Western Digital is mightily proud of its new 4TB hard drives, so it shouldn't be a surprise to see them winding up in the company's range of external storage products. The latest to get the spec bump is the My Book Live Duo, the dual-drive RAID box that promises to keep your memories safe should the worst happen. The range-topping 8TB edition will set you back $660, but if your credit card isn't that elastic, you can snag a 6TB unit for $440 and a 4TB box for $375.
[Source: Engadget]
At this point, expecting Amazon to actually divulge genuine numbers surrounding its Kindle business would be akin to expecting that so-called "fiscal cliff" to just vanish overnight. That said, the company's playing a little less coy than usual in a new press release that announces A/B testing capabilities for app developers. The useful nuggets are here: app downloads in the Appstore have grown more than 500 percent over the previous year, and the number of GameCircle enabled games available on Kindle Fire has more than doubled since the launch of Kindle Fire HD.
[Source: Engadget]
Looking towards Mountain View to provide a suite of digital tools for your new business? Make sure to pen per-user costs into your ledger -- Google Apps isn't free anymore. According to Google's enterprise blog, the basic Google Apps package is being abandoned to streamline the service, offering businesses a single, $50 per user option that promises 24/7 phone support, 25GB inboxes and a 99.9% uptime guarantee. Pre-existing free customers can still hum along unmolested, of course, and the standard pricing doesn't apply to schools or universities, either. Personal Google accounts are still free too, doling out gratis Gmail and Drive access to anyone with a unique user name. The team hopes that streamlining the Apps will allow it to provide better service, possibly offering enterprise users new features on a faster timetable.
[Source: Engadget]
You've got your fancy new iPhone 5, and you've got the Xbox SmartGlass app, but who wants those silly black bars on the sides? Certainly not you, aesthetic savant, which is why you'll be glad to hear that Microsoft's latest update to the SmartGlass app optimizes it for use with the iPhone 5's taller, 16x9 screen. Aside from device support expansion, the update also includes the ambiguous "bug fixes." No broken bugs for you, only fixed ones! The Xbox SmartGlass app launched earlier this year for Windows Phone 8, Android and iOS, with a staggered rollout across the various mobile ecosystems. Beyond just allowing for basic Xbox 360 control via mobile, SmartGlass propagates rich content to your second screen in-tandem with some software, from games to streaming video.
[Source: Engadget]
It's already been a fairly big year for Google Now, but the folks in Mountain View have at least one more update in store before we roll into 2013. The company's today released an updated version of its Google Search app for Android that adds a number of new features designed largely with travellers in mind. That includes the ability to tell you the weather at your destination, automatically pull up your boarding pass at the airport (albeit only for United flights at the moment), inform you about nearby events, and offer more information about things like artwork at museums using Google Goggles. Alongside those updates are a number of additions to the voice search component, including the ability to search for the name of a track that's playing by saying "what's this song?" or look up additional information on a product by saying "scan this barcode."
[Source: Engadget]
Skype hardly has a history of keeping its forthcoming features secret, but then again, surprises aren't all they're chalked up to be. This go 'round, an updated terms of service page has outed a heretofore unannounced update: Video Messaging. While it's not possible to indulge just yet, we're left to assume that an impending update will enable Skype Premium users (who pay $8.99 per month for certain privileges) to "send and receive an unlimited number of Video Messages." For those taking advantage of Skype's free offerings, you'll be able to send a "limited" amount, though you'll be able to receive an unlimited quantity of 'em. We're also told that non-premium members will see their video messages expire within 90 days -- unless it was sent by a premium member or you upgrade your account in time, of course -- but the TOS makes no mention of when any of this will find itself under public scrutiny. Hopefully it'll be before those year-end fireworks go up, you know?
[Source: Engadget]
During today's Nintendo Direct presentation, Iwata-san had plenty of game footage to show to Japan-based fans, but he also casually mentioned that Google-powered maps and street vistas would arrive on the Wii U at the end of January 2013. As demonstrated by the man himself, you'll be able to swing the GamePad around to get the best view of anywhere that's been documented by Google -- including underwater. Navigation looks similar to the previously-seen Wii U Panorama View (which Nintendo confirmed would arrive Spring 2013) and although Street View isn't motion video, there's admittedly more to see from Google's cartography. You'll be able to navigate down roads, and use the vanilla map view and street view on both the big-screen and the GamePad. If you're liking what you hear, you'd better be quick: the app will launch free for two months, after which users will have to pay an as-yet-unmentioned price for access.
