Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive hands on: surprisingly cool, but still US-only

When Amazon Appstore for Android launched last week, one of its primary features -- Test Drive -- was disabled just a few minutes after it opened. With no try-before-you-buy, no refund process, and 1-Click purchasing ready to strike at any moment, this caused some problems. Anyway, don't despair: Test Drive is now enabled.

Before you get your hopes up, Test Drive doesn't work with every app. The IMDb app works fine -- you can even watch movie trailers on it! -- but the Angry Birds games are sadly not enabled. Some games work surprisingly well, though, like Bubble Buster. There's very little latency, and the framerate is really rather good. The Test Drive experience is so true to life that you even get ads; how cool is that?

Gallery: Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive

Continue reading Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive hands on: surprisingly cool, but still US-only

Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive hands on: surprisingly cool, but still US-only originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/28/amazon-appstore-for-android-test-drive-hands-on-surprisingly-co/

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HP exec says company will re-enter smartphone market, is working on a device that offers a unique experience

HP and phones? It's not over, apparently. The company's Senior Director of Consumer PCs and Tablets for Asia-Pacific, Yam Su Yin, has told The Indian Express that HP isn't done with smartphones and is already working on a new device. While its focus (for now) remains on tablets, laptops and its all-in-ones, it's wisely decided not to ignore the ever-increasing influence of smartphones, despite that whole messy Palm saga. When asked about a chances of a future HP smartphone, she said: "The answer is yes but I cannot give a timetable. It would be silly if we say no. HP has to be in the game."

"Being late you have to create a different set of proposition[s]. There are still things that can be done. It's not late. When HP has a smartphone, it will give a differentiated experience." We'd put money on an Android device being in the works, given several of HP's recent product launches, but to compete in the increasingly two-horse smartphone race, HP will have to ensure that its "differentiated experience" offers something pretty pervasive to win over customers.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, HP

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Via: @krestivo (Twitter)

Source: Indian Express

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Tf86NmL3BYc/

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Farragomate is a social fridge magnet game where you make up sentences

You know those fridge magnet kits composed of a whole bunch of words? The ones you put all over your fridge door and then try to arrange into all sorts of juvenile and/or amusing sentences. Well, Farragomate is the social, webby version of that very same pastime.

You get to play with a bunch of random strangers in real-time, and make up sentences out of a pre-set collection of words, including some fairly naughty ones, and all players' nicknames. As you can imagine, some of the results are not child-friendly.

There are ten rounds to a game. Once a round is done, players get to vote for their favorite sentence from that round. You can't vote for your own creation, of course. There's in-game chat, too.

I think the vocabulary could be made a bit more eclectic, but even as it is, it's a nice way to spend a few minutes and meet random strangers on the Internet (always a thrilling experience).

Farragomate is a social fridge magnet game where you make up sentences originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/25/farragomate-is-a-social-game-where-you-make-up-sentences/

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Daily Crunch: Click Roll

Here are some of yesterday’s stories on TechCrunch Gadgets: LaCie Adds Some Polish To Its NAS Units With ?NAS OS? AliveCor Turns Mobile Devices Into Low-Cost Heart Monitors, Raises $3 Million kandenchi: Designer Mouse That Looks Like A Battery CineSkates: Roller Skates For Your Camera Failbook Phone: AT&T Already Looking To Ditch The HTC Status, Says Source

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/24/daily-crunch-click-roll/

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Why Obama Was Never Going To Be A Civil Liberties Champion

Barack Obama was never going to be a champion of civil liberties; he leads a very old and quickly growing strain of the Democratic party that prioritizes the collective good over individual rights. This coercively inclusive worldview feels that every business, government agency, country, and citizen has an obligation to contribute to the greater good.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/gmQ4Qut9VTM/

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Skype 5.3 for Windows released, improves mobile video call quality

Version 5.3 of Skype for Windows has just been released, with the main emphasis of the new release being improved call quality, and the quality of video received by mobile Skype users. Presumably one party of the video call must be using Skype for Windows 5.3, though.

Beyond improved call quality, not much has changed. You can now see your friends' presence icons when contact cards are collapsed, and the topic editing button is now always visible on the conversation header. For a complete list of changes, hit up the Skype Garage blog.

