Skype CEO Tony Bates confirms 250m monthly users, talks Microsoft partnership and future plans

Skype CEO Tony Bates just took the stage here on the final day of D10, and he got right into the news delivery mindset: as of now, there are 250 million monthly connected users. Said Bates, "When we closed [the Microsoft deal], we had 170 million monthly users, so haven't skipped a beat in terms of momentum." Continuing on when asked from Kara Swisher about integration with Microsoft, Bates said: "I'm not going to talk about future products, but I'll steal a line from Tim Cook. We're going to double-down on integration with Windows 8, and we're doing to double-down on secrecy." Specifically, he mentioned that there'd be some "great integration points" with Windows 8, noting that Skype is viewed as an "experience, with most folks viewing it as a Swiss army knife, regardless of where and how it's used." Kara followed up with a question on Kinect, and Bates did his best to dodge the bullet by re-referencing intent on Windows 8 and Windows Phone -- there wasn't a peep mentioned in either direction on if it'd end up there.

Kara asked what his most important smartphone platform was, and Bates said: "I wouldn't classify it as one most important. As far as download numbers, it's absolutely iPhone, but Android is gaining momentum. Our top priority is mobile; we made two acquisitions in that space. The Android marketplace -- as many know -- is quite fragmented, and this was a big challenge for us from an engineering standpoint. This team in the Qik acquisition really helped us there. I'm very hopeful -- Windows Phone is very exciting for me because of that people-centric nature." Kara pushed to see if Windows Phone would get a "special" version of Skype, and Bates simply said that he "hopes they can add value." Given that both Windows Phone and Skype now live under the same roof, though, we're guessing that he's underselling things in the effort of "doubling-down on secrecy."

Continue reading Skype CEO Tony Bates confirms 250m monthly users, talks Microsoft partnership and future plans

Skype CEO Tony Bates confirms 250m monthly users, talks Microsoft partnership and future plans originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 14:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/31/skype-ceo-tony-bates-microsoft-kinect-future-voip-communication-d10/

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CrunchGear Week in Review: Animal Shots Edition

Here are some stories from the past week on CrunchGear: ?Rotary Mechanical? Cell Phone Concept Isn?t Practical, But It Looks Great Lomo?s New La Sardina Camera Is Cheap And Sardine-Can-Like Panda Itazura Bank: Super-Cute Piggy Bank (Video) Meet The Robostir, A Robotic Soup Stirrer SugarSync Adds Mobile Device Management To Send Files To Devices From [...]

Source: http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/06/20/week-in-review-animal-shots/

INVENTEC KDDI KLATENCOR

Scientific Proof That Men Have the Dirtiest Desks [Science]

Sometimes its hard to keep your desk clean and tidy. Turns out, men seem to find it a bigger problem, because a recent study suggests that men have far, far dirtier desks than women. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/YpCfc3IewWA/scientific-proof-that-men-have-the-dirtiest-desks

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Windows 8 getting a built-in PDF reader, Metro-style

For what seems like an eternity, Download Squad readers have reacted to news of security exploits targeting Adobe Reader with a common sentiment: why doesn't Microsoft build its own secure PDF reader into Windows? Apparently the Windows 8 team agrees, and they're working away at an application called Modern Reader which is exactly that.

From the handful of screenshots Paul Thurrott has shared, it's clear that Modern Reader has been built with Metro in mind. You can see the Reader back button in the top-left corner of the yellow image and the minimal page navigation bar on the right. We've posted some larger images we managed to scrape from Google's cache after the break.

Thurrott also mentions that Modern Reader is the first program spotted which is built using AppX -- a packaging technology that may allow developers to roll a single build to both Windows 8 desktops and Windows Phone 8 mobile devices.

Continue reading Windows 8 getting a built-in PDF reader, Metro-style

Windows 8 getting a built-in PDF reader, Metro-style originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/windows-8-getting-a-built-in-pdf-reader-finally/

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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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Burrito Bison is a simple game for gummy bear lovers

Burrito Bison is a pretty simple game, but if you're into gummy bears you might find it addictive.

As you may have guessed from the name, you're a bison (not a burrito, though). In the course of your day-to-day grocery shopping, you're abducted into a bag of gummy bears, and must now fend for yourself.

At the beginning of each round you launch yourself onto the marching gummy (gummi?) bears, while you're being watched by a huge crowd of even more gummy bears. Your goal is to keep bouncing on the bears and earn more and more money while you do it. Every time you hit a gummy bear, you lose some momentum. If you hit the floor, you basically lose all of it.

But don't give up just yet! You have an emergency thrust which you can use to gain some momentum and keep bouncing on those bears. This extra thrust gets refilled as you hit more bears.

There are also special gummy bears that give you extra thrust or extra money. The money comes in handy at the end of each round, when you can shop for cool stuff to make your bison even more effective against those gummy bears.

It's a fun and colorful game that kept my interest for quite some time, and almost sent me running to the closest store to get some gummy bears!