[Source: Engadget]
Planning a gluttonous holiday season and then a health kick in the New Year to balance it out? Well, when you start on the latter, you might want one of Zensorium's Tinké cardiorespiratory monitors to track your progress. The sensor is compatible with any of your old-fashioned 30-pin iOS devices (it'll work with the Lightning adapter, too), and with the press of a thumb, it can measure heart rate, blood oxygenation and respiratory rate using light. All this data is fed into the free companion app, which generates an overall fitness score called the "Vita Index" and logs it for later comparison. Stress levels can also be assessed, using fluctuations in your heart rate to score the "Zen Index." Sharing how unfit and stressed you are can be done via Facebook or Tinké's own network, which also allows you to compare results with other users worldwide. The monitor will set you back $119 and is available now from Zensorium in a choice of four colors.
[Source: Engadget]
Something's amiss with Instagram links on Twitter and it's not just the overabundance of unnecessarily filtered photos. Users have noticed that, upon clicking those links, images are displaying incorrectly and, in some cases, showing up as cropped. There's no need to drag out the fail whale though (apart from amusing lead image purposes), as both companies have acknowledged that the issue lies in the Cards - specifically, Instagram's disabling of them. What that means for end users is that preview thumbnail images will no longer show up from within feeds, reverting the integration to a "pre-cards experience." Speaking at LeWeb conference in Paris today, Instagram's CEO Kevin Systrom insists the change has nothing to do with the outfit's acquisition by Facebook and, instead, is framed as a way of promoting its own web service. As for those "lomo-fi" shots you're all so fond of snapping, have no fear, you'll still be able to tweet those out with same ferocity.
[Source: Engadget]
Microsoft has unleashed Socl into beta for all comers to probe, bringing it out of the experimental stages and a step closer to a full-fledged site. We first heard about the project back in July when it was dubbed Tulalip, and MS Research's Fuse Labs officially launched it internally and into some universities back in October last year. The site carries the Windows 8 tile-like look, and Fuse says that imagery is emphasized over "blue links" for search, helping democratize the site "even for people who speak different languages." That lets you find others via posts, a people gallery, or someone's page -- where new posts, people and interests can be viewed all at once. A nav bar allows articles to be created by topics like web, videos or news, and users can create "parties," where they can chat, create playlists or watch videos with others in a similar fashion to Google Hangouts. The project was coded using Redmond's Java-hued Typescript to allow for rapid coding changes, according to Fuse's blog in the source below. To try it out for yourself, check the "more coverage" link.
[Source: Engadget]
Thinking about pulling the trigger on a new printer or scanner in the near future? You may want to sit tight for a bit. Canon has outed its newest grouping of the aforementioned peripherals with retooled frames and a smattering of other improvements. For those looking for an all-in-one solution, the PIXMA MG6320 and MG5420 carry the multi-function moniker and a snap-edge design that makes getting to those precious ink cartridges a breeze. The new exterior also relocates the paper handling to allow the unit to rest flush against a wall or the back of a shelf. What's the difference, you ask? Well, the MG6320 (pictured above) wields a 3.5-inch touch-screen LCD while the MG5420 houses a regular ol' 3-inch LCD. However, both feature a truckload wireless printing capabilities from both computers and mobile devices. No word on a ship date, but the pair will be priced at $200 and $150 when they make their debut in stores.
[Source: Engadget - Click here to read the full story]
Evernote had said its fancy new service aimed at the more professional crowd would be coming around December, and surely enough the company's announced it's now officially open for Business. Via its blog, Evernote let it be known that, after many months of having the service in the works, it's now ready to welcome any business owners who are looking to try its novel Evernote for Business product. Of course, the cloud-based software company wants to reassure potential users that this is essentially the Evernote people have come to love, but "it's better" and with a "number number of features and refinements that make Evernote Business a perfect tool for small and medium-sized companies and small teams within larger organizations." For those interested in learning more, there's a very informative video after the break -- and, of course, the source link below will give you all the nitty-gritty straight from the outfit's mouth.
[Source: Engadget]