Google Earth Pro , the premium version of Google’s popular Google Earth service, is now free. Google sliced the price from $400 a year, so this is a pretty solid deal. If you like to make 3D measurements or create HD videos of virtual trips around the world, I’d jump on this. You can download the software key directly from Google and start an online global journey. Read more…
Read More:
Google Earth Pro Is Now Available for Free
Nerval’s Lobster writes Is the tablet market rapidly collapsing? Mobile-analytics firm Flurry doesn’t come to quite that stark a conclusion, but things aren’t looking too good for touch-screens that don’t qualify as “phablets.” According to Flurry’s numbers, full-sized tablets accounted for only 11 percent of new devices in 2014, a decline from 2013, when that form-factor totaled 17 percent of the new-device market; small tablets experienced a smaller decline, falling from 12 percent to 11 percent of new devices between 2013 and 2014. (Meanwhile, phablets expanded from 4 percent of new devices in 2013 to 13 percent this year.) Boy Genius Report, for its part, looked at those numbers and decided that the tablet market is doomed: “Consumers happy with compact smartphones are not switching to larger iPhones for now, but former tablet buyers are.” That’s not to say people will stop using tablets, but the onetime theory that they would one day cannibalize all PCs looks increasingly nebulous. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Originally posted here:
Is the Tablet Market In Outright Collapse? Data Suggests Yes
MojoKid writes: AMD just dropped its new Catalyst Omega driver package that is the culmination of six months of development work. AMD Catalyst Omega reportedly brings over 20 new features and a wealth of bug fixes to the table, along with performance increases both on AMD Radeon GPUs and integrated AMD APUs. Some of the new functionality includes Virtual Super Resolution, or VSR. VSR is “game- and engine-agnostic” and renders content at up to 4K resolution, then displays it at a resolution that your monitor actually supports. AMD says VSR allows for increased image quality, similar in concept to Super Sampling Anti-Aliasing (SSAA). Another added perk of VSR is the ability to see more content on the screen at once. To take advantage of VSR, you’ll need a Radeon R9 295X2, R9 290X, R9 290, or R9 285 discrete graphics card. Both single- and multi-GPU configurations are currently supported. VSR is essentially AMD’s answer to NVIDIA’s DSR, or Dynamic Super Resolution. In addition, AMD is claiming performance enhancements in a number of top titles with these these new drivers. Reportedly, as little as 6 percent improvement in performance in FIFA Online to as much as a 29 percent increase in Batman: Arkham Origins can be gained when using an AMD 7000-Series APU, for example. On discrete GPUs, an AMD Radeon R9 290X’s performance increases ranged from 8 percent in Grid 2 to roughly 16 percent in Bioshock Infinity. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
Link:
AMD Offers a Performance Boost, Over 20 New Features With Catalyst Omega Drivers
jones_supa writes In past builds of Windows 10 Technical Preview there has been an interesting feature called Battery Saver, but for the time being it has been just a mockup. In a leaked build 9888, the code is now in place. Battery Saver, as the name implies, will help your mobile device make the most out of your battery. This feature works by limiting the background activity on your device when the mode is activated. You can turn the feature on any time but there is also a setting to have it automatically turn on when the battery capacity goes below a user-defined percentage. Considering that this build was not supposed to make its way out of Redmond and that the company is not releasing any new builds this year, this may be the best look we get until the Consumer Preview arrives. Read more of this story at Slashdot.
View original post here:
Windows 10 Adds Battery Saver Feature
Having a PIN code or pattern to protect your device makes a lot of sense, but it’s also annoying. Thankfully, the new version of Android lets you automatically turn off this security layer when you’re at home or the office or anywhere else you regularly go. Here’s how to set it up. Read more…
See the original post:
How to Set Up Trusted Locations in Android Lollipop
The US military is undergoing a radical change in its communications capabilities. Not only is DARPA’s Persistent Close Air Support cutting response times by nearly 90 percent, but a new satellite-based comm system will soon deliver a 3G smartphone experience to soldiers anywhere on the planet. Read more…
View the original here:
This New Global Satellite System Is Bringing 3G to the Battlefield
The Hill reports that today President Obama will propose $263 million in funding to law enforcement to help avoid another disaster like the ongoing mess in Ferguson, Missouri. Read more…
Continue reading here:
Obama Calls For $75 Million In Funding for 50,000 Police Body Cameras
A team of sophisticated hackers with insider trading ambitions has been targeting executives at over 100 organizations for over a year. While their hacking techniques aren’t all that sophisticated, they appear to have a deep understanding of the investment banking industry. Read more…
View article:
Hackers Are Gaming the Stock Market With a Stupid Simple Approach
Yes, we just got done telling you all about some Microsoft Band rumors, but don’t bother with those: The Microsoft Band is officially official . The 10-sensor fitness tracker, which should last two days on a charge, will go on sale tomorrow for $200. Read more…
Visit link:
The Microsoft Band Is a $200 Heart-Monitoring Wristable Supreme
Windows only: Games are best when played full screen, but many won’t play nice with Alt+Tab in full screen mode—which means you can’t look at your browser for a guide or change the music playing in the background. Borderless Gaming fixes that problem. Read more…
Visit site:
Borderless Gaming Fixes Alt+Tab Issues in Full Screen Games