Burrito Bison is a simple game for gummy bear lovers originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 26 Mar 2011 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/26/burrito-bison-is-a-simple-game-for-gummy-bear-lovers/

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Bing begins roll out of HTML5-enhanced search interface

Bing's new HTML5-and-CSS3-enhanced search interface, which was first demonstrated back in September 2010 to showcase the power of IE9, has started to roll out.

The most notable addition to the new interface is is smooth page transitions -- the fade in and out -- and navigation tabs (maps, images, videos, etc.) now persistently float at the top of the page. WinRumors is also reporting that a feature reminiscent of Google Instant search is being added to Bing, with page elements smoothly transitioning in and out as you type in your search query.

If you want to try out the new Bing UI, your best bet is to set your locale to United States - English and pray that you're part of the initial roll out. Alternatively, just wait a few days until MIX 2011, Microsoft's Web developer conference, which is when the new Bing UI should be officially launched.

Bing begins roll out of HTML5-enhanced search interface originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/08/bing-begins-roll-out-of-html5-enhanced-search-interface/

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Nest expands its reach, begins shipping Learning Thermostat to Canada

The Nest Learning Thermostat has certainly generated plenty of buzz -- and not just by thermostat standards -- but it's so far only be available to those in the United States. That's finally starting to change today, though, with Nest announcing that is has now begun shipping the thermostat to Canada. Those interested will initially only be order the device through Nest's own website, where it will set Canadians back the same $249 -- they can also take advantage of the "Nest Concierge" program to get the unit professionally installed for $119, with additional installations running $25 each (all still in US dollars). Still no word on any Canadian retailers that will be carrying the device.

Continue reading Nest expands its reach, begins shipping Learning Thermostat to Canada

Nest expands its reach, begins shipping Learning Thermostat to Canada originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 17:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/30/nest-expands-its-reach-begins-shipping-learning-thermostat-to-c/

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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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Built MX Sleeve for 13? MacBook Pro

Built has introduced a new sleeve for the MacBook Pro that looks a bit different from the neoprene bags and sleeves I know them for.� The MX Sleeve for 13″ MacBook Pro is ultra lightweight and protective.� It’s made of EVA, and it measures 13.6? wide X 10? high X� .9? thick.� The exterior has [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/05/28/built-mx-sleeve-for-13-macbook-pro/

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The Engadget Show 33: Indie Game: The Movie, Fifth Avenue Frogger and The Art of the Video Game

E3 is rapidly approaching, but why wait until then for some hot video game action? We've got a veritable electronic entertainment expo of Engadget Show goodness coming at you this month, including an interview with the directors of the award winning documentary, Indie Game: The Movie. We've also paid a visit to the Smithsonian to check out the museum's Art of the Video Game exhibit and took a look the insanely awesome Fifth Avenue Frogger arcade machine hack.

We've also got a look at the newly reborn Chinatown Fair arcade in Manhattan and E3 predictions with with Joystiq's Ben Gilbert. And, as always, we'll have the month's latest and greatest gadgets, including the Samsung Galaxy Nexus for Sprint, the HTC Evo 4G LTE, the Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 10.1 , the ASUS Transformer Pad TF300 and two new iCade creations. Can you handle all of that? Good! Check out the video after the break.

Gallery: The Engadget Show 33: Indie Game: The Movie, Fifth Avenue Frogger and The Art of the Video Game

Hosts: Tim Stevens, Brian Heater
Guests: James Swirsky, Lisanne Pajot, Ben Gilbert and Tyler DeAngelo
Producer: Rob Samala
Director: Michelle Stahl
Executive Producers: Brian Heater, Joshua Fruhlinger and Michael Rubens

Download the Show: The Engadget Show - 033 (HD) / The Engadget Show - 033 (iPod / iPhone / Zune formatted) / The Engadget Show - 033 (Small)

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Continue reading The Engadget Show 33: Indie Game: The Movie, Fifth Avenue Frogger and The Art of the Video Game

The Engadget Show 33: Indie Game: The Movie, Fifth Avenue Frogger and The Art of the Video Game originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 30 May 2012 16:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/30/the-engadget-show-33-indie-game-the-movie-fifth-avenue-frogge/

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New iPad Quad Core Graphics

Prior to the unveiling of the new iPad 3, there was a lot of speculation and rumors about what processor would be on board and what features the new tablet. The older iPad 2 came with an A5 processor which included a dual core graphics processor and 512mb of RAM. The graphics processor takes care of all the display functions whilst the main processor handles all of the other functions. A lot of the rumors prior to the new iPad [...]

Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/new-ipad-quad-core-graphics/

FACTSET RESEARCH SYSTEMS F5 NETWORKS EPICOR SOFTWARE

Daily Crunch: VR Drone Edition

Giant VR Helmet Is Very 90s, Yet Way Cooler Europe Launching Gigapixel Probe To Map Milky Way Effectology: Paranormal Spooooky Sounds Do A Barrel Roll: AR.Drone Challenges You To Become A Great Drone Pilot Kid-Tested, Grant Imahara Approved: Hexbrite Open Source Flashlight

Source: http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/07/07/daily-crunch-vr-drone-edition/

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It Would Cost $37 Billion Per Year to Pre-Screen YouTube Videos [Factoid]

Last week, we reported that a staggering 72 hours of video are uploaded to YouTube every minute. Now, engineer Craig Mansfield has worked out how much it would cost per year to pre-screen all that video for copyright infringements—and the answer is close to that of Google's annual revenue. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/czbBWCfvx8I/it-would-cost-37-billion-per-year-to-pre+screen-youtube-videos

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Apple can do more with Facebook, wouldn't have bought Instagram

When asked, as part of his D10 Conference interview, about the status of Apple's relationship with Facebook, Apple CEO Tim Cook said they could definitely do more.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/TJ8ozhmOOas/story01.htm

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Mac OS X Lion Preview 2 released, introduces mega exciting leather bound iCal skin

This is one of those posts that could probably be condensed into a tweet: Apple has released the second Preview of Mac OS X 10.7 Lion. If you're running Preview 1, it looks like you'll first receive a small update via Software Update, and then you can download Preview 2 from the Mac App Store.

There has been some speculation that Apple is getting close to a release or Golden Master build, but judging by 9to5 Mac's initial findings there's definitely some way to go. The Golden Master will probably appear at, or just before, the Apple WWDC in June.

So far, it's looking like the only changes in Preview 2 are the leather bound iCal skin that you can see above, and the main iChat window now combines your AIM, Bonjour and Jabber contacts, like Adium. We're sure that more details will emerge throughout the day, though, and there's bound to be lots of invisible changes, too. We'll update this post when we find out more.

Mac OS X Lion Preview 2 released, introduces mega exciting leather bound iCal skin originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 05:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/31/mac-os-x-lion-preview-2-released-introduces-mega-exciting-leath/

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Nikon pushes out D4, D800 firmware update, fixes lock-up issues and other bugs

It wasn't long ago that we heard about the "lock-up" woes D4 and D800 owners were experiencing on their shiny new shooters, but luckily for them, Nikon just outed a fix to take care of those issues. Aside from solving the aforementioned annoyance, the firmware update (B:1.01) also mends a problem allowing RAW files to be network-transferred while in JPEG-only mode, as well as a bug causing bits like aperture and exposure compensation to change unexpectedly when using certain custom settings. You can grab the updates now via the source links below, and be sure to let us know how it all turned out in the end.

Nikon pushes out D4, D800 firmware update, fixes lock-up issues and other bugs originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 May 2012 19:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/29/nikon-d4-d800-firmware-update/

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Galaxy S III On Sale in 28 Countries ? But Not the U.S.

Samsung?s Galaxy S III launched in 28 countries on Tuesday, across Europe and the Middle East. But, the Galaxy S still has no U.S. release date.

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/05/galaxy-s-iii-on-sale-in-28-countries-but-not-the-u-s/

NINTENDO NOKIA NVIDIA

CrunchGear Week in Review: Animal Shots Edition

Here are some stories from the past week on CrunchGear: ?Rotary Mechanical? Cell Phone Concept Isn?t Practical, But It Looks Great Lomo?s New La Sardina Camera Is Cheap And Sardine-Can-Like Panda Itazura Bank: Super-Cute Piggy Bank (Video) Meet The Robostir, A Robotic Soup Stirrer SugarSync Adds Mobile Device Management To Send Files To Devices From [...]

Source: http://www.crunchgear.com/2011/06/20/week-in-review-animal-shots/

IOMEGA INTUIT INTERSECTIONS

Engadget Giveaway: win one of two pairs of Sync by 50 wireless over-ear headphones!

This week we're once again bringing the audio goods to you, and today's giveaway should be incredibly tempting. 50 Cent's brand, SMS Audio, wants to hook you up with a pair of its premium wireless over-ear headphones, Sync by 50. Priced at $400, these cans are spendier than a fair number of smartphones, but it offers Kleer technology with CD-quality lossless audio and will work up to 50 feet away from your device. And just for kicks and giggles, SMS Audio is also throwing in a snapback hat, shirt and a backpack to go along with your prize, so it's definitely worth heading below the rules and leaving a comment to enter. Good luck!

Continue reading Engadget Giveaway: win one of two pairs of Sync by 50 wireless over-ear headphones!

Engadget Giveaway: win one of two pairs of Sync by 50 wireless over-ear headphones! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 May 2012 11:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/05/29/engadget-giveaway/

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CyanogenMod 9 add-on gives your Galaxy Nexus a glass slipper, it will go to the GS III ball

If the arrival of the GS III has placed a dent in your "latest Galaxy" street-cred, help is at hand. Once again it's the fine folk at XDA-Developers who come up with the goods, in the form of a CM9 add-on pack for the apparently passé Galaxy Nexus. Included in the bundle are all the leaked goodies from Samsung's latest flagship so far (including a working S Voice), as well as a TouchWiz launcher for added authenticity, plus a few other treats for good measure. While designed for CM9, it's believed it may also work with other, similar ROMs. It's available just in time for the real-deal release, so no one (well those with a very untrained eye, at least) need ever know your dirty little secret.

CyanogenMod 9 add-on gives your Galaxy Nexus a glass slipper, it will go to the GS III ball originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 29 May 2012 08:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/mUy7aKHSrlk/

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