THE TECH-LICIOUS

10 useful and innovative Google services you may not know about

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<img alt="Google Mars allows users to explore the Red Planet" height="359" src="http://images.gizmag.com/hero/google-services.jpg" width="640" /><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">Everyone is familiar with Google's flagship services, like Search, Gmail and Maps. Even blue-sky projects like its </span><a href="http://www.gizmag.com/google-project-loon/27955/" style="background-color: white; color: #1e8dd7; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">internet balloon</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;"> and </span><a href="http://www.gizmag.com/google-self-driving-car/32278/" style="background-color: white; color: #1e8dd7; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">self-driving cars</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: ProximaNova, 'Helvetica Neue', Arial; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22px;">are well-known. But there are plenty of remarkable Google services that many people just don't know about. Here, Gizmag looks at 10 of them.</span><br />
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Google Mars</h2>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/google-services-unknown-hidden-gems-under-radar/32629/pictures#1" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><img alt="Google Mars allows users to explore the Red Planet" src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/google-services.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="529" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Everyone knows that you can find your way around using Google Maps. Fewer realize that Google can also you show you around Mars. <a href="http://www.google.com/mars/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Google Mars</a>is a collaboration with NASA researchers at Arizona State University and can show visitors relief, visible and infrared views of the Red Planet. Those who prefer a view of the planet in 3D format can use <a href="http://www.google.com/earth/explore/showcase/mars.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Mars in Google Earth</a>, in which images of the planet taken only hours ago can also be viewed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Mars is actually just one of the distant places Google can help you explore. Its mapping services also cover <a href="http://www.google.co.uk/moon/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the moon</a>, <a href="http://www.google.com/sky/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the solar system</a> and <a href="https://www.google.com/maps/views/streetview/oceans" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">the oceans</a>.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Google Body</span></h2>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/google-services-unknown-hidden-gems-under-radar/32629/pictures#2" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Google Body allows users to explore 3D renderings of the human body" src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/google-services-9.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="530" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Google Body is now actually <a href="http://www.zygotebody.com/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Zygote Body</a>, but we're not going to let that get in the way of an interesting article. The software was built by Google and was open-sourced in 2012. Zygote, which provided the imagery for the original Google Body, used the software to build its own version.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Zygote Body provides 3D human models around which users can scroll and zoom. The body can be virtually explored layer by layer or by focusing on certain body parts, such as bones organs or nerves.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Google Person Finder</span></h2>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/google-services-unknown-hidden-gems-under-radar/32629/pictures#3" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Google People Finder helps people to find family and friends after natural and humanitaria..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/google-services-3.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="529" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://google.org/personfinder/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Google Person Finder</a> was created as a means of enabling people to reconnect with friends and family after natural and humanitarian crises. It was developed following the the attack on the World Trade Center buildings in 2001 and is part of Google's wider <a href="http://www.google.org/crisisresponse/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Crisis Response arm</a>. Person Finder has been deployed for use a number of times, including in response to Typhoon Yolanda, the Boston Marathon Explosions, the 2013 Uttarakhand floods and Tropical Cyclone Phailin.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Google Cultural Institute</span></h2>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/google-services-unknown-hidden-gems-under-radar/32629/pictures#4" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="The Google Cultural Institute showcases exhibits and collections from museums and archives..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/google-services-1.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="530" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">For lovers of art and culture, the <a href="http://www.google.com/culturalinstitute/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Google Cultural Institute</a> provides a wealth of "exhibits and collections from museums and archives all around the world," into which you can delve. As part of its mission to organize the world’s information, Google partnered with hundreds of institutions with a view to hosting the world’s "cultural treasures" online. The Institute aims to preserve the world's cultural creations and make them accessible online now and for future generations.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Music Timeline</span></h2>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/google-services-unknown-hidden-gems-under-radar/32629/pictures#5" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Music Timeline shows the history of music by genre and artist" src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/google-services-5.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="530" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">While it may not be the most sophisticated of Google's creations, the interactive visualization that is <a href="http://research.google.com/bigpicture/music/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Google's Music Timeline</a> is still hugely compelling. The graph shows the popularity of music genres relative to each other since 1950. Users can click on genres to drill-down into sub-genre and can click on sub-genres to drill-down further still to significant artists. Hovering over the visualization will map influential albums onto the timeline by year. And of course clicking on an album will take users through to the Google Play store, where they can buy it (how thoughtful of you, Google).