Sunday, August 12, 2012

IT News Head Lines (Engadget) 12/08/2012





Stop-motion music video relies on OpenOffice and Excel, finds formula for success (video)
Mystery Guitar Man makes stopmotion music video in OpenOffice, finds a real formula for success video
It's already considered a grind to produce stop-motion video -- imagine creating a clip using the spreadsheet app that many dread seeing at work every morning. Joe Penna, better known to the internet as Mystery Guitar Man, isn't afraid. He and his team recorded a performance against a greenscreen, gave the video a mosaic look in After Effects and proceeded to recreate 730 of the frames in OpenOffice (and occasionally Excel)... by hand. We don't want to know how long it took Penna and crew to wrap up their work, but the result is probably the liveliest you'll ever get out of an app meant for invoices and corporate expenses. The fully produced video is above; click past the story break if you want to smash illusions and see how the pixelated rumba came to be.
Continue reading Stop-motion music video relies on OpenOffice and Excel, finds formula for success (video)
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Permalink Microsoft News (Twitter, pulled)  |  sourceMystery Guitar Man (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

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Audi R8 e-tron to feature digital AMOLED rear-view mirror
Audi R8 e-tron to feature digital AMOLED rear-view mirror
Audi's R18 racing car's been sporting this digital rear-view mirror for some time, and was most recently spotted with it at the renowned LeMans racing competition -- but now the German outfit's bringing the tech to a more consumer-friendly vehicle, the R8 e-tron. The luxurious automobile company announced that gorgeous 7.7-inch reflector is making its way from its speedy R18 to the stunning R8 e-tron, marking the first time any ride outside of the former will come loaded with such feature. In case you weren't aware, the AMOLED rear-view mirror helps automatically reduce headlights glare "during the hours of darkness," while also allowing drivers to dim or turn it off altogether if, you know, they're just not feeling the vibe.
Continue reading Audi R8 e-tron to feature digital AMOLED rear-view mirror
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Audi R8 e-tron to feature digital AMOLED rear-view mirror originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Aug 2012 02:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple details 2010 presentation to Samsung on Android patent infringement, licensing offer
Apple reveals 2010 presentation to Samsung on Android patent infringement, licensing offer
As the battle between Samsung and Apple closed out another week in US District Court, lawyers for the latter focused its argument on evidence and testimony covering a presentation Apple made to Samsung in 2010, and its offer to license the patents. AllThingsD has the deck of slides from the meeting (embedded after the break), specifying areas and specific patents Apple believes Android as an OS infringes or things Samsung specifically copied elements from, plus a report on testimony from Apple executive Boris Teksler. He testified today about the meeting with Samsung, calling it a "trusted partner" (should be, since Apple paid it paid $5.7 billion for parts that year) that both Tim Cook and Steve Jobs spoke to directly about the issue.
While more information is expected from Teksler next week, he did have time to put a dollar amount on the licensing deal Apple subsequently offered, at about $30 per smartphone and $40 per tablet, as well as royalties also collected from phones running Symbian and Bada, with the possibility of a 20 percent discount if Samsung would cross license its own technology back to Apple. The companies are restricted by Judge Koh to 25 hours each to argue their points (Apple is at 11 and a half hours while Samsung has crossed over 12 with its own arguments yet to come) but we're sure there's enough time left for a few more revelations before any resolution is reached.
Continue reading Apple details 2010 presentation to Samsung on Android patent infringement, licensing offer
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Eurocom intros powerhouse Scorpius laptop, touts more video memory than most desktops
Eurocom intros powerhouse Scorpius laptop, touts more video memory than most desktops
Eurocom has carved out a strange but soft spot in our hearts for its desktop replacement-level laptops -- the insistence on overkill hardware leaves even the vaguely ultraportable Monster packing the kind of power reserved for larger-screened (if also much thinner) counterparts. Nowhere is that too-much-is-never-enough attitude truer than in the just-launched, 17.3-inch Scorpius. While supporting up to 32GB of RAM isn't unique anymore, the Scorpius can optionally carry two of NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 680M graphics chips with the full 4GB of video RAM per piece. That's more graphics memory than the total system memory of some entire PCs, folks. Eurocom can optionally slot in two of AMD's Radeon HD 7970M or step down to a single graphics core, and the usual bevy of processor and storage choices culminates in as much as a quad 2.9GHz Core i7 and four drives. The lowest price that will net a fully functioning Scorpius is $1,793, although we'll admit that it's very tempting to pick that dual 680M option and come out with a $2,857 bill -- not to mention some serious bragging rights with the gamer crowd.
Continue reading Eurocom intros powerhouse Scorpius laptop, touts more video memory than most desktops
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FCC Fridays: August 10, 2012
FCC Fridays August 10, 2012
We here at Engadget tend to spend a lot of way too much time poring over the latest FCC filings, be it on the net or directly on the ol' Federal Communications Commission's site. Since we couldn't possibly (want to) cover all the stuff that goes down there individually, we've gathered up an exhaustive listing of every phone and / or tablet getting the stamp of approval over the last week. Enjoy!
Continue reading FCC Fridays: August 10, 2012
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FCC Fridays: August 10, 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 19:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Sony LT25i Tsubasa pops up in benchmarks, may swell the high-speed Xperia ranks
Sony LT25i Tsubasa pops up in benchmarks, may amp up Xperia meidrange
Add another future Sony Xperia model to a rapidly growing pool. The LT25i Tsubasa (not to be confused with the ST25i/Xperia U) has been caught by Tencent in AnTuTu and NenaMark2 tests, seemingly running the same mix of a 1.5GHz Snapdragon S4, a 720p screen and Android 4.0 that we've seen in the upcoming Xperia T (LT30p). So what's different? There's rumors of in-cell touch to keep the display thin and vivid, but even the unverified source isn't certain that it will become a reality. The crew at Xperia Blog also claims that there will be international LTE and HSPA+ models along with China- and Japan-specific editions. Assuming the details are at all consistent with the truth, having the Tsubasa arrive on the scene mostly hints that Sony might be readying a broader speed-up of its roster than we first thought.
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Sony LT25i Tsubasa pops up in benchmarks, may swell the high-speed Xperia ranks originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 18:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Tencent (translated), Xperia Blog  |  sourceAnTuTu (translated), NenaMark2  | Email this | Comments

