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I love Jeopardy. If it wasn't for football and Agents of SHIELD, Jeopardy would be the only reason I have an over-the-air antenna hooked up to my TV. Apparently someone at Google feels the same way, because at least one viewer started seeing information about the quiz show's answers as they appear on television. The Google Now card live updated with the show as clues were chosen and then answered (in the form of a question).
Here's something that might just blow your mind. If you perform a voice search and Google misunderstands you, or you happen to garble your words, there's a quick way to take care of that. Just follow up with a second search that begins with "No, I said..." Google will then replace the incorrect word with what you said the second time.
USB cables - can't live with 'em, can't live without 'em. The USB has been both a beloved and bemoaned part of the tech world since the first big wave of USB1.1 consumer devices hit the market in the late 1990's, and we've all been universally serially bussing along ever since. You had USB type B, miniUSB, USB 2.0, microUSB, and more recently, USB 3.0. And now some phone manufacturers (COUGH SAMSUNG COUGH) are even using the semi-ridiculous USB3.0 Micro-B, which while it is backwards-compatible with the original microUSB, just seems like a really weird and unnecessary evolution of the standard.
This isn't a sale, so if the nerdgasm you have after viewing the upcoming images leave you too immobilized to hit that buy button right away, you have time to get yourself together. Geekify is offering a large selection of fantastical tablet cases on Etsy, such as one inspired by The Neverending Story that's made of faux leather and microsuede. An Auryn is even situated front and center, just above the title text. It doesn't come with a copy of the novel inside, but with the sheer volume of digital books available for whichever tablet you choose to slip in, you already have access to a genuinely never-ending supply of reading material.
Good light meters are expensive. The other problem with light meters is that they're often clunky and outdated in appearance. Pricey and ugly as they may be, they're a hugely convenient tool for photographers looking to get their exposures right the first time.
Earlier this morning, we added SwiftKey Tilt to our 2013 April Fool's day post. At first blush, it just looks like another funny idea made specifically for April Fool's Day – little did we know that Tilt is actually a real feature. According to a comment left on the official SwiftKey Blog, you can enable Tilt by long-pressing on the word "tilt" in the suggested words area above the keyboard in the newest version of the app.
Android devices are already pretty awesome comic readers. There's very little I love in the world more than watching Deadpool hack and slash everything in the universe up on the ultra-high resolution display of my Nexus 10. Though, if anything is gonna give the merc with a mouth a run for his ill-gotten money, it may just be the collective comic anthologies of properties like Star Wars, Hellboy, Serenity, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and more. Yes, Dark Horse comics are live on the Play Store.
NASA is kind of awesome. In case you live under some red rocks, the organization sent this crazy robot to Mars that sends us back high-resolution photos. The future is amazing. Of course, there's nothing the space administration loves more than curiosity (which is why they named the Mars rover after it), and it's aiming to fuel yours with this 3D model explorer.
In the mid 60s, a man named Harold P. Warren set out to prove that making horror films is not difficult and, with a budget of $19k and a script written on a napkin, he got to work. What followed is, far and away, one of the worst pieces of cinema ever to be recorded. Yes, worse than Gigli or Cool As Ice. You think those are bad? Amateurs. While the film not only bombed in 1966, it continues to bomb to this day. An appearance on Mystery Science Theater 3000 prevented this atrocity from disappearing into obscurity, and since then the fandom hasn't stopped, as evidenced by what might just be the greatest platform game since the original Mario Brothers. Manos: The Hands of Fate the game.
We have long speculated what the future will actually be like: flying cars, livable space stations, intergalactic travel will be the norm – you know, all that stuff. Alas, none of those things have quite come to fruition yet, and I doubt they will in my lifetime. What may actually become a thing that we can have, though, is wearable tech. And I'm not talking about smartwatches and the like. I'm talking about intelligent, sophisticated clothing.
One of the biggest problems with Google+ has been its inability to create a group wherein all peers are equal. You can create a hashtag that everyone can post to but you can't control the membership of, or a Page that a few moderators can share to, but it's difficult to add users to (for non-public posts, Pages can only add users to circles once they add the Page first). Communities finally fixes this problem by creating public or private groups that anyone within can share to.
You remember this little guy? Of course you do. He's freaking cute, how could you not remember? Don't act like you don't want one. Everyone does. However, if you've loved the idea but were holding out for one in white, today's your lucky day. Right now, the useful bugdroid buddy has gone on sale in a new 'Chill' flavor. Perfectly white with a nice silver accent along the neckline. Fantastic.
HTC J Butterfly Announced, Comes Complete With 5" 1080p SLCD 3 Display And A Japanese Launch
HTC J Butterfly Announced
Remember that HTC phone with the massive, 5" 1080p display that we've been hearing rumors about? Well, it's here! Where "here" means Japan. The Taiwanese manufacturer has just announced the HTC J Butterfly, the follow up to the previous HTC J model. This phone is packing a positively drool-worthy 1080p SLCD 3 display (you read that right) in a 5" slate. In case you were wondering, that is a retina-destroying 440ppi.
When it comes to streaming subscription services, Spotify has stolen the spotlight in the US, where companies like Rdio have struggled to get the attention and acclaim they used to enjoy back before the Swedish invasion. With Xbox Music looming on the horizon, promising to install 30 million free, ad-supported tracks into every computer running Windows 8, the market has never been more competitive. Which makes Rdio's newly announced overhaul to its Android app all the more timely. It's even better that it looks fantastic.
The Play Store's web market has come quite a long way since it was first announced back in February of 2011. Still, that doesn't mean it's perfect - among others, there are quite a few filter options still on the request list. For example, many users want to separate their free and paid apps in the My Apps interface. Thanks to a Greasemonkey script Artem just stumbled across, now you can.
You seen one top-scrolling space shooter, you've seen 'em all, am I right? No, as a matter of fact, I am not. Voxel Invaders is here to prove that. Take a look at the trailer below and you see that the game starts off simple enough. Some nice, 3D-ish graphics adorn an otherwise banal battleground. Or so it seems. Until around ten seconds into the video, when the world shifts and we see things from a whole new perspective.
During the days of my youth, I loved Twisted Metal for the original PlayStation. When Twisted Metal III came out, my mind was blown. I just loved smashing cars with other cars. And guns. And bombs. Then, in 2001, the Twisted Metal series reached the pinnacle of its greatness with Twisted Metal: Black. Sadly, it's all been downhill from there for Mr. Grim and company.
As a tech writer, I read a lot of RSS feeds. Hundreds, maybe more. All day, every day. It's one of the first things I check every morning, and the last before bed. And dozens of times throughout the day. When I first started as a writer, Google Reader was my go-to RSS reader, both on my PCs and mobile. It didn't take long to realize GR's shortcomings on both platforms, however. So, after a little convincing from Artem, I switched to FeedDemon on my computers. It's a fantastic application and has increased my ability to find good, relevant content by at least 10 fold.
If you always dreamed of reliving Kane's experience in Ridley Scott's 1979 sci-fi horror flick Alien, now's your chance. Chestburster uses a custom t-shirt and augmented reality to bring your own baby alien to life at the expense of your chest, minus the blood, guts, pain, and, you know, dying. Yes, it is as awesome as it sounds.