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Music Timeline is part of Google's <a href="http://research.google.com/bigpicture/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Big Picture Group</a>, a research group that "explores how information visualization can make complex data accessible, useful and even fun."</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Waze</span></h2>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/google-services-unknown-hidden-gems-under-radar/32629/pictures#6" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Waze is a community-based traffic and navigation app" src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/google-services-8.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="529" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="https://www.waze.com/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Waze</a> can't strictly be chalked up as a Google innovation; the search giant bought the navigation startup last year. Nevertheless, it's now Google-owned and the the concept certainly warrants a mention. Waze is a community-based traffic and navigation app available on iOS, Android and Windows Phone. Users can passively contribute to generating traffic data by running the app during a journey. It's also possible to share reports on accidents, police speed traps or other hazards. The app can then offer up new routes for a user's journey based on historical and real-time data.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">reCAPTCHA</span></h2>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/google-services-unknown-hidden-gems-under-radar/32629/pictures#7" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="reCAPTCHA digitizes pre-digital texts while fighting spam" src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/google-services-6.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="530" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;"><a href="http://www.google.com/recaptcha/intro/index.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">reCAPTCHA</a> is another Google acquisition. You will know it best as the distorted and skewed pieces of text that you are asked to work out on a website to verify that you are human. People may find them annoying, but often are completely unaware of the secret second life that reCAPTCHA puzzles lead.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">reCAPTCHA presents the user with two words that could not initially be read by computers – one that has since been verified and one that has not. By correctly typing both words to gain access to a website, a user both verifies that they are human and contributes to verifying the other word. In this way, the puzzles are used to digitize old printed materials such as books. With around 200 million CAPTCHA puzzles being solved around the world every day, it can make a substantial contribution to bringing old, pre-computer texts onto the Web.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Google Trends</span></h2>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/google-services-unknown-hidden-gems-under-radar/32629/pictures#8" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Google Trends allows users to study the search volumes of different terms" src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/google-services-7.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="530" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Of all the products or services featured in this article, <a href="http://www.google.com/trends/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Google Trends</a> is probably the best known. It is also probably the one into that can suck most of your time once you start playing around with it. Trends has a simple premise: it allows users to look at the volume of search traffic for particular terms. Users can browse current trending search terms or input their own and compare them against others. For example, did you know that during 2010 and 2011, more people were searching for information about <a href="http://www.google.com/trends/explore?hl=en-GB#q=/m/0478__m,%20/m/02mjmr&cmpt=q" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Lady Gaga than Barack Obama</a>? You do now.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Google Ad Grants</span></h2>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/google-services-unknown-hidden-gems-under-radar/32629/pictures#9" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Google Ad Grants provides in-kind AdWords advertising for non-profit organizations" src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/google-services-0.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="529" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Most people are familiar with Google AdWords. It's the platform that allows individuals and organizations to pay for ads down the side of a Google results page based on the search term. If you're a non-profit organization, however, you need not necessarily pay. Through its <a href="http://www.google.com/grants/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Ad Grants</a> service, Google offers non-profit organizations US$10,000 per month in in-kind AdWords advertising, to promote their missions and initiatives.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Google Helpouts</span></h2>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/google-services-unknown-hidden-gems-under-radar/32629/pictures#10" style="background-color: transparent; color: #036eb5; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="Google Helpouts connects users with experts in their field for live video lessons" src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/google-services-4.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="530" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Our final service featured is aimed purely at helping people to learn new skills from experts in their field. <a href="https://helpouts.google.com/" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Google Helpouts</a> offers video sessions on topics across a range of categories, such as art and music, computers and electronics, cooking and health. Users can browse the categories or search with specific terms and can offer to give their own Helpout sessions as well.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">source-<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/google-services-unknown-hidden-gems-under-radar/32629/">gizmag</a></span></div>
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10 useful and innovative Google services you may not know about

