Dell's $1,549 Ubuntu-based XPS 13 goes on sale, $50 more than Windows variant

What once was just an internal skunkworks project, Dell's Project Sputnik has taken off with the release of the XPS 13 Developer Edition. The thin and light darling of the Ultrabook crowd is now shipping with a Precise Pangolin Ubuntu build pre-installed, along with feature-complete drivers that ensure maximum peripheral compatibility right out of the box. Also bundled in the XPS 13 are a couple of Project Sputnik's open source tools -- Profile Tool and Cloud Launcher -- that are designed to help developers install and deploy their projects quickly and efficiently. The hardware packs quite a punch, with either an Intel i5 or i7 Ivy Bridge CPU, 8GB of RAM and a 256 GB SATA III SSD. All that Linux goodness comes at a cost, however -- the Developer Edition retails for $1,549, which is around $50 more than the Windows equivalent. Still, it might be well worth it for one of the best specced pre-assembled open-source laptops we've seen to date.

[Source: Engadget]

Xbox SmartGlass for Android updated with official 7-inch tablet support

Microsoft brought its SmartGlass Xbox 360 second screen app to Android last month, however official support was limited to smartphones. While many found that sideloading got the app running on their other devices, an update today has officially added support for tablets of the 7-inch variety. There's also fixes for specific crashes tied to the achievements and settings screens, but not much else. If you've been waiting to bring your Nexus 7 along as GPS in Forza Horizon or control tracks in Dance Central 3, hit the source link to install the app straight from Google Play.

[Source: Engadget]

Google Drive adds site publishing, won't quite replace your Geocities page

The hit parade of Google Drive updates continues. As of today, account holders can publish web content to their Drive storage in a public folder accessible from any browser; it can even host JavaScript for those who want to run web apps from their personal space. Lest we rush to toss out our existing web hosts, however, Google has some inherent ground rules. Content has to be static, and any links to other pages or files in the folder need a special approach to show web addresses that make sense to mere humans. As such, Google Drive won't quite relive the glory days of 1998 and simple web tools; at least we can still add a permanent "under construction" GIF.

[Source: Engadget]

Syrian internet goes down, gets cut off from the world

The civil war-torn nation of Syria has seemingly disappeared from the internet. In a sign that the regime of President Bashar al-Assad is trying to limit the flow of information and possibly increase its violent crackdown on opposition forces, all 84 blocks of IP addresses used by the nation have gone offline. The blackout was first reported by Renesys this morning at around 5:26am ET and the #SyriaBlackout hashtag has started picking up steam on Twitter as others have noticed. While it's unclear exactly what has happened and investigations are on going, and a nationwide outage is highly suspicious. The Associated Press is reporting that rebels are laying blame for the blackout at the feet of the government and that cellphone service has also been severed. We'll update as more information rolls in, but we wouldn't expect good news.

Update: Akamai has provided more confirmation of the outage. As you can see in the image above, at some point this morning the amount of data coming out of Syria simply dropped to zero.

[Source: Engadget]

Microsoft confirms Surface with Windows 8 Pro pricing: starting at $899 for 64GB version, shipping in January

Details on the Pro variety of Microsoft's Surface tablet have been hard to come by since the company first announced it back in June, but it's filled in some big ones today. It's confirmed in a blog post that the device will start at $899 for the 64GB model, with the 128GB version setting you back $999. Both of those are what's Microsoft's dubbing the "standalone" model, which means you'll get a Surface pen/stylus, but have to shell out extra for a Touch or Type Cover (each over $100). Both will be available in January, although there's no specific date or word on pre-orders yet.

As you can see, the device looks similar to the Surface RT, including the same "VaporMg" casing and built-in kickstand, and it also boasts a 10.6-inch display with a 16:9 aspect ratio. A key difference with that latter bit, though, is that the screen packs a full 1920 x 1080 resolution as opposed to the 1366 x 768 found on the RT model. You'll also get a Core i5 processor (no more specifics on that just yet), a Mini DisplayPort that can output a 2560 x 1440 resolution, a full-size USB 3.0 port and, of course, Windows 8 Pro with support for all your traditional desktop applications.

[Source: Engadget]

iTunes 11 now available to download: fresh design, more iCloud features

Apple's thoroughly re-engineered iTunes is now ready for you to try. The desktop download includes a new MiniPlayer for playing tracks in a widget-sized window, an "Up Next" feature for cueing up songs and viewing what's next at a glance, and -- if you can't decide which tune to rack up -- Apple's software will now offer "instant recommendations" of its own. iTunes 11 will also endeavor to relocate your position within a song, movie or TV shows if your media consumption ever gets interrupted. Finally, iCloud integration will allow you to play back your library on any device, while an offline option should allow in-flight or underground listening sessions to continue without a hitch.

