XBMC is a fantastic media center application, and while it works well for dedicated HTPCs, it also plays nice on desktop computers, alongside your other software. But now XBMC has hit the version 10.0 milestone with a plethora of changes and improvements. Here's a small sample of the goodies you can look forward to in 10.0:

• Add-on support: The biggest change -- add-ons can now be browsed, installed, and updated from within XBMC itself, making it easy to change XBMC's look-and-feel or give it new functionality.
• WebM/VP8 codecs: You can now watch videos encoded using Google's latest open-source video format right from within XBMC.
• Hardware acceleration added for Windows Vista and Windows 7.
• Linux improvement: VDAPU support improved and VAAPI support added.

There's a comprehensive changelog with much more, but why not just take the new, free, XBMC for a spin?

XBMC 10.0 released with new add-on system and a ton of improvements originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 20 Dec 2010 05:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/20/xbmc-10-0-released-with-new-add-on-system-and-a-ton-of-improveme/

VISHAY INTERTECHNOLOGY VIRGIN MEDIA VIEWSONIC VERISIGN

Remember Thomas Thwaites's self-made toaster? In this TED talk, he overviews the incredibly laborious process of creating it. You're gonna want your Eggos after the industrial capitalist system is overthrown, aren't you? Sure you are. So pay attention! [TED] More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/m6PG7BABbVA/can-a-single-21st-century-man-build-a-toaster

VEECO INSTRUMENTS VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATES UNITED ONLINE

PBS has just announced its own app for iPhone and iPod touch, and from the looks of it, it's a doozy (if you're super into PBS, that is). That's right, the free PBS app will allow you to watch full-length PBS productions on your device -- including its popular news programs like FRONTLINE and the PBS Newshour. You won't be able to watch everything that PBS offers just yet, but the app also has a built-in calendar which should be super useful if you happen to structure your entire life around PBS programming like we know some of our avid readers do. PBS developed the app with help from Bottle Rocket Apps, and adds this to its other apps currently available, the Antiques Roadshow game app and the PBS for iPad app. This one's available right this second in iTunes and it's free. Full press release is after the break.

[Thanks, Jake]

Continue reading PBS launches free iOS app for watching full-length video

PBS launches free iOS app for watching full-length video originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/12/pbs-launches-free-ios-app-for-watching-full-length-video/

INFOSYS TECHNOLOGIES INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS MACHINES INVENTEC KDDI

Yes, this is definitely a post (and video!) about a hand-built, robotic head of author Philip K. Dick, who died in 1982, leaving the world a trove of literature which could be turned into films like Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report and A Scanner Darkly. Sadly, he did not leave a robotic head of himself. It may surprise you to find out that this is actually not even the first robotic head of Philip K. Dick, it's apparently the second. This newly-built robo-PKD is meant to replace one that was famously lost in 2006, and was built by Hanson Robotics and Dutch public broadcasters VPRO. The video after the break is creepy and amazing, but it's nothing compared to the VALIS Trilogy.

Continue reading Flow my tears, the newly-built robotic head of Philip K. Dick said

Flow my tears, the newly-built robotic head of Philip K. Dick said originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 16:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/12/flow-my-tears-the-newly-built-robotic-head-of-philip-k-dick-sa/

RED HAT RADISYS RACKABLE SYSTEMS QUEST SOFTWARE

Back in 2008, Lenovo's ThinkPad X200 was getting folks all hot and bothered, and it seems some people never cooled down. If you're one of the few looking to reignite the flames sparked when your first laid eyes on the laptop, take a look at this impressively rendered knockoff. Despite the absence of a Lenovo logo and slightly off dimensions, it really does look like the X200, -- that is, until you look under the hood. The original sports a 2.4GHz Core 2 Duo processor, while the knockoff's got a 1.66GHz Intel Atom N450; the real deal has SSDs up to 64GB, while the fake doesn't even have the option; and finally, the impostor lacks 4GB RAM upgradability. According to M.I.C. Gadget, the ThinkPad clone rings in at 1900 Chinese yuan (about $286), and can be purchased online, though we couldn't tell you where. Anyway, you weren't seriously considering it ... were you?

