British royal family announces iOS and Android wedding app

To celebrate the imminent marriage of Prince William and Kate Middleton, the Royal Collection will release an Android an iOS app that chronicles the last seven royal marriages, including Queen Victoria's marriage to Prince Albert in 1840.

Ironically, the app won't actually feature anything to do with William and Kate's marriage -- rather, it will focus on the "tradition, splendor and romance" that are intrinsic to British royal marriages. "[The app] will share the stories of past royal weddings and offer a wealth of historical context for the ceremony on April 29."

Unfortunately, the app, which has been lumbered with the fantastically creative name of 'Royal App,' won't be available until April 18 -- just 11 days before Kate's big day. It won't be free, either: it'll cost the rather princely sum of £1.79, or three of your Tea Party-loving dollars. The money will go to the Royal Collection, though, which is a good cause!

British royal family announces iOS and Android wedding app originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 05 Apr 2011 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/05/british-royal-family-announces-ios-and-android-wedding-app/

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Help Bob make money in Sticks, a fun physics game

Sticks is another one of those rare games where the intro is actually worth watching. It introduces you to office worker Bob, who is basically a wage slave fantasizing about a better existence.

Then, on his way back home from another grueling day at the office, he passes a huge sign which says "Sticks." This is where the game starts.

Each level has a number of coins hovering in mid-air, and your goal is to place sticks that lead those coins to Bob -- but you only have a limited amount of wood to play with. As soon as you're done placing your sticks strategically, hit the big Play button and let nature, or rather gravity, run its course. The coins will drop down, and if you place your sticks correctly, they will roll all the way to Bob.

The soundtrack is soothing and playful, and didn't get on my nerves even after playing for quite a while. All in all, a very cute game, especially for a day at the office.

Help Bob make money in Sticks, a fun physics game originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 18 Feb 2011 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/18/help-bob-make-money-in-sticks-a-fun-physics-game/

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Researchers study tweets to reveal global mood swings

There’s no question that many of us are in better moods during the summer months when the days are longer and there’s more sunlight. Also, those few extra hours of sleep on the weekends really do seem to make a difference in our moods during those days. This isn’t anything new to researchers who have long thought that moods in general change depending on the amount of daylight, sleep, and the length of a work day. The problem is that researchers didn’t have a lot of ways to confirm this theory on a global level. However, researchers at Cornell University looked to Twitter for the answer.

The research team, led by Scott Golder, a PhD doctoral student in the field of sociology, and Professor of Sociology Michael Macy, tracked 2.4 million people in 84 different countries over the past two years. Clearly the team working on the project didn’t read through 2.4 million people’s tweets. Instead, they used a text analysis program that quantified the emotional content of 509 million tweets. Their results, featured in the paper “Diurnal and Seasonal Mood Tracks Work, Sleep and Day Length Across Diverse Cultures,” were published September 29 in Science.

The researchers found that work, sleep, and the amount of daylight we get really does affect things like our enthusiasm, delight, alertness, distress, fear, and anger. They concluded that people tweet more positive things early in the morning and then again around midnight. This could suggest that people aren’t very happy while they’re working since their happy tweets are at the beginning and end of the day. Saturday and Sunday also saw more positive tweets in general. The weekend showed these peaks at about 2 hours later, which accounts for sleeping in and staying out late.

Of course, all of the trends weren’t the same throughout every country. For example, the United Arab Emirates tend to work Sunday through Thursday, so their weekend tweets happened on Friday and Saturdays. The results also found that people who live in countries that get more daylight (closer to the equator) aren’t necessarily happier than people in countries that get less daylight (closer to the North and South Poles). It seems that only people who have a lot of daylight during the summer and then very little in the winter feel the affect of the change in seasons as much.

Clearly the results of the research aren’t perfect. There may be some people who only share positive things on Twitter, or some people who love to be cynical and use Twitter to complain about problems.

Golder also developed a website, called timeu.se, that lets users enter keywords and see how those behaviors are distributed throughout the day. For example, I entered the word “brunch,” and found that it skyrocketed on Sunday around 10:30 a.m. Though I prefer my brunch an hour or two later, it just goes to show how accurate the website is. Saturday peaks at the same time, though at less of an extreme than Sunday. The rest of the week is pretty uneventful in terms of brunch.

Read more at Cornell, via New Scientist

Source: http://www.geek.com/articles/geek-cetera/researchers-study-tweets-to-reveal-global-mood-swings-20110930/

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Flickr adds to sharing options, now easier to share photos across the Web

It sure is nice to see some new developer action over at Flickr. The relatively slow-moving photo-sharing service has just announced a new sharing update, which consists of several new and easy ways to embed or link to your photos:

• Share from Photo page: There's a new sharing option on each and every photo page. When logged off, the button shows only Facebook and Twitter options. But once you log on, you get Tumblr and Blogger too, and can configure other sharing venues as well.
• Share non-public content on Facebook: This doesn't sound like a great idea, but you now can share private photos on Facebook if you're so inclined (and if you trust your privacy settings).

