Go Daddy hires former Microsoft and Yahoo exec Blake Irving as next CEO

Just in time to stand behind what will undoubtedly be the most grotesque Super Bowl ad of the 2013 contest, Blake Irving is taking the top seat over at Go Daddy. The infamous, flip-flopping domain registrar has confirmed that Irving will begin duties as CEO starting January 7th of next year, succeeding interim CEO Scott Wagner. Prior to this, Irving spent a grand total of 15 years in various hallways at Microsoft, most recently as Corporate Vice President of the Windows Live Platform. He also served as the Chief Product Officer at Yahoo, while he presently serves on the Board of GolfLogix. Mum's the word on whether or not his introductory video will be too risque for American television.

[Source: Engadget]

Google Drive extension lets you save pieces of the web to the cloud

Earlier today, a new Google Drive extension was released to the Chrome Web Store. This productivity tool provides users with a new way to capture and store web-based content. By clicking the extension's icon, you can save a copy of a webpage, its HTML source code, or a web archive. You can also save items by right-clicking photos or file links. In addition, Google has introduced new scrolling, fit to page and 100 percent image viewing options, along with the ability to comment on selected areas of pictures saved to your Drive. Whether you're looking for a replacement for Skitch, or an easy way to collect snippets of the web, this extension just might be with the doctor ordered.

[Source: Engadget]

Yahoo launches Mail redesign, with eye on speed and simplicity

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer used her company's official blog to announced a Mail redesign. According to the exec, the company's shiny new inbox was revamped with speed in mind, letting users access their messages "faster than ever before." Mayer also promised fewer distractions for consumers, with messages at the center of the new design, as well as a "consistent look and feel across devices," including platforms like Windows 8, iOS, Android and the web. All of Mayer's comments can be found in the source link below.

[Source: Engadget]

Secret Santa AKA GadgetsBoy Delivered

Last week I told you about some exciting Christmas related news. The kind guys & gals at MoneySuperMarket.com had organised a Secret Santa Challenge. I was so excited that they invited me to take part and even happier when I learned that GadgetsBoy was my partner in the festivities.

The challenge began with me selecting a gift to send. That was a real challenge to buy something for a geek that has a lot of gadgets already. I won't spoil it for you in this article, so to find out what I gifted, check out the GadgetsBoy website.

Today, there was a knock at my door. Plain white box signed for … I sat next to the Geekanoids Christmas Tree and opened it with excitement. Well, fella, it proves you know me. I am a gadget freak for sure, but also a photography fanatic too. I love my cameras, using both micro four thirds, plus a Canon shooter too.
For those of you who have Canon gear, you will know that the red ringed L lens is top end optics & something to be proud of. On first looks I thought GadgetsBoy had gone crazy, blowing all his hard earned cash on this top end lens, then the smile or realisation came.

The gift I received is a Lens Mug, that's right a mug that is made to look like a Canon 28-135mm L Lens. The attention to detail is superb, check out the photos below to see how realistic it is. Not only do I have something here that looks the part, but in these cold winter months I can load it up with a warm hot chocolate … I love it. 
I did try mounting it on my DSLR, but alas it did not work !!! I joke … this is a great gift and I am really happy with it.

Many thanks for the gift GadgetsBoy and a big shout out to MoneySuperMarket for making this possible. 

Twitter profiles rolling out to all users by December 12th: here's how to prep yours

Instagram has web profiles? Yeah, well, Twitter's about to give all of its users a bit more of a face online as well. While select users have had access to revamped profiles for a few months, Twitter confirmed today that all of its users would be allowed into the party starting December 12th. The main addition here is the use of a header photo, and if you've got any questions on the hows and whys, there's a cute video just after the break to explain. Pick carefully, okay?

[Source: Engadget]

Bing boosts snapshot search with richer info on famous faces and places

Whether you're upfront about it or firmly in the closet, the search data doesn't lie: we all have a pop culture crush. Which is why Microsoft's expanding Bing's snapshot pane, one of three columns within its revamped layout, to display expanded data on celebrities and landmarks. (What? You thought all of those Kim Kardashian keyword searches went unnoticed?) Now, users that enter queries related to either of those two categories will be able to preview a host of relevant info (e.g., filmography, discography, movie trailers and track previews) from that second results column, all culled from a wider reach of sources. It's the first of many planned enhancements for Microsoft's search platform, so stay tuned for further changes in the "coming weeks."