Lenovo ThinkPad X200 clone takes us back, way back originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 15:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/QDBANKSPXeY/

MANHATTAN ASSOCIATES LSI LINEAR TECHNOLOGY LEXMARK INTERNATIONAL

Disguised as a mere toy, the original Mindflex is actually a kind of limited telekinesis simulator in that it allows you to control the up and down movements of a ball suspended in air by, well, flexing your brain. With the release of the Mindflex Duel, you can now test your telekinetic prowess against that of your closest friends. That's right, Mattel's latest offering allows you to play what amounts to tug-of-war (with a tiny foam ball) using only the power of your mind. The Duel also lets people play cooperatively, but that doesn't sound like nearly as much fun as hooking this to a stim unit for a little friendly competition and some elevated stakes for the loser. We're not sure why, but the mind games won't start until August, though the device is currently available for pre-order on Amazon for $99.99.

Mattel's Mindflex Duel in the works, allows true test of wills originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Jan 2011 11:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/01/12/mattels-mindflex-duel-in-the-works-allows-true-test-of-wills/

INTEL INSIGHT ENTERPRISES INGRAM MICRO INFORMATICA

Automattic has officially brought WordPress to Windows Phone 7 for blogging on the go. The WordPress app stays faithful to the general Windows Phone 7 aesthetic of huge typography that goes beyond the current view, and horizontally scrolling screens. But the app isn't really meant for writing epic posts (although you can compose new posts). Like its Android and iOS counterparts, it lets you format text, set categories and tags, and even add pictures to a post. You can then publish your post on the spot, or save it for editing later when you're sitting at an actual computer.

More useful, perhaps, is the WordPress app's ability to moderate comments on-the-go. The app lets you bulk-edit comments, so you can de-spam your blog in one fell swoop from the road.

Last but not least, if your blog is hosted on WordPress.com, the new app lets you monitor a host of stats such as Views, Post Views, Clicks and more. All in all, this looks like a must-have for any WordPress blogger who also sports a Windows Phone 7 device. Jump on over to WordPress.org for the full details or download the app here [Zune link].

WordPress gets Windows Phone 7 app, edit your blog on the go originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 22 Dec 2010 05:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2010/12/22/wordpress-gets-windows-phone-7-app-edit-your-blog-on-the-go/

LAWSON SOFTWARE LAND SOFTWARE LAM RESEARCH L1 IDENTITY SOLUTIONS

In the demo area which Verizon and Apple opened up after their Verizon iPhone 4 unveiling today, we got some hands-on time with the actual device. As we were told during the event, the device is largely the same as the iPhone 4 on AT&T's network, with some slight changes to the antenna on the side. And there's one more thing: the Verizon iPhone is running an unreleased version of iOS. Verzion 4.2.5 (8E128), to be exact. Not that this should be surprising. The Verizon iPhone comes with one very key and very killer difference than the AT&T iPhone: Personal Hotspots. In order to use this new feature, clearly there's a need for modified software. And that software, iOS 4.2.5, will presumably launch alongside the Verizon iPhone on February 3.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/X8dRPq7b9Kg/

FORMFACTOR FISERV FIRST SOLAR FINISAR

TechCrunch Disrupt finalist GameCrush is launching its own take on the Chatroulette-like experience today with Crush-O-Matic. The new service is a random game generator where users simply click "Go!" and automatically get matched up with another user in a two-way cam-enabled game session. As we we wrote in our initial review of GameCrush, the startup aims to help the millions of male gamers out on the web hook up online with a gaming buddy of the opposite sex for a fee. On GameCrush, gamers can browse the profiles of ?PlayDates?, which is the term used to refer to the women on the site.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/gg2fikVABN0/

VERIFONE HOLDINGS VEECO INSTRUMENTS VARIAN SEMICONDUCTOR EQUIPMENT ASSOCIATES UNITED ONLINE

We carve it, shave it, skate on it, and drop it in our tea. It's ice. And while winter can grate on you by January, this week's Shooting Challenge offers us 124 reminders of the beauty of cold. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/oKrj1mfMM5E/124-frozen-photos-of-ice

SRA INTERNATIONAL SPSS SPANSION SONUS NETWORKS