10 Greatest Super Bowl Tech Ads of All Time

While most Super Bowl ads tout products you can eat, drink or drive, the smattering for tech products have been among the game's most memorable commercials. This year Best Buy, Time Warner Cable and Cars.com will continue their Super Bowl ad traditions, while BlackBerry will run its first game time ad - a bit of a Hail Mary for the struggling smartphone manufacturer. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/Ior6RK_1A_c/10-greatest-super-bowl-tech-ads-of-all-time

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Konstruct for iOS creates generative augmented reality art with your voice

If you have an artistic temperament, but you weren't blessed with steady hands or an eye for color, Konstruct might be the app for you. Not only does the iPhone app let you produce generative art using words, warbles and whistles, but it also uses augmented reality to bring your artistic creation to life.

To get started, you first need to print out the Konstruct marker and place it wherever you'd like to create your AR sculpture -- it could be on your living room wall, or on the floor of your bathroom, it doesn't matter. Open the app, point your iPhone at the marker, and start making some noises! Once you're done, you can save your creation, or simply wipe the slate clean and start again.

The volume of your voice affects the size of the shapes that are drawn on the screen, and you can move your head around to alter the path of your 'brush' -- but to change the shape of your brush or modify the color palette you have to use a menu. Without knowledge of the app's internal workings, it's hard to say what the actual difference between whistling, talking and singing is -- and judging by the developer's affinity for whistling in the demo video (after the break), the app probably doesn't perform that much analysis on your input.

Still, Konstruct is just a prototype! A later version could do away with menus and rely entirely on the location, tonality, quality and amplitude of your voice -- and judging by the the words of the developer, James Alliban, there is definitely more in store for Konstruct: "The idea of transforming entire cities into user generated virtual art galleries really appeals to me. I see Konstruct as an early prototype that will hopefully be realised in this form in the future."

Download Konstruct for free from the App Store (iPhone 3GS and 4 only)

[Thanks to Richard for the tip!]

Gallery: Konstruct for iOS: create generative augmented art with your voice

Continue reading Konstruct for iOS creates generative augmented reality art with your voice

Konstruct for iOS creates generative augmented reality art with your voice originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/konstruct-for-ios-creates-generative-augmented-reality-art-with/

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Hacking: The New National Pastime?

What a difference a day makes -- or, in this particular case, eight months or so. Less than a year ago, retailer Barnes & Noble yanked an issue of Linux Format magazine from its U.S. shelves because of a cover story on the topic of "hacking." "A complaint was made," explained the announcement last May on Linux Format's TuxRadar blog.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/28187db8/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C7720A20Bhtml/story01.htm

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Waste time and flex your brain with Shift It

There's no shortage of quick and fun puzzle games on Android, and Shift It still stands out as a great one. When you start up Shift It and play the first level, you'll instantly draw comparisons to the paradigm of a Rubik's cube. The basic idea of the game is to take the nine section grid of different colored blocks, and move it around so that the blocks of the same color are all connected. You are faced with a 2D view, but the blocks are effectively 3D -- moving blocks off of one edge, you will see them reappear on the other side.

read more

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/androidcentral/~3/rYOArGMMSm8/story01.htm

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iSites overhauled, now lets you publish cloud-based HTML5 iPhone apps in minutes

iSites -- a zero-code cloud-based 'app creator' -- can now generate HTML5 apps that work on iOS devices. With this new feature, dubbed 'InstantApp', you can now design a single app in your browser and publish it natively on Android and iOS, and as an HTML5 iPhone app.

We haven't looked at iSites before, but it shot to fame last year when it launched with native iOS and Android support. Self-publishing Android apps wasn't a problem because Google does very little moderation of the Market, but iSites ran into trouble with its iOS apps. Thousands of people signed up for the service after it was featured on Mashable and TechCrunch, and you can imagine Apple's chagrin as thousands of cookie cutter apps flooded its approval queue.

Genwi, the developer behind iSites, realized something had to be done -- it had to circumvent the App Store approval process. Genwi, of course, turned to HTML5 Web apps -- which can be pinned to the iPhone home screen and which can be shoehorned into almost behaving like native apps.

Read on for our experiences with iSites' new InstantApp HTML5 iOS app creator.

Gallery: iSites InstantApp HTML5 iPhone app creation

Continue reading iSites overhauled, now lets you publish cloud-based HTML5 iPhone apps in minutes

iSites overhauled, now lets you publish cloud-based HTML5 iPhone apps in minutes originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/30/isites-overhauled-now-lets-you-publish-cloud-based-html5-iphone/

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BlackBerry Q10 hands-on

Forget the all-touch Z10 for a moment. This here is RIM's BlackBerry's other BB 10 device -- the BlackBerry Q10. As you can tell from its alphanumeric moniker, that single letter is a nod towards the handset's physical leanings. That's right, it's a hybrid touch / physical QWERTY model and one that diehard BlackBerry fans won't only be more familiar with, but potentially more willing to embrace with open palms. With a 720 x 720 Super AMOLED 3.1 inch display, the Q10's screen is slightly larger than its touch hybrid predecessor, the Bold 9930, and sports a much tighter pixel density of 328ppi (BlackBerry claims the display is 360ppi, which doesn't jibe with our math). The screen itself is plenty bright and contrasty with incredible viewing angles. We didn't notice any of the telltale blue-tinge typical of AMOLED implementations, but the overtly blue lighting around us might have helped mask those shortcomings.

