| Valve announces new Software section for Steam, games to get some company September 5th Aug 8th 2012, 18:07  We've had some indication that Valve would soon be expanding its Steam offerings beyond games thanks to a new batch of categories that briefly turned up in its Android app last month, and the company has now made the move official. While not discussing the mobile app specifically, Valve has confirmed that the first set of "Software" titles will be hitting Steam on September 5th, offering a variety of (as yet unnamed) applications covering that "range from creativity to productivity." As you'd expect, those will all be able to be installed and updated through Steam, and you'll be able to save your work in the Steam Cloud and access it on any computer. Valve also says that titles will continue to be added in an "ongoing fashion" after the initial batch, and developers will be able to submit their own applications through the Steam Greenlight system. Continue reading Valve announces new Software section for Steam, games to get some company September 5th Filed under: Gaming, Software Valve announces new Software section for Steam, games to get some company September 5th originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 14:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Via:Joystiq | | Email this | Comments | | Square CEO hints at Windows Phone app, says Starbucks funding will go toward 'international efforts' Aug 8th 2012, 17:46  As you probably have heard -- it's created quite some buzz, after all -- Starbucks just announced a partnership with Square to accept mobile payments via the Pay with the Square app. That's huge news for Square, which currently processes transactions for some 75,000 merchants, as the coffee retailer is one of the largest national chains to integrate with the payment service. At a breakfast in New York today, Square CEO and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey and Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz fielded questions about the partnership's importance. While most of the talk centered on the rollout that will bring Square payments to 7,000 Starbucks stores ahead of the holiday season, the discussion also touched upon other areas of expansion for the mobile payments company. Currently, the Pay with Square app is only available on iOS and Android. Asked whether a Windows Phone app is in the making, Dorsey said, "We will definitely build for where the users are, and we're excited about the Windows Phone interface." Take that as you will. Starbucks will start accepting Square payments ahead of the holiday season, and Dorsey said the coffee retailer's $25 million investment will be used for hiring and to expand "international efforts." Starbucks, which has 18,000 stores in 60 countries, would certainly be a natural partner in any overseas plans. Filed under: Cellphones, Software Square CEO hints at Windows Phone app, says Starbucks funding will go toward 'international efforts' originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Google's revamped voice search coming to iOS, tackles Siri on her home turf Aug 8th 2012, 17:33  Google has been offering the ability to search the web with your voice using its iOS app for some time. But, it always just spit out a pile of links. While the next version wont be getting quite as creepy as Google Now, it'll be bringing with it the vocalized responses that debuted as part of Jelly Bean's revamped search offerings. The UI is also getting an overhaul to bring it inline with Now and Mountain View's recent aesthetic tendencies towards sharp lines and limited color schemes. Obviously, the new app also taps the Knowledge Graph, allowing you to make natural language queries like, "what's the weather like in San Francisco," and get a detailed vocalized response. According to Google the update should be hitting the App Store in "the next few days," but don't expect it to keep tabs on your favorite sports team for you. Continue reading Google's revamped voice search coming to iOS, tackles Siri on her home turf Filed under: Cellphones, Software Google's revamped voice search coming to iOS, tackles Siri on her home turf originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Source:Google Official Blog | Email this | Comments | | Google Knowledge Graph coming to all English-speaking nations tomorrow, adds lists to results Aug 8th 2012, 17:07  Google launched its contextual and intelligent search service, Knowledge Graph, only a few months ago. Till now, it's been limited in its availability and, while most nations will still be left out, tomorrow it will be coming to all "English-speaking" countries. The ability to discern your intended search goal and present you with relevant information immediately, as opposed to just a page of links, is the next step in search technology and the secret sauce powering the somewhat creepy Google Now in Jelly Bean. The Graph has also received a few few enhancements and tweaks, including the ability to answer queries with collections and lists. So, say you're looking for rides in Disney World, a thumbnail of every attraction will appear at the top in a horizontally scrollable list. How much longer till our Spanish, French or Chinese speaking pals can get in on the action? That's anyone's guess. But, if English is the native tongue of your home, then rest assured your flavor of Google has just gotten a little bit smarter. Continue reading Google Knowledge Graph coming to all English-speaking nations tomorrow, adds lists to results Filed under: Internet, Software Google Knowledge Graph coming to all English-speaking nations tomorrow, adds lists to results originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 13:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Source:Google Official Blog | Email this | Comments | | Acer breeds LEDs with lasers, new hybrid projector is born Aug 8th 2012, 16:33  Acer usually graces our pages for its pico projector range, but the company's taken a leaf out of the high-end book for its latest non-portable model, the K750 LED-laser hybrid. The world's first combo projector spits out 1080p, just as you would expect, at a contrast ratio of up to 100,000:1. Acer claims the color brightness, saturation and fidelity are significantly better than mercury lamps, and appears to be leaning towards the business and education markets, citing the K750's instant on / off capability to sway the productive types. If you fancy one of these in your house, however, better start saving your cash -- AVForums claims it'll be available in the UK later this month bearing a price tag of around £1,700 (approximately $2,650). Continue reading Acer breeds LEDs with lasers, new hybrid projector is born Filed under: Displays Acer breeds LEDs with lasers, new hybrid projector is born originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Aug 2012 12:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink Via:AVForums | | Email this | Comments | |
