Samsung Reportedly in Talks to Buy Nuance, the Software Firm Behind Siri
The firm behind the technology that powers Siri – Apple’s voice-activated virtual assistant – is reportedly in talks with Samsung over a possible acquisition deal. People with knowledge of Samsung’s interest in Nuance told the Wall Street Journal that representatives from the pair first met…
Interactive Map Site Lets You Travel the World Through the Lenses of Drones
Most of us have become accustomed to the amazing imagery of the world available on Google's Street View, but a new site promises the same kind of virtual tourism from the aerial perspective of drones. Launched back in April by Switzerland-based Jan Hiersemenzel, Travel By Drone is a site that…
Netflix is Shutting Down Its API, but Helpers Like InstantWatcher Aren’t Going Away
Over a year ago, Netflix announced it was no longer issuing keys to its public API platform, cutting off any potential new developers from joining. That's the service that allowed third-party developers to build apps that gave you different ways to browse and access its library of movies. Today,…
Honeywell Has a Thermostat That Can Compete With Nest
Honeywell introduced the Lyric thermostat ($279) on Tuesday, the first smart thermostat on the market that uses geofencing technology within the device itself. There's a healthy collection of programmable and smart thermostats already available (and some work with geofencing), but this one can…
Nokia Lumia 1320 lands in US This Friday
The Lumia 1320, you may or may not recall, was unveiled back in October, with China and Vietnam selected as its first launch locations. Younger brother of of the Lumia 1520, the 1320 Windows Phone is now on its way to the US, with Cricket Wireless announcing today it’ll start offering the 6-inch…
Google Bought a Satellite Company for $500 Million
Google is in the ground, on the roads and floating through the skies, and now it's looking beyond, by agreeing to the half-billion dollar cash purchase of a company that says it's "built and launched the world's smallest high-resolution imaging satellite, which collects beautiful and useful images…
How ‘3D’ Smartphones Just Might be the Future
Two years ago, the term "3D phone" would more likely fill phone-watchers with anxiety than excitement, as ghosts of the ill-fated LG Thrill and HTC Evo 3D come home to haunt. But unlike 2011's efforts, which focused on 3D photography and gaming, companies' new-wave 3D vision ranges from gestures…
Modio App Turns Your iPad into a 3D Monster Toy Design Company
3D printing has brought the world some pretty awesome products, but Modio could be one of the coolest we’ve seen. Modio is an iOS app that lets you design your own “monster robot” from scratch, using a selection of different modules and colors. Once you’ve finished your amazing design, you can send…
Apple Maps Are Still Lost
Apple, during WWDC last week, delivered some significant updates across various parts of its business. It released, among other things, some 4,000 new APIs (and a new programming language) to developers; a renewed, more aggressive effort in cloud services; and some changes across its mobile and…
Google Reveals 3D-Sensing Project Tango Tablet Prototype
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTL1IXTDH30#t=13 Google just unveiled a $1,000 tablet prototype equipped with 3D-sensors and a motion-tracking camera. The tablet is the latest venture of Google's Project Tango initiative aimed at bringing 3D motion and depth sensors to mobile devices. The 7-inch…