Bing Translator App out for Windows 8, lets you understand foreign words with a camera

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Microsoft launched the Bing Translator for Windows Phone last November, but today it’s now available on Windows 8 and supports more than 40 languages. The Windows 8 version includes several of the same features, like text translation, text-to-speech and offline support. My personal favorite is how the app combines augmented reality with a camera and speech/text translation so that you… Read More…

Exo Labs crowdfunding iPad-enabled microscope cameras for schools

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Exo Labs, the Seattle startup that developed a microscope camera that can link to your iPad, now wants to put its product in the hands of students and teachers at no cost to them. The company is close to hitting its Kickstarter funding goal and once reached, Exo Labs plans to give 40 cameras to teachers and… Read More…

Reading revolution: e-book market set to pass print books by 2017

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As the e-book battle between Apple and the U.S. Justice Department continues in court this week, new reports are out showing the rapid growth of the e-book market itself. New projections from PwC indicate that the consumer e-book market will reach $8.2 billion in sales by 2017 and pass that of the printed book market for… Read More…

Big Fish launches first mobile social roulette game

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Roulette, like many casino table games, can get a little boring if you’re playing alone. For those who want an audience watching their big money wheel spins but can’t make it to the casino, Big Fish now has an answer. The Seattle game maker, founded by former RealNetworks employee Paul Thelen in 2002, just added the… Read More…

Mobisante raises $4.2M for smartphone-based ultrasound imaging system

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Mobisante, the Redmond-based company that makes ultrasound technology viewable on a smartphone or tablet, just pulled in $4.2 million in fresh funding to continue providing customers with a low-cost alternative to other expensive high-end portable ultrasound systems. Founded in 2009 by Sailesh Chutani — a former Microsoft mobile exec — and David Zar — a researcher at Washington… Read More…

Welcome back: Amazon selling Kindle DX again

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The Kindle DX is making a comeback. After disappearing from the Amazon storefront last October, it looks like the Seattle online giant is once again selling the 9.7-inch tablet for $299. The DX, which debuted in 2009 and features a keyboard with an e-ink display, was first spotted late last month by Digital Reader. We’ve reached… Read More…

‘Xbox One: Space Odyssey’ parody video pokes fun at console’s apparent shortcomings

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Some gamers are undoubtedly disappointed with what Microsoft has shown thus far for its next-generation console, the Xbox One. If you’re one of them, you’ll certainly like this hilarious parody video a Seattle video production company just put out today to illustrate these frustrations. The clip, produced by the creative three-man team at Cinesaurus, is called “Xbox… Read More…

How this Wi-Fi system enables gesture recognition technology in your house

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Much like Xbox’s Kinect, today’s gesture recognition technology often requires either an expensive camera or bulky hardware. But what if you could turn off the lights or turn up the TV volume at home with just your hands and a little Wi-Fi magic? That’s what University of Washington researchers are developing with a new Wi-Fi system… Read More…

Study: AT&T, Verizon are Seattle’s best-performing carriers

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If you’re living in Seattle, AT&T and Verizon will deliver the best overall mobile performance, T-Mobile is not far behind and Sprint is decent with the exception of poor data download speeds. Those are the findings from Bellevue-based RootMetrics‘ fifth performance report, which ran 48,441 tests to analyze how the carriers compare in the Seattle region. The… Read More…

Parallels opens Johannesburg office, partners with African cloud service providers

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Parallels, a privately-held company based in Renton, Wash., today announced an expansion into South Africa to help African service providers deliver applications and cloud services to small and medium enterprises. The company, founded in 1999 and employing more than 900 worldwide, will open an office in Johannesburg. Parallels has also partnered with African companies Business Connexion,… Read More…

Ben and Jerry’s needs your help making an ice cream flavor just for Seattle

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If Seattle could have its own ice cream flavor, what would it be? Apples for Amazon? Marijuana Mocha? Seahawk Salmon? OK, stop reading my nasty — and lame — suggestions and head to the Ben and Jerry’s website, because the popular ice cream company is crowdsourcing votes for city-specific flavors and Seattle is one of… Read More…

Nike Accelerator Spotlight: Nextstep.io teaches you about yourself with exercise data

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Editor’s note: Nike Accelerator Spotlight takes a look at the ten startups participating in the Nike+ Accelerator, a three-month startup program based in Portland, Ore. and put on by Nike and TechStars. GeekWire is featuring each company leading up to the June 10 demo day. Check out past Spotlights below.  There are countless fitness activity trackers available… Read More…

Bill Gates leads $35M round to help make science research more accessible

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Bill Gates has put in a lot of time and effort to help eradicate some of the world’s most-deadly diseases, so it’s not surprising to find out that he just led a $35 million investment in a research network that helps scientists connect with one another more efficiently. Berlin-based ResearchGate announced the round today, as… Read More…

iPhone sales stay hot as shipments of smartphones set to pass feature phones in 2013

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Smartphones are taking over the world. Well, not really. But the latest estimates from the International Data Corporation indicate that 2013 will be the first time worldwide smartphone shipments exceed those of feature phones. The IDC said today that it expects 2013 smartphone shipments to grow by an astounding 32.7 percent from last year to 958.8… Read More…

Report: Amazon taking grocery delivery to LA and San Francisco

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Amazon.com CEO Jeff Bezos was optimistic about the progress of Amazon Fresh at the company shareholder meeting last month, and now reports indicate that the company’s grocery service may finally be expanding outside of the Seattle region. Sources tell Reuters that Amazon is set to launch Amazon Fresh in Los Angeles this week, San Francisco later this… Read More…

WTF has McGinn done? Pinballers’ site touts Seattle mayor’s accomplishments

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You may recall the website whattheheckhasobamadonesofar.com (there’s also the R-rated version here) that was launched back in 2010 by Barack Obama supporters to remind people of the president’s accomplishments. Now, just as Seattle’s mayoral race kicks into high gear, two Seattleites are doing the same to show their support for Mayor Mike McGinn. Inspired by the… Read More…

Netflix still dominates streaming space, but Amazon, Hulu making small gains

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Netflix dominates the streaming media world, but Hulu and Amazon have been making small gains in viewership, according to new data released this morning by the NPD Group market research firm. Looking at the TV category, which accounts for 80 percent of streaming media, Netflix holds a strong grip on the market through Q1 of… Read More…

A place to poo: Seattle may install a $90,000 public toilet downtown

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Those roaming around downtown Seattle and needing to hit the John may soon have a place to go. The Seattle Times reported today that the city is working with The Alliance for Pioneer Square and a local developer to purchase a $90,000 public toilet called the “Portland Loo.” Portland installed the first of seven “Loos” back… Read More…

First porn app for Google Glass runs smack into new ban on explicit content

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Seattle-based adult app marketplace Mikandi is getting lots of attention — and traffic — for releasing the first-ever pornography app for Google Glass. But a new ban on sexually explicit content on the high-tech specs is putting the app’s future in jeopardy. Mikandi unveiled “Tits & Glass,” today, calling it the world’s first porn app for Glass. Tits &… Read More…

Verizon exec: Big opportunity for Windows Phone in business market

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Microsoft’s Windows Phone certainly trails Apple and Android by a substantial amount in terms of smartphone market share, but one Verizon exec thinks the Redmond software giant can cut into that deficit by making moves in the enterprise market. In an interview with IDG News Service, John Stratton, president of Verizon Enterprise Solutions, said that there’s room for… Read More…