UnitConversion
Latest
Google gives mobile search a makeover for quick-answer queries
If you're looking for flight times, currency conversions, word definitions and more, you'll notice that Google has dressed up the responses in new, Now card type clothing. On top of being prettier, the look is designed to make the data easier to parse and also adds an interactive element -- letting you change a distance or unit when doing metric conversions, for example. Currently the refresh is limited to smartphone and tablet searches, but Google has promised to roll it out soon to desktop searches and international users. The change is part of an ever-evolving list of tweaks and updates to Mountain View's venerable search engine -- check the source for more info.
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First Look: Equivalence for iPhone
Keeping with the famous science teacher saying of "every number must have a unit," Equivalence (iTunes link) is the one-stop converter for all things units. Did we say "one-stop?" Why yes we did, because Equivalence can convert between over 260 units in 31 categories. Once of the nice features of Equivalence is the ability for the application to auto update the unit conversions over the air, instead of through the App Store. So, if the developer decides to add a unit, or if a unit were to change, updates could get pushed out to the application. The beauty of this application is when you flip your iPhone into landscape mode. Just like the built-in iPhone calculator, this application adds much more functionality when horizontal, including a calculator that can add units together. Bottom line: This is the best unit converter for the iPhone, hands-down. Be sure to take a look at our gallery of Equivalence screenshots. You can buy Equivalence from the iTunes App Store for $4.99 (US). Update: The developer has dropped us an email to let us know about a special promotion. Equivalence will sell on the App Store for $1.99 until October 6th. The pricing changes have already been submitted to Apple for approval and should appear soon. Also, we have added two new screenshots in the gallery showing off the landscape mode in Equivalence. %Gallery-32369%
Unit Conversion plugin for Quicksilver
I don't know how long the Unit Conversion plugin has existed for Qucksilver, but I just found it the other day in yet another one of those 'QS spelunking' adventures that many of its users sometimes embark on (I highly recommend them). They're almost always a good time for Quicksilver fans, as one can usually find something new and incredibly useful on just such an adventure.This particular Unit Conversion plugin/module allows a user to type the first half of a conversion in the first pane, tab over to chose the 'Convert to Units...' action, then tab to the third pane to type in the final unit conversion type. Clicking the 'i' on this module once it's installed offers a few examples, such as: 1 mile Convert to Units... km 1 floz Convert to Units... cm3 32 ft/sec^2 Convert to Units... m/sec^2 Keep in mind though that the syntax of your conversion is key; the space between the number and the unit type, for example, is required for this operation to perform smoothly. One thing I can't find, however, is exactly how many times of unit conversions this operation can handle, as a document search at Blacktree's site yields nothing. I guess, as with many other Quicksilver toys, some experimentation is in order.