[Source: Engadget]

Skullcandy launches $130 PLYR2 headset for wire-hating gamers

Skullcandy is making sure gamers have yet another item to put on the holiday wishlist with the official debut of the PLYR2, which is not only the company's latest gaming headset but also its first effort at a wireless model. It boasts 2.4GHz wireless audio, Skullcandy's "Supreme Sound" technology, a GMX stereo transmitter for balancing game and voice audio, three different EQ sound modes and an adjustable boom mic that can be flipped up to mute. The PLYR2 is available in black, white and teal for $129.99 and follows the earlier release of a budget-friendly $79.99 SLYR wired headset, while a fancier Dolby Surround Sound-equipped PLYR1 is set to debut in early 2013. Now you can shout expletives in style as you get pwned in Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 -- just what you needed, right?

[Source: Engadget]

Microsoft plans OTA update to keep Windows Phone 8 devices from randomly rebooting

Microsoft is prepping a remedy for Windows Phone 8 which will squash a bug that's caused some devices loaded with the OS to reboot without notice. According to a statement issued by Ballmer and Co., Redmond and its partners have identified the cause of the restart woes and are working on pushing out an over-the-air update in December. However, Microsoft is remaining coy regarding what's behind the mishap. Sure, a randomly restarting handset is cause for agitation, but remembering that the latest release of Windows Phone has accounted for the month of December might be a small consolation.

[Source: Engadget]

Bing Translator gets updated for Windows Phone 8, available now in the Store

The Bing Translator app has been helping Windows Phone users avoid cross-cultural mishaps since April of last year, adding augmented reality and offline capability along the way. Naturally, Microsoft has updated this utility forWindows Phone 8. The latest version of Translator supports six languages (Chinese, English, French, German, Italian and Spanish) and features a new "lens" for translating text via a smartphone's camera. The app is available as a free download in the Store. Head past the break to see it in action.

[Source: Engadget]

MediaPortal posts 2.0 alpha media hub and new remote apps, teases 1.3 beta with Titan

Home theater PC owners only just recovering from their turkey or tofu comas will have some updating to do -- MediaPortal has been busy. The experimenters among us will most likely want to jump straight into the promised MediaPortal 2.0 Alpha Autumn, which carries new visual layouts and video backgrounds, a news plug-in and a party-friendly music player. New versions of remote tools like aMPdroid, MPExtended, WebMediaPortal and WifiRemote bring their own slew of upgrades, such as HTTP Live Streaming in MPExtended or a "what's new" interface in aMPdroid. We'll readily admit that our eye is most drawn to the yet-to-be-launched MediaPortal 1.3 beta's addition of the Titan skin you see up above: going beyond what we saw in October, the extra-polished look goes a long way towards accommodating newcomers and the style-conscious. We're still waiting on publicly accessible 1.3 beta code, but everything else is waiting for open-source media hubs at the included links.

[Source: Engadget]

Sharp's first 4K 32-inch IGZO LCD is destined for Japanese workstations

We've been waiting to enjoy the promised extra detail and low power consumption of IGZO-based LCD panels for a few years now, and they're finally starting to appear. The latest on the docket is Sharp's new PN-K321 monitor, built for professional use with 4K resolution (3,840 x 2,160) plus HDMI and DisplayPort inputs, and what Sharp claims is the industry's thinnest frame at just 35mm thick. With an expected price of 450,000 yen or so (about $5,500 US) when it debuts in February 2013 it's still too pricey for our desks but if you're doing CAD work you may be able to design a budget it can fit into. We're seeing them inphones, tablets and now monitors overseas, here's hoping we'll see plenty of these high pixel density yet power-sipping panels with US release dates at CES in January.

[Source: Engadget]

Evernote adds text-to-speech to Clearly Chrome extension, for Premium members only

If you ever wanted to catch up on your online reading while on the treadmill or puttering about the kitchen, Evernote now offers you the ability to do so without actually, well, reading. The online brain dump has introduced text-to-speech functionality to its Clearly extension for Google Chrome, a plugin that clears out ads and other distractions for a clean reading experience. While the Clearly extension itself is free, the text-to-speech feature is only for Premium accounts, each of which costs $5 a month or $45 a year. Words are highlighted as they're read, and you can pause and skip as you like. The feature launches with support for over twelve languages and is powered by iSpeech, which has worked with BlackBerry apps and connected homes in the past. Just don't accidentally blastTMZ articles during your next conference call, ok?

[Source: Engadget]