Live streaming site from YouTube

YouTube has launched a free-for-all live streaming service named YouTube Live. The YouTube Live browse page at www.youtube.com/live features shows that are streamed live and this includes your favorite sporting events ! You can also add upcoming events to your Google calender. This service  allows YouTube partners with accounts in good standing to stream content live on YouTube. The aim is to provide partners the ability to live stream their content from their channels in the near future. 

So visit www.youtube.com/live and find out all that is to be streamed live in the next few days.

Comcast to offer Skype video calling on their TVs

US cable service provider Comcast and Skype announced on Monday that some of the the Comcast customers would soon be able to enjoy video chat on their TV sets.

Comcast is due to conduct a trial of the Skype service this year and expects to make the service widely available to its customers next year.

The service would enable viewers who would like to chat while watching TV to simultaneously make calls and send instant messages while watching TV.

Some state-of-the-art television sets already have Skype embedded in them and according to the company, it will be possible for users to switch conversations from one gadget like a cellphone, to another, like a TV or a tablet.

Live Lunar eclipse feed from Google

Google will be providing live streaming of the lunar eclipse from 2pm to 6pm Eastern Time today in  partnership with Slooh Space Camera. For people who cannot step outdoors to witness the spectacle, Google is providing livestream of the same on Youtube through the Slooh Space Camera Android app or through the sky layer on Google Earth. 

                                                        image source: wikimedia.org
                                      

This is the first total eclipse of the year, the total duration of which is expected to be about 100 minutes.

Google adds more zip to its search !!

Search engine giant Google unveiled a new feature which will predict the page a user will choose from among a list of search results and begin fetching the data for the page even before the user has clicked the link to the page. The feature called "Instant Pages" is an advancement on "Google Instant" and is capable of reducing the overall search query time by 2 to 5 seconds. The feature was introduced by Google fellow and  search scientist Amit Singhal at Google's Inside Search event in  Mountain View, California.

Google announced that the Instant Pages feature will initially be made available as an add-on to Google's Chrome Web browser and it planned to introduce it to mobile devices in the coming weeks. 

Google will also introduce a new image search feature which will allow users to upload, drag and drop, paste a URL or use a browser extension to provide a reference to an image. Google will then use its database to compare and identify the image for publishing the subject, location and details, in other words, it would enable Google find where you can locate the image on the web.

Singhal also announced that Google's voice search which until now allowed mobile phone search users to make their search query through speech, would be included in desktop searches. 

Apple recalling some Verizon iPad2 tablets

APPLE Inc has decided to recall some of the iPad2 tablets that are designed to run on Verizon's network because of some connectivity issues. According to an Apple spokeswoman, "Duplicate MEID codes were flashed into an extreme small number of iPad units for the Verizon 3G network". She however did not comment on how many such units were affected by this issue. Verizon too offered no comments on the matter.

MEID which stands for mobile equipment identifier, is a unique code assigned to each mobile device and is used in identifying the device when it connects to a network. No two devices can have the same MEID code. Apple will be replacing the affected units that have already been sold with new ones.

Eco friendly smartphone apps

Do you own a smartphone ? You can then use apps on it to use th phone in an eco-friendly manner. Here a are some such apps:

The iPhorest for the iPhone

For folks who do not have the time or patience to take to active planting trees to increase forest cover, the iPhorest app does it for them. Downloading the app to your iPhone will plant a virtual tree on the phone and a real life tree somewhere on Earth. The Conservation Fund sponsored by Ecolife plant and maintain each tree. 

The GreenYou app for Android

This app calculates your carbon footprint on the planet by using information about your transportation, housing, food, and other habits.You can then create your own Green plan by making changes in your lifestyle and monitor how much of a positive impact you have in reducing your carbon footprint on the planet.

JuiceDefender for Android

This app helps you economize the battery usage of your phone, thus requiring you to charge the battery less often and hence save energy. By using custom settings through this app, you can optimize the battery usage of your phone as per you usage habits.

So go ahead and take pride in being an eco-friendly user of the smartphone.

Qriocity™ services to resume today

Sony Corporation and Sony Computer Entertainment announced that Sony Network Entertainment International will fully restore services of Qriocity™ from June 09, 2011 in all region sexcepting Japan. PlayStaion Network and Qriocity services which were shutdown on April 20 will  therefore be available. The complete restoration of Qriocity services include:

• Full functionality for “Video On Demand powered by Qriocity™” for all compatible devices
• Full functionality for “Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity^TM” for all compatible devices
  
  
  An announcement on the restoration of ^Qriocity™ services in Japan ( “Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity™” is not available in Japan) will be made when they are available.
  
