Tablet-optimized version of Google News rolling out over the next few days

It's not a dedicated app, but Google says that tablet users will soon have access to a new version of Google News that's better tailored to their devices. That includes the ability to swipe back and forth between sections, a new "explore in depth" button that can be tapped to bring up additional articles and information, and some extra spacing between articles that promises a better reading experience. According to Google, you can expect it to appear your tablet (at least on the Nexus 7, Nexus 10 and iPad) sometime over the "next few days." Alas, this revision appears to be a US-only one for the time being.

[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. 

Amazon updates Flow for Android with text recognition and group scanning

Amazon's augmented reality app for bargain hunters on-the-go, Flow, just got a bit handier with the recent addition of deeper search functionality. Released initially on iOS in November of 2011 and subsequently made available to Android usersthis past July, the app allows users to browse and compare prices in Amazon's inventory by scanning items in brick-and-mortar shops. And now, with this latest Android-only update, users will also be able to incorporate text, URLs and phone numbers into their image queries, as well as scan and receive data on a slew of items in one pass. It's live now on Google Play, so hit up the source below to get your download started.

[Source: Engadget]

Instagram for iOS gets a newly reworked camera, delves into recent photo history

Instagram knows it can't stay still just because it's under Facebook's wing. Accordingly, a new iOS update has delivered a (quite frankly welcome) remake of the camera and editing interfaces. While snapping photos, there's a more stylized interface with an optional grid to perfect that rule-of-thirds composition, if you like keeping shots neat and tidy. The app makes a greater effort to acknowledge past photos, too: everyone sees the most recent camera roll photo, while iPhone 5 owners' extra screen real estate gives them a new camera roll image picker to sift through their archives. Android users don't get the tweaked layout at this stage, but they do share the same obligatory new image filter, Willow. Check the source links for a fresh coat of paint on a day-to-day app.

[Source: Engadget]

Custom enclosure designs shove 160 Mac minis into a single rackmount tower

When the Xserve joined the great server farm in the sky, Mac-minded datacenters everywhere were left without a true rackmountable computer; even the current Mac mini wasn't designed for those kinds of tight spaces. Enter the purposefully anonymous Steve, who just filled the gap with one of the cleverer solutions we've seen yet. He and vendors have developed custom 1U shelving, cooling from car radiators and four-in-one power cables that, combined, fit 160 Mac minis (and a managing Xserve) into one enclosure without cooking the machines to death. With each Mac mini carrying a quad Core i7 and an SSD, Steve now has twice as many cores (640) as an equivalent Xserve cluster despite lower power consumption and a 45-second, network-controlled reboot -- all big helps to his unnamed employer's software development, even with the lack of built-in redundancy for Apple's tiny desktop. As many gritty details as Steve can share are available at the source.

[Source: Engadget]

The social filter war is officially on: Twitter adds free photo filters to Android and iPhone apps

We knew good and well it was coming, and come it has: Twitter has begun its all-out assault on Instagram (and in turn, Facebook) by including its own set of (free) photo filters. As of now, just the Android version has been updated with the new lenses, but we're expecting iOS and the rest to follow suit in short order. Much like Flickr did earlier this year, Twitter has tapped Aviary to power all of the company's filters and effects.

As of now, users will find just eight filters -- ranging from "black and white to vintage" -- while the grid view enables you to preview how your image would look if any of the eight were applied. You'll also be able to crop, as well as pinch to zoom in order to focus attention. Moreover, there's an "auto-enhance" feature that'll add a little whiz-bang to whatever you managed to snap, and if you're still struggling to wrap your brain around it, there's an introductory video waiting just after break. (As well as a (NSFW) video that speaks the truth about all of these filters.)

[Source: Engadget]

Nintendo on iOS? Pokédex arrives on iOS in the US and Europe, costs $2

Nintendo may not be giving up its gaming IPs to smartphones just yet, but the Japanese gaming giant is willing to work with them if it means crosspromoting games on standalone Nintendo consoles. Take, for example, today's release of the interactive Pokémon "Pokédex," available for $2 across various iOS devices -- Nintendo clearly isn't against taking fans' money in exchange for a valuable service: information on over 640 Pokémon on-the-go ... if you buy the three upgrade packs for $5.99 apiece (!!), that is.

Support for the app extends all the way back to the aged iPhone 3GS, and through to the newest iPad (as well as the iPad Mini), so you'll be able to explore the wild world of Tepig from a vast array of iOS hardware. Of course, much of this could be meaningless to you if you grabbed the free version previously available on Nintendo's 3DS, but then you put it off, didn't you? And now here we are.

[Source: Engadget]

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]

Office for iPad referenced on French and Romanian Microsoft support site

Officially there is no Office for iPad... or iOS or Android. But, it seems a foregone conclusion that the premier productivity suite will be crossing those ecosystem boundaries. In addition to countless rumors and alleged screenshots, now references to the app are cropping up on Microsoft's own sites. Documents over at the French and Romanian Office support pages have been tagged (incorrectly) as applying to "Office Mobile for iPhone," "Excel for iPad," "Lync for iPhone," and "PowerPoint for iPad." The docs in question don't actually pertain to these unreleased products, but the repeated mislabeling across documents and languages (presumably by Microsoft employees) would seem to indicate they actually exist. Of course, it could all be an elaborate hoax, but we'd find that pretty hard to swallow.

[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]

RIM teases upcoming BB 10 hardware ahead of January reveal

Lest you forget there's another mobile player hedging its bets on a big comeback, RIM's released a tiny teaser of its upcoming BB 10 handset via its site. The image, which appears alongside a tag promising a "Re-designed. Re-engineered. Re-invented." experience, is part of a registration campaign for news updates on theunreleased platform. There's really not much to glimpse from the enshrouded peek Waterloo's offering up, but with the abundance of leaks that've sprung up over the past few months, we have a pretty decent idea what that hardware mightlook like. The big BB 10 reveal's set for January 30th -- a little more than one month away -- so you won't have to wait much longer to witness the full monty.

[Source: Engadget]