Everyone is familiar with Google's flagship services, like Search, Gmail and Maps. Even blue-sky projects like its internet balloon ...

Amazing innovation by amazon-THE FIRE PHONE WITH 3D DYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE

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<img alt="The Fire Phone is Amazon's first attempt at conquering the competitive market" height="359" src="http://images.gizmag.com/hero/amazon-fire-phone-announced.png" width="640" /><br />
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<span style="font-size: large;">After what seems like years of rumors, Amazon has announced its first foray into the competitive smartphone space, in the form of the Fire Phone. The largely high-end device packs in some interesting features, chief among which is its Dynamic Perspective display tech and product scanning Firefly app.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The handset sports an industrial design with Gorilla Glass on both sides, and packs a 590-nit 4.7-inch 1280 x 720 display. That comes out to 315 pixels per inch, which should be sharp, but still a ways off the bar set by recent 1080p and 2K handsets. The Fire Phone runs on a quad core 2.2 GHz Snapdragon 800 CPU backed up by an Adreno 339 graphics processor and 2 GB RAM. The handset features dual stereo speakers, LTE connectivity and a 13 MP rear camera. Buying the device will provide access to unlimited Amazon Cloud Drive storage for photos.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The smartphone features four front-facing cameras, which track your gaze to provide stereo vision no matter how you hold the handset. It’s not immediately clear how the feature will be used, but the company has made the developer kit available, so we’re sure to see some interesting applications as time goes on.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Unique features</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">During the announcement event in Seattle, the company didn’t spend long dwelling on specs, but moved on to the software and unique features that the handset offers. Like other Amazon devices, the Fire Phone runs Amazon's heavily customized version of Android known as Fire OS. The UI features a content carousel (as seen on Fire tablets), as well as a more traditional app grid.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/amazon-fire-phone-details-specs/32597/pictures#3" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="The handset packs an unusual Dynamic Perspective features that projects a 3D image in rath..." src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/amazon-fire-phone-announced-2.png" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="530" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">One of the most interesting things about the Fire Phone is its Dynamic Perspective feature, which projects a 3D image inwards rather than outwards. The company demoed the feature on maps and images, with impressive results, and users will be able to use it when playing games or browsing (on Amazon of course), where tilting the device will move to the next product.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Another unique selling point for the phone is Firefly, a feature that lets users scan physical products, music and even TV shows, and have them automatically added to their Amazon shopping carts. The Fire Phone even has a physical button dedicated to the service: users will simply hold down the button to begin scanning (and sending Amazon more of their money).</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Being an Amazon device, much of the software serves as a portal to the company’s wide selection of media content, including its ubiquitous Kindle eBooks, Instant Video streaming service and the recently launched Prime Music.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/amazon-fire-phone-details-specs/32597/pictures#2" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-size: large;"><img alt="The device acts as a portal to Amazon content" src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/amazon-fire-phone-announced-1.jpg" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="482" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">However, also like other Amazon hardware, the device won’t have access to the Google Play Store, but makes do with the company’s own app store. The selection in the Amazon Appstore is solid and rapidly growing, but can’t yet compete with Google's and Apple’s offerings. Amazon’s on-device Mayday customer support service, which pops up a one-way video chat box on your device, has made the jump from Kindle Fire tablets to the new phone. Like on the Fire, the Mayday tech support will be free of charge.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Lastly, the handset is compatible with Second Screen, allowing users to beam the phone's TV shows and movies to a bigger screen. It will require aFire TV, PlayStation or other Miracast-enabled device.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Small touches</span></h2>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Amazon was keen to point out how much love has gone into the device’s software, highlighting a few clever features of the handset’s OS.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">On the calendar, for example, users can send quick messages to invited contacts by swiping to a panel on the right – a useful feature if you’re running late. Users will also be able to set a timer telling the device to turn off the ringer when they’re in a meeting, and can even set a particular photo album to appear when they swipe to the right of the lock screen. This sounds like a great feature for those keen on showing off their kids.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">From where we stand now, the Fire Phone looks like a very solid looking handset, and is a little more high-end than we were expecting from the company’s first offering in the space. While the ecosystem’s app selection may be a little lacking in comparison to its rivals, the device’s unique features should make it an intriguing new entry to an extremely competitive market.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">Perhaps the biggest surprise is the Fire Phone's pricing. Amazon's Fire tablets have historically had rock-bottom prices, as they're subsidized by their virtual Amazon shopping mall software. But the Fire Phone is, somewhat surprisingly, ringing up for the same starting price as rival flagships like the iPhone 5s and Galaxy S5.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">The Fire Phone is exclusive to AT&T in the US, where pre-orders will ship on July 25. You can reserve yours on-contract for US$199 for the 32 GB model and $299 for the 64 GB version. The handset will cost $650 unlocked. All of those prices, for a limited time, include a year of Amazon Prime membership.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: large;">SOURCE-<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/amazon-fire-phone-details-specs/32597/">GIZMAG</a></span></div>
</div>

