Saturday, January 25, 2014

drag2share: Tired Of Missing Deliveries? This Startup Is Your Dream Come True

source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/4K2SpgCiM78/doorman-san-francisco-deliveries-2014-1

doorman

Zander Adell is founder of Doorman, a logistics startup that aims to solve the famous "last mile" problem for mail and package delivery. By receiving your deliveries for you remotely and delivering them to your door by appointment, Doorman aims to make getting your Amazon packages as easy of a process you could hope for.

Apartment dwellers without doormen in an urban area will readily tell you that to be home at the right time to receive a package from UPS and others is nearly impossible. You almost always have to make an in-person visit to the post office or to UPS to pick it up later.

Doorman aims to turn this asynchronous experience into one that's much more synchronous and takes place on your own terms. All it takes is the use of the Doorman iOS or Android app and a new custom address it provides so Doorman can receive your parcels.

Currently serving San Francisco, the company partners with mailbox rental facilities to receive your mail nearby, then hires background-checked drivers to deliver your stuff to your home by appointment as late as midnight.

Each time they come to your place, regardless of the number of packages, it's a $7 charge but there's an aggressive promotional system at work where you can tweet about the company and receive your delivery for free.

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Friday, January 24, 2014

drag2share: HTC One will get KitKat certification in the US next week

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/23/htc-one-kitkat-us/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

SONY DSC

Eighty-four days. That's how long it's been since HTC announced its intent to bring Android 4.4 KitKat to all North American versions of the One within 90 days. With just six days left to go on the countdown, HTC just tweeted on its US account that the final software has finally entered the hallowed carrier labs for testing and will be certified (and, we hope, rolled out) sometime next week. Of course, the process is now essentially under the control of individual mobile operators, so let's hope that they don't make liars out of HTC -- we've had Wednesday circled on our Sense calendars for quite some time now.

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Thursday, January 23, 2014

iRig Mic HD brings a hand-held option to iOS and Mac recording for $99

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/23/irig-mic-hd/

We've seen our fair share of mobile recording gear, and IK Multimedia is certainly no stranger to the fray. For those who prefer a more hand-held approach to tracking with an iOS device, the outfit has outed the iRig Mic HD. The digital condenser microphone is capable of handling your best attempt at Freddie Mercury's vocals, instruments and good, ol' spoken word with a 24-bit digital converter and a shape that will sit cozy in standard mic stands. There's also a built-in preamp and LED status indicator to keep levels in check -- similar to what we've seen on some of the company's previous releases. Of course, the main selling point is the unit's compatibility with the iPhone and iPad via Lightning connector (an improvement over its predecessor), but the device also plays nice with Mac thanks to added USB connectivity. As you might expect, the iRig Mic HD works with IK Multimedia's stable of apps like AmpliTube and iRig Recorder for those mobile captures. If you're still sporting older iOS wares, a 30-pin cable can be purchased separately when the $99.99/€79.99 accessory arr! ives nex t quarter.

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Source: IK Multimedia

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Google's voice search could soon be baked into Chrome, no extension required

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/23/googles-voice-search-chrome-chromium/

Back in November, the folks in Mountain View trotted out the beta version of a Chrome extension that brought "OK Google"-enabled voice search to the desktop, no clicks required. That's all fine and dandy, but what if it said control was a standard option on the desktop, capable of being toggled on or off with a click? Well, the Chromium folks are working on just that, with options for the browser to stop listening after five minutes and working incognito. Items like this that pop up in Chromium have a tendency to turn into standard Chrome features at some point. There's no telling when we'll be able to use spoken word as a standard search tool, but there's always the beta add-on for sorting hands-free queries in the meantime.

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Source: Francois Beaufort (Google+)

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Korg Gadget packs 15 synthesizers and drum machines into an iPad app

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/01/23/korg-gadget-ipad-app/

Fancy feeding your music production hobby with a slate rather than a collection of pricey gadgets? If so, Korg has added to its iPad-based offerings with the Gadget app. The software for Apple tablets bakes in 15 different sythesizers and drum machines (called Gadgets) that can be combined any way you'd like to construct those beats. Ranging from the Kiev digital synth to the Chicago tube bass machine, the app's instrument arsenal (which can be previewed here) covers quite the sonic spectrum with drum and synth sounds a plenty. Keeping the orientation vertical, the UI is divided into two sections that allow for dual control at all times. This is aimed at making both track and instrument adjustments quick and easy. If you're concerned about your lack of musical skill, there's a scale function helps you avoid hitting a wrong note whilst getting your feet wet.

Already splurged for the latest iPad? Korg says you'll be able to run more than 20 of the instruments at the same time, thanks to its beefed up chipset. Once those audio files have been tinkered with enough, options for sharing to Facebook, SoundCloud and Twitter or beaming them to Dropbox for safe keeping are all built in. There's also access to GadgetCloud for showing off projects with fellow users of the software -- complete with its own ranking system. The app is a bit pricey at $38.99, but if you commit before February 23rd, you can snag a $10 discount at that second source link below.

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Source: Korg, iTunes

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