NewTech Tooday

Thursday, 7 April 2016

SYNEK's wine system ensures a perfect pour across styles

Nearly two years ago, SYNEK launched a Kickstarter campaign to crowdfund its countertop beer system to keep fresh suds available on tap at home. After raising $650,000, it launched successfully and received a warm reception for that product. Now the company is tackling another vice: wine. As you probably guessed, the Somm by SYNEK is also a countertop system that holds 2.25-liter canisters of vino -- that's about three standard-size 750ml bottles worth. Somm, which we'd guess is short for sommelier, adjusts temperature and aeration to fit the wine being poured in an effort to give your a perfect pour every time.

Gallery: Somm by SYNEK counterop wine system | 8 Photos

There's a companion app that allows you to keep tabs on supply levels and get more info on the wine you have resting inside. The software also allows you to browse Somm's selection of wine and offers suggestions based on your drinking preferences. Currently, there are 10 styles and over 30 varieties available to choose from, and that's just the beginning. SYNEK has an in-house sommelier team that handles the curation, tasting wines before they're made available and selecting new options based on user ratings.

When it comes to the canisters, or Sylos, over two liters is a lot of wine to get through before drinking something else. Don't worry, though, you can easily swap out the container for another one and SYNEK says it'll retain its shelf life. In terms of price, each Sylo will set you back between $15 and $150. When it comes time to re-order, you can do so through the mobile app. If the canister system sounds somewhat familiar, Kuvee's smart winebottle that we recently put through its paces handles the wine supply in a similar fashion, albeit in smaller quantities.

While SYNEK's beer setup has a stainless steel exterior, Somm offers designs that borrow aesthetics from the barrel room of a vineyard. You can choose from beachwood and dark oak outer shells that give the dispenser a more natural look. There's also a stainless steel option if you don't care for the wood-grain material. If all of that sounds too good to pass up, Kickstarter backers are privy to a $100 discount on the Somm, cutting the price to $200. Backers will also get the chance to order exclusive wines that won't be available to everyone. What's more, SYNEK says unlike the beer gadget, it's ready to go into production with this wine version and plans to ship in November of this year.

Reddit's official mobile app launches on iOS and Android

nd Android apps, three months after revealing that it was working on the latter. The company has historically neglected its mobile users, and bought the unofficial iOS client Alien Blueat the back end of 2014. This new app lets users browse, update and view the site through customized themes as well as a day / night mode for reading. If you're looking for an excuse to get the app tout suite, the site is offering three months of Reddit gold to those who sign up during the launch week.

If you're an Alien Blue loyalist, there's a mixture of good and bad news if remarks made by product manager Ashley Higgins are anything to go by. In a posting to the relevant subreddit last month, she revealed that Alien Blue would linger around for existing users who wanted to stick with it. Then again, the team behind the app will move over to "focus our energy on the new flagship app." She added that "Alien Blue will be unavailable for download by new users once the new app is released."

HP's Spectre 13.3 laptop is as thin as a AAA battery

Gallery: HP Spectre 13.3 hands-on | 19 Photos

It looks striking in photos and even more so in person. Yes, it is is very, very thin, and though it's not technically the lightest, at 2.45 pounds, it is still extremely easy to hold. The combination of metal and carbon fiber helps the machine feel at once compact and well-made. With this system, HP went with the same brownish "Ash Silver" shade that it experimented with on some high-end, special-edition machines. A company rep told me that although the tapered copper accents are indeed inspired by jewelry and even women's clutches, the main color was meant to be more gender neutral than, say, rose gold. As a woman, I'd say that's a safe assessment, but far be it for me to say this is manly enough for our most macho readers.

Continuing our tour, a piston-style hinge (as shown in the gif below) inspired by upscale cabinetry allows the 13.3-inch Gorilla Glass screen to almost float above the keyboard. (The skinny bezels also add to the effect.) As you'd expect, HP had to go with a non-touch screen to keep the machine's thickness down. That said, it offers brighter colors than some other non-touch panels, thanks in part to an optical-bonding manufacturing process that enables the display to be very thin. I do suspect that some shoppers will be disappointed by the middling 1080p resolution, though a higher pixel count would have made the battery life situation even more challenging.

As on other super skinny laptops, the keys are fairly shallow, but they're springier than I would have expected. In my few minutes of hands-on time last week, I had to train myself not to mash the buttons the way I would on a flatter, more lifeless keyboard. It'll be interesting to see what the learning curve is over a typical weeklong review period: Can I trust the keyboard enough to type at a more gentle cadence? The glass trackpad also worked well in my initial demo. I did not experience the Bang & Olufsen speakers, though a company rep was quick to manage expectations: Though the sound is said to be balanced, even HP warns the volume doesn't get particularly loud.

