TiPb asks: What tech gift do you want for the holidays?

iPad, iPhone, Apple TV, Xbox Kinect, PlayStation Move, Jambox, Nexus S, MacBook Air — there seems to be so much wonderful tech out there that I am finding it increasingly difficult to figure out what I would really like to receive this holiday season! What type of tech gifts are you hoping to find under the [...]

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IBM supercomputer 'Watson' to compete against humans in $1,000,000 Jeopardy! showdown

Watson, an artificial intelligence powered by IBM's latest, disgustingly-powerful POWER7 processors and the DeepQA natural language parser, will play Jeopardy against flesh-and-blood humans in February, for a $1,000,000 grand prize.

Accurate, computerized natural language processing is a killer technology, and perhaps the last cornerstone in the creation of a Skynet-like entity. Search engines such as Google have made great strides, but their emphasis has always been on finding the right results, rather than understanding your query perfectly. DeepQA's sole purpose is to create a system that understands spoken natural language perfectly; from your literal, spoken or written words, down to the exact meaning of those words. To do this, it needs to understand sarcasm, irony, and a world of other linguistic constructs and inflections. Check the IBM FAQ for tons more information about Watson and DeepQA.

Needless to say, once a computer understands the meaning of our utterances, a wealth of possibilities are opened up. We will finally see Star Trekesque computers! Computer, plot a course to the office. We will be able to dim the lights, or turn the music up, just by talking.

The human vs. computer Jeopardy showdown will air in 2011, February 14-16, with the two all-time most successful contestants being pitted against IBM Watson to win $1,000,000. Watson has already beat former Jeopardy winners in internal testing, so it could be a very close battle indeed. Also worth noting is that PBS will air a documentary about the creation of Watson on February 9, just a few days before the game show.

I for one welcome our new computer overlords...

IBM supercomputer 'Watson' to compete against humans in $1,000,000 Jeopardy! showdown originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 16 Dec 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ask DLS: how to change your Download Squad password, the best Android web browser, and tailoring our RSS feeds

We're back with more of your questions, and more of our excellent answers.

This week, with the high-profile Gawker Media hack, we've been innundated with commenters asking how to change their Download Squad password. Now, it's not the easiest thing in the world, and yes, we know our commenting system isn't the best in the world (and we know there are still a few 'Easter eggs' from the Switched merger; they'll be ironed out soon, I promise) -- so if you're struggling to change your password, follow these simple steps:

• Make sure you're logged in -- the only way to do this (at the moment) is to leave a comment on a post (any post will do!)
• Find one of your comments -- the comment you just made will work just fine
• Click your name -- it's a link to your profile page (it will look something like this). Marvel at your huge post counts!
• Type your old password, and confirm a new password -- hit Change Password and you're done!

Continue reading Ask DLS: how to change your Download Squad password, the best Android web browser, and tailoring our RSS feeds

Ask DLS: how to change your Download Squad password, the best Android web browser, and tailoring our RSS feeds originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Groups receives an almighty restyle and rebirth

With nary a muffled fanfare and eclipsed by Google's other massive releases over the past two days, Google Groups has been significantly revamped. In true, modern-day Google style, it now looks almost... pretty. It's only the first step of an overhaul, too -- there's more to come, including improved spam control, moderation and search features.

Google has focused on the discussions aspect of Groups first -- so while finding new groups and creating new topics has a shiny new UI, you will have to return to the old interface to perform administrative tasks. Check the New Groups vs. Old Groups page for more info.

As TechCrunch's Siegler mentions, the new style feels more than a little like Wave. With Wave's retirement, the redistribution of its team members, and Google's re-use of JavaScript libraries (and thus UI elements), it's safe to assume that some of Wave might have ended up in Groups. Still, who cares -- Groups looks so much better now.

