Monday, December 12, 2011

IT News Head Lines (Engadget) 12/12/2011





Ask Engadget: best wraparound video eyewear solution?
We know you've got questions, and if you're brave enough to ask the world for answers, here's the outlet to do so. This week's Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Tywannabe, who can't live another day without a set of 3D video glasses to attach to his phone. If you're looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.

"I have been searching for a set of good video glasses for a while, but haven't been able to find a perfect set. I definitely need connections for the Galaxy S II and iOS devices. They also have to have their own battery. Screen size and resolution aren't very important, but it would be nice to have at least 480p. This may be impossible, but I'm desperate. Thanks a lot!"
Anyone pleased with their Vuzix set? Anyone have any alternatives? Help a fellow gentleman out in comments below, won't you?
Ask Engadget: best wraparound video eyewear solution? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Dec 2011 23:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More ...


ThinkGeek Drum Machine bangs out block-rockin' beats wherever you go (video)
ThinkGeek Drum Machine Shirt
Here it is -- the final piece in your all fabric New Order cover band. This $30 wearable drum machine brings a much needed edge to ThinkGeeks existing collection of soft-circuit "instruments." You can choose from seven different drum kits, including the ubiquitous 808 and a palette of chip tune effects. The T-shirt's integrated recorder lets you build loops up to three minutes long and endlessly layer on the sounds. Just keep piling 'em on until your old-school hip hop homage has become an impenetrable wall of noise that washes over you as you walk down the street, proclaiming your geekdom in rhythm. And, of course, the included mini amp cranks all the way up to 11. Check out the videos after the break to see MC Lars and Dex Fontaine demo the capabilities of the personal percussion pullover.
Continue reading ThinkGeek Drum Machine bangs out block-rockin' beats wherever you go (video)
ThinkGeek Drum Machine bangs out block-rockin' beats wherever you go (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Dec 2011 20:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceThinkGeek  | Email this | Comments

Read More ...


BU wizards find success in unconscious neurofeedback learning, announce plans for secret lair
You will learn French this week, even if you're not aware that it's happening. Neuroscientists at Boston University have discovered that patients can quickly learn new skills while having their brain patterns modified via decoded functional magnetic resonance imaging. The group found that pictures gradually build up inside a person's brain, appearing first as lines, edges, shapes, colors and motion in early visual areas with the brain then filling in greater details as needed to complete the object. From there, a correlation was confirmed between increased visual learning and fMRI neurofeedback, repetitions of the activation pattern leading to long-lasting performance improvement. Interestingly, the approach worked even when test subjects were not aware of what they were learning... which is why that sweater you unconsciously knitted last night should fit Johnny Boy like a glove.
Continue reading BU wizards find success in unconscious neurofeedback learning, announce plans for secret lair
Permalink TG Daily  |  sourceNational Science Foundation  | Email this | Comments

Read More ...


Toshiba Thrive 7-inch slate officially drops tomorrow, December 11th
Just in time for you to get your holiday shopping wrapped up early, the Toshiba Thrive 7-inch tablet will officially go on sale tomorrow, December 11th. Sneaking in before the early December reports that we'd heard pass, the slate will allow you snag a piece of Honeycomb and a NVIDIA Tegra 2 processor for "less than $400." While you're deciding between the 16GB and 32GB options, go on and bookmark that source link so you can be quick on the trigger in a matter of hours.
Toshiba Thrive 7-inch slate officially drops tomorrow, December 11th originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Dec 2011 16:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceToshiba  | Email this | Comments

Read More ...


