Friday, August 2, 2013

Bing Desktop update adds inline search, at-a-glance news

Bing Desktop update adds inline search, at-a-glance news data = {blogUrl: "www.engadget.com",v: 315};when = {jquery: lab.scriptBs("jquery"),plugins: lab.scriptBs("plugins"),eng: lab.scriptBs("eng")}; var s265prop9 = ('20603802' !== '') ? 'bsd:20603802' : ''; var postID = '20603802'; var modalMNo = '93325862', modalVideoMNo = '93320648', modalGalleryMNo = '93304207'; when.eng("eng.omni.init", {pfxID:"weg",pageName:document.title,server:"acp-ld39.websys.aol.com",channel:"us.engadget", s_account: "aolwbengadget,aolsvc", short_url: "",pageType:"",linkInternalFilters:"javascript:,",prop1:"article",prop2:"internet",prop9:s265prop9,prop12:document.location,prop17:"",prop18:"",prop19:"",prop20:"", prop22:"jon-fingas", prop54:"blogsmith",mmxgo: true }); adSendTerms('1')adSetMOAT('1');adSetAdURL('/_uac/adpagem.html');lab._script("http://o.aolcdn.com/os/ads/adhesion/js/adhads-min.js").wait(function(){var floatingAd = new AdhesiveAd("348-14-15-14c",{hideOnSwipe:true});}); onBreak({980: function () { adSetType("F");htmlAdWH("93325862", "LB", "LB"); adSetType("");}}); EngadgetMenu NewsReviews Features Galleries VideosEventsPodcasts Engadget ShowTopics Buyers Guides Sagas Store HD Mobile Alt Announcements Cameras Cellphones Desktops Displays Gaming GPS Handhelds Home Entertainment Household Internet Laptops Meta Misc Networking Peripherals Podcasts Robots Portable Audio/Video Science Software Storage Tablets Transportation Wearables Wireless Acer Amazon AMD Apple ASUS AT&T Blackberry Canon Dell Facebook Google HP HTC Intel Lenovo LG Microsoft Nikon Nintendo Nokia NVIDIA Samsung Sony Sprint T-Mobile Verizon About UsSubscribeLike Engadget@engadgettip uswhen.eng("eng.nav.init")when.eng("eng.tips.init") onBreak({980: function () {htmlAdWH("93325870", "215", "35",'AJAX','ajaxsponsor');}});Bing Desktop update adds inline search, at-a-glance newsBypostedJun 7th, 2013 at 4:34 PM 0

Bing Desktop adds inline searching, news at a glance

Microsoft wants Bing Desktop to transcend the limits of web-based search, and that's especially clear with a newly posted app update -- it's all about doing what most browsers can't. The software brings inline searching that lets users run Bing queries on websites, PDFs and Word files just by selecting text. Newshounds also don't have to wade into every article now that there's both at-a-glance previews and a trending stories section. We suspect most users won't mind the real-time weather forecasts and live Facebook notifications, either. Existing Bing Destkop users should automatically receive the new features in the days ahead, but those who refuse to wait can grab the upgrade straight from the source.

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Scientists build soft, transparent contact lens displays with nanomaterials

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Scientists build soft, transparent contact lens displays with nanomaterials

Of the contact lens display prototypes that we've seen so far, few if any are focused on comfort -- a slight problem when they're meant to sit on our eyeballs. A collaboration between Samsung and multiple universities may solve this with display tech that's meant to be cozy from the start. By putting silver nanowires between graphene layers, researchers have created transparent conductors that can drive LEDs while remaining flexible enough to sit on a contact lens. Current test lenses only have one pixel, but they're so soft that rabbits can wear them for five hours without strain. Scientists also see the seemingly inevitable, Glass-like wearable display as just one development path -- they're working on biosensors and active vision correction. While there's still a long way to go before we reach a cyberpunk future of near-invisible displays, we may finally have some of the groundwork in place.

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Haider Ackermann to Show Menswear in Paris

Antwerp-based Haider Ackermann was temporarily crowned fashion's biggest tease in 2010, when he debuted his first menswear collection in Florence only to then promptly announce that he would only focus on womenswear (due to timing and stifling creative pressure) until he felt like coming back to menswear. And after three long years, he's finally decided to give menswear another shot. According to WWD, Ackermann is scheduled to present a "wardrobe" during Men's Fashion Week in Paris, for spring 2014, to the collective joy of Tilda Swinton and androgynous men everywhere.


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Oscar de la Renta Gives More Details on Galliano’s Residency

At 92Y last night, Oscar de la Renta clarified a few things about his collaboration with John Galliano, which lasted for several weeks in January and February of this year. First of all, it turns out that Galliano approached him, not the other way around. Secondly, de la Renta said the collection was almost entirely done when Galliano arrived to lend a hand. Although the former Dior designer, who's getting a juicy profile in Vanity Fair's July issue, departed the fashion house after the fall 2013 show, de la Renta did not rule out the possibility of working with him in the future. His exact quote, via Fashionista:

John came to me because be wanted to re-enter the business. His problems are not my problems. He’s a wonderful guy, unbelievably talented, and we had a wonderful time together. It’s important to have someone that challenges you — 75% of the collection was done by the time he got there. But I think that there were a lot of things that John tweaked around. Everyone in life does deserve a second chance.