Amazing innovation by amazon-THE FIRE PHONE WITH 3D DYNAMIC PERSPECTIVE

After what seems like years of rumors, Amazon has announced its first foray into the competitive smartphone space, in the form of the Fi...

New Facebook “Ask” Feature Aims to Matchmake

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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Facebook is anything but static. The social media giant is constantly changing and evolving, and it seems like every few months they announce some other big change they’re making. Well, in that same spirit of change, Facebook has added a new feature that’s sure to have many people asking their “friends” all kinds of personal information they may not be very comfortable giving out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">You don’t have to be a Facebook pro to have dealt with the “about” section on your profile – you know, it’s that annoying part that wants you to fill in your schools, relationship status, jobs, etc. If you’re like me, you haven’t filled out the parts with the information you don’t want to share with your friends. In days past, that part of your profile would just be blank when people looked at it. <a href="https://www.yahoo.com/tech/feeling-flirty-you-can-now-request-a-facebook-friends-86240670224.html" style="color: #0092dd;" target="_blank">Now, thanks to an update, there is a nice little “ask” button wherever you’ve decided not to fill in the information</a>. You’re probably guessing what the button’s for – that’s right – it’s so all of your “friends” can ask you to tell them your private information.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img alt="New "Ask" Feature On Facebook Wants Personal Information" class="lazy alignnone wp-image-16017 size-full data-lazy-ready" data-lazy-src="http://technews.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Facebook-Relationship-Ask.jpg" data-lazy-type="image" height="358" src="http://technews.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/Facebook-Relationship-Ask.jpg" style="background: rgb(236, 240, 244); display: inline; float: none; max-width: 708px; padding: 10px;" width="640" /></span></div>
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<strong><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Want To Know Something About Someone? Just Ask!</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Jeez. Facebook couldn’t just let their users have a private life, now could they? Besides the irony in that question, it does seem odd that as of right now they’re not letting users disable the ask feature. They don’t have to answer the question(s), but they can’t stop people from asking them.<img alt="New "Ask" Feature Debuts On Facebook" class="lazy alignnone size-full wp-image-16010 data-lazy-ready" data-lazy-src="http://technews.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/facebook-ask-button-top.jpg" data-lazy-type="image" height="320" src="http://technews.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/facebook-ask-button-top.jpg" style="background: rgb(236, 240, 244); display: inline; float: none; max-width: 708px; padding: 10px;" width="640" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Maybe in a future update the powers that be at Facebook will let us turn this feature off. What are your thoughts about it? Do you have an issue with it, or do you think it’s a good idea? Could this be Facebook’s attempt to tap into the success of <a href="http://www.gotinder.com/" style="color: #0092dd;" target="_blank">Tinder</a>? Let us know in the comments section below!</span></div>
</div>

New Facebook “Ask” Feature Aims to Matchmake

Facebook is anything but static. The social media giant is constantly changing and evolving, and it seems like every few months they annou...

