Acer Chromebox CX1 revealed with US $180 price

Slightly more promising than its notebook counterparts, the Chromebox PCs bring the basic functionality of a cloud-powered desktop device which, being a desktop, will be tethered to the Internet for a constant connection. Acer's micro-PC styled Chromebox CX1 which runs Google's browser OS on a Celeron powered mini-tower that has 16GB of SSD storage, 2GB od RAM and support for two displays starting at US $180. Shipping next month, you get a mouse, keyboard and the CX1, making it a clever little Minecraft machine or the perfect Internet hub for people who simply surf, check email and park themselves in front of websites most of the time. 

Source: Engadget

An APP a day helps you doctor your play: Five to fit in

Image by Yutaka Tsutano Some apps are designed to help you work better, some to make it easier to socialise, but without a doubt, the most fun of them are the ones that help you play. There are, of course thousands of apps out there covering all of those functional categories, but since I’m feeling playful, let’s take a whistle-stop look at some of the lightweight leisure apps that have taken my fancy recently.

Just to refine this down slightly, I’m going to restrict this to tablets. There is a growing distinction between the catch-all smartphone market and the less neat and nimble world of the tablet. It’s life in the slow lane maybe, but the practical implications of a larger device and a correspondingly bigger screen do make a difference. And that’s all-the-more true when it comes to the more sophisticated recreational software that’s out there.

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Developer applications for the MasterCard N>XT hackathon now open

Applications are now open for MasterCard's N>XT hackathon! MasterCard is challenging developers to Lead the Retail Revolution by competing to create a 'next-generation application to enhance the customer retail experience in-store and online."

Garry Lyons, MasterCard’s Chief Innovation Officer, will officially open the event at 9 a.m. on October 4^th. The event will run until Sunday, October 5^th, giving developers less than 48 hours to build their idea. 

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Android gets Afterlight photo-editing app

If you dabble in smartphone photography, Android devices just got another extensive photo editing application. Afterlight offers a wide array of tools for you to play with. It lets you adjust everything from brightness, exposure compensation, shadows, temperature, highlights, contrast, etc. You can control these with a slider that appears at the bottom of the screen. The US$0.99 app also offers you a total of 59 filters, including 27 original filters, 14 created by Instagram users, and 19 special “seasons” filters. If that isn’t enough, you also get 66 textures that add artificial light and dust to your photos.

Source: The Next Web