Month: May 2013

Sign-up page for revamped Google Maps shows off plenty of new features

Just hours before its I/O event, Google has apparently had a little accident: the sign-up page for “the new Google Maps” briefly went live, revealing a slew of extra details about what’s coming in the rumored refresh before quickly being pulled. Droid-Life managed to grab some screenshots, including the one above, which gets to the heart of what Google is trying to achieve. The central idea is that Google will create maps tailored to the kind of information you’re looking for, using a “smarter search box” to highlight just the “things that matter most,” whether those be flights, ground transport or the new Earth View that integrates directly with Google Earth without the need for a plug-in. According to the leaked sign-up screens, the bringing together of all Google’s data will result in layers of information that reach “from outer space down to the streets” — but there’s still no evidence about how (or whether) this might work on mobile. Stay tuned to our Google I/O opening keynote liveblog for more. Filed under: Internet , Software , Google Comments Source: Droid-Life

Visit link:
Sign-up page for revamped Google Maps shows off plenty of new features

AMD unveils Radeon HD 8900M laptop graphics, ships them in MSI’s GX70 (eyes-on)

Did you think AMD showed all its mobile GPU cards when it launched the Radeon HD 8000M series in January? Think twice. The company has just unveiled the 8900M series, an adaptation of its Graphics Core Next architecture for desktop replacement-class gaming laptops. To call it a big jump would be an understatement: compared to the 8800M, the flagship 8970M chip doubles the stream processors to 1,280, hikes the clock speed from 725MHz to 850MHz and bumps the memory speed slightly to 1.2GHz. The net effect is about 12 to 54 percent faster game performance than NVIDIA’s current mobile speed champion, the GTX 680M , and up to four times the general computing prowess in OpenCL . The 8970M is more than up to the task of powering up to 4K in one screen, and it can handle up to six screens if there are enough ports. We’ll see how long AMD’s performance reign lasts, although we won’t have to wait to try the 8970M — MSI is launching the GPU inside the new GX70 laptop you see above. We got a brief, hands-off tease of the 17.3-inch GX60 successor at the 8900M’s unveiling, and it’s clear the graphics are the centerpiece. We saw it driving Crysis 3 very smoothly on one external display while powering 2D on two other screens, albeit through a bulky set of Mini DisplayPort, HDMI and VGA cables. Otherwise, the GX70 is superficially similar to its ancestor with that chunky profile, an unnamed Richland -based AMD A10 processor, Killer networking and a SteelSeries keyboard. More than anything, price should be the clincher: MSI is pricing the GX70 with the new Radeon at $1,100, which amounts to quite the bargain for anyone whose laptop has to double as a primary gaming PC. Gallery: AMD Radeon HD 8900M presentation Gallery: MSI GX70 eyes-on Filed under: Gaming , Laptops , AMD Comments Source: AMD , MSI

Visit link:
AMD unveils Radeon HD 8900M laptop graphics, ships them in MSI’s GX70 (eyes-on)

Amtrak to roll out high-efficiency trains with regenerative braking (video)

Some of us look at electric trains as efficient transportation almost by definition, but that’s not entirely true when they consume a lot of power and give little back. Amtrak is about to strike a better balance now that it’s close to receiving the first of 70 high-efficiency Siemens ACS-64 trains destined for routes across DC, Massachusetts, New York and Pennsylvania. Each engine centers on a regenerative braking system that can recover up to 5MW of energy, much of which goes back to the power grid. The machinery is smarter, too: it can self-diagnose problems and mitigate the impact until repairs are possible. Commuters won’t immediately notice the difference when ACS-64 trains reach the rails between this fall and 2016, but there should be important behind-the-scenes savings. Amtrak reckons that the new vehicles could lower energy consumption by 3 billion kilowatts in the long run, which might help both the company’s bottom line and local utilities. Filed under: Transportation Comments Via: Inhabitat , Wired Source: Amtrak

More:
Amtrak to roll out high-efficiency trains with regenerative braking (video)

PayPal targets Square with hardware trade-ins, waives fees through 2013

After watching its rivals Square and Groupon play their hands earlier today, PayPal announced a program that allows merchants to trade in their old payment processing equipment in exchange for new hardware. The promotional offer features POS systems from ERPLY, Leaf, Leapset and the company’s own PayPal Here . In addition to luring retailers with a fancy new cash register, the outfit is offering to waive credit, debit, check and PayPal processing fees for the remainder of the year . If the aforementioned incentives sound appealing and you’d like to know more, head on over to our source link to check out the program’s all-important fine print. Filed under: Peripherals , Software Comments Source: PayPal

Original post:
PayPal targets Square with hardware trade-ins, waives fees through 2013

How to Create a Windows 8 Installation DVD or USB Drive

Microsoft has made upgrading to Windows 8 really easy with their upgrade tool, but if you have special needs and need a more traditional installation disc, you might not know where to look. Here’s how to create one. Read more…        

Read the original:
How to Create a Windows 8 Installation DVD or USB Drive

Feds seize money from Dwolla account belonging to top Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox

jurvetson The Department of Homeland Security has apparently shut down a key mobile payments account associated with Mt. Gox, the largest Bitcoin exchange. Chris Coyne, the co-founder of online dating service OKCupid, tweeted out an e-mail he received from Dwolla this afternoon. The e-mail states that neither Coyne, nor presumably any other Dwolla user, will be able to transfer funds to Mt. Gox. Dwolla confirmed the change to the New York Observer , which first reported the story. Dwolla received a seizure warrant from a federal court. Read 4 remaining paragraphs | Comments

See the original post:
Feds seize money from Dwolla account belonging to top Bitcoin exchange Mt. Gox

This wild illusion causes you to see an object in three different ways

There are so many optical illusions that feature an object or picture that can be seen in two different ways. But have you ever seen an illusion that can be interpreted in three different ways? Read more…        

See the original article here:
This wild illusion causes you to see an object in three different ways

Firefox 21 Arrives

An anonymous reader writes “Mozilla on Tuesday officially launched Firefox 21 for Windows, Mac, Linux, and Android. Improvements include the addition of multiple social providers on the desktop as well as open source fonts on Android. In the changelog, the company included an interesting point that’s worth elaborating on: ‘Preliminary implementation of Firefox Health Report.’ Mozilla has revealed that FHR so far logs ‘basic health information’ about Firefox: time to start up, total running time, and number of crashes. Mozilla says the initial report is pretty simple but will grow ‘in the coming months.’ You can get it now from Mozilla.” Read more of this story at Slashdot.

Read More:
Firefox 21 Arrives