That's the gist of the update; it makes it easier to show off your pretty pictures in a plethora of places.

Flickr adds to sharing options, now easier to share photos across the Web originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 31 Mar 2011 03:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/31/flickr-adds-to-sharing-options-now-easier-to-share-photos-acros/

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YouTube Live now streaming select partners in real time

Not content with limiting its dominance in streaming uploaded videos, YouTube is now ready to take on competitors like Justin.TV and Ustream. The new YouTube Live service is being rolled out to select YouTube partners and will enable real-time broadcasting. In its official announcement, Google states that "The goal is to provide thousands of partners with the capability to live stream from their channels in the months ahead."

You can check out live broadcasts at http://www.youtube.com/live, where you'll also find a schedule of upcoming episodes from beta partners like Revision3 and Destructoid. You're also able to subscribe to YouTube Live broadcasts -- which will ensure you're notified when a new episode is coming up.

YouTube Live now streaming select partners in real time originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 11 Apr 2011 08:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/11/youtube-live-now-streaming-select-partners-in-realtime/

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Tag Heuer concept watch beats 3.6 million times per hour, $89,000 price tag gives heart palpitations

Tag Heuer's high-end concept chronograph is so precise, blink and you'll miss it -- literally. The Mikrotimer Flying 1000's watch movement runs at 500Hz. Compare that to other high-end chronos plodding along at 5Hz, and you start to see the sort of power and precision Team Tag are working with -- this mesmerizing piece of wrist jewelry is capable of banging out 3.6 million beats per hour. Initially planned as a one-off, the concept watch will now go on sale for a lucky few timepiece obsessives. Be prepared to reach for your severely over-burdened money clip, though; the price is set at €65,000 ($88,580), with a limited run of ten arriving before the end of the year. Gawp in awe at the brief video after the break. You may have to sell the Batmobile.

Continue reading Tag Heuer concept watch beats 3.6 million times per hour, $89,000 price tag gives heart palpitations

Tag Heuer concept watch beats 3.6 million times per hour, $89,000 price tag gives heart palpitations originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 29 Sep 2011 21:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/29/tag-heuer-concept-watch-beats-3-6-million-times-per-hour-89-00/

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Pulse Newsreader Coming to Kindle Fire

Despite Amazon’s curious decision to make the Kindle Fire a tall, thin tablet, it’s clearly made for reading. And news-hounds will be happy to see that the popular iOS and Android newsreader Pulse is coming to Fire.
Pulse pulls in your news feeds from Google Reader and shows articles to you in a very pretty grid [...]

Source: http://www.wired.com/gadgetlab/2011/09/pulse-newsreader-coming-to-kindle-fire/

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Microsoft Just Sorta Ruined Zune Pass [Zune]

Hoping to remind everyone that they have a subscription service just like Spotify and Rdio, Microsoft's updated their Zune Pass subscription model. Too bad they destroyed the best thing about it. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/K4Fo6YNCabU/microsoft-just-sorta-ruined-zune-pass

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Firefox 4 Friday: 25 million downloads, anti-aliasing, and how to make it look like Firefox 3

If you've had your head under a rock for the last few days, here's this week's Firefox news in brief: Firefox 4 was finally released.

Yes, 13 months after the initial release of Firefox 3.7 alpha 1 and four more alpha builds, a renumbering to 4.0 and 12 beta releases, and finally a release candidate (or two), Firefox 4 has been released into the wild.

Just like every other Firefox release, initial reception for the new browser has been nothing short of insane. 7.1 million downloads were registered in the first 24 hours and the download rate continued to accelerate, clocking in more than 15 million downloads after two days. At the time of writing, three days in, Firefox 4 has been downloaded over 25 million times. In case you're wondering, the United States accounts for 7 million of those downloads, just beating out Germany's Firefox-downloads-per-capita.

But now that you've installed Firefox 4 (you have, right?), what do you do now? Well, obviously, in true Download Squad fashion, it's time to tweak Firefox 4 using add-ons and about:config hacks!

First up is an add-on called Stratiform that lets you change every aspect of the Firefox 4 browser chrome -- including the color of that orange button!

Continue reading Firefox 4 Friday: 25 million downloads, anti-aliasing, and how to make it look like Firefox 3

Firefox 4 Friday: 25 million downloads, anti-aliasing, and how to make it look like Firefox 3 originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 25 Mar 2011 12:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/25/firefox-4-friday-25-million-downloads-anti-aliasing-and-how-t/

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TweetDeck to launch as HTML5 Web app, now accepting beta testers

When TweetDeck landed in the Chrome Web Store, it seemed like an indication that it might eventually evolve into a pure HTML5 Web app. Now it looks as though that's exactly what's going to happen, with TweetDeck announcing that a new, not-just-for-Chrome Web client is ready for beta testing.

