Google has released a new application for Android called Google Shopper which lets you compare, read reviews and get more info on items by scanning cover art or barcode of movies, books, music and other objects with your Android phone’s camera. You can also search by using Google’s voice search.

You can now just take out your phone and take a snapshot of the cover or the barcode of the book you saw in the bookstore and see if you can get it cheaper online, or just read others opinions on the book itself. You can also tell the application via voice commands to search for the product and Google Shopper will try to find the correct product and list you prices from various web retailers. Ones that use Google Checkout as a payment method will most likely have emphasis.

The results you get not only show you prices, but also reviews, specifications of the item and other images of the product available at Google Product Search.

While this is not the first application to provide scan-based shopping comparison, it sets itself apart from others by searching amongst various web retailers and not just one site like Amazon’s application for Android does. It is also faster than Amazon’s application, because you do not have to sign in to anything and also do not have to snap an actual picture; you can just hover the camera over the product you want to search for and when Google Shopper finds some info on it, it will automatically open up the results page.

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One of the letdowns of the product is that you need to have WiFi (wireless network) connection to be able to call local numbers. Voice delivery over EDGE is not permitted (or maybe not possible? I don’t have a clear idea yet.).

Don’t forget that you can call other users over the wireless network for free. The features that were available in the desktop version are also available in the iPhone app too.

So, the other details and user experience for Skype for iPhone application are as follows:

• When you enter your username and password and successfully login they will not be asked again.
• Sound quality: Sound quality is way better than a normal phone if you call another Skype user. However, if you call a local number instead, the sound quality will be the same as of a phone’s.
• You can write and send messages through EDGE but can’t make any calls. That is to say you can login to the system to see and message with people who are online but it gives you a warning message when you want to make a call.
• The application doesn’t work on the background. In order for you to get a Skype call, you need to leave the application on at all times. The screensaver being on doesn’t provide an obstacle; you can still get your calls and messages.

My opinion: Is a must for all iPhone users to have it on their phones.

Related posts:

1. Scan barcodes, books and cover art and shop smarter with Google Shopper Google has released a new application for Android called Google...

1. Scan barcodes, books and cover art and shop smarter with Google Shopper Google has released a new application for Android called Google...

As a result of this leap taken in the Game Developers Conference taking place in San Francisco, PhysX technology has gained even more strength with two parallel platform game engines it has incorporated.

The first of the engines’ name is BigWorld Technology 2.0. The engine, specifically used for MMOG type games and virtual world applications, will be used with many new games including Stargate Worlds. It is also said that another popular game is in the works by Sierra Online which uses the same engine.

Another engine which is incorporated by PhysX technology is Trinigy Vision Engine 7. Known game developers such as Ubisoft, Firefly, Take 2, Neowiz, Dreamcatcher and Spellbound are known to be using Trinigy.

You can go here for more details.

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It may not be one of the sexier changes Microsoft has made in Windows 7 beta, but the company has changed the way the operating system handles disk defragmentation. Microsoft developers Rajeev Nagar and Matt Garson have written a lengthy post on the Engineering Windows 7 blog explaining how fragmentation occurs, how modern hardware like high capacity hard drives changes things, and how Windows 7 differs from Windows Vista and Windows XP when it comes to defragging your hard drive.

In addition, the defragmentation window now has more detailed information about the running jobs. Windows 7 also has automatically scheduled disk defragmentation jobs, so users do not need to set it up themselves. The ability to defragment multiple hard disk partitions simultaneously is also added to the new system.

Microsoft has not forgotten the solid state disk users (which may not be so many now, but hey, they do think for the future): because there is no need to defragment flash memory, defragmentation on these volumes are turned off by default. Additionally, they state that continued write access to flash disks could actually shorten its life. Interesting huh?

Via: [DownloadSquad]

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Other than these, Google has also pointed out that touchscreen-friendly buttons have been placed in the search options, and these optimized search results were only available in Androids with American English and iPhones and iPod Touchs with 2.x update installed.

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1- Everybody’s gene map will be charted: In 5 years for a really insignificant sum, people’s genetic maps will be charted and their risks of getting diseases and which ones, their body weaknesses, and potential threats to their healths will be identified. This way, personal diets, medication and therapies will be possible.