  
  
  
  
  

The worlds thinnest tablet arrives in USA

Samsung Telecommunications America (Samsung Mobile), the No. 1 mobile phone provider in the U.S. , and Samsung Electronics America, recently announced the retail availability of the Galaxy Tab™ 10.1, starting June 8. The WiFi-enabled tablet measures at just 8.6 millimeters slim, making it the thinnest mobile tablet currently available in the world. The 32GB version of the Galaxy Tab 10.1 WiFi edition will be available for $599, while the 16GB version of the device will be available for $499. 

A limited quantity of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 10.1 WiFi edition will be available for purchase exclusively at the Best Buy Union Square store in New York City on June 8. Best Buy customers may also pre-order the Galaxy Tab 10.1 online or in-store beginning that day. 

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 is powered by Android™ 3.1, Honeycomb offers faster and smoother transitions between different applications, more intuitive navigation to and from home screens and broader support of USB accessories, external keyboards, gamepads and joysticks.

Apart from being the thinnest mobile tablet currently available in the world the Galaxy Tab 10.1 also boasts an incredibly light weight of just 1.25 pounds (565 grams) for outstanding mobility and comfort in the user’s hands. 

The Galaxy Tab 10.1 comes with a brilliant 10.1-inch HD touchscreen display with WXGA 1280 x 800 resolution delivering vibrant colors and crisp clarity. This expansive screen is centered inside a narrow bezel to enhance the wide viewing angle. 

“Ensuring that the Galaxy Tab 10.1 launched with Android 3.1 Honeycomb was part of our constant commitment to meeting the needs of our customers,” said Dale Sohn, President and CEO of Samsung Mobile. “The Galaxy Tab 10.1’s ultra-thin design and 10-inch touchscreen are impressive differentiators in the tablet market place. We’re going to make the Galaxy Tab 10.1 even more powerful, entertaining and secure through a series of upgrades coming to this device.” 


The Galaxy Tab 10.1 will be receiving these new upgrades through a software update that customers can access over the air in the near future. 

Charging wireless devices without chords

Imagine charging your wireless devices without having to deal with the clutter of chords.
All you need to do is just place the device on the charging pad.


Welcome to the world of inductive charging, the next generation of intelligent charging. By transferring energy using an electromagnetic field, charging pads are able to intelligently communicate to and from devices they’re charging.


How Does this work
Inductive charging uses electromagnetic fields to transfer energy from a charging pad to a compatible special receiver on or in a device. The power transfer happens when the charging pad is connected to the AC wall outlet and a compatible receiver is placed on the surface of the pad.


Just as inductive charging is the first generation of intelligent charging, Qi is the next generation. Before Qi, not all transmitters and receivers were not compatible with each other. This is why the Wireless Power Consortium made Qi the universal standard for inductive charging. Now, with the Qi standard of Inductive Charging, all Qi-enabled devices that need up to 5 watts of power have coils that transmit and receive the same frequency. So from now on, any Qi-enabled device will work with any Qi charger.


Qi allows you to charge smartphones, cameras, mp3 players and anything else that needs 5W or less without directly plugging the devices into anything. Since it is an open-sourced, interoperable standard, it is very similar to other open standards like Bluetooth® and Wi-Fi™. It is anticipated that the Qi universal standard will be broadly adopted by mobile device manufacturers, providing you with the freedom to charge all Qi-enabled devices on a single station without multiple cords and eventually without accessories.


The Energizer® Inductive Charger
One such charger, the Energizer® Inductive Charger charges up to 3 of your critical devices at a time. Two inductive Qi charging zones are located on the top surface of the pad for hassle free charging. Any device that has Qi either built into it or is enabled through a Qi accessory can be charged here. Energizer® offers Qi inductive charging sleeves for iPhone® 4 and iPhone® 3GS/3G and a Qi inductive door for the BlackBerry® Curve™ 8900 (each sold separately). The USB port on the back of the charger supplies 5V, 500mA (2.5W) for charging additional phones, headsets, mp3 players, cameras, GPS devices and more (up to 5W).


That’s the power of Qi.- charging into the future.