Download Skype 5.3 for Windows

Skype 5.3 for Windows released, improves mobile video call quality originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 12:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/07/skype-5-3-for-windows-released-improves-mobile-video-call-quali/

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Elephant Quest is an addictive, deep platformer

When someone tells me about a "platformer", my first thought is that it's probably a simple game that mainly revolves around running and jumping around, with a minimal plot. [Play a Zelda game! -Ed]

Elephant Quest is one platformer that managed to prove me completely wrong. Yes, you do run and jump around, and you also shoot at stuff. But the game has much, much more going for it.

Basically, as you run, jump and shoot, you gain experience points and level up. Hitting Space brings you into an interface where you can convert your experience points into Charisma, Intelligence, Agility and Dexterity points. Once you've "specialized" your points, you then get to pick what exact skills you'd like to enhance in each field. For example, you could use your dexterity to enhance your weapons or increase your swiftness.

The game is played in a huge maze; you go through rooms using doors, and there's a large map. As the name implies, there are quests you can take, too. For example, one quest had me searching all over the place for ten balloons.

The bottom line is that this is a surprisingly deep game that just might ensnare you for a good bit longer than you intended to play. Beware!

Elephant Quest is an addictive, deep platformer originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/25/elephant-quest-is-an-addictive-deep-platformer/

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Deal of the Day ? HP Pavilion TouchSmart 14z-f000 AMD A4 Quad-core Sleekbook

Saturday’s LogicBUY Deal is the configurable�14″ HP Pavilion TouchSmart 14z-f000 customizable Sleekbook, starting at�$455.99. �Features: AMD A4-5000 1.5GHz Quad-core 4GB RAM 500GB hard drive 14″ LED-backlit 1366X 768 BrightView LCD touchscreen Radeon HD 8000 graphics 802.11n WiFi Webcam HDMI. two USB 3.0 ports Windows 8 (64-bit) $479.99 – 5% coupon code = $455.99 with $9.99 [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/06/29/deal-of-the-day-hp-pavilion-touchsmart-14z-f000-amd-a4-quad-core-sleekbook/

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A Mobius Strip Track Makes Magnet Hovercrafts Even Cooler

Superconducting magnets are freakin' awesome. You should know this already. But the folks at the Royal Institution took it a step further with their futuristic upside-down, M�bius strip track that's fit for a racing game set in 21xx. Hopefully this is what the Hot Wheels of the future are like. Err, "Hot Superconducting Magnets," I guess.

But on top of the sheer cool-factor of seeing something hover upside down, you'll also get a nice explanation on how this kind of stuff actually works. It's not as great as getting an actual superconducting magnet car and accompanying track of your own, but here's to hoping. [Boing Boing]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-mobius-strip-track-makes-magnet-hovercrafts-even-cool-618712302

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Pelican i1075 iPad Case review

It seems more people are finding that an iPad and a keyboard (for easier data entry) covers most of the functions they used to rely on a laptop computer for. �This means that a lot of the gear bags on the market, designed for laptops, are not suited for the relatively tiny iPad and keyboard. [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/06/28/pelican-i1075-ipad-case-review/

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Yahoo To Sunset AltaVista, Axis, RSS Alerts, and Nine Other Products, Some As Soon As Today

Yahoo under Marissa Mayer is taking a page from her old employer, Google, and sunsetting 12 products, with some starting as soon as today. Included are Alta Vista and other search products like its experimental Axis extension, as part of "an ongoing effort to sharpen our focus and deliver experiences that enhance your daily lives," in the words of Jay Rossiter, EVP of platforms.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/E0W1q-V3PdU/

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Add a Windows 8 user tile to your Windows 7 taskbar

Now that Windows 8 images have begun leaking out, it's only a matter of time until developers start releasing mods for Windows 7 which mimic upcoming features. Over at Into Windows, they've spotted one such mod already.

In the earliest Windows 8 images, we saw Windows Live integration on the taskbar. In the far right corner, there's a user tile displayed. If you'd like to do the same on Windows 7, download Taskbar User Tile from DeviantArt user AngelWZR.

Once installed, your current picture will appear on the taskbar. Click it, and a menu appears which allows you to log off, switch users, and access the control panel. Right now, the mod only works if your taskbar is displayed on the bottom of your Windows desktop.