Will our lives change in 5 years?

2- Voice command system will be used on computers: Thereby allowing for voice searching over Google for what we are typing for as an example.

3- Everybody will have a digital assistant: Everybody will have a personal assistant in their cellphones and they will provide us help with any topic like a real assistant.

4- Forgetting will be a thing of the past: Our house will live with us too. Who we have talked to, where we have put what will be analyzed second by second and will answer any question that will cross our minds instantly.

5- Electricity will be generated from pavements: Asphalt that is used in pavements, paints and other insulating materials that are used at home will capture the sunlight, producing from it electricity. Street lights will be powered using this energy.

Other than these, there are some innovations that are existant in IBM’s 5 year plan that are absolutely mind-blowing:

1- Software for smart automotives: In this context sensor, GPS and satellite receiver technologies will be completely renewed. This way, the autos will recognize each other and drivers will get a new system that will enable them to enjoy their ride. Also, the new system will have the ability for cars to communicate in traffic, preventing circumstances that lead to accidents before they even start to form, like icing and exceeding the speed limit. It will also lessen the traffic jams and solve problems like speed control and lane infractions.

2- Passport for food: IBM will design a passport software for food in its 5 year roadplan. This way the consumer will get information about where the food has come from, how they were cultivated, when they were harvested, how much calories they are and so forth, and will be able to arrange their diets consciously. By the use of second generation barcodes, RFID technology and software that will be used with specialized sensors, the information that will be coded in the barcodes will show what steps the food has gone through from the branch of the tree it was procured from to the grocery stand.

3- Smart electricity counters: Other than the projects above, IBM is also developing a software in its 5 year plan in order for smart electricity counters to be produced. With IBM’s new internet accessible smart electricity counter software produced with Houston CenterPoint Energy, along with energy savings made from household appliances, current subjects like global warming will help be prevented. Consumers will be able to control their household appliances with remote access thanks to the mails and messages sent to their email addresses and cellphones by the smart counter, like the air-conditioner saying “Nobody is at home, I am wasting energy. Would you shut me down?” or the water heater warning “I am using too much energy!”.

Although these may seem like scenes and machinery out of a science fiction movie right now, if we compare now and 10 years earlier, doesn’t it seem to everyone that these should be reckoned as the illusions of a daydreaming mind? Share your ideas in the comments.

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Chrome is being updated constantly without any distinctive version numbers. You can still see the build number and the browser’s permanent system component regularly checks Google for updates. This update check is automatic if you do not have any firewalls running, but if you do have one and you have gone through for some restrictions to Chrome’s Internet access then you can become aware of these regular checks.

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Are you an Android developer looking to test your apps on multiple GSM networks? Are you anyone else, simply looking for an unlocked HTC G1? In either case, Google and T-Mobile will apparently be happy to hook you up. A special “developer version” of the G1 is now available from T-Mobile 100% SIM and hardware-unlocked. The handset can be purchased from T-Mobile’s G1 site and shipping within the US is free. It is also available to be shipped internationally to 18 different regions. There is a catch of course but it’s hardly a big one. Since the unlocked G1 is intended for developers, you will have to register on the Android Market site and pay a one-time registration fee of $25. That brings the grand total of this fully-authorized unlocked G1 to $424 shipped.

[Source: Engadget]

See the devices available for developers.

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According to Wired’s post, you should be aware that you’ll have to uninstall the beta in order to install SP2 final once it’s released. Currently Microsoft is anticipating doing that some time in April 2009.

If you’re looking for more details before grabbing the file, check out PC World’s article Vista SP2: Six Things You Need to Know.

Downloads for both 32 and 64-bit users are available at the Microsoft Download Center. Instructions are also available here for users wanting to install SP2 through Windows Update.

[Source: Wired]

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ZunaVision isn’t very hard to use. You can just select a surface, and it does a capable job of making your image look like it could plausibly be hanging there. It’s not just pasted haphazardly on top of your video. It’s cool enough that I’m already worried it won’t stay free for long. The last Stanford web toy that I liked, Vector Magic, turned into a pay service after a while. Zunavision looks like it could be worth selling, too, but maybe the creators can just turn a profit by sneaking ads into other videos.

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