It's a natural progression for TweetDeck, especially since its originally Adobe Air app is practically all Web code. TweetDeck Web will sport a feature set which is nearly identical to the Chrome app, with the notable exception of Twitter streaming.

Initially, TweetDeck is targeting Firefox 4 and 3.6, Google Chrome, and Safari. Opera and Internet Explorer 9 won't be invited to the dance until a bit later on.

If you'd like to get in on the TweetDeck Web beta, head on over and register -- or sign up using your existing TweetDeck account.

TweetDeck to launch as HTML5 Web app, now accepting beta testers originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 06 Apr 2011 15:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/06/tweetdeck-to-launch-as-web-app-now-accepting-beta-testers/

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Yahoo! Messenger now censors the links you share

We've all thought it, but never dared think it could be true: what if Microsoft, Yahoo, and AOL actively monitor our instant messenger chats? What if mentions of 'bomb' and 'underage' are tracked and sent to law enforcement agencies? What if chat providers don't agree with the things we say, or the links we share, and filter or censor the content of our transmitted messages?

Well, it looks like our fears may actually have some basis in reality: Yahoo Messenger strips FilesTube links from instant messages. It doesn't tell either party that a URL has been removed from chat -- it just deletes it. Poof. FilesTube, in case you were wondering, is one of the largest file hosting meta search engines on the Web -- it indexes RapidShare, Megaupload, Mediafire, and many other 'cyberlocker' services.

It's fairly obvious why FilesTube links are being removed -- the Censor General at Yahoo is probably one of those perplexed primates who think all uses of BitTorrent are illegal -- but this situation poses a far more important question: is Yahoo censoring messages on the client side, or the server side. Does the messenger client itself maintain a list of 'blacklisted' words -- and if so, why are we not told that FilesTube links are banned? What other words and terms does Yahoo protect us from?

Continue reading Yahoo! Messenger now censors the links you share

Yahoo! Messenger now censors the links you share originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 05:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/30/yahoo-messenger-now-censors-links-raises-serious-privacy-issue/

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LEGO too ho hum? How about Playable Metal?

If you’re bored with LEGO, how about checking out Playable Metal building sets. Playable Metal sets are made of an aluminum alloy and come in different colors and allow you to build 3 dimensional structures. The parts are connected together with special screws. YoYo.com offers a variety of sets that range in price from $34.95 [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/09/25/lego-too-ho-hum-how-about-playable-metal/

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One Laptop Bag to Charge Them All

Voltaic makes a line of gear and laptop bags with built-in solar panels, like this Generator Solar Laptop Charger. The bag is made of 600-denier fabric made from recycled soda bottles; the fabric is waterproof, lightweight, and UV resistant. Inside is a padded laptop sleeve that fits up to a 17″ MacBook Pro. Wire channels [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/09/27/one-laptop-bag-to-charge-them-all/

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Buttered Pancake Floor Pillows Are My Next Furniture Choice [Design]

Man, these pancake pillows look delicious AND absurdly comfortable. They even come with pats of butter! Designers Todd von Bastiaans and Bryan McCarthy have accomplished two things: complete my bedroom decor; and make me want breakfast. $600 each. [Unica Home via Neatorama] More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/kvgVbv69Ajc/buttered-pancake-floor-pillows-are-my-next-furniture-choice

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Newly Minted Morgenthaler VC Mark Goines Leads $5 Million Investment In Fundly

Mark Goines may not be the most familiar name in the Valley, but he was a prolific angel investor, investing in some 40 companies since 2000, including BabyCenter, Mint, PayCycle and Nolo.com. As Sarah reported in May, Goines is known for working closely with the startups he chooses to invest in, leveraging his consumer experience cred as GM of Intuit's Consumer Division and VP of New Products at Charles Schwab to help founders take their companies to the next level. In May, Morgenthaler Ventures snatched up the angel investor, and today Goines is leading his first investment with the VC firm in Fundly, a social fundraising site. The round, a $5 million series A, is Fundly's second outside investment in 6 months, as the startup raised $2 million in seed back in late February. The series A brings the startup's total funding to just under $8 million.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/_mujByPyiXQ/

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Hitachi's 4.5-inch IPS HD display delivers 329ppi on the cheap courtesy of amorphous silicon backplane

It's been awhile, but earlier this year Hitachi unveiled a beautiful new 4.5-inch IPS LCD sporting 1280 x 720 resolution, a 1,100:1 contrast ratio and a retina display-like 329ppi. Well, in the time since, Hitachi's been hard at work on a virtually identical version of that screen that uses amorphous silicon instead of low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) as its backplane material. What's the difference? Well, amorphous silicon's much cheaper to produce than LTPS, and the company figured out a way to use it in its new panel with only a scant drop in performance -- the new one's got a lower 1,000:1 contrast ratio, but all the other specs are the same. So, the screen's a comparative bargain while still providing 4.5 inches of 500-nit HD goodness. Thanks, Hitachi, we always did like eating our cake and having it too.

