DIY Motion Detecting Camera [DIY]

If you live in an area with lots of wildlife and would like to get photos without having your camera constantly at the ready, you can repurpose a cheap camera, air freshener, and a microprocessor into a motion-detecting camera.

What's neat about this hack is that it's not only remarkably cheap (around $20), but the instructions are so well laid out that anyone can do it. It definitely involves some work with electronics, but as long as you've learned how to solder, the instructions are super easy to follow. The sensor can pick up movement from 15-20 feet away and can snap a picture as long as the movement isn't too subtle—luckily, the guide has a great FAQ on using the final product too. If you're looking to get a bit more into electronics, this is probably a great project to start with. Hit the link to check it out.

Cheap Motion Detection Wildlife Camera [Instructables]

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Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office Sort of Bridges the Gap Between Office and Google Docs [Video]

Windows: Google Cloud Connect for Microsoft Office automatically syncs your Office documents between your desktop and Google Docs' cloud storage, allowing you to seamlessly collaborate with other Google users and back up all your Office files. More »

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How Apple's AirPlay Is About to Change Your Life [Airplay]

Apple's AirPlay, a new feature arriving with today's release of iOS 4.2, marks a huge move into a (mercifully) wireless future, beaming music, videos, and photos to speakers and screens all over your house. Here's why it's so damn cool.

What you need:
• An iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch
• An Apple TV or Airport Express

What Is AirPlay?

AirPlay is Apple's way of letting you play your music and videos on bigger and better speakers and screens around your house, without plugging anything in. It's basically a new and improved version of AirTunes, Apple's protocol for streaming music from iTunes to AirPort Express-connected speakers, but AirPlay expands things on several fronts: the type of media you can stream (videos and photos, in addition to music); the types of devices that can stream that media (iPads, iPhones, and iPod Touches) and the places to which that media can be streamed (Apple TVs and compatible third-party hardware, in addition to AirPort Expresseses).

How Will I Use It?

As anyone who has an Airport Express will attest, being able to beam media around the house wirelessly is awesome. And while AirPlay is, in essence, little more than Apple's own proprietary version of DLNA, in this case "Apple's own version" means that AirPlay is seamlessly stitched into the software of Apple's products and works in ways that DLNA can't. Here's how you'll use it.

• To play music from your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch over your AirPort Express-connected speakers.
This is a big one. Apple sells the AirPort Express for $100. Not too pricey but not all that cheap. I just bought a second, refurbished Express on eBay for $45. That's cheap—cheap enough, if you're willing to buy them second-hand, to have wireless music all over your house. Like even in the bathroom and stuff. Sweet.

Up until now, Apple's Remote app was pretty good for controlling that wireless music goodness from iPhones and iPads, but it required your main Mac to be turned on, serving music via iTunes somewhere in the house. With AirPlay, you're able to stream music directly from your iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. Take out your iPod ears when you're walking into your apartment and instead of stopping the song set it to greet you through your living room speakers as you walk in the door. Yes...entrance music.

• To send videos from your iPhone or iPad to your Apple TV-connected television.
The second-gen Apple TV, as Apple described it, seemed pretty lame. Movie rentals are neat (maybe?), but even for a relatively cheap $99 it seemed like this thing didn't really do anything. Until we found out about AirPlay. Not only can the Apple TV receive whatever videos you've bought from iTunes or managed to wrangle into your iPad or iPhone's fussy Video app, it can play any video that plays through iOS's native video player, including YouTubes, Vimeos, Vevos, and whatever else.

Now, I know I can play YouTube videos directly on my TV through Panasonic VIeraCast, and I think I could figure out a way to pipe them in through my XBox, but I never do! Because it's a pain in the ass! And while it might seem decadent (moreso, even, than $45 second-hand AirPort poop-tunes), I think you could make a case for AppleTV solely as a $99 big screen Vimeo watcher. Sure, the YouTube cat video pantheon might not really need the TV treatment, but I find myself watching beautifully-produced, longer-than-bite-sized stuff on sites like Vimeo all the time. To me, short documentaries like this and music videos like this are far more deserving of my big screen real estate than whatever Kardashian hijinks E! happens to be showing.

• Some very neat things in between.
What's very cool about AirPlay (and a little surprising, considering the sometimes-restrictive tendencies of the company behind it) is that it works in some useful but not-so-obvious ways you might not initially consider. Say you're in bed watching a video on your iPad. You can use AirPlay to stream just the audio to your Airport Express-connected stereo, affording you some extra boom over the iPad's tinny speakers but keeping the video right up close to your face on your tablet.

AirPlay Is Gonna Be Everywhere

While AirPort Express and Apple TV are a pretty affordable means to get your current speakers and screens AirPlay ready, Apple's also opened up AirPlay to third-party hardware, making way for stereos and picture frames and the like can receive media from your iPhone right out of the box.

