Sky+ for Android gets revamped search capability and on-demand listings HD

Searching for something to watch on the Sky+ Android app? An update rolling out today might make that easier, with a refreshed design and enhanced search feature. The new -- and hopefully improved -- search service can scan Sky TV listings by key words and cast names instead of by program title alone. The app will also offer suggestions based on partial queries. For example, typing in "Li" will bring up a number of offerings based on popularity, like Life of Pi, Lincoln and The Lion King (if you're in the mood for lengthy monologues and daddy issues). Additionally, the update includes on-demand listings and the ability to download programs on the Sky+HD box so long as it shares a WiFi connection with your Android device. Itching to find out more? Mosey on over to the full press release, embedded after the break, or download it from the link below.

Researchers use Hubble to map 3D structure of exploding star Alt

Witness now the death of a star in glorious 3D. It's not quite as exciting as all that, but astronomers have managed to map the eruptions of nova using footage from the Hubble telescope. Above are three images of T Pyxidis (that's T Pyx to its friends), a double star system located some 15,600 light-years away -- the white globular bit in the middle is the star. The researchers reported to their surprise that the ejected matter has largely stayed in the area of the star, creating a disk of debris, likely expanding but not leaving the orbit. The findings suggest that the companion in the star system helps dictate where that material goes. More info on the research can be found after the break.

BlackBerry introduces OTA service for automakers, brings push expertise to vehicle telematics Mobile

With more and more vehicles featuring telematics and built-in wireless connectivity, it's no surprise that we're seeing a new ecosystem emerge around the technology, with M2M specialists providing everything from radios to apps. BlackBerry wants a piece of this pie, and today at the Telematics Detroit conference, the company is showing a new OTA (Over The Air) service for automakers. The solution lets car manufacturers manage and deploy software updates to vehicles in the field and takes advantage of BlackBerry's push expertiseand secure infrastructure. Other remote capabilities include installing apps on a car's infotainment system and getting status information on vehicle components. Let's just hope there's no service outage in the middle of that ECU update, okay? PR after the break.

Windows RT to come with Outlook app starting with Windows 8.1 update

We weren't expecting Microsoft to make too many announcements here at Computex -- it's got Build coming up, after all -- but it did drop a little bit of news. The company just confirmed that Windows RT tablets will come with an Outlook app pre-installed starting with the Windows 8.1 update. Not much more to share today -- we already knew Windows 8.1 would arrive in preview on June 26th -- but hopefully we'll learn more at the Build developer conference in a few weeks. After all, as much as Microsoft has already revealed about Windows 8.1, it's said very little about RT, specifically.

Update: The official Surface blog does have a bit more information to share, mentioning that an update is coming "in about a week" to improve the Touch Cover and Type Cover keyboard accessories. Once that update arrives, there will be a few function key combos to trigger things like brightness (Fn + Del / Backspace), page navigation or toggle the function keys to charms, volume, etc (Fn + Caps). Check the post for a full list of commands.