Speedtest.net overhauled with new look, new features

speedtest
Speedtest.net is pretty much the go-to site for quickly figuring out how fast (or slow) your connection really is and comparing the numbers your ISP boasts with what it actually delivers. And now it's got a new coat of paint and a couple of neat features. In brief:
  • New UI: The map widget is much improved; it actually looks like a map now, and it's easy to see where you are.
  • Smart server selection: If there are several test servers nearby, Speedtest will now ping each to see which has the least latency and use that for the test. You can still specify servers manually, too.
  • User accounts: You can sign up for a free account and aggregate results from several computers/connections.
  • Speed Wave: This new feature lets you add your test results to the results of many other users, and get a nice composite view.
All in all, you get some nice, new functionality and a snazzier interface to boot. Nice!

Speedtest.net overhauled with new look, new features originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/07/speedtest-net-overhauled-with-new-look-new-features/

Claus Rehberg Tobias Leinenbach Olga Kreibich Nathalie Donnerhacke

Speedtest.net overhauled with new look, new features

speedtest
Speedtest.net is pretty much the go-to site for quickly figuring out how fast (or slow) your connection really is and comparing the numbers your ISP boasts with what it actually delivers. And now it's got a new coat of paint and a couple of neat features. In brief:
  • New UI: The map widget is much improved; it actually looks like a map now, and it's easy to see where you are.
  • Smart server selection: If there are several test servers nearby, Speedtest will now ping each to see which has the least latency and use that for the test. You can still specify servers manually, too.
  • User accounts: You can sign up for a free account and aggregate results from several computers/connections.
  • Speed Wave: This new feature lets you add your test results to the results of many other users, and get a nice composite view.
All in all, you get some nice, new functionality and a snazzier interface to boot. Nice!

Speedtest.net overhauled with new look, new features originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 18:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/07/speedtest-net-overhauled-with-new-look-new-features/

Janine Harrer Emilia Münchow Claus Rehberg Tobias Leinenbach

A sneak peek at the next version of Android Market and Music app

Android Honeycomb'ish smartphone Music appUpdate: Tech From 10 seems to be offline -- but we have lots of images and a hands-on review if you want to see what the new Music app is like.

In what is probably a bit of a big-G whoopsie, the folks at Tech From 10 woke up to find a new, test version of Android Market installed on their Galaxy S.

Visually, the new version is almost identical. The carousel of featured apps has been updated slightly, and apps now have a 'Content rating,' but that's it (image after the break). The interesting bit, however, is the inclusion of alpha and beta apps -- most notably, there's a new version of the Music app, which looks like a scaled-down version of the Android 3.0 Honeycomb Music app (see right).

Also available from the test Android Market is 'Google Gallery 3D New 10.2', 'Google - Camera v12' and 'Google Desk Clock 10' -- but, curiously, all of the apps refused to launch on Tech From 10's Galaxy S (Vibrant) smartphone. Are they Honeycomb apps? Or, more likely, are they destined for the next Android smartphone OS, Ice Cream?

If you want to try out the new Honeycombish Music app, Tech From 10 has made the APK available for download. You can also download the three Google apps, if you want to have a poke around.

Continue reading A sneak peek at the next version of Android Market and Music app

A sneak peek at the next version of Android Market and Music app originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 06:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/a-sneak-peek-at-the-next-version-of-android-market-and-music-app/

Heinrich Peller Viktoria Barz Emma Sauter Rosemarie Ramsauer

ASUS gets Computex 2011 started early with a tablet teaser, asks us 'pad or phone?'

Oh ASUS, what are you up to now? The company that brought us the wildly popular Eee Pad Transformer has another new tablet brewing in its design labs, which we're promised we'll get to witness for the first time at Computex 2011. Until then, we've been provided with a trio of images to pore over and get the guessing games going. The slate device, whose size and software remain unspecified, is said to feature a bump (above left) and a clip (above right), though there are no explanations given about the function of either. You may see both images in their full size after the break, along with a teaser image from ASUS' Facebook page with the slogan "break the rules: pad or phone?" stood in front of a tablet silhouette. That provides plenty of clues for aspiring Sherlocks out there, but little concrete knowledge. Ah well, Computex is just a week away.