Mitsubishi Electric's EMIRAI concept goes back to the future, refuses to fly (video)
The Jetsons were a lie, people. If you want a flying car, glue a parachute to a Matchbox racer. Automotive companies like Mitsubishi Electric have a distinctly different idea about our auto future, one where we'll all be driving in a 1980s-by-way-of-2011 Tron roadster with seatback-embedded (glasses-free) 3D TVs and a big 'ol curved rear projection display. At least, that's the vision put forth by the company's EMIRAI concept, shown off at this year's Tokyo Motor Show. The demo vehicle's biggest innovation, supposedly on deck for the next decade and beyond, is its biometrically-sensitive interface, which can adjust the position of your seat based on current heart rate and facial temperature. There's also a driver side touch panel configured to recognize handwriting (Japanese, for now) and dynamically-changing buttons, mounted on the W-shaped "steering wheel," that rise and fall in correlation to the dashboard's UI. It's neat stuff, no doubt, but we'll let you go ahead and get excited at your own risk. Because until production models hit showroom floors, it's all still very much promises, promises. Check out the video after the break for a brief peek at the wheels of tomorrow.
Continue reading Mitsubishi Electric's EMIRAI concept goes back to the future, refuses to fly (video)
Permalink   |  sourceDigInfo TV  | Email this | Comments

Read More ...


Belle to make a pass at Symbian handsets early in 2012, Anna pretends to look the other way
We already know Donna and Carla are waiting in the wings, but you're likely wondering what's the deal with Belle. And no, that Symbian update isn't being held captive by a Beast in a lonely French castle, thank you very much. According to a report on All About Symbian, Espoo's OS refresh -- currently shipping on the trio of handsets pictured above -- is slated to roll out worldwide for a "range of smartphones such as [the] N8, E7, X7, C6-01, C7, Oro, E6, and Nokia 500" sometime early next year. Nokia's confirmed to us that this Q1 2012 timetable is, indeed, very much true. So while many of you are just now getting comfy with Anna, it'll soon be time to find comfort in the mobile arms of another.
Permalink   |  sourceAll About Symbian  | Email this | Comments

Read More ...


Microsoft launches ExcelMashup.com, looks to make spreadsheets both hip and exciting
Most of our day jobs aren't nearly as amusing as life at Wernham Hogg and Excel doesn't make things any more exciting. But, if you're looking to spice up your spreadsheets, Microsoft's ExcelMashup.com may be just what you've been waiting for. The site lets you create apps of your very own using Redmond's various products. For example, you can combine some Excel JavaScript, a workbook stored on SkyDrive and a little HTML to create apps that run in a browser. Add a dash of Bing Maps and you've got a Destination Explorer! For the uninitiated, there are tutorials and for the showoffs a shared code space. There's even nifty Interactive Code Snippets for trying out bits of script before adding them to your own project. Want to make the cute girl in reception notice you? Coding your own apps in Excel won't help, but it'll probably land you in less trouble than putting Gareth's stapler in Jello again.
Permalink   |  sourceMSDN  | Email this | Comments

Read More ...


App review: Infinity Blade 2 (iOS)
The 3D duel-fest is back, and attempting to answer some of the questions left over from its first installment (and a few major updates). Infinity Blade has had a huge effect on promoting the iPad and iPhone as valid gaming options, with high quality visuals and intuitive touchscreen controls. Well, Epic hasn't tampered with the formula too much, but has tried to instill some considered expansions and pour even more eye-honey all over it. Will it stretch gamers beyond the original? We've now spent a fair bit of time slashing away at those pesky immortals and their underlings -- see what we thought of this little big adventure after the break.
Gallery: Infinity Blade 2 screen shots
Continue reading App review: Infinity Blade 2 (iOS)
App review: Infinity Blade 2 (iOS) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Dec 2011 11:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceiTunes  | Email this | Comments

Read More ...


