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Samsung Galaxy S4 is NOW available at Verizon

Publié: mai 23, 2013, 9:03pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

On Thursday, little under a month after the smartphone's global launch, the Galaxy S4 finally arrives at US mobile operator Verizon. The handset is available now at big red for $199.99, alongside a two-year contract, in either Black Mist or White Frost.

Today, rival mobile operator AT&T revealed that the Aurora Red Galaxy S4 comes exclusively through its online and brick and mortar stores (pre-orders start tomorrow). Tough luck for Verizon customers looking to grab the smartphone in the red trim, which is a tad ironic considering the carrier's logo (yes, it's red).

Verizon customers can also purchase Samsung's Android flagship with a month to month service. This raises the price to $649.99, which is on par with the Google-branded Galaxy S4 announced at Google I/O. The latter version will be available with 4G LTE connectivity, starting June 26, directly through the search giant's Play store.

The Verizon-branded Galaxy S4 packs a 5.0-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1080 by 1920; 1.9 GHz quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 processor; Adreno 320 GPU (Graphics Processing Unit); 2 GB of RAM: 2,600 mAh battery; 16 GB of internal storage; microSD card slot; 13 MP back-facing and 2 MP front-facing cameras capable of 1080p video recording; Bluetooth 4.0; Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac; NFC; 4G LTE connectivity and Android 4.2 Jelly Bean.
Evernote adds Reminders for the absent minded

Publié: mai 23, 2013, 8:54pm CEST par Alan Buckingham

Evernote continues to evolve in its quest to keep up with (and even outpace) Microsoft's OneNote. The service is already available on all the major platforms, and today adds a new feature which a lot of users have been asking about for some time -- Reminders.

"For the millions and millions of people around the world that use Evernote everyday to achieve their goals, we’re excited to announce a new part of Evernote that will keep you on track every step of the way. Reminders are here", says Evernote's Andrew Sinkov.

This update contains what Sinkov terms the company's three most requested features: in-app and email alarms, quick note-based to-do lists, and the ability to pin notes to the top of your adjacent list. Users can also now add a Reminder to a note by simply tapping on the alarm clock icon located at the top of the document on Mac and Web, or at the bottom of it on iPhone and iPad. If you like, you can set a date and time for when this task must be completed. Now you will get an in-app alarm and, optionally, an email on the day that a Reminder is due.

The company also points out that "to keep your Reminders nicely organized, we’ve made them notebook-based. Whenever you add a Reminder to a note, it will appear in the Reminder section within that notebook".

So, if you are like me and tend to forget important things, like what to pick up at the store, a friend's birthday or...oh say...your anniversary (just for example, of course) then this new functionality will make Evernote a life-saver.
iPad follows iPhone, gets the Mailbox treatment

Publié: mai 23, 2013, 4:45pm CEST par Mihaita Bamburic

On Thursday, following user demand, Mailbox released an update for its iOS mail app that introduces support for iPads. The service, which delivers more than 100 million messages each day, was previously available as an iPhone-only affair.

Mailbox boasts a better organized and easier to manage inbox, allowing its users to take advantage of swipe gestures to archive or trash messages. Similar to alarm clocks, the app also offers the option to snooze emails in order to receive them at a later date in the inbox.

Mailbox is designed as an alternative to the default iOS Mail app, however it falls short in supporting multiple types of accounts and providers (like Exchange, Outlook.com, POP or Yahoo). Gmail is the only option currently available, but other "email platforms" will arrive "soon".

In mid-March, Mailbox was acquired by Dropbox with the promise to make the service "even better and getting it into as many people's hands as possible". One of the first steps should be supporting Outlook.com and Yahoo, two of the largest email providers today.

Mailbox is available to download from Apple's App Store.

Photo Credit: 2jenn/Shutterstock
Google X acquires flying turbine company Makani

Publié: mai 23, 2013, 4:10pm CEST par Mark Wilson

Google may be most readily associated with the Internet, apps and mobile devices, but the company has many more strings to its bow. Google X -- the secretive research and development division best known for Project Glass and the driverless car -- has acquired Mikani Power, a green energy company that generates power with flying turbines.

Ground-based wind turbines are common all over the world, but Mikani Power takes a slightly different approach. Using wings fitted with miniature turbines it is possible to generate power with a series of self-piloted kites. Successful tests have been conducted on a 30kW prototype model, with plans to scale up to 600kW in the future.

By placing turbines at an altitude of between 250 and 600m, it is possible to harness more consistent wind power. The manoeuvrability of the wings means that they can adapt and reposition according to weather conditions, and easily land if wind speeds become too high -- a problem that can lead to traditional wind turbines becoming damaged.

The acquisition is not completely out of the blue. Since 2006, Google has invested a total of $15m in the company.