Add a Windows 8 user tile to your Windows 7 taskbar originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/06/add-a-windows-8-user-tile-to-your-windows-7-taskbar/

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Scientists Built a Mini Laser Gun That Generates Anti-Matter

Remember that time you mixed vinegar and baking soda and decided you wanted to be a scientist? Maybe you should have followed through. Then you could have been one of the guys that just developed a tabletop "gun" that creates positrons by shooting lasers at gold.

A team of physicists working at the University of Michigan just published a paper about their device in Physical Review Letters. But basically, it's small enough to sit on a table and can create positrons?anti-electrons?like its big, big brother, the particle accelerator at CERN. Positrons, if you aren't familar, are found around black holes and pulars. You know, cool stuff.

PhysOrg explains the process in more detail:

The team fired a petawatt laser at a sample of inert helium gas. Doing so caused the creation of a stream of electrons moving at very high speed. Those electrons were directed at a very thin sheet of metal foil which caused them to smash into individual metal atoms. Those collisions resulted in a stream of electron and positron emissions?the two were then separated using magnets.

The researchers report that each blast of their gun lasts just 30 femtoseconds, but each firing results in the production of quadrillions of positrons?a density level comparable to those produced at CERN.

For scale: petawatt is one quadrillion watts, a femtosecond is a one quadrillionth of a second, and a quadrillion is 1,000,000,000,000,000.

The thought is that we can use gadgets like this to study positrons more easily than ever and learn more about those gaping black holes in space and other things like them. It's pretty exciting stuff, even if you and I can't quite understand the subtle nuances of it. But that's what the scientists are for. Good thing they all stuck with it. [PhysOrg]

Image by Ingrid W./Shutterstock, virtually unrelated to the actual experiment (duh)

Source: http://gizmodo.com/scientists-built-a-mini-laser-gun-that-generates-anti-m-611320833

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AOL Launches Its Own News Reader

With Google Reader's demise looming, a host of media companies have jumped to fill the impending void. The latest? Good ol' AOL.

Source: http://feeds.wired.com/c/35185/f/661457/s/2db7d450/l/0L0Swired0N0Cgadgetlab0C20A130C0A60Caol0Elaunches0Eits0Eown0Ereader0C/story01.htm

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Half-Life 2 crowbars its way out of Linux beta, brings Oculus Rift support with it

Valve's Half-Life 2 along with Episodes One and Two are out of beta and available for download on Steam for Linux, the company announced today. While we welcome any Half-Life news, it's hard to not get disappointed when the number three isn't involved. Gordon Freeman's last known appearance uses the new SteamPipe content delivery system and "numerous" community bug fixes have been implemented.

That's not all! Oculus Rift (and other virtual reality device) support has been added as well. We aren't aware of any other VR units besides the Rift, but in March Valve told us it's pursuing hardware itself. Speculating about other VR systems isn't far from speculating about Half-Life 3's existence -- we don't know anything at this point. However, Linux gaming site Phoronix says to expect more good Valve Linux news in July. We reached out to Valve for more info and will update if we hear anything back.

Filed under: Gaming

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Via: Phoronix

Source: Steam

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/06/27/half-life-2-linux-oculus-rift/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget

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Gmail update brings the delete option back by default

A quick update to the Gmail app tonight brings about a couple changes. First off is that Google has brought back the delete option by default, alongside the archive button. (Previously you had to turn that back on in the settings.) Also listed is "tap sender images to select multiple e-mails in the conversation list," but we've been doing that for a little while now, right? Plus, the requisite bugfixes. 

Not a huge update, but any update to the Gmail app is an important one. Head on over and set things right.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/zEGEw0sRnUQ/story01.htm

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Amazon Makes Your Boring Facebook Birthday Posts Worth Something

Posting a Facebook birthday greeting is the lowest level of well wishing. Now you can take the laziest birthday greeting and add something tangible, an Amazon gift card.

Source: http://feeds.wired.com/c/35185/f/661457/s/2d764976/l/0L0Swired0N0Cgadgetlab0C20A130C0A60Camazon0Ebirthday0Egift0C/story01.htm

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Inside Digg?s Race to Build the New Google Reader

When in April, Google announced it planned to shut down Google Reader on July 1, it was almost not even surprising that on the very same day Digg replied: Don?t sweat it. We?ve got this. This is the story of ...

Source: http://feeds.wired.com/c/35185/f/661457/s/2d8c2c08/l/0L0Swired0N0Cgadgetlab0C20A130C0A60Cinside0Idigg0Ireader0C/story01.htm

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