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Even The Pebble Has Its Own Flappy Bird Clone

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The official Flappy Bird might well be dead, but if you thought that was the last you’d see of it, you can think again.

Since the game’s creator announced it would be pulled over the weekend, countless clones have been popping up all over the place. Even the Pebble smartwatch has one called Tiny Bird, and it’s available now for free through the Pebble appstore.

Apple Forces Android App Off The Google Play Store

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Unlike on iOS, it’s easy to change your homescreen’s theme on Android without a jailbreak using apps like Themer. Well, at least it was: Google has pulled Themer from the Google Play Store following a copyright complaint from Apple, which made Android devices look almost identical to iOS 7.

Why a Blinking Light Is the Best Wearable Interface

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The first successful personal computer didn’t have a screen — not even a command-line screen. It communicated with the user through blinking lights. It was called the MITS Altair 8800. This blinking-light box was such a revolution, a kid named Bill Gates dropped out of Harvard to write software for it.

I have the feeling that the first successful wearable computer will also show nothing more than blinking lights.

I’m going to tell you why the high-rez wearables may not go mainstream over next couple of years, but why blinking-lights devices might. But first, let’s check out two interesting blinking light wearable devices.

Google Made A Massive Investment In Lenovo The Day After It Sold Motorola

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Google made a surprise announcement at the end of January that confirmed it was selling Motorola to Lenovo for $2.91 billion, but the search giant seemingly forgot to tell us that it made a big investment in the Chinese consumer electronics manufacturer the following day.

Reuters reports that Google will pay Lenovo $750 million for a 5.94 percent stake in the company.

You Could Purge Shatner From Star Trek With Google’s New Video Magic [Patent]

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Google wants to use facial recognition to let viewers customize videos as they watch them.

Love Star Trek but cringe every time William Shatner opens his mouth? Google’s new method for customizing video could allow you to mute Captain Kirk’s melodramatic monologues, skip scenes in which the character appears, or even change the channel every time Shatner’s face graces the screen.

These novel ways of slicing and dicing video on the fly are outlined in a patent application entitled “Customized Video,” published Thursday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office and assigned to Google. The system would use facial recognition to identify actors, cartoon character, etc. — and give viewers a way to find (or avoid) other videos featuring the same people.

Should Apple Make An Android? Steve Wozniak Thinks So

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Despite Apple’s incredible success with the iPhone, company co-founder Steve Wozniak believes it should make a new Android-powered smartphone and “play in two arenas at the same time.” Woz believes such a device could compete very well in the Android market against rival manufacturers like Samsung and Motorola.

Flappy Bird Creator Is Raking In $50K Per Day From Ads

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Your unbridled addition to Flappy Bird, the latest craze in smartphone gaming that has recently rocketed to the top of the App Store and Google Play charts, is earning its creator an incredible $50,000 per day in advertising revenue.

The title has been downloaded over 50 million times since its debut, and it has amassed almost 350,000 ratings across both platforms.

Google Escapes Fine In Europe By Reaching Antitrust Agreement With Regulators

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Google has reached a tentative agreement with the European Commission following a three-year antitrust investigation into how it displays search results in Europe. As part of the agreement, the company will display search results from three of its competitors — such as Yahoo! and Bing — alongside results that promote its own services.

By reaching this agreement, Google has escaped a fine of up to $5 billion, or 10 percent of its revenue from 2012.

Firmware Update Adds Great New Features To Sony’s Lens Cameras

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When I first read this headline, I thought Sony had already obsolete it’s own QX lens cameras with new models, barely a few months after launch:

Sony Upgrades QX10 & QX100 Lens Cams with Higher ISO, Shutter Priority and 1080p

But no: these new features are free, and can be applied to your existing lens-cam with nothing more than a firmware update. That’s pretty neat, right? It’s almost as if Sony has been paying attention to Fujifilm and it’s awesome feature-adding, camera-improving updates.

The Beacon Guide for Android Users

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Apple’s iBeacon is suddenly in the news a lot, and will soon show up at major sporting events, big retail stores and elsewhere.

The beacon revolution is being presented as an Apple thing for Apple users. But as with so many technologies, Apple didn’t invent beacons. It was here before Apple’s version got here. And it’s not just for Apple users — even Apple’s iBeacon supports Android.

Here’s everything you need to know about beacons.

Swann’s New Tech-Stuffed, Weather-Resistant Wi-Fi Security Cam Is Under $200

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Some gadgets are unique, carving out their own nonpareil niche while eliciting wide-eyed, slack-jawed appreciation. Other gadgets swim in a thick soup of contemporaries, and stand out for their high bang-for-buck score. It’s the latter reason we mention Swann’s new SwannEye HD, a weather-resistant, bell-and-whistle-stuffed outdoor security cam priced at $180.

Nintendo Backpedals On Its ‘No Smartphone Apps’ Claim

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For gamers, the question of whether Nintendo will/should develop titles for smartphones has been hotly debated in recent weeks — with reports suggesting either way seemingly being shot down on a daily basis.

In  a reversal of a previous denial (got that?), Nintendo has now confirmed that it will use smart devices as a platform for apps and promotions, after all — but that there are currently no plans to port core titles over to Android or iOS.