Intel presents PowerUp with Ultrabook

After four months of DJ submissions, voting and club nights across the UK, the PowerUp with Ultrabook story has come to a close with the London final taking place in a converted gallery in Shoreditch. 

onedotzero and Marshmallow Laser Feast created an interactive digital set, powered entirely by Ultrabooks, especially for the finale of Intel's PowerUp with Ultrabook DJ talent search. Our six breakthrough DJs played alongside Benji B backed by the biggest set of their lives.

Visit the Facebook page to learn all about how the incredible set was created and find out the stories behind our winners: 
http://bit.ly/ultrabookP

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iTunes refresh delayed till 'end of November'

We were all a little shocked when Apple failed to deliver a redesigned iTunes at its last keynote. The company promised a major revamp of the service would land in October yet, here we are with one day left in the month, and no iTunes overhaul in sight. Today Tom Neumayr, a spokesperson for the Cupertino firm, confirmed to AllThingsD that the software release had indeed been pushed back by a month. Only a few short days ago CFO Peter Oppenheimer was touting the refresh during the company's earnings call saying, "We look forward to looking to launching a redesigned iTunes. The new iTunes has a dramatically simpler and cleaner interface." But he made no mention of a delay. Neumayr says the goal now is to release the update before the end of November stating that development is "taking longer than expected and we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right." While the issue primarily cited in Neumayr's statement is "seamless integration with iCloud" we wouldn't be shocked if it's rumored internet radio service also is playing a role in the delay. Read the complete statement below.

"The new iTunes is taking longer than expected and we wanted to take a little extra time to get it right. We look forward to releasing this new version of iTunes with its dramatically simpler and cleaner interface, and seamless integration with iCloud before the end of November."

[Source: Engadget]

Nexus 7 sales clocking in at close to a million per month

While it was pretty clear that Asustek's Google-partnered Nexus 7 contributed heavily to the Taiwanese maker's healthy Q3 results, there was no official confirmation on its exact sales figures so far. Asustek CFO David Chang has now come clean and told the WSJ that the 7-incher is close to touching the one million per month mark, just about double the rate of sales at its launch. While this number is a fraction of the iPad's sales (14 million in the last quarter alone), it could well go up due to the recent price dropand the addition of new 32GB models to the portfolio. On the flip side, the Nexus 7 is sure to face heat from close rivals, the Kindle Fire HD and the 7.9-inch Apple iPad mini, while the mega-spec Nexus 10will also entice some buyers away from Asustek's reach.

[Source: Engadget]

Disney acquires Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion, plans more Star Wars movies

Disney is already one of the biggest media companies around, and it's now set to become even bigger. The company announced late today that it's acquiring Lucasfilm Ltd., currently 100 percent owned by founder George Lucas, for $4.05 billion in a cash and stock deal. That of course includes the rights to both the Star Wars and Indiana Jones film franchises, as well as Lucasfilm properties like Industrial Light & Magic and Skywalker Sound. What's more, the press release announcing the deal also confirmed that Disney is now targeting 2015 for a release of Star Wars: Episode 7, and that its "long term plan is to release a new Star Wars feature film every two to three years." No word yet on a proper release of the original, original trilogy.

[Source: Engadget]

Microsoft: we're calling our apps 'Windows 8 Store Applications'

Ever since those bygone days of Metro, we've all been struggling to figure out precisely what to call the design language of Microsoft's OS offerings. When the question was put to MS's Will Tschumy, the user experience strategist told a crowd at Build that the company is calling Win 8 apps "Windows 8 Store Applications" -- not exactly as elegant as the aesthetic the company is implementing across its products.

[Source: Engadget]

Nexus 4 boasts SlimPort support for tethered display sharing

A lot of the hubbub yesterday was around the Nexus 4's support of Miracast, courtesy of Android 4.2. If you don't want to spring for a dedicated TV box or invest in a whole new set of gadgets to supersize your mobile experience, then you may be excited to hear that the handset also supports SlimPort. We haven't heard much from the DisplayPort-based standard since January, but we're happy to report it finally appears to be ready for primetime. Analogix, the company behind the tech, already has its first adapter up for sale on Amazon (at the more coverage link), which takes the Nexus 4's micro-USB port and allows you to connect an HDMI cable to it -- so long as that proposition is worth $30 to you. Eventually DVI, VGA and DisplayPort will also be added to list of output options, potentially making the this handset's charging port the most versatile micro-USB jack in the smartphone market. For more, check out the PR after the break.

