SlashGear

Google releases updated maps for 10 European countries and regions

Brittany Hillen, Dec 5th 2012 Discuss [0]

Google has released updated maps for a variety of European regions and countries as part of the "Ground Truth" project, which launched in 2008. This is part of Google's goal to provide high-quality maps that are as accurate as possible, ensuring that people "get exactly the information they need." This brings the total number of maps built via Ground Truth to 40. Read The Full Story

EnGenius releases ENS200 long-range Wi-Fi bridge for outdoor use

Brittany Hillen, Dec 5th 2012 Discuss [0]

EnGenius has launched its new wireless bridge and access point, the ENS200 Bridge/AP. The ENS200 is designed for outdoor use, and supports speeds up to a nice 150Mbps. You can grab one now for building-to-building brige connections from an EnGenius-authorized distributor or a reseller for the modest sum of $69.99. Read The Full Story

Must Read Bits & Bytes

Apple iMac 27-inch (2012) Review

NASA shows off stunning images of the earth at night

Brittany Hillen, Dec 5th 2012 Discuss [0]

Thanks to the NASA-NOAA Suomi National Polar-orbiting Partnership satellite, NASA and the NOAA have released a series of high-quality composite images of the Earth at night time. These images are very high-quality, capturing all sorts of lights, including wildfires and even lights on boats. They've been compiled into a video as well, allowing you to view a 360-spinning model of the Earth at night, which you can view on the NASA website. Read The Full Story

House unanimously passes ban on UN Internet regulation

Brittany Hillen, Dec 5th 2012 Discuss [0]

The House of Representatives, just as the Senate did, has unanimously passed a resolution to ban UN regulation of the Internet. In doing so, it has demonstrated the resolve of the United States in its stance on promoting a "global Internet free from government control." The bill that was passed opposes changes to the telecommunications treaty that would alter how the Internet is run. Read The Full Story

Columns & Opinion

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Blockbuster plans to sell phones at its retail stores, sources say

Brittany Hillen, Dec 5th 2012 Discuss [0]

Some individuals claiming to be on the inside have revealed that Blockbuster plans to sell phones at its retails stores, of which there are about 850. The company already offers phones online from the likes of T-Mobile, Sprint, AT&T, and Verizon. This information comes via Bloomberg, where the unnamed sources provided a few details. Read The Full Story

SlashGear Evening Wrap-Up: December 5, 2012

Eric Abent, Dec 5th 2012 Discuss [0]

Welcome to Wednesday evening everyone. Today we saw images of what may be the rear housing of the iPhone 5S - yes, already. There aren't too many differences between it and the rear housing for the iPhone 5, but there are enough to make the images noteworthy. The high-end HTC M7 is rumored for a Q1 2013 release, and it appears that HTC wants it to get on shelves before Samsung launches the Galaxy S IV, while Samsung's iPhone 5-bashing Galaxy S III commercial was named that most viral tech ad of 2012. Read The Full Story

Reviews

Apple iMac 27-inch (2012) Review

Vincent Nguyen, Dec 5th 2012 Discuss [0]

Apple doesn’t change things for the sake of change, and that’s why we’ve had to wait a few years for a redesign of the iMac. When a fresh model does arrive, though, it arrives in style: for 2012, the iMac is slimmer than ever, with a crisp new casing that borrows aerospace construction methods and iPhone display technology to wrap together a beautiful, slim computer that’s pleasing to the eye whether or not it’s powered up. Still, as Apple’s mainstream desktop, the new iMac has to perform, too, and with space at a premium there are some interesting choices to be made as to what goes inside. Read on for the full SlashGear review.

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Skype Video Messaging leaked in service details update

Chris Burns, Dec 5th 2012 Discuss [0]

It would seem that the folks at Skype have accidentally let loose their next big feature for the world of video-connected citizens: Video Messaging. This leak has occurred in one of the most excellent places for leaks, that being Skype’s own update of its official Terms of Service. Remember everyone: there’s always someone digging through your files – even when its the least likely place.

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Google Now updates with new travel features, expanded voice search

Craig Lloyd, Dec 5th 2012 Discuss [0]

Google Now, Google's own predictive search assistant, is already pretty great, but the company just made it even better, especially for frequent travelers. Google has added a feature that automatically tells you what the weather will be like at your destination, so you’ll know what type of clothes to pack before leaving for the airport or pulling out of the driveway for a road trip. Read The Full Story

Birth of a star: Astronomers spot new solar system 450 light years away

Chris Davies, Dec 5th 2012 Discuss [0]

A vast protostar, spewing a torrent of matter formed from huge dust clouds, could give astronomers the best insight to-date into how our solar system was created. The star-in-waiting, just 300,000 years old and found 450 light years away in the Taurus constellation, is early in its lifecycle: L1527 (aka Roberta J. L1527) has consumed roughly a fifth of the surrounding envelope - the cloud of predominantly hydrogen and heavier molecular dust around it - on its way to reaching the critical temperature at which nuclear fusion begins. Read The Full Story

Verizon celebrates two years of 4G LTE, provides some amazing statistics

Craig Lloyd, Dec 5th 2012 Discuss [0]

If you can believe it, 4G LTE has been around for two long years already. It only seems like yesterday when Verizon and HTC announced the carrier's first-ever 4G LTE device, the ThunderBolt, but here we are today with LTE becoming the grand successor to 3G data. To celebrate the moment, Verizon has provided us with a few statistics that are pretty amazing. Read The Full Story