Google Translate gets new features, makes sure you choose the right words

Google has added functionality to the web version of its Translate service, now making it even easier for us to use and understand foreign tongues. Instead of a single result, you'll be presented with a list of the most common translations, ordered and labeled by how frequently each one is used. What's more, synonyms are also displayed next to the assortment of results, but this particular feature only works when translating into English, although more languages are expected to be supported soon. We've had a quick play around with it, and suggest you head over to the Google Translate page and try out the new elements for yourself. Now, if only the website translator could make those Japanese pages a little easier to read.

[Source: Engadget]

China's Tianhe-2 supercomputer could hit 100 petaflops in 2015, may have a race on its hands

China's supercomputer development is as much driven by national reputation as by military prowess and science; the country chose to build the Sunway BlueLight MPP with domestic chips knowing that it wouldn't get the absolute performance crown. It won't be quite so modest the next time around. China's National University of Defense Technology wants the Tianhe-2 supercomputer due in 2015 to crack an extremely high 100 petaflops, or five times faster than the record-setting Titan over in the US and a whopping 40 times faster than the Tianhe-1A. Before we hand the crown over, though, Top 500 supercomputer chart keeper Jack Dongarra notes to ITworld that China might have to sprint if it wants the symbolic title: the EU, Japan and US are all striving for the same benchmark, and they're not backing off anytime soon. The nation's trump card may have to be long-term plans for an exaflop-strength supercomputer by 2018, at which point we suspect the bragging will simmer down. For awhile.

[Source: Engadget]

Yelp's new picture-heavy menus give you a better look at that Baby Back Rib Tickler

Needless to say, we're all well aware of Yelp's popularity amongst people who love a thing or two about visiting restaurants and, in turn, eating some good ol' food. And while the service could be considered relatively great as is, it never hurts to see a few new features added here and there -- especially one as useful as the new "Explore the Menu," which is made possible by everyday users like yourself. The newfangled menu system will allow folks to upload pictures of any grub item they've tried at frequented restaurants, making it easier for future goers to have a slight idea of what to expect should they be interested in trying a particular dish from one of the many places listed within Yelp. The novel menu pages will be rolling out to business pages today in the US, with Yelp noting that this will be the "first time ever" it's simultaneously launching a fresh service across its OG site, mobile website and applications.

[Source: Engadget]

Google officially lands deal with Warner Music Group

Make no mistake -- landing a deal for streaming with Warner Music Group is no easy chore. Search for 'Red Hot Chili Peppers' on programs like MOG, and you'll probably be sorely disappointed in what results are returned. Tucked within Google's Nexus blowout this morning was this nugget: the search giant has finally nailed down a deal with Warner, who will be "adding its full music catalog with new songs coming each day." In other words, this completes the puzzle necessary for Google to confess that it's "working with all of the major record labels globally," with this particular deal paving the way for acts like Green Day, Madonna, Neil Young and RHCP to appear soon in the Play Store. Specifics on which artists are coming when remain elusive, but feel free to refresh like mad if you're so inclined.

[Source: Engadget]

Google removes Nexus Q from landing page, further distances itself from a curious launch

Google had already yanked the "In Stock" status from its Nexus Q as we awaited a re-envisioning of its purpose, but today's Nexus launch is making it ever clearer that we may never hear from the bizarre orb again. Launched in July with an almost unbelievably small set of features, it took but a few weeks for Google to postpone the proper launch while sending free units to those who pre-ordered. Now, its placement on the Nexus landing page has been removed entirely, with the Nexus 4, Nexus 7 and Nexus 10 roaming the page alone. The Q's placement in the Play Store remains, but an ominous "This device is not for sale at this time" message accompanies it. Google had not returned a request for comment at the time of this article's publication, but we'll update should we hear back.

Update: Google returned a comment, but it's certainly not much to go on: "We don't have anything to share at this time."

[Source: Engadget]

Chrome Remote Desktop comes out of beta, adds real-time audio feed for Windows users

After a year of living in beta, Chrome Remote Desktop is finally ready for primetime. Similar to other screen sharing services like LogMeIn and Splashtop, Chrome Remote Desktop lets you access other computers remotely. Of course, it is special to the Chrome browser, and by extension, the Chrome OS. The latest version of the app adds a couple of new features like a real-time audio feed for Windows users and the ability to copy-and-paste between remote and local computers. You can use this with any Chrome browser of course, but it could prove especially useful for those with Chromebooks, as you can easily communicate with a presumably storage-laden home PC while still toting around a lightweight notebook.

[Source: Engadget]

Steve Jobs's yacht makes its first appearance

Steve Jobs's yacht is making what looks to be its first public appearance in the Dutch city of Aalsmeer, a bit more than one year after his death. The photographs first appeared on the Apple news site One More Thing and closely resemble the description given by Walter Isaacson in his Steve Jobs biography.