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Census Bureau releases first mobile app, offers real-time stats on the US economy
US Census Bureau releases America's Economy mobile app, offers realtime stats on the go
The US Census Bureau just released its first public API last month, giving web and mobile app makers access to its vast stores of statistics, and it's now also gone the extra mile by releasing its first mobile app. Dubbed America's Economy, the app draws on data from the Department of Commerce and the Department of Labor to provide a real-time picture of the US economy, offering details on everything from the country's gross domestic product to housing sales to the unemployment rate (all presented with the requisite charts and graphs). That's available for Android smartphones and tablets right now, while an iOS app promised in the "coming weeks." It's also the first of three planned apps from the Bureau -- the others are said to be coming over the next several months (both of which will also be available for both Android and iOS).
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Census Bureau releases first mobile app, offers real-time stats on the US economy originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 17:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink @uscensusbureau (Twitter)  |  sourceGoogle Play (Phone), (Tablet), Census Bureau  | Email this | Comments

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Motorola starts Android 4.0 upgrades for international RAZR owners
Motorola starts Android 40 upgrades for international RAZR
Motorola may have pushed some of its earliest Android 4.0 updates to the Verizon-centric Droid RAZR, but it hasn't forgotten those who call the international, HSPA-based RAZR (the XT910) their own: the phone's first wave of over-the-air upgrades to the new OS should be rolling out now, going by GSMArena's tips. Who exactly is getting the upgrade isn't obvious, although at least one owner on Tesco's network has the visual evidence to suggest the UK is part of the first batch. We can vouch that at least a few Canadian RAZRs are still making do with Android 2.3. Never mind the unconfirmed claims of carrier-related delays for the update, though -- we're just glad that both Americans and the rest of the world will likely be on the same page before too long.
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Motorola starts Android 4.0 upgrades for international RAZR owners originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 17:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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LG Eclipse (LS970) pops up in FCC docs, ready to prop up Sprint's LTE network
LG Eclipse LS970 pops up in FCC docs, ready to prop up Sprint's LTE lineup
Where there's smoke, there's fire and by the looks of this latest FCC filing, LG's LS970 is all but a lock for Sprint's LTE lineup. Rumored to bow on that carrier as the Eclipse, the heavyweight handset, allegedly outfitted with a quad-core Krait processor, companion Adreno 320 GPU and 2GB RAM, has already been the subject of several leaks, leaving little of its spec load to the imagination. And now with the outing of these Commission docs, we can confirm that this uberphone does indeed pack 3G/4G radios tailored for the Hesse-led operator (CDMA 820 / 850 / 1900; LTE Band 25), as well as support for NFC, Bluetooth 4.0, WiFi a/b/g/n, GPS and SVLTE (simultaneous voice and data). While we can't be exactly sure as to its actual screen size, that reported 4.67-inch figure does appear likely given its 5.2 x 2.8 inch (130.9 x 71.6mm) dimensions. That's about all we were able to glean from the spate of included tests, but if you call Big Yellow your wireless home and are itching for a GS III alternative, this could be your next.
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LG Eclipse (LS970) pops up in FCC docs, ready to prop up Sprint's LTE network originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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NPD: Xbox 360 ruled a steadily declining video game empire in July
Xbox 360 slim review