[Source: Engadget]

Free WiFi service for London's black cabs approved

Soon there will be no where left to hide in London Town. The city is quickly becoming one giant WiFi hotspot, just as mayor Boris Johnson promised. Its iconic red phone boxes, the Thames, the Underground and even a minicab company have all been hooked up with free wireless. Now a plan has been approved to turn every famous black cab into a rolling 802.11 beacon. Company Eyetease has received approval from Transport for London to equip the vehicles with WiFi antennas that will provide 15 minutes of free high-speed data in exchange for sitting through a 15-second commercial. As the cabs ride through the city, the on board router will dynamically switch between 3G and 4G networks to maintain a constant connection. And, in an effort to get cab drivers hooked for the early 2013 launch, the CabWiFi service will provide special driver accounts that provide unlimited and commercial free service. The only thing left to do is figure out what it says about the city that its residents can't go 15 minutes in a cab without high speed internet access. Maybe you can Google it at the next red light.

[Source: Engadget]

Griffin's take on charge and sync Lightning cables now up for grabs

Sure, Belkin and Scosche have already offered up Lightning accessories, but now Griffin has its own solutions up for sale: Lightning charge and sync cables, which it says are the first of their kind from a third party (authorized by Apple). Ringing up at $25, the four-foot coiled USB to Lightning cable aims to put the kibosh on kinks and tangles. Those who prefer a more straightforward solution, however, can pick up a two-foot cable without the curls for $17, or a three-foot flavor for two additional greenbacks. There's also mention of a 9.8-foot-long version, but it doesn't appear to be available on Griffin's site just yet. To snag the wires, give the neighboring source link a jab.

[Source: Engadget]

Instagram officially kills photo integration within Twitter, leaves no trace behind

If you've taken to Twitter today, it's likely that you noticed all your Instagram photos that were stored as gallery Cards are gone. Unfortunately, this isn't a temporary glitch: as of today, the photo-sharing service has officially killed all photo integration on Twitter. So, although links to your photos will function like normal, there is no way to preview them within Twitter anymore. If you'll recall, it was merely a few days ago that Instagram pulled Card support from Twitter, which made any filtered snapshots display in wonky fashions within the micro-blogging network. While today's move by Instagram isn't totally shocking -- it would rather you view pictures on its new browser-accesible profiles, after all -- it's a shame that the contents of many Twitter galleries have vanished in a flash.

[Source: Engadget]

Netflix 1080p streams no longer called X-High, company credits improved encodes

While Netflix Watch Instantly movie streams are mostly useful for casual viewing, if you're interested in the actual quality of the video provided you may have noticed a few changes recently. Chronicled in a thread on AVS Forum and reported to us by several tipsters, more than a few users have noticed their streams on 1080p-capable hardware (PlayStation 3, WDTV Live) no longer rock the "X-High" notification (on PS3, hit select to view more information bout your streaming details) that had previously let them know they were getting the highest quality possible. We checked with Netflix, and according to the company, it's rolling out better encoding that improves picture quality despite using a lower bitrate. That means 1080p works even for people with slower connections, and increases detail on "textures, shadows, skies, and particularly faces." As a result, what was previously called "X-High HD" is now being labeled a tier lower.

[Source: Engadget]

Lovefilm now available for UK Wii U owners

Nintendo recently committed to bringing Lovefilm to Wii U consoles soon in the UK and the company has made good on its word. Pictured above is a dimly lit shot of the new app in action, which features HD content and optional video playback via the system's GamePad. If you'd like to give it a spin, head on over to Nintendo's eShop to claim your prize.

[Source: Engadget]

Sony and Box extend BFF status, offer 50GB free storage to Xperia owners through 2013

When Sony and Box came together last year to offer Xperia owners a tantalizing deal of 50GB of free storage for life, the promotion was only set to run for a year. Now that shopping season is upon us once more, however, the holiday spirit must've moved them to extend the partnership for yet another year -- that, or Sony needs any edge it can to move those Xperia devices to consumer hands. Just as with the prior promo, Xperia and Sony tablet users can snag 50 gigs of cloud storage completely gratis just by signing up or tapping into existing Box accounts on their devices before December 31st 2013. However, do note that the offer doesn't extend to the Xperia X10 mini, the X10 mini pro and anything that has firmware older than Android 2.1. Now that Sony has this going for two years straight, maybe they should extend this to a lifetime scenario, or as long as Box sticks around to offer up that sweet storage in the sky.

[Source: Engadget]