a couple of laughzillas on a blue diamond background

China clamps down on Google services ahead of 25th anniversary of Tiananmen Square protests

Jun02
by on June 2, 2014 at 2:42 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Asia, censorship, Google, greatfire

China flag
This week marks the 25th anniversary of the Tiananmen Square protests, one of the most controversial events in Chinese history. China doesn’t acknowledge the event, and is known for clamping down on the internet in the run up to the June 4 anniversary — this year it appears to have disrupted multiple Google services in the country. TNW has spoken to China-based users and seen screenshots which show Google Maps, Google’s search engine, Google Translate, Gmail and other services failing to operate in China, in line with a report from GreatFire, an organization that keeps watch of internet censorship in China. GreatFire…

This story continues at The Next Web

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

Catch up on a month of tech news from Eastern Europe: May

Jun02
by on June 2, 2014 at 2:27 pm
Posted In: Around the Web, Insider, Roundups

eastern-europe
The final month of spring brought quite a few exciting news stories from tech startups and established companies in Central and Eastern Europe. In this round-up, we have put together the most significant tidings to keep you on top of things. If you think that something is missing, or would like to draw our attention to an important story, feel free to ping the author in Twitter (@shlema) or by e-mail at shlema@gmail.com. Startups, funds, and accelerators Slovak capital fund management company Neulogy Ventures has launched two new funds of €23 million in total to invest in early stage startups. Serbian startup COFA Games has joined…

This story continues at The Next Web

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

HotelTonight takes its curated same-day hotel booking service to Windows Phone

Jun02
by on June 2, 2014 at 11:59 am
Posted In: Apps, Around the Web, Insider

HotelRoom
Curated same-day hotel-booking service HotelTonight has arrived for Windows Phone, more than three years after it first launched. A version geared towards Windows 8 tablets users will follow within a couple of weeks. HotelTonight launched in early 2011 kicking off with iOS, before rolling out a version for Android later that year. The service has typically been aimed at the higher-end last-minute hotel market, letting you reserve same-day hotel rooms from 9am on the day for up to 70 percent below the standard price. Back in April, we reported that HotelTonight now anticipates last-minute price for the week ahead, based…

This story continues at The Next Web

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

Asus unveils a Windows-Android device that is a laptop, tablet and smartphone all at once

Jun02
by on June 2, 2014 at 11:04 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Asia, Gadgets, Product Launches, Windows

asus logo
Taiwanese PC maker Asus took the wraps off a series of devices at Computex today, with the headliner being the Transformer Book V — a device that wants to be everything all at once. The Transformer Book V is what Asus terms a “five-mode, three-in-one converged laptop” that features a Windows and Android laptop and tablet, as well as an Android smartphone. The design is such that the laptop has a detachable 12.5-inch screen that becomes a separate tablet, and a five-inch smartphone that docks into the tablet. As a laptop, the Transformer Book V runs both Windows 8.1 and Android…

This story continues at The Next Web

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

Detroit’s apocalyptic downturn visualized using Google Street View

Jun02
by on June 2, 2014 at 9:50 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Shareables

Detroit declared bankruptcy last year and parts of the city are suffering severely from its economic decline. These changes are clearly illustrated by GooBing Detroit, a Tumblr blog that compares images from Google’s Street View Time Machine feature to show how houses and neighborhoods have deteriorated over recent years. Here’s one example — while the collection is reasonably new and not hugely extensive at this point, the images are powerful. ➤ GooBing Detroit Thumbnail image via Joshua Lott / AFP / Getty Images

└ Tags: ,