Google+, The Social Network From Google, Is Here

June 28, 2011 4:14 PM ⋅

This is better than Buzz. This is more intuitive than +1. It’s Google+. Google’s very first social network with great features will have to play catch-up with Facebook, but with an amazing interface and a mix of great features, it may have a chance. While I have not personally handled Google+ (but of course will), I can’t say what I like about it myself, but I will go into what Google+ has: Circles, which allows you to group contacts together in various social circles and share things only with the particular circles of your choosing; Sparks, which are topics similar to Twitter’s hashtags, and Hangouts, which are video chat rooms. There is also a mobile element/app to Google+, and for now focuses on text updates, photo and video sharing, along with good old location. It is currently in a private beta. A video after the break demos and explains Google+ features.

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Posted in: Apps, FTW, Google, Internet ⋅ Tagged:

HTC DROID Incredible 2 Review

June 28, 2011 2:27 PM ⋅

Successor to the well-received HTC Droid Incredible on Verizon Wireless, the Incredible 2 is on sale and brings little to nothing new (depending on what you call new) to the party. This review will be shorter than the others, but only because there isn’t a lot to cover (or perhaps there is?). Check out the review after the break to find out.

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Posted in: Android, HTC, Mobile, Reviews, Verizon

NVIDIA’s GeForce GTX 580M Now In Alienware, MSi, And Origin Laptops

June 28, 2011 10:22 AM ⋅

NVIDIA is having a great day at the office. Turns out the GeForce 580M can be touted as the “world’s fastest mobile GPU”, capable of running Crysis 2 on the new Ultra DX11 settings without much of an issue whatsoever. Meanwhile, the NVIDIA 570M is slightly weaker but is able to fit into more conventional systems, rather than large and power-hungry gaming rigs. It too is powerful, but not at all like the Crysis 2 performance seen on the 580M. Both 40-nanometer cards support DirectX11, OpenCL, PhysX, CUDA, 3D Vision, Verde drivers, Optimus, SLI, and 3DTV Play. As for manufacturers actually putting the chips into their notebooks (the power of each GPU can be altered by the OEM as well), Alienware has put in a fresh GTX 580M in their M18x laptop, while their older M17x will get a single-core version of the 580M with Optimus support rather than the defualt quad-core GPU that the normal 580M has, on top of the 1.5GB of GDDR5 memory, 384 cores running at 1.24GHz each, and a 256-bit memory bus. MSi and Origin have also released laptops today with the new GTX 580M as well.

PR after the break.

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Posted in: Gaming, Hardware, Laptops, Windows

Notch Gives A Detailed Sneak Peak Of What Is Coming In Minecraft Beta 1.8

June 28, 2011 10:20 AM ⋅

More Minecraft news. That is all. Apparently besides pistons being available in 1.7, beta version 1.8 of Minecraft will indeed get a new lighting system, a new mob, new combat mechanics, the Adventure Mode, complex terrain features, incentives and rewards for combat and exploration, and NPC villages.

Sounds good, Mojang. Via: The Word of Notch

Posted in: Gaming ⋅ Tagged:

T-Mobile’s myTouch 4G Slide Is Serious About Photo-Taking And Gingerbread

June 28, 2011 9:48 AM ⋅

This has us hot and bothered, as they say. The myTouch 4G slide is finally here, and guess what it has on the ever-important spec sheet? Android 2.3 with the latest Sense UI 3.0, 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor, 3.7-inch WVGA Super LCD screen, slide-out QWERTY keyboard, front-facing camera, and finally a very serious 8 megapixel camera with 1080p HD video recording with rapid fire shooting, HDR, low-light shooting, and finally a wide-aperture lens capable of f2.2. It comes out in July for $199.99 on a 2-year agreement. PR and promo video after the break.