The steel band around the middle and "glass weave" backplate actually gave the device a pleasantly premium feel in our hands. It was solid, well shaped and smooth to the touch without being plasticky. The 1.5GHz dual-core CPU and 2GB of RAM keep the device humming along quite smoothly. It reacted almost instantaneously to input with no hiccups. The smaller screen size did make touch input seem a little less natural, but the ability to just start typing and search or perform actions (such as sending an email) more than made up for the slightly cramped confines.

The 10.3mm thick body does feel slightly chunky when compared to it's all touch sibling the Z10, and downright brick-like next to a svelte beauty like the Galaxy S III, but its short stout shape will fit in your pocket and palm with equal ease. At 139g it does pack some heft, but we dont see that as a bad thing. The phone feels like it means business -- something we can't say for some of its plasticky Android competitors. For more, check out the gallery below and the video after the break.

Gallery: BlackBerry Q10 (hands-on)

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, RIM

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/30/blackberry-q10-hands-on/

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Report: 2,277 Private Tech Companies Were Acquired For Over $46.8B in 2012; Google And Facebook Were Most Active Acquirers

Private company M&A database CB Insights released a number of interesting data points tonight in a report focusing on M&A transactions in the technology sector. According to the report, 2,277 private tech companies acquired in 2012. The acquisitions of public tech companies (i.e. Priceline buying Kayak) were not included. You can check out the full report here.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/EwOgwlXWMT4/

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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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Google Chrome and Chromium add protection against malicious downloads

Google Chrome already sports a number of security-minded features, from Incognito mode to a software sandbox which makes exploiting the browser a Herculean task. Now, Google has announced additional protection for Chromium and Chrome users.

Built upon the Safe Browsing API, the new feature introduces protection against malicious downloads. If a download link appears in the Safe Browsing blacklist, Chrome and Chromium will warn users against downloading -- a save button is still presented, of course, in case you're convinced a file is perfectly safe to download.

We'd like to see something a bit more eye-catching than the red warning icon -- like perhaps painting the entire bar red. Many of the people a feature like this aims to protect probably won't notice the icon or change in wording as they'll be focused on clicking the save button.

Google is initially making download protection available to Chrome dev channel users, and you'll likely see it in Canary and Chromium snapshot builds as well. After thorough testing, beta and stable users will be next in line.

Google Chrome and Chromium add protection against malicious downloads originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/google-chrome-and-chromium-add-protection-against-malicious-down/

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Pastebin updated to V3, releases Windows app

Pastebin is a very popular website aimed at coders and other nerdy types, which allows them (or should I say, us) to paste and share snippets of code with lovely syntax highlighting.

It has recently undergone a major overhaul which includes the release of a brand new Windows client. The new client lets you create new "pastes" and manage your existing ones. It joins a host of other tools from Pastebin, such as the Google and Chrome extensions, OS X widget and the mobile apps.

If you're currently using Pastebin, the new client is a great addition. And if you haven't tried it before, next time you have a piece of code you want to share or get some feedback on, you could do worse than try out Pastebin.

[Thanks, Jeroen!]

Pastebin updated to V3, releases Windows app originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/04/pastebin-updated-to-v3-releases-windows-app/

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Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration?

Rafael Rivera and Paul Thurrott have posted a second look at some of the early changes which have surface in Windows 8 milestone 3. First there was the restyled Welcome Screen, and now it appears that Microsoft is toying with bringing the Ribbon UI to Explorer.

The Ribbon, like in Microsoft Word and Excel, is context-aware, adding tabs for specific tasks which apply to the folder you're viewing -- such as library or picture management. You can also make out two new buttons in the status bar, which allow you to change the current folder's view style.

It's clear from all the placeholder images and repeated elements that this is very much a work in progress, but featuring the Ribbon more prominently in Windows 8 would certainly be a logical progression for Microsoft. It's slowly become more ubiquitous, moving beyond Office and into Wordpad, Paint, and several of the Windows Live Essentials applications.

There's more to the screenshots than the Ribbon UI, however. Our friend Long Zheng has noted two interesting elements in the images: Web sharing and sync (image after the break). That would likely mean users will be able to quickly upload files to SkyDrive and synchronize using Live Mesh right from Explorer in Windows 8. That's not a total surprise considering many of the earliest leaked images of Windows 8 showed Windows Live integration on the desktop.

Continue reading Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration?

