Google’s search-based calculator is a bit of a God-send when it comes to impromptu math, but now the Big G has gone and extended its functionality by rolling out a full-on, 34-button scientific calculator. More »
from Gizmodo
From Lifehacker: SoundGecko Converts Any Article Into an MP3 and Syncs with Dropbox, Drive, or an iPhone App
At its core, SoundGecko is a new webapp that’s essentially a text-to-speech transcription service. Drop a URL into SoundGecko and it converts the article into speech. On top of that it also integrates with cloud services and an iPhone app. More »
from Lifehacker
From Geeks are Sexy Technology News: Smartphone Skin Cancer Dermatology
The University of Michigan recently released a new smartphone app that’s designed to help you do self-examinations for skin cancer.
The free app, called UMSkinCheck, works by taking 23 (naked) pictures of yourself and analyzing them for moles and legions. The app will also have useful information and tools associated with skin cancer.
I wonder if smartphone cameras are really of a high enough resolution yet for this to be truly effective. Of course, it’s never going to be infallible, but will this really detect skin cancer unless it’s already quite far along?
Better to have something than nothing I suppose.
[UMSkinCheck | Via Gizmodo]
From Engadget: XBMC for Android app revealed; source code available now, beta APKs soon
Surprise surprise, after popping up on the iPad last year, XBMC developers revealed tonight that they’ve created a version of the media center that runs as an Android app. Currently the team has it stable on the Pivos XIOS DS set-top box, and posted a video (embedded after the break) showing it running on a phone and a tablet. Of course, the different varieties of Android hardware audio and video decoding is mostly a software only affair, but universal hardware decoding is in the plan. The truly dedicated can dig up the source code right now, but APKs for beta testers are promised “in the coming weeks.” According to the blog post, it currently includes a community member created touch oriented skin and hopes to have more available before any version of this hits Google Play officially.
[Thanks, Bharath]
from Engadget
From Engadget: Google Maps adds walking directions for 44 African countries on web and mobile
Whether it’s on two wheels, under cover or across the cruel watery mistress, Google Maps wants to get you there. But what about the long, arduous pedestrian plod? Well, from today, 44 African nations will never need to put a foot wrong, thanks to the introduction of walking directions to their web and mobile versions of the mapping service. The search giant is keen to remind you that the new feature is still in beta, so if you end up somewhere else, you might need to rely on other methods to find out where you are.
from Engadget
From Lifehacker: iFixit for Android and iPhone Puts Repair Guides and Troubleshooting Help in Your Pocket
iOS/Android/WebOS: We’ve long been big fans of iFixit’s useful repair guides and teardown manuals, and now you can easily access the site’s content on the go. The free mobile apps allow offline browsing of the thousands of how-to repair guides. More »
from Lifehacker