[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]

Data hungry apps revealed with Onavo Count, free usage tracker for iOS

Yes, you can currently snag a data usage tracker for iOS, but if you're wanting to know exactly which apps are sapping your monthly data, then Onavo Count is where it's at. The free app just debuted in the App Store, which allows users to pinpoint the most data hungry titles with a handful of lovely graphs. Like other apps, Onavo Count will help you from exceeding your monthly allotment by tracking your last 30 days of mobile data usage, and if you really want to geek out, you can even break it down by week. Not to stop there, the app is also integrated with Onavo Extend, which compresses unencrypted data in order to help users squeeze a bit more from their data plan. If your interest is now piqued, be sure to hit up the video after the break, or simply head over to the App Store, where you can snag it for yourself.

[Source: Engadget]

OWC certifies 480GB Mercury Aura Pro SSD for 13-inch MacBook Pro with Retina display

The inside of a MacBook Pro certainly isn't for the faint of heart, but if you're willing to pair your recklessness with a side of wild abandon, then you might just have what it takes to upgrade the storage of the Retina-equipped 13-inch model. OWC is more than willing to test your limits with its 480GB Mercury Aura Pro, an SSD module that's now certified for use with Apple's latest laptop. While its $580 price will deter many, the 480GB option compares favorably to the 512GB upgrade from Apple, which rings in at a healthy $800. OWC says that additional capacity sizes will be announced this November, which is reason to remain hopeful if this one has priced you out of the market.

[Source: Engadget]

Samsung gets official with the Galaxy Premier: 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED, 8MP camera, GS III styling

If Samsung took a wrong turn with its brand-diluting Galaxy S III Mini, then the much-leaked Galaxy Premier is where it gets back on track. The phone keeps the outward visage of the Galaxy S III and makes only modest sacrifices in order to reach a wider audience. These include a slightly shrunken 4.65-inch screen, which still blazes away with a full 720 x 1,280 Super AMOLED panel, an acceptable dual-core 1.5 GHz TI OMAP 4470 processor, 1GB of RAM and Android 4.1 Jelly Bean. The cameras haven't been messed with -- we're still looking at an 8-megapixel rear and a 1.9-megapixel front-facer -- while connectivity includes Bluetooth 4.0 and NFC. So far, the phone has only been made official in the Ukraine, where it's been pegged for a November release and priced at 5,555 Ukrainian hryvnias -- an exotic-sounding figure that very roughly translates to $680.

[Source: Engadget]

HTC AND MICROSOFT ANNOUNCE AVAILABILITY OF SIGNATURE WINDOWS PHONES

HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, today announced that its signature Windows Phone 8 offerings will be ranged by all of its operator, retail and distribution partners. The Windows Phone 8X by HTC is available for pre order immediately and will be in-store from the 2^nd November from selected partners.

Unveiled last month, HTC’s Windows Phone 8X and 8S boast fresh and innovative designs which blend the virtual world of the Windows Phone Live Tiles experience with bold, vibrant and colourful physical designs.

“It’s fantastic to see the excitement surrounding our Windows Phone 8 devices,” says Phil Roberson, UK & Ireland Executive Director of HTC. “This is the first time HTC Windows Phone device have had full UK distribution. The level of interest is a testament to our deliberate Windows Phone design strategy and the inclusion of HTC’s iconic feature set.”

Windows Phone 8X and 8S by HTC are the only Windows smartphones with Beats Audio, which delivers authentic, studio-quality sound with deeper bass and crisp vocals, whether you’re listening to music, playing a game or watching a video. They also feature amazing camera capabilities which allow people to capture spontaneous action quickly and easily, even if the phone is locked. 

Partners stocking both Windows Phone 8X and 8S by HTC include Three, Orange, T-Mobile, O2, Virgin Media, Carphone Warehouse, Phones4u, Brightpoint and Brightstar Tech Data.Pre-order is now available at Phones4u, Three and Carphone Warehouse.

Microsoft announces Skype app for Windows Phone 8 with new UI, deep People Hub integration

Last week, if you recall, Microsoft announced Skype for Windows 8, a touch-friendly app that appeared in the Windows Store the same day Win 8 went on sale. Now, with Windows Phone 8 getting its big reveal, the company is following up with a WP8 version, which Microsoft says is coming soon. Like the new Windows 8 app, it runs in the background, delivering push notifications even when you're looking at something else. In particular, now that Windows Phone allows for three different tile sizes, you can view the Skype tile in small, medium or large formats, with the largest displaying your latest message. (All tile sizes show an unread message count.)

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