Continue reading ASUS gets Computex 2011 started early with a tablet teaser, asks us 'pad or phone?'

ASUS gets Computex 2011 started early with a tablet teaser, asks us 'pad or phone?' originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 04:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/23/asus-gets-computex-2011-started-early-with-a-tablet-teaser/

Ingeburg Otte Moritz Beller Gabriela Prell Sylvia Lösche

Entourage shuts down Edge content store, devices reportedly discontinued

It seems natural selection has finally caught up with the Entourage Edge. When we first reviewed the combination touchscreen/E Ink "dualbook," we wondered whether its neither-fish-nor-fowl design would catch on -- especially priced at $500. That price dropped substantially with its successor, the Pocket Edge, but neither device truly found its feet, in part because of a lack of applications and no updates beyond Android 1.6. And now comes word that the Edge store has officially closed, with customers having until May 27 to download any purchased content. It all points to RIP for the Edge family, and Good E-Reader claims to have recent confirmation from the company. In its goodbye message Entourage steers users toward the Amazon app store, where it notes "you will now have access to a lot of Android Apps that Google would never give us access to." Obvious bitterness aside, the team reportedly has a new device in the works, this time in the typical slate model.

[Thanks, Roy]

Entourage shuts down Edge content store, devices reportedly discontinued originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 08:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceEntourage Edge Store, Good E-Reader  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/VQhSrMGiD4A/

Janine Hillenbrand Vivien Strupp Elena Lasch Hans-Jürgen Haake

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

Amazon Appstore for Android Test Drive
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?

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/

Lea Linden Kevin Fickenscher Amelie Schweizer Elfriede Oltmanns

Droid 3 details leaked: dual-core processor, 4-inch qHD screen, no LTE?

Droid 3
You've probably already seen the leaked pictures of the Droid 3, but what you really want to know is what's going on underneath that chrome trim. TechnoBuffalo claims to have the inside scoop and it sounds like the latest landscape slider from Motorola is packing a number of nice improvements. According to a tipster the screen has been upgraded to a 4-inch qHD panel and inside is one of those fancy dual-cores all the cool phones are rockin' these days -- presumably of the Tegra 2 variety like its Droid X2 cousin. As spied in the photos it also has a new 5-row keyboard layout and front facing camera for video calls, while the rear-facing shooter is getting bumped to 8 megapixels. There is one disappointing, but not entirely shocking, detail though -- the Droid 3 will lack LTE. We can't confirm these specs, but they're perfectly logical assumptions and raise no alarms and no surprises.

Droid 3 details leaked: dual-core processor, 4-inch qHD screen, no LTE? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 23 May 2011 10:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceTechnoBuffalo  | Email this | Comments

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/23/droid-3-details-leaked-dual-core-processor-4-inch-qhd-screen/

Arne Koller Fiona Brandenburg Franziska Spanier Erna Van den Hout

Deal of the Day ? Dell XPS 15 Sandy Bridge Laptop Coupon

Today?s LogicBUY deal is the 15.6? Dell XPS with Intel ?Sandy Bridge? customizable laptop starting at $644.99.  Features:  3D capabilities, JBL designed and certified speakers with Waves MaxxAudio, Skype-certified 720p HD webcam, integrated TV tuner, HDMI, mini DisplayPort, 9-in-1 card reader, USB 2.0/eSATA combo port with PowerShare.  Options: backlit keyboard, 1080p LCD. Cheapest XPS 15 [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/05/20/deal-of-the-day-%e2%80%93-dell-xps-15-sandy-bridge-laptop-coupon/

Ingeburg Otte Moritz Beller Gabriela Prell Sylvia Lösche

Japan Considering Solar Power for Every Single Building by 2030 [Energy]

Both because they're a country dedicated to teeny tiny carbon footprints, and because they're likely not too hot on nuclear power at the moment, Japan is expected to kick off a universal solar panel initiative. Every building, twenty years. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/oaBJDpYb-Lw/japan-considering-solar-power-for-every-single-building-by-2030

Maurice Giese Frederik Faulhaber Svenja Hoferichter Carola Auer

Google Talk Guru answers questions via your IM app

google talk guru answersBots -- 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/

Gabriela Schnee Rita Imhof Angelika Frey Mika Bernhardt