And because no one can ever let this matter rest, he was asked about the Michelle Obama kerfuffle yet again, and reiterated that he would love to dress her, thinks she's beautiful, blah blah etc. He gets points for not getting annoyed when people bring it up for the zillionth time:

Finally, he confirmed that his cancer has not returned since 2011, saying, "I am, right now, totally clean." And on behalf of Hillary Clinton and all the other ladies who depend on him, we thank goodness for that.


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HTC Windows Phone with Sprint LTE surfaces in FCC docs

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HTC Windows Phone with Sprint LTE surfaces in FCC docs

We know for sure that Sprint intends to carry Windows Phone 8 devices from HTC and Samsung this summer -- the company said as much at this past CES. And with yet another HTC WP8 filing surfacing at the FCC, the evidence for a fast-approaching launch continues to mount. Bearing a model number that branches off from the rumored Tiara, the PO88100 looks destined for the Now Network as it reps some very carrier-specific frequencies, namely the presence of CDMA and LTE Band 25. Apart from that, we know it'll also support NFC, BT 4.0 and WiFi a/b/g/n, but that's the extent of what these docs reveal. What you can likely expect from HTC when it does get official, is a more moderately-specced device that differs from the One in style, size and power; something that slots in with the WP8 demo.

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Syfy's robot expert Mark Setrakian on 'the clicker,' titanium asperations and the Fortus 900mc 3D printer

Syfy's robot expert

Every week, a new and interesting human being tackles our decidedly geeky take on the Proustian Q&A. This is the Engadget Questionnaire.

In this installment of our regular session of inquiry, special effects and robot expert Mark Setrakian (of Syfy's Robot Combat League) talks tools of the robot trade and cyberspace-augmented memory. Join us on the other side of the break for the full collection of responses.

Syfy's robot expert Mark Setrakian on tools of the trade and 3D printingWhat gadget do you depend on most?
Mostly my iPhone. But really I depend on my Haas VF-4SS, because you can't make a giant robot with a phone.

Which do you look back upon most fondly?
My Mac SE/30. Around 1990, I had it hooked up to a 19-inch greyscale CRT, and a Kurta tablet with about 100 Quick Keys macros around the perimeter of the pen area. System 6, Claris CAD, no internet, no email.

Which company does the most to push the industry?
Apple always seems to be five steps ahead of everybody, and their products have an elegance that belies how much work went into them. I have been devoted to Apple products for years, but lately I've taken a strong interest in Samsung (the clunky / awesome Galaxy Camera) and Microsoft (see below...).

What is your operating system of choice?
All of my engineering work is done in Windows 7 64-bit, often on a Mac with Boot Camp. Robot motion-control systems run under RT Linux. For everything else, OS X.

What are your favorite gadget names?
Tenori-on, a well-named piece of alien technology.

What are your least favorite?
Raspberry Pi - it's a great device, but seriously...

Which app do you depend on most?
On my phone, Safari. My phone is mostly a conduit for information and Safari is almost the only app I need. But I also love specialty apps like iEngineer and Circuit Playground. On my computers, Autodesk Inventor and Max/MSP.

What traits do you most deplore in a smartphone?
It's always on, always there, nagging with its unceasing onslaught of communication and its bottomless well of knowledge.

Which do you most admire?
See above.

What is your idea of the perfect device?
I like sharp tools. A device with focused function (some would say limited) and a user interface to suit the task, like a x0xb0x, or the Teenage Engineering OP-1. Can you tell my hobby is music?

"When traveling... I used to bring 10 pounds of hardware with me wherever I went; now I really only need my phone."

What is your earliest gadget memory?
My dad had an ancient TV with a remote he referred to as a "clicker" that turned on the TV and changed the channel by literally making a clicking sound. I carefully took it apart and discovered tuned rods that would be struck when the buttons were pressed. It was purely mechanical; no batteries, no electronics.

What technological advancement do you most admire?
3D printing. I've been using a Stratasys FDM Titan machine for almost 10 years and it has completely changed the way I make things and the way I think about design in general.

Which do you most despise?
OS updates that render my favorite apps obsolete.

What fault are you most tolerant of in a gadget?
Limited functionality. If a device does one thing really well, I don't mind if it doesn't do much else.

Which are you most intolerant of?
An inconsistent user interface.

When has your smartphone been of the most help?
When traveling. I used to bring 10 pounds of hardware with me wherever I went; now I really only need my phone.

What device do you covet most?
Short of an SLS machine that prints titanium, the Fortus 900mc is the 3D printer of my desire. But like the Haas, it's not a pocket device.

If you could change one thing about your phone what would it be?
Honestly, I just wish it had a longer battery life.

What does being connected mean to you?
I feel like cyberspace has become an extension of my memory. I know my own memories change over time, but being connected keeps people and experiences in my life alive in ways that I don't think were possible a decade ago.

When are you least likely to reply to an email?
When I'm focused on work, I often ignore my phone and my email for 12 hours at a time. It gets me in trouble sometimes.

When did you last disconnect?
While on vacation in New Zealand this year, I disconnected for a few days. Disconnecting for any significant period is almost unthinkable.


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