Microsoft must sometimes feel like its lead in the game market is a Pyrrhic victory. The Xbox 360 once again topped the NPD Group's hardware charts in July, claiming a near-majority 49 percent market share of consoles -- but the 203,000 units sold were a steep drop from the 257,000 units that traded hands in June, and a far cry from the glory days that would have given a victory more meaning. Nintendo and Sony haven't shared their own figures, although the analyst group notes that only Nintendo's 3DS and DSi had any kind of increase in the month. The industry as a whole was unmistakably feeling the combined effects of the pre-holiday doldrums and a console generation that's long in the tooth: hardware revenue was down 32 percent in the month to $150.7 million, while the games in question saw revenue dip 23 percent to $260.7 million. If you need a culprit, earlier reports for the second quarter had credited similar shifts to sales of physical game copies declining faster than digital sales could replace them. Hope remains in the usual fall spike; even so, the July figures suggest the big three platforms might be living on borrowed time.
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NPD: Xbox 360 ruled a steadily declining video game empire in July originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceOfficial Microsoft Blog, Joystiq  | Email this | Comments

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Vizio Thin + Light review (14-inch, 2012): how do the company's first laptops measure up?
Vizio Thin Light review 14inch, mid2012 what happens when a TV maker enters the PC market

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Nine months ago, Vizio didn't make laptops. Now, it's seemingly all our readers are writing in about. The company, best known for its value-priced TVs, is expanding into the PC market, with a collection of all-in-ones and thin-and-light notebooks. So why have we been getting so many emails asking when the heck we're going to publish a review? After all, it's not like shoppers have any shortage of choice when it comes to Windows computers.
The answer: Vizio is taking the same approach with PCs that it does with televisions, which is to say it's offering impressive specs while undercutting its competitors. Case in point: all of Vizio's laptops have a full-metal design, solid-state drive, zero bloatware and a minimum screen resolution of 1,600 x 900. And yes, that even applies to the lowest-end notebook, which goes for $900. Can you see now where this would be a tempting deal for folks who'd like to avoid spending $1,100-plus on an Ultrabook? Well, for those of you who've been curious, we've been testing Vizio's 14-inch Thin + Light, and are now ready to unleash that review you've been waiting for. Meet us past the break to see if this rookie computer is as good as it looks on paper.
Gallery: Vizio Thin + Light review (14-inch)
Continue reading Vizio Thin + Light review (14-inch, 2012): how do the company's first laptops measure up?
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Crysis 3 trailer shows off Crytek's CryENGINE 3, blows your mind in the process (video)
Now, the real question is this: can you run Crysis 3?
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Permalink   |  sourceMachinima (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

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Adidas Social Media Barricade shoe concept moves tweets to the track (video)
Adidas Social Media Shoe concept moves tweets to the track
Adidas is known for making connected shoes -- but never quite as linked-up as a Nash Money concept making its appearance late into the London Olympics. The Social Media Barricade weaves the guts of a phone and a basic two-line LCD into a running shoe, letting the footwear take Twitter updates very literally on the run through a public account. Even the signature Adidas stripes change their hue through remote control. Before anyone gets visions of athletes checking congratulatory tweets after the 100-meter sprint, just remember that it's an idea rather than a production blueprint: although Adidas is quick to call the Social Media Barriacade the "future of athlete connectivity," the only athletes putting eyes on a pair right now are those swinging by the Olympics' media lounge for interviews. Knowing this, we can still imagine some future shoes padding runners' egos at the finish line during the 2016 Rio games.
Continue reading Adidas Social Media Barricade shoe concept moves tweets to the track (video)
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Adidas Social Media Barricade shoe concept moves tweets to the track (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 15:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink Pocket-lint  |  sourceAdidas (YouTube), (Twitter)  | Email this | Comments