Hitachi's 4.5-inch IPS HD display delivers 329ppi on the cheap courtesy of amorphous silicon backplane originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 27 Sep 2011 23:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/27/hitachis-4-5-inch-ips-hd-display-delivers-329ppi-on-the-cheap-c/

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Yahoo! Messenger now censors the links you share

We've all thought it, but never dared think it could be true: what if Microsoft, Yahoo, and AOL actively monitor our instant messenger chats? What if mentions of 'bomb' and 'underage' are tracked and sent to law enforcement agencies? What if chat providers don't agree with the things we say, or the links we share, and filter or censor the content of our transmitted messages?

Well, it looks like our fears may actually have some basis in reality: Yahoo Messenger strips FilesTube links from instant messages. It doesn't tell either party that a URL has been removed from chat -- it just deletes it. Poof. FilesTube, in case you were wondering, is one of the largest file hosting meta search engines on the Web -- it indexes RapidShare, Megaupload, Mediafire, and many other 'cyberlocker' services.

It's fairly obvious why FilesTube links are being removed -- the Censor General at Yahoo is probably one of those perplexed primates who think all uses of BitTorrent are illegal -- but this situation poses a far more important question: is Yahoo censoring messages on the client side, or the server side. Does the messenger client itself maintain a list of 'blacklisted' words -- and if so, why are we not told that FilesTube links are banned? What other words and terms does Yahoo protect us from?

Continue reading Yahoo! Messenger now censors the links you share

Yahoo! Messenger now censors the links you share originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 30 Mar 2011 05:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/30/yahoo-messenger-now-censors-links-raises-serious-privacy-issue/

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Delicious Returns From the Dead With Some New Bookmarking Features in Tow [Video]

The social bookmarking site Delicious is back. Those who loved saving their favorite links to a public (or private) profile page will find that experience unchanged. But there's a new central focus to Delicious. It's called Stacks. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/hswqdjLklQg/

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Galaxy Tab 8.9 hits pre-order, ships October 2nd in US; Galaxy Player 5.0 and 4.0 shipping October 16th

Hot on the heels of a UK release, Samsung has just announced that its long-awaited (and long-delayed) Galaxy Player 4.0 ($229) and 5.0 ($269) will be available for pre-order starting September 27th, with US availability pegged for October 16th. Oddly enough, Samsung gave no reason behind the once-spring, now-autumn pushback, but at least we can finally stop wondering and instead start enjoying the spoils of an (almost) Galaxy Note-sans-phone. (Not like we haven't heard a similar tune before). All that aside, the Player 5.0 and 4.0 weigh in at 6.4 and 4.2 ounces, respectively, and both are powered by Android 2.3.5 (Gingerbread); other specs include 802.11b/g/n, WVGA Super Clear LCDs (800 x 480), Bluetooth 3.0, 8GB of onboard storage, a microSD expansion slot, 3.5mm headphone jack, voice recorder, mini-USB connectivity, front and rear cameras and support for Sammy's Media Hub content service. The big fellow gets a 2,500mAh battery, whereas its little(r) brother is equipped with a 1,200mAh cell. (Psst... you can catch our hands-on with these here and here.)

Meanwhile, the Galaxy Tab 8.9 is available for pre-sale right now, with shipments to hit retail on October 2nd. You'll be laying down $469 for the 16GB model, while a doubling of capacity will run you $100 more. Need a refresher on this one, too? How's about a WXGA (1,280 x 800) touchpanel, dual-core T250S processor, 6,100mAh battery, sub-one pound weight, DLNA compatibility, a 3 megapixel rear camera, 2 megapixel front-facing camera, integrated Swype / Polaris Office and even a few amenities for those in the enterprise -- things like full support for Exchange ActiveSync (v14), on-device encryption, Cisco VPN, Sybase MDM and WebEx support. Best of all, the inbuilt FindMyMobile service allows users to track their lost / stolen Tab 8.9 down on a map as it moves, remotely lock the device to prevent unauthorized access and delete personal information stored on the device. Head on past the break for the full release.

Continue reading Galaxy Tab 8.9 hits pre-order, ships October 2nd in US; Galaxy Player 5.0 and 4.0 shipping October 16th

Galaxy Tab 8.9 hits pre-order, ships October 2nd in US; Galaxy Player 5.0 and 4.0 shipping October 16th originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Sep 2011 18:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/09/26/galaxy-tab-8-9-hits-pre-order-ships-october-2nd-galaxy-player/

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