Windows 8 Explorer to feature Ribbon UI, SkyDrive and Mesh integration? originally appeared on Download Squad on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 08:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/03/windows-8-explorer-to-feature-ribbon-ui-skydrive-and-mesh-integ/

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Google Plans Mysterious Wireless Network Project

Google has filed an application with the Federal Communications Commission for a new or modified radio station for an experimental radio service other than broadcast. The initial base station will be deployed on Google's campus in Mountain View, Calif. It appears the company intends to build a dense, hyperspeed wireless network.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/27df3573/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C771650Bhtml/story01.htm

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Google Talk Guru answers questions via your IM app

Bots -- like the kind which automate IRC rooms and Google Wave -- are a good thing to know about. There are plenty of useful bots worth knowing about, too, including the Google Talk Guru.

Just add guru@googlelabs.com to your GTalk buddies, and you can start firing off questions. Lifehacker suggests that the same types of queries supported by Google SMS will work, though we didn't have any luck getting a response out of the Guru with phrases like "score detroit red wings" or "sushi R3N 1Y1."

Still, Guru does answer a good variety of questions and it works right within your favorite IM app. It's well worth adding to your friend list, especially for getting answers on the go on your mobile device of choice.

Google Talk Guru answers questions via your IM app originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/30/google-talk-guru-answers-questions-via-your-im-app/

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128GB iPhones get rumored again, this time thanks to iOS 6.1

Some people really want a 128GB iPhone, iPod touch, or iPad, so whenever there's a new product refresh coming up, like the presumed iPhone 5S, rumors of higher storage capacities come with them. This time, however, it's the news that iOS 6.1 beta 5 provides support for larger storage capacities that's sent the rumors running. Neal on Twitter posted:

We should be seeing 128GB iDevices soon. iOS 6.1 beta 5 has 128G system partition key in BuildManifest.

Apple has historically increased storage sizes as a product differentiator, and when the cost of the required NAND flash storage made it cost effective to do so. Going from 64GB to 128GB and keeping the same size device means double density flash.

So, going in reverse order, component prices for high density flash would have to be cheap enough for Apple to maintain current prices and margins. And, Apple would have to be in the right place in their product cycle that it's a feature and not a throw-away. From my iPhone 5 preview:

When it comes to storage, Apple has doubled the maximum available capacity every two years. While the original iPhone shipped with an 8GB maximum, a 16GB version was introduced half a year later. The iPhone 3G also had a 16GB maximum. Both the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4 have 32GB maximums. Last year, Apple doubled that again with the iPhone 4S, hitting 64GB. History, never mind pricing and NAND flash chip density, suggests we'll stay at 64GB for the iPhone 5 and for this year. What happens with a supposed iPhone 5S in another year is another story.

Well, it's that year now, so it's safe to add 128GB to your iPhone 5S, iPod touch 5 mark II, iPad 5, and iPad mini 2 speculation lists.

Whether cloud storage, either Apple's own iCloud or service like Dropbox mitigate the product pressure for 128GB remains to be seen. There will always be some people who want as much as they can have locally on their device -- witness the continued existence of the iPod classic. (And, as Mark Gurman once again points out on Twitter, the former could finally send the latter off to outdated iPod retirement land, presumably somewhere in Florida...)

Heck, Apple could probably offer a 256GB device at $999 and find some segment of the market still asking for more.

The only question is how much storage hits the price and sales sweet spot for Apple in 2013. Do you still need or want more, or has the cloud changed your mind?

Source: Neal via iDownloadblog

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/2lbxldx0BP4/story01.htm

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Zen Coding high-speed HTML shorthand plug-in updated

Zen Coding made quite a splash when we first covered it almost a year ago. For those who aren't familiar, Zen is a fantastic form of shorthand for quickly hand-coding HTML. And today, a new version is out!

Here are some of the goodies version 0.7 brings to the party:

• Text nodes: Writing something like a[href=/]{Click here} now works, and puts "Click here" within the link.
• New actions added: Increment/decrement number under cursor, evaluate math expressions, and more.
• Wrap with Abbreviation was upgraded.

There are several other improvements but they're all rather technical. If you use Zen Coding (or are intrigued by the concept) go ahead and read the release notes for this new version.

Zen Coding has official implementations for a ton of editors, including TextMate, Apatana, Coda, E2, Komodo, Notepad++, PSPad, and more. It also has unofficial builds for Vim, UltraEdit, Visual Studio and more.

If you want to play with Zen Coding without installing it, you can use the online demo to see some of its magic in action.

Zen Coding high-speed HTML shorthand plug-in updated originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 15 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/15/zen-coding-high-speed-html-shorthand-plug-in-updated/

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Elder Scrolls Beta Testers Will Time Travel to 2nd Era

Publisher Bethesda Softworks and game development studio ZeniMax Online Studios on Tuesday announced that beta signups were open for The Elder Scrolls Online. The long-running video game franchise will take players back in time -- a thousand years before the time period of the 2011 hit title The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/27cb6a9e/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C771450Bhtml/story01.htm

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