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DirecTV quietly updates iPad app, HR34 DVR
DIRECTV updates iPad app, HR34 DVR with tktkt
DirecTV has quietly updated both its iPad app and HR34 DVR with a variety of new features for Satellite-loving customers. The application will now resume from where you left off, comes with a much improved search function and best of all, a direct line into the company's support forums. Meanwhile, the HR34 swallowed a software package that included Pandora, a YouTube landing page and more readable closed captions amongst a raft of other nips and tucks. The former will be available through the app store, while the latter should have arrived on your box overnight, well before you start on that CSI marathon.
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DirecTV quietly updates iPad app, HR34 DVR originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceSolid Signal, (2)  | Email this | Comments

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CyanogenMod 9 now stable on every supported device, get your fix today
CyanogenMod logo
We saw CyanogenMod 9 reach the perfect poise of a stable release on the Galaxy Nexus just this past Thursday. It's now time for everyone else to join the club: all devices that can run CM9 now get the firmware in the same polished state, giving more conservative fans a path to CyanogenMod's custom Android 4.0 build. The code brings an audio equalizer, OS gesture commands and themes, among other tweaks that you won't find sitting in that vanilla Ice Cream Sandwich. If you're not so adventurous as to live on the bleeding edge that is CyanogenMod 10, hit the source link for the (considerably safer) next best thing.
[Thanks, Bryson]
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CyanogenMod 9 now stable on every supported device, get your fix today originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Next iPhone's tiny docking connector possibly spotted (update: more details)
Next iPhone's tiny docking cable possibly seen, might help complete the puzzle
We've seen the rumored next iPhone's minuscule docking port more than once. Any of the cabling that plugs into that port, however, has been non-existent until today. If photos slipped to Nowhereelse.fr are more than just flights of fancy, they show a much narrower and possibly slimmer connector that matches up with the hole we've seen. It's so small that a full-size USB connector dwarfs it by comparison, and there's only eight contact pins per side (or possibly total) versus the 30 overall that we know today. We're not told if there are any special tricks besides the size reduction, though: while the new cable end looks dual-sided, there's no guarantee Apple will have eliminated the right-side-up requirement that afflicts just about every mobile-sized port format we've seen to date. If real, the redesign could lead to one less hassle for charging and syncing. It just wouldn't be much consolation to those who'd been hoping for a switch to a standard like micro-USB -- or, for that matter, to long-time iPhone owners who may have to give up or convert legions of accessories.
Update: since we first posted, the rumor has fleshed out a bit. It's claimed that there are eight pins on both sides, but that they perform different functions and might not let us plug the connector in any which way. Supposedly, the connectors also aren't the final models and reflect the problems the unnamed contractor has had meeting Apple's standards. Don't worry about claims of future iPads leaping to the new connector: if there's really a format switch underway, it's only natural that other devices will follow suit.
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Next iPhone's tiny docking connector possibly spotted (update: more details) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceNowhereelse.fr (translated)  | Email this | Comments

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Google to downrank sites hit by valid copyright claims
Google to downrank sites hit by valid copyright claims
Google has been dogged by claims that it facilitates the piracy of content through its search results pretty much since day one. Starting next week, the web giant will be taking a much more aggressive approach to sites hosting pirated material by downranking frequent offenders. The new results algorithm will take into account the number of valid copyright notices received against a site and penalize them appropriately in the rankings. Google says that this will allow consumers to more readily find legitimate sources of content such as Hulu and Spotify, but it's hard not to see the move as one intended to appease studios, content producers and government officials that routinely threaten to hammer companies like Google with lawsuits and restrictive legislation. Mountain View was also quick to highlight how responsive it's been to industry concerns -- citing the fact that it receives and processes more copyright complaints in a day than it did in all of 2009 combined. For more details, hit up the source link.
Update: The MPAA has issued the following statement from Michael O'Leary, Senior Executive Vice President for Global Policy and External Affairs, in response to Google's move:
We are optimistic that Google's actions will help steer consumers to the myriad legitimate ways for them to access movies and TV shows online, and away from the rogue cyberlockers, peer-to-peer sites, and other outlaw enterprises that steal the hard work of creators across the globe. We will be watching this development closely - the devil is always in the details - and look forward to Google taking further steps to ensure that its services favor legitimate businesses and creators, not thieves.
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Google to downrank sites hit by valid copyright claims originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink   |  sourceInside Search  | Email this | Comments