Google Groups receives an almighty restyle and rebirth originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 08 Dec 2010 11:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fiabee releases companion apps to share, sync files between Chrome and Android

Fiabee is a relative newcomer to the cloud-to-mobile storage game, having only released its iOS app [iTunes link] back in June. The company has now begun focusing on Google's platforms and has made beta versions of the Fiabee app available for Android devices and Google Chrome.

The Fiabee Chrome app is no bookmark -- it's an extension app (all its HTML, JavaScript, CSS, images, and fonts are stored on your system) that provides a much different experience from the Fiabee website. Install the app and create an account, and you're given 1GB of cloud storage which you can use to share files from your desktop Chrome browser to your Android handset. Open your favorite file management app, find the file you want to upload, and then drag it on to the appropriate drop zone -- the blue box saves it to your cloud storage, while the green box takes the additional step of notifying your Android device that a new transfer is available.

Continue reading Fiabee releases companion apps to share, sync files between Chrome and Android

Fiabee releases companion apps to share, sync files between Chrome and Android originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 18 Dec 2010 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Android 2.3 Gingerbread SDK and the Nexus S announced by Google

Google, just moments ago, launched the next iteration of the Android and Nexus product lines: Gingerbread and the Nexus S. The Nexus S, with a 4" Contour Display, two cameras, 16GB of memory and Near Field Communication, is jaw-dropping. But let's not get distracted by shiny things; as software nerds, it is Android 2.3, Gingerbread, that really interests us.

If you're feeling brave, dive right into the Android 2.3 Platform Highlights. It's aimed at developers, but most of the main features are spelled out in plain English. Here's a taster:

• Faster, more intuitive text input -- the default keyboard has been significantly improved, and multi-touch 'key-chording' means faster input
• UI refinements for simplicity and speed -- the UI has been simplified, with menus and settings now easier to find. It looks like the whole thing will be quite bold and 'primary colored'
• One-touch word selection and copy/paste -- this one's quite hard to explain, better to look at the two pictures
• Improved power management -- apps will be automatically closed if they steal a lot of CPU time, and users can now see at a glance which phone components and apps are taking up the most power
• More ways to communicate -- Internet calling (VoIP/SIP), Near Field Communication and video calling with the front-facing camera are now possible

There's lots of other low-level changes, but I won't bore you with them. It's safe to say that, as I write this, app developers the world over are drooling on their hairy feet. To put it another way, that Sony PlayStation phone that you've seen on Engadget -- it's only possible because of some big changes in Android 2.3's architecture.

With regards to availability, Gingerbread will be open-sourced in the next few weeks. The Nexus S will be available to buy in the US from December 16, and in the UK from the 20th.

There are videos of the phone itself, and some developers getting their nerd on, after the break.

Continue reading Android 2.3 Gingerbread SDK and the Nexus S announced by Google

Android 2.3 Gingerbread SDK and the Nexus S announced by Google originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 11:40:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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webOS social networking app Incredible looks as good as its name

Over at PreCentral, Dieter Bohn has been lucky enough to score some quality preview time with Incredible -- a Swiss-knife social networking app for webOS. The app is another creation from developer Geoff Gauchet, who built the popular Foursquare app our own Nik Fletcher showed you earlier this year.

Incredible supports all the services you'd expect, like Twitter, Facebook, Flickr, Foursquare, and Gowalla. It's still a work in progress, but Incredible already looks like an amazing app. Apart from the features you've come to expect from social apps like inline maps and media previews, Incredible offers some serious filtering, rule, and interface options. Display your pals' updates in one color and updates from others you follow in another. You can also filter by service, content type, or account.

Want to post a single update to multiple networks? Just create a group (set up as many as you like) and cross-posting is a snap.Incredible can even build a list of trending topics from all the networks you connect -- rather than a single source like Twitter.

Have a look through the gallery at PreCentral for a better look. For social media mavens with a webOS device, Incredible looks like it could be a must-have app.

webOS social networking app Incredible looks as good as its name originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 10 Dec 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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