a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Playmute, a Kickstarter project that could let you banish TV ads forever

Nov18
by on November 18, 2014 at 2:00 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Gadgets, Insider, Product Launches

PlayMute_feat

We love TV. Really, we do. But, like most people, we’re less keen when the viewing experience is continually interrupted by ads. As a publisher, we appreciate that monetization is necessary if you want to keep producing (or buying) content, and advertising is clearly one of the main revenue streams for TV channels. However, that doesn’t stop those ads being annoying and intrusive, which is what Playmute is hoping to solve if its Kickstarter campaign is successful. In a nutshell, it’s an Android-based HDMI dongle you plug into your (regular) TV that allows you to clap, click your fingers or use the…

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: , ,
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Alfred launches its weekly butler service, starting in New York and Boston

Nov18
by on November 18, 2014 at 12:30 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider

Screen Shot 2014-11-18 at 12.17.55 AM
If you frequently find yourself with not enough time to run all your errands, a new startup, Alfred, has officially launched to fix that for you, as long as you live in Manhattan or Boston. Alfred is a subscription service that assigns you a client manager to take care of mundane tasks like buying groceries, dropping off laundry and dry cleaning, and taking packages to the post office. You’ll pay $99 a month to have your runner come by once a week for a main visit, followed by a second visit a couple days later to drop off items like clean laundry….

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: 
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Path Talk now lets you chat to local businesses in the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand

Nov18
by on November 18, 2014 at 12:07 pm
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Insider, Product Updates

Photo sharing and messaging service Path has today announced that its Path Talk app Places feature is available in a handful of new countries. Revealed in a blog post, the feature allows users to text local business in order to do things like check prices or stock levels, before making your way out to the store. The Places feature also allows you to make appointments and reservations. While Places isn’t entirely new – it was first launched for users in the US and Canada – it hadn’t previously been offered to users in the UK, Ireland, Australia or New Zealand. Clearly, expanding those business horizons is…

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: ,
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Google reveals auto-captioning technology that describes the content of photos

Nov18
by on November 18, 2014 at 11:22 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Google, Insider

Putting pictures on the Web may have many potential uses, be it for personal purposes or for the greater good of the online masses. But tagging said images with useful information for searching purposes can be a lengthy process, especially if you have thousands or millions of photos. With that in mind, Google has revealed a new captioning system that recognizes the content of photos and automatically tags them with descriptions using natural language. Though there are many examples of intelligent computer vision software that can auto-tag images, this takes things a step further by enabling full descriptions. This could…

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: ,
a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

Nokia releases Z Launcher for Android to the public

Nov18
by on November 18, 2014 at 10:49 am
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, home screen, Launcher

Z Launcher
Hot on the heels of its upcoming N1 tablet announcement, Nokia just made its Z Launcher for Android devices available during its open beta, starting today. Originally announced this past summer with a limited beta, Z Launcher takes a different approach to the home screen, by displaying apps that users are most likely to launch depending on the time of day. It also allows users to find apps quickly by scribbling app names anywhere on the screen: crossing a T will bring up Twitter and other apps that start with the letter. Nokia has also updated Z Launcher ahead of its…

This story continues at The Next Web

└ Tags: ,