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Digiboo movie kiosks now do wireless, still insist on Windows
Digiboo movie services goes wireless, but still insists on Windows
So far, Digiboo's movie kiosks have been severely limited by a couple of factors, before you even get to the fact that their content is SD only. Firstly, they've required users to carry a USB stick on their person, and secondly they've only been able to transfer rentals to a Windows device. Today, however, the company has cleared a major hurdle on its passage to relevance, by allowing wireless transfers to any "Windows-enabled PC, laptop or tablet." This should make Digiboo's next step -- Android support, which is promised to come this month -- a whole lot easier.
Continue reading Digiboo movie kiosks now do wireless, still insist on Windows
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Digiboo movie kiosks now do wireless, still insist on Windows originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 13:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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SIGGRAPH 2012 wrap-up
SIGGRAPH 2012 wrapup
Considering that SIGGRAPH focuses on visual content creation and display, there was no shortage of interesting elements to gawk at on the show floor. From motion capture demos to 3D objects printed for Hollywood productions, there was plenty of entertainment at the Los Angeles Convention Center this year. Major product introductions included ARM's Mali-T604 GPU and a handful of high-end graphics cards from AMD, but the highlight of the show was the Emerging Technologies wing, which played host to a variety of concept demonstrations, gathering top researchers from institutions like the University of Electro-Communications in Toyko and MIT. The exhibition has come to a close for the year, but you can catch up with the show floor action in the gallery below, then click on past the break for links to all of our hands-on coverage, direct from LA.
Gallery: SIGGRAPH 2012 wrap-up
Continue reading SIGGRAPH 2012 wrap-up
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SIGGRAPH 2012 wrap-up originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 13:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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FTC and Facebook settle privacy dispute, skip the fine
FTC and facebook settle privacy dispute
Well, Mark Zuckerberg is finally trying to make things right after admitting to a "bunch of mistakes" when dealing with user privacy on his juggernaut of a social network. The FTC and Facebook had agreed to settle the dispute in November, and now the final details of the deal have been ironed out. Noticeably missing from the list of concessions is cash. The government isn't asking Facebook to cough up any dough as part of the settlement -- avoiding the sort of hefty fine that Google recently found itself on the wrong end of. The company will, however, have drastically revamp how it handles user data and subject itself to privacy audits every two years for 20 years. Customers will now be provided with "clear and prominent" warnings any time information is shared. And, before anything can be shared, users must give express consent to for that information to be distributed. Ideally, these measures would have been in place on day one, but we'll take what we can get at this point. For more details, check out the FTC's press release after the break.
Continue reading FTC and Facebook settle privacy dispute, skip the fine
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FTC and Facebook settle privacy dispute, skip the fine originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 10 Aug 2012 12:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Colloidal Display uses soap bubbles, ultrasonic waves to form a projection screen (hands-on video)
Colloidal Display uses soap bubbles, ultrasonic waves to form a projection screen handson video
If you've ever been to an amusement park, you may have noticed ride designers using some non-traditional platforms as projection screens -- the most common example being a steady stream of artificial fog. Projecting onto transparent substances is a different story, however, which made this latest technique a bit baffling to say the least. Colloidal Display, developed by Yoichi Ochiai, Alexis Oyama and Keisuke Toyoshima, uses bubbles as an incredibly thin projection "screen," regulating the substance's properties, such as reflectance, using ultrasonic sound waves from a nearby speaker. The bubble liquid is made from a mixture of sugar, glycerin, soap, surfactant, water and milk, which the designers say is not easily popped. Still, during their SIGGRAPH demo, a motor dunked the wands in the solution and replaced the bubble every few seconds.
A standard projector directed at the bubble creates an image, which appears to be floating in the air. And, because the bubbles are transparent, they can be stacked to simulate a 3D image. You can also use the same display to project completely different images that fade in and out of view depending on your angle relative to the bubble. There is a tremendous amount of distortion, however, because the screen used is a liquid that remains in a fluid state. Because of the requirement to constantly refresh the bubbles, and the unstable nature of the screen itself, the project, which is merely a proof of concept, wouldn't be implemented without significant modification. Ultimately, the designers hope to create a film that offers similar transparent properties but with a more solid, permanent composition. For now, you can sneak a peek of the first iteration in our hands-on video after the break.
Gallery: Colloidal Display hands-on
Continue reading Colloidal Display uses soap bubbles, ultrasonic waves to form a projection screen (hands-on video)
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Permalink   |  sourceYoichi Ochiai  | Email this | Comments

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