Slight flashiness aside, what makes the Spectre 13.3 different from rivals such as the MacBook is that HP didn't need to use Intel's lower-powered Core M chips to achieve such a thin design. Instead, the Spectre is powered by your choice of sixth-gen Core i5 or i7 processors, helped by up to 8GB of RAM and PCIe solid-state drives with up to 512 gigs of storage. It also brings more ports than you might expect: three USB Type-C connections, two of which support Thunderbolt.

Despite that skinny build, too, the notebook is rated for a healthy nine and a half hours of runtime. That's thanks to a unique four-cell design, wherein the battery is split into smaller, thinner pieces that make better use of the available space.

The Spectre 13.3 goes up for pre-order on April 25th for $1,170 and up. It will be available in Best Buy stores the following month, on May 22nd, with configurations there starting at $1,250. HP will also make a handful of special-edition models fashioned out of lavish materials like 18-karat gold and Swarovski crystals, but realistically, you shouldn't expect to see those anywhere other than in the press images below.

Gallery: HP Spectre 13.3 press images | 20 Photos

Sunday, 6 March 2016

Amazing BRITs performances you can hear only on Google Play Music

The BRITs is undoubtedly the biggest event on the UK music calendar. Some of the greatest British acts have launched their global careers on its stages, and each year features unforgettable performances from both homegrown acts and international talent. From Adele to Justin Bieber to Coldplay and more, this year’s show did not disappoint.

As the official audio and download parter of the 2016 BRIT Awards, the Google Play Music team is thrilled to be part of this landmark event. Thanks to the support of artists, managers, labels, publishers and societies, we made participating performances available as downloads and streams available only on Google Play Music, with proceeds going to charity. Download or stream the performances for free until Wed, March 2 (we’re picking up the cost), after which all the content will be available on Play Music for purchase until March 24.

Every penny raised from both the downloads and streams on Google Play Music will go to Nordoff Robbins which provides music therapy services to adults and children, and The BRIT Trust which supports performing arts in the UK. Last year, the amount we raised went above all previous BRIT Award charitable records, and with your help we hope to do so again.

Streams and downloads of tracks by participating artists include: Adele, Justin Bieber, The David Bowie Band featuring Lorde (a tribute to David Bowie), Coldplay, The Weeknd, Little Mix, James Bay and Jess Glynne.* We hope you enjoy all of these performances and help us make a difference in the lives of many by supporting two great causes.

Monday, 15 February 2016

Microsoft Lumia 650 officially unveiled

The Microsoft Lumia 650 is priced at $199, which is about Rs. 13,500, and comes with a 5-inch HD display, 1.3GHz Snapdragon 212, 1GB RAM, 16GB storage, and 8MP/5MP cameras

Microsoft has officially unveiled the Lumia 650. The device is priced at $199, which is approximately Rs. 13,500, and will be available in select European markets starting from February 18. The device comes with a 5-inch AMOLED HD display with ClearBlack technology and is powered by a 1.3GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 processor with 1GB of RAM.

The Microsoft Lumia 650 is equipped with 16GB of storage and the option of expanding it via a microSD card slot. It is equipped with a 2000mAh battery, which the company claims to be able to provide a maximum standby time 26 days. At the back is an 8MP primary camera, while at the front is a 5MP camera. The device comes with an Aluminium frame and is available in black and white colour variants. It is rumoured that the Lumia 650 will be the only Lumia branded phone that will be launched by Microsoft this year. However, it is speculated that the company may launch a Surface branded phone instead. There are also reports which suggest that Xiaomi and HP may each launch Windows smartphones powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor.

Friday, 5 February 2016

Google said "No More Deceptive Download Buttons"

In November, we announced that Safe Browsing would protect you from social engineering attacks - deceptive tactics that try to trick you into doing something dangerous, like installing unwanted software or revealing your personal information (for example, passwords, phone numbers, or credit cards). You may have encountered social engineering in a deceptive download button, or an image ad that falsely claims your system is out of date. Today, we’re expanding Safe Browsing protection to protect you from such deceptive embedded content, like social engineering ads.

Consistent with the social engineering policy we announced in November, embedded content (like ads) on a web page will be considered social engineering when they either:

Pretend to act, or look and feel, like a trusted entity — like your own device or browser, or the website itself.
Try to trick you into doing something you’d only do for a trusted entity — like sharing a password or calling tech support.

Below are some examples of deceptive content, shown via ads:

This image claims that your software is out-of-date to trick you into clicking “update”.

This image mimics a dialogue from the FLV software developer -- but it does not actually originate from this developer.

These buttons seem like they will produce content that relate to the site (like a TV show or sports video stream) by mimicking the site’s look and feel. They are often not distinguishable from the rest of the page.

Our fight against unwanted software and social engineering is still just beginning. We'll continue to improve Google's Safe Browsing protection to help more people stay safe online.

Will my site be affected?

If visitors to your web site consistently see social engineering content, Google Safe Browsing may warn users when they visit the site. If your site is flagged for containing social engineering content, you should troubleshoot with Search Console. Check out our social engineering help for webmasters.

Source : google