Mobile Miscellany: week of December 5, 2011
This week was packed with news on the mobile front, so it was easy to miss a few stories here and there. Here's some of the other stuff that happened in the wide world of wireless for the week of December 5, 2011:

  • C Spire announced this week that it's launching the Sony Ericsson Xperia Play. The device is currently available for purchase for $50 with a two-year commitment and after a $50 mail-in rebate. [AndroidCentral]

  • Images and specs of Philips' first Android device, the W920, surfaced this week, and its spec sheet doesn't look very good: Froyo, a 1GHz Qualcomm QSD8250 CPU, 512MB of RAM, a 4.3-inch WVGA display, a 5MP camera, 10.5mm thin frame and it has a 1,280mAh battery. The fun part is the rumored price tag: £400 ($627). [LandofDroid]

  • Ting is a new Sprint MVNO that'll launch mid-2012. It'll be prepaid and use a bump-up and bump-down model for pricing -- in other words, going over your minutes will just bump you into the next higher plan, while using fewer minutes can bump you to a lower plan. [Cnet]

  • Another prepaid provider in the news this week is PrepaYd Wireless, which launched this week. It offers a "Y Pay More" plan that will give you unlimited talk, text and 3G data for $40 per month. If you don't need data, you can get all-you-can-eat talk and text for $35. Much like Ting, PrepaYd Wireless utilizes the Sprint network. [MobileTechNews]

  • If you use a BlackBerry OS 7 device on AT&T, the carrier is offering you two free months of BBM Music. Normally you need to pay $5 a month to store 50 songs. [Crackberry]

  • While we're on the subject of BlackBerry phones, Twitter for BlackBerry just got updated to version 2.1 and now offers multi-account support. In addition to being able to view up to five accounts in the same feed, it also includes the ability to tweet one thing to more than one account simultaneously. [BlackBerry]

  • Pandora and Windows Phone may never mix well, but at least the radio service can be enjoyed now through an unofficial Pandora app called MetroRadio. It's free, and is finally available in the Windows Phone Marketplace. [WPCentral]
Mobile Miscellany: week of December 5, 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Dec 2011 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More ...


Ofcom releases 2012/13 plan: no UK 4G until you've eaten your vegetables
UK telecoms regulator Ofcom has released its draft plans for 2012/13 with big changes ahead for nerds on this side of the Atlantic. The auctioning off of the 800MHz and 2.6GHz spectrums for 4G internet is coming as soon as the British FCC has booted off the remaining TV services that still use 'em. It's gonna open an online complaints site (for when the Saturday evening show of your choice offends you), crack down on slow broadband speeds and keep the airways clear for the Olympic Games. Nearly 16 percent of Scotland and five percent of Wales has non-existent mobile coverage, something Ofcom's pledging to fix. TV-on-demand content also better keep its nose clean over the next 18 months -- it'll be getting the same level of government scrutiny that standard broadcasts receive. Rather wisely, the paper buries the real bad news: it looks like there won't be nationwide 4G mobile internet until 2015 -- so you win this round, America.
Ofcom releases 2012/13 plan: no UK 4G until you've eaten your vegetables originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 10 Dec 2011 09:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceOfcom (PDF), Ofcom  | Email this | Comments

Read More ...


Skype co-founder's latest company signs deal with LightSquared, promises free broadband and voice services
A mysterious startup promising free wireless broadband and voice services to all Americans should rightly prompt a fair bit of skepticism, but FreedomPop isn't quite your average fly-by-night organization (despite appearances). It's backed by Skype co-founder Niklas Zennstrom, and it's just signed an agreement with LTE wholesaler LightSquared to provide the backbone for the service. Unfortunately, details remain decidedly light otherwise. The company says that the service will launch sometime in 2012 (LightSquared's network itself is slated to go live in the second half of the year, though it still faces some hurdles), and it will apparently be focused on serving markets most in need of wireless broadband initially, before rolling out across the country. As FierceCable notes, the service brings to mind the many free internet dial-up services of the 1990s, which relied largely on advertising, although it remains to be seen if that's the route FreedomPop has in mind.
Continue reading Skype co-founder's latest company signs deal with LightSquared, promises free broadband and voice services
Permalink FierceCable  |   | Email this | Comments

Read More ...




Available Tags:Toshiba , other , Microsoft , UK , 4G , Skype ,
مرسلة بواسطة Abdalrhman Albayyat
في 6:00 AM
التسميات: , , , , , , ,

No comments:

Post a Comment

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)