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Posted in: Android, Breaking, HTC, Mobile, T-Mobile ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Notch Details Minecraft 1.7, 1.8, And The Official Release In November

June 27, 2011 5:11 PM ⋅

This is a big update for Minecraft fans. As everyone previously heard, Minecraft’s creator, Notch would release  pistons, Adventure mode, a new lighting system, ravines, a new mob, and much more for Beta 1.7. However, the release is so large that it is nearly impossible to release on time, so Notch and his team at Mojang AB have improvised: by releasing only pistons and bug fixes in 1.7, then releasing 1.8 (eventually, as it’s not even close to being finished) with the rest of the desired additions that were supposed to be added to 1.7.

Also he mentioned the official release for a stable version of the game in November, as well as the first post-release update, which would take place after they’ve celebrated the launch, Notch says.

Don’t believe us? Check out Markus’ “The Word of Notch” blog post and the following excerpt:

After 1.8, we’ll have to start crunching for the full release in November. That includes finishing up the mod api, improving stability and performance, adding supporting features like friends lists and a proper server browser, integrating singleplayer and multiplayer, and most importantly fleshing out the gameplay.

The release date is almost certainly changed to sometime the week after 11/11/11, and we’re working hard on setting that up. We want to make a big spectacle out of the release where we involve fans and celebrate it properly.

Then we’ll rest for a few weeks. Then I’ll start working on the first post-release update. :D

Posted in: Gaming ⋅ Tagged: , ,

Artsy Editor for WordPress Has Launched Today — And It’s Beautiful

June 27, 2011 4:41 PM ⋅

Another great piece of work by Stephen Ou, creator of the popular iTunes Instant, has created and released Artsy Editor in both developer, professional, and hobbyist versions, for $199.99, $59.99, and $19.99, respectively. The purpose of Artsy Editor to begin with? To simplify the WordPress post creation page, much like OmmWriter does for Mac and Windows. I’ve been alpha and beta testing Artsy Editor on LaptopMemo for nearly the past 2 months, aiding and being aided by Stephen Ou along the way. It has been an awesome ride, and as of today I am a proud owner of the app. Artsy Editor’s website and demo are both live, at the source link.

Posted in: Apps, FTW, Internet ⋅ Tagged: ,

iOS 5 Beta 2 Now Available For Developers

June 24, 2011 7:27 PM ⋅

It’s time for another iOS 5 update, the first (or second if you look at it). iOS 5 beta 2 can only be accessed via the also updated iTunes 10.5 beta along with the corresponding .ipsw file for your iOS device, meaning that the shiny OTA feature is not operational yet.

New features that have been discovered by users so far are an animated boot logo, notifications being much bigger on the lockscreen along with wireless syncing between a Mac running the latest iTunes 10.5 beta and an iOS 5 beta 2 device. Go ahead and jump into the developer section to get updated or ask one of your dev friends very nicely to get you on board. Via: Apple

Posted in: Apple, Breaking, Mobile ⋅ Tagged: , ,

HTC EVO 3D And EVO View 4G Now Available On Sprint

June 24, 2011 9:42 AM ⋅

Both use WiMAX “4G”, Android 2.3 (the View 4G should get Honeycomb sooner or later), use the latest version of the Sense UI 3.0, and both pack dual-core processors (the EVO 3D at 1.2GHz dual core and the View 4G at 1.5 GHz dual-core). Now onto their differences: the EVO 3D has a 4.3-inch qHD 3D display which requires no glasses to see the 3D image, has dual 5-megapixel cameras that can capture 3D images and videos, and costs $199.99 on a 2-year contract with Sprint with the extra $10 monthly premium associated with 4G smartphones on Sprint.

The EVO View 4G also uses WiMAX “4G” and launches without any 3D screen, but costs $399.99 on a 2-year agreement (For a tablet, I know. Lame.). PR after the cut.

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Posted in: Android, HTC, Mobile, Sprint ⋅ Tagged: , , , , , ,

Valve Releases Team Fortress 2: Meet The Medic Video

June 24, 2011 9:07 AM ⋅

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Gamers around the world have been waiting for the moment Valve should release the Meet the Medic video, which they finally have as part of the Uber update, which adds tons of new items and so forth. So in the meantime, Meet the Medic.

Posted in: Did You Know?, Gaming