Fraunhofer developing fuel cell system to power the home

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<img alt="The cell stacks that are the heart of a home fuel cell system being developed by Fraunhofe..." height="358" src="http://images.gizmag.com/hero/fraunhofer-home-fuel-cell.jpg" width="640" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As the world shifts to alternative forms of energy, ways to make homes less dependent on the grid continue to gather steam. Fuel cells, which are more efficient and have lower emissions than internal combustion engines seem like a logical candidate for taking up the slack, so the Fraunhofer Institute for Ceramic Technologies and Systems (IKTS) in Dresden is partnering with the heater manufacturer Vaillant to develop a domestic fuel cell system that uses natural gas to produce both heating and electricity.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Fuel cells have been around since 1838, and have long seemed like the power source of tomorrow, but it wasn’t until the 1960s that the first commercial fuel cells appeared, when they were used to power spacecraft. Though they’ve seen some applications in the automotive industry in the 1990s and the Ene-Farm home fuel cell became the world's first commercialized fuel cell system targeted at household heating and electricity generation with its release in Japan in 2009, fuel cells have struggled to find widespread adoption.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Part of the reason is their complexity and another is that they tend to be very expensive due, in part, to the need for precious metals like platinum for catalysts. Because such catalysts are easily poisoned by impurities, fuel cells also have a reputation for poor reliability. The Fraunhofer approach was to come up with a fuel cell for the home that’s simple, and can be installed and maintained like a common household gas heater that runs on natural gas.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Like the Bloom Box and SOFC system developed at the Technical Research Centre of Finland (VTT), the Fraunhofer system is based on solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology, which uses a ceramic electrolyte to produce electricity as oxygen combines with hydrogen. SOFC's work at a higher temperature than other fuel cell designs, such as those used in cars. Where proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) car fuel cells can only reach 80⁰ C (176⁰ F), SOFCs can reach up to 850⁰ C (1,562⁰ F). In other applications, such heat is a problem, but for home applications it can be turned to the homeowner’s advantage for keeping the home warm or heating water.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Since ceramics can withstand high temperatures, its suitable for a SOFC, and this higher temperature makes it simpler to design and cheaper to operate. It also avoids using platinum or other precious metals as a catalyst, which brings down the cost.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Like most fuel cells systems, the individual CD-like Fraunhofer cells are very low power, producing less than a volt, so they need to be organized into stacks. In practice, the fuel cell is hooked up to the domestic gas supply. As the gas enters, a reformer breaks up the gas into a hydrogen-rich mixture, which reacts with the stack in what is called “cold combustion” to produce heat and electricity. Meanwhile, there’s an afterburner to increase efficiency from the exhaust gases.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">According to Fraunhofer, the current design is as compact as a gas heater, and can be installed in the same places as a heater. But instead of producing just heat, it also puts out one kilowatt of electricity as well, which is about enough for a family of four. The technology is currently undergoing trials involving 150 units in homes in Europe as part of the <a href="http://www.callux.net/home.English.html" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Callux</a> practice test to see how well they function in a domestic environment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Fraunhofer and Valiant are now working on decreasing the cost of the fuel cells and increasing their service life.</span></div>
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Fraunhofer developing fuel cell system to power the home

As the world shifts to alternative forms of energy, ways to make homes less dependent on the grid continue to gather steam. Fuel cells, ...

Scientists 3D Bioprint Artificial Blood Vessels

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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The human body’s blood system is a miraculous design that has baffled scientists that have tried to reproduce it.  Now a team from <a href="http://www.brighamandwomens.org/" style="color: #0092dd;" target="_blank" title="BWH">Brigham and Women’s Hospital </a>(BWH) however, has managed to fabricate human blood vessels using a 3D bio-printing technique.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Ali Khademhosseini, PhD, biomedical engineer, and director of the BWH Biomaterials Innovation Research Center, said, “Engineers have made incredible strides in making complex artificial tissues such as those of the heart, liver and lungs…However, creating artificial blood vessels remains a critical challenge in tissue engineering. We’ve attempted to address this challenge by offering a unique strategy for vascularization of hydrogel constructs that combine advances in 3D bio-printing technology and biomaterials.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img alt="3D bioprinting" class="lazy alignnone size-full wp-image-15970 data-lazy-ready" data-lazy-src="http://technews.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/www.enterprisetech.com_.jpg" data-lazy-type="image" height="398" src="http://technews.wpengine.netdna-cdn.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/06/www.enterprisetech.com_.jpg" style="background: rgb(236, 240, 244); display: inline; float: none; max-width: 708px; padding: 10px;" width="708" /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The scientific researchers began by using a <a href="http://health.howstuffworks.com/medicine/modern-technology/3-d-bioprinting.htm" style="color: #0092dd;" target="_blank" title="3D Bio Printing">3D bioprinter</a> to create an agarose fiber (a sugar-based molecule) template to act as the mould for the blood vessels. The team then covered the mould with hydrogel, thereby forming a cast over the mould, which was then reinforced via photocrosslinks.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Khademhosseini said, “Our approach involves the printing of agarose fibres that become the blood vessel channels. But what is unique about our approach is that the fibre templates we printed are strong enough that we can physically remove them to make the channels. This prevents having to dissolve these template layers, which may not be so good for the cells that are entrapped in the surrounding gel.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Khademhosseini and his team were then able to construct micro-channel networks that exhibit a mixture of architectural features. The team were also able to effectively embed these functional micro-channels within an extensive range of commonly used hydro-gels,</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">One such hydro-gel, Methacrylated gelatine, was used to show how their fabricated vascular networks operated to improve mass transport, cellular differentiation and cellular viability.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Khademhosseini said, “In the future, 3D printing technology may be used to develop transplantable tissues customized to each patient’s needs or be used outside the body to develop drugs that are safe and effective.”</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As always, if you would like to leave a sensible comment, then please do so in the comments section below.</span></div>
</div>

