).

The way to think of it is that the full, unzoomed images actually throw out a bunch of data. You know how Apple's retina method sends four pixels to populate what used to be one pixel? The PureView sensor, more or less, does the same thing, so it's sending that "retina" packet to a non-retina screen. But that data's all there, and so you can "zoom" in and access the data that would have been lost otherwise. The 1020 saves the "oversampled," smaller image (which has lost some data), but also saves the full file so you can zoom all around the image and zoom wherever you want later on.

Here's a quick look at how that "dual-capture" method—the 5MP oversampled image and the full file—breaks down in action:

What's it all going to mean for your photos? More control, mostly. A chance to frame your shot just right after you've already taken it, without losing all the important sharpness and detail that you want. It's a handy innovation, and one that might just win you over to Windows Phone once and for all.!

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ATLAS: Probably the Most Advanced Humanoid Yet, Definitely Terrifying

Source: http://gizmodo.com/atlas-probably-the-most-advanced-humanoid-yet-definit-745900003

As impressed by we all were by Petman, DARPA and Boston Dynamics' remarkably agile and nimble humanoid, it's about to get upstaged by the company's latest and greatest robot creation: ATLAS. Designed to compete in DARPA's upcoming Robotics Challenge, we actually already got a glimpse of ATLAS' impressive skills back when it was just a prototype, but as it nears completion we're now seeing just how damn impressive it really is.

Not only does it keep its balance and remain standing after being hit by a 20-pound wrecking ball, ATLAS also tackles a treadmill with ease, staying on two feet while two-by-fours and other obstacles are tossed in its path. Is it time to be really impressed, or really scared?

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Google Drive makes it easy to email spreadsheets, copy/paste your heart away

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/11/google-drive-copy-paste/

Google Drive updates might be few and far in between, but they usually add welcome changes to the service -- take for example its recently improved copy/paste function. You can now paste tables from spreadsheets into Gmail with their formatting intact, and it doesn't even matter what browser you use. Chrome users get a bit of extra, of course, like bringing shapes from drawings into presentations and copying slides from one presentation to another. While minor at best, these upgrades do make it easier to share data from Drive -- when it's online, anyway.

Filed under: Internet, Google

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Source: Google Drive (Google+)

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Samsung's 65-, 55-inch Ultra HDTVs will ship to the US in August

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/10/samsung-65-55-inch-4k-tv/

After releasing its massive 85-inch UHD TV with a stunning $39,999 price in the US earlier this year, Samsung is ready to follow up with a few models that are more easily attainable. The 65- and 55-inch F9000 UHD TVs will carry US pricetags of $7,499 and $5,499, respectively, with pre-orders starting July 21st and shipments expected in early August. Samsung just began delivering these in its home country, and others like Sony, LG, Sharp and Toshiba are starting to offer 4K TVs in smaller sizes (not to mention value priced contenders like Seiki.) The F9000 series includes all of Samsung's latest features like 3D, Micro Dimming Ultimate LED display, Wi-Fi and an embedded camera, plus support for Evolution Kit upgrades the company claims will let it keep pace with any future UHD standards.

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung

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