After our omelets at the café, we went back to his house and he showed me all of the models and architectural drawings. As expected, the planned yacht was sleek and minimalist. The teak decks were perfectly flat and unblemished by any accoutrements. As at an Apple store, the cabin windows were large panes, almost floor to ceiling, and the main living area was designed to have walls of glass that were forty feet long and ten feet high. He had gotten the chief engineer of the Apple stores to design a special glass that was able to provide structural support. By then the boat was under construction by the Dutch custom yacht builders Feadship, but Jobs was still fiddling with the design. "I know that it’s possible I will die and leave Laurene with a half-built boat," he said. "But I have to keep going on it. If I don’t, it’s an admission that I’m about to die."

One image clearly shows "de vries," one of the two shipyards that make up the Feadship custom yacht building company, while another tells us that the yacht is christened "Venus," the Roman goddess of love and beauty. The ship builders were each gifted an iPod shuffle with the ship's name inscribed on the back, along with a note thanking them for their "hard work and craftsmanship."

[Source: The Verge - Click here to read the full story]

Why is Wikipedia's editing community dwindling?

Wikipedia's closely-examined editing community has been declining for quite some time, and historian and Wikipedia editor Richard Jensen has a theory that may explain why. The problem, Jensen postulates, is that there's simply less work for editors to do than there has been in the past. He cites the editing histories of popular articles like the War of 1812 and World War II, which peak between 2005 and 2007. In contrast, the articles' pageviews have steadily increased, which Jensen says shows that there isn't a lack of engagement, but rather that popular articles are nearly complete. Take a look at more highlights from Jensen's study at The Atlantic.

[Source: The Verge]

T-Mobile also cancels NYC event on account of weather

We've been through this before. This notice has just landed in our inbox:

Hi,

Apologies for the late mail, but due to the expected weather in New York, T-Mobile will be postponing its showcase event (which was scheduled for October 29) to a later date.  We will keep you posted on a rescheduled date as soon as we can.

Thanks for your flexibility and patience and apologies for the inconvenience.

The weather is getting nasty out there, and T-Mobile has decided that holding its event in New York Cityisn't the best choice. Since Google has also decided to postpone its impending Nexus event, we're not going to blame T-Mo for taking the safe route. No reason to risk having extra people traveling in Hurricane Sandy.

[Source: Android Central]

Cray's Jaguar supercomputer upgraded with NVIDIA Tesla GPUs, renamed Titan

Cray's Jaguar (or XK7) supercomputer at Oak Ridge National Laboratory has been loaded up with the first shipping NVIDIA Telsa K20 GPUs and renamed Titan. Loaded with 18,688 of the Kepler-based K20s, Titan's peak performance is more than 20 petaflops. Sure, the machine has an equal number of 16-core AMD Opteron 6274 processors as it does GPUs, but the Tesla hardware packs 90 percent of the entire processing punch. Titan is roughly ten times faster and five times more energy efficient than it was before the name change, yet it fits into the same 200 cabinets as its predecessor. Now that it's complete, the rig will analyze data and create simulations for scientific projects ranging from topics including climate change to nuclear energy. The hardware behind Titan isn't meant to power your gaming sessions, but the NVIDIA says lessons learned from supercomputer GPU development trickle back down to consumer-grade cards. For the full lowdown on the beefed-up supercomputer, hit the jump for a pair of press releases.

[Source: Engadget]

Google postpones October 29th event over Hurricane Sandy worries

We hope you weren't basing your calendar around Google's big Android event on October 29th. The company has confirmed to us that it's postponing the event to an as yet undetermined point in the future due to Hurricane Sandy, whose East coast arrival will follow so closely before the New York City gaterhing that Google isn't willing to take the chance on its big day. If you're experiencing a sense of déja vu, you're not alone -- Google delayed last year's event revealing the Galaxy Nexus out of respect for the late Steve Jobs. While it's not what we'd call an auspicious start to Google's holiday launches, we can at least hope for an abundance of riches when the company is ready once again. The full statement waits below.

"We are canceling our Monday morning event in New York due to Hurricane Sandy. We will let you know our plans as soon as we know more."

[Source: Engadget]

Microsoft's Steven Sinofsky: Windows 8 PCs are better value than Apple

AllThingsD's Ina Fried was on hand for Microsoft's full day of Windows 8 fun yesterday, and she reports that Microsoft exec Steven Sinofsky enjoyed pointing out how the new Windows 8 PCs deliver better value than Apple's products.

Sinofsky said that there are "full-featured Windows 8 laptops that sell for $279. These are fantastic machines. At that price, you can get a computer good enough to last a student through college."

Microsoft is betting its future on Windows 8, an OS designed from the ground up to run both on desktop and laptop machines as well as tablets. Windows 8 now features a built-in software store, something that Mac users have had since January 6, 2011.

Sinofsky told the assembled press that there were "tons of thin, light, touchscreen Ultrabooks that sell for hundreds less than a MacBook Air," noting that it was "engineering work that drives the cost down." Apparently low price isn't a factor for consumers, who were responsible for FY 2012 sales of Apple's Mac line being 1 percent higher than last year's sales, while the PC market in general saw a drop in sales of 8 percent.

During yesterday's Apple earnings call, Apple's Tim Cook managed a good retort at Microsoft's Surface tablet. In pointing out that the device makes compromises by trying to be both a PC and a tablet, he said "You could design a car that flies and floats, but I don't think it would do either of those things very well."

[Source: TUAW]