Scientists 3D Bioprint Artificial Blood Vessels

The human body’s blood system is a miraculous design that has baffled scientists that have tried to reproduce it. Now a team from Brigha...

SAMSUNG TIZEN OS AN ANSWER TO GOOGLE'S ANDROID

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<img alt="The Samsung Z - a Tizen-based smartphone with a lot to prove" height="359" src="http://images.gizmag.com/hero/samsung-z-tizen-smartphone.png" width="640" /><br />
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The South Korean firm, probably best known for its popular line of Galaxy smartphones, has unveiled its first device to run the open source Tizen OS. The handset, known as the Samsung Z (no Android, no Galaxy), looks solid on the spec sheet and will launch first in Russia.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The handset is powered by an unspecified 2.3 GHz quad core CPU, backed up by 2 GB RAM and with 16 and 32 GB storage options, as well as a microSD card slot for expansion up to 64 GB. The device is packing 8 MP and 2.1 MP cameras on the front and rear, and a range of sensors including an accelerometer, gyroscope, fingerprint scanner and heart rate sensor.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The smartphone’s biggest hiccup is its somewhat disappointing 4.8-inch 1280 x 720 display. This isn’t quite a flagship device, so it’s understandable that not all the hardware will be high-end, but it would have been nice to see a full HD offering on Tizen’s first proper outing.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The handset runs on Tizen 2.2.1, features LTE connectivity and is kept running by a 2,600 mAh battery. Though a battery of that size seems generous for a device carrying a 720p screen, with no details on the CPU, it’s not possible to say what sort of battery life that will translate into.</span></div>
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<a href="http://www.gizmag.com/samsung-z-tizen-smartphone/32355/pictures#1" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;"><img alt="The handset will be available in two colors" src="http://images.gizmag.com/inline/samsung-z-tizen-smartphone-0.png" style="border: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" width="530" /></span></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">The device’s faux-leather back clearly references the company’s popular Android-powered Galaxy range, but the styling is less accomplished with square shoulders and a bland design language. It’s a clean look, but there’s nothing particularly high-end about it. On the plus side, the handset comes in at a trim 8.5 mm (0.33 in) and weighs just 136 g (0.3 lb).</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Looking past the hardware, what’s easily the most interesting thing about the device is its software. Tizen OS is an HTML5-friendly, open source platform steered by Samsung and Intel, and designed to be scalable over a range of devices, from smartphones to laptops and beyond.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Though there is some significant buzz surrounding the software, it’s difficult to see it seriously competing with the likes of Android and iOS, whose superior app selection and years of fine tuning make them near impossible to match at this point. Samsung seems to be aware of this issue, offering special promotional offers to new developers and hosting local app challenges in Russia and other CIS countries around the device’s launch.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">As previously stated, the Samsung Z will hit Russian shores first, launching in two colors (black and gold) in Q3 2014. Though we do know that the device will see wider release in the future, there’s no word yet on what it will actually cost.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: large;">Source: <a href="http://global.samsungtomorrow.com/?p=37149" style="background-color: transparent; color: #1e8dd7; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Samsung</a></span></div>
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SAMSUNG TIZEN OS AN ANSWER TO GOOGLE'S ANDROID

The South Korean firm, probably best known for its popular line of Galaxy smartphones, has unveiled its first device to run the open sou...