Apple's already announced partnerships with companies like Denon, Marantz, Bowers & Wilkins, JBL, and iHome to create AirPlay-friendly gear, and you can bet that countless other companies will follow. These products will range from the swanky, expensive receiver in your home theater to the cheap iPod speakers you bought at the Apple Store, and they'll function just like normal—you'll just happen to be able to send music to them wirelessly, too.

So even if you're not racing out to get an Apple TV, AirPlay is poised to bring about a gadget world in which you'll be able to play more of the stuff you like in a lot more places.

What's in the Future For AirPlay?

With AirPlay, Apple's taking a big step into a rad future, one in which music and videos and photos exist on mobile devices but can be enjoyed through better speakers and bigger screens. But we're not all the way there by any means.

OS X is one weak link. Though iTunes is AirPlay-equipped, meaning you can send music and video in your iTunes library to AirPlay devices, I can't remember the last time I watched a video through iTunes. That means that on your Mac, YouTube, Vimeo, and the rest are still imprisoned in the browser. Hopefully this will change with the next version of OS X.

The idea of AirPlay outside of your house is also still a question mark. Joel looked forward to the possibility of effortlessly throwing photos from your iPhone onto your friend's Apple TV, though it's unclear exactly how easy it will be to do so. And of course there's still the fact that amidst all this wireless nirvana, the media still has to exist on your iPad or iPhone, synced with that pesky USB tether. So there's still that to look forward to, the day when all the music you're listening to and the videos you're watching, whether they're on the net, your Mac, your phone or your tablet, can be beamed around via AirPlay. But I'm pretty damn excited about what we've got in the meantime.

Screenshot credit: Electric Nicholas

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E-Paper To Be As Disposable As Normal Paper? [E-paper]

Well, as disposable as RECYCLING that paper is, anyway. (You do recycle, right?) University researchers have found a way to turn paper into e-paper—that is, the same electronic screen in a Kindle.

Professor Andrew Steckl, from the University of Cincinnati, successfully showed how electrowetting paper works in a similar manner to electrowetting glass. While e-paper is good for a few years at least (or however long it takes before you damage your Kindle), Steckl says this paper e-paper "is very cheap, very fast, full-color and at the end of the day or the end of the week, you could pitch it into the trash."

Obviously on a normal piece of paper, you can only store so much data—unless you're writing in pencil and are constantly erasing. This paper e-paper would contain as much information as a computer monitor, according to Steckl, but can be thrown out easily, with few environmental repercussions.

While I'm not too sure about that last claim, it's fascinating work that Steckl and his team has conducted in the field. Considering we've been getting all het up over just color e-paper in the past, Steckl's work should go far. [TG Daily via SlashGear]

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Nexaria BC2 router supports iPhone tethering for some reason (video)

Tethering a smartphone to get data on the go is a great way to stay online without lugging around a separate device. However, lugging around a separate device exclusively for the purpose of tethering your phone seems a bit less great, especially when that device must be plugged into a wall. Such is the Nexaria BC2, an 802.11b/g/n router that can be connected to compatible iPhones (namely the 3G, 3GS, and 4). Pop one in and, assuming you're paying AT&T the requisite extra $20 a month, it'll start beaming sweet, sweet internets out to all of your devices. Performance naturally depends on the strength of your signal, but getting a couple megabits down and one megabit up are entirely believable and respectable, though ping rates in the hundreds of milliseconds ensure you won't be racking up the headshots when connected thusly. It's yours for $189 right now if you're feeling the need.

Continue reading Nexaria BC2 router supports iPhone tethering for some reason (video)

Nexaria BC2 router supports iPhone tethering for some reason (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Delta's JFK terminal now home to 200 iPads, a few more enticing eateries

America can't say that it wasn't sniped by Malaysia Airlines when it comes to having iPads in the airport, but we'll take late over never any day of the week. New York's JFK airport is now home to 200 iPad tablets, all of which are located within Delta's terminal. They're being installed in cooperation with OTG Management, mostly in eateries -- "Croque Madame, a French restaurant at Gates 21 and 22 in Terminal 2; and Bar Brace, a casual Italian restaurant at Gate 15 in Terminal 3." As you'd expect, customers can order food from the iPad in order to have it delivered directly to them. It lacks that certain Sonic Drive-In appeal, but the ability to also use the iPad to check your email, have a look at the latest sports scores and attempt to jailbreak it for the next patron more than compensates. OTG doesn't plan to put a time limit on the usage here (you'll still need to make your connecting flight, remember?), and its hoping to engage in a similar installation over at LaGuardia in due time. No word on whether these things will censor any and all Google searches on "uncomfortable TSA pat-downs," though.

Delta's JFK terminal now home to 200 iPads, a few more enticing eateries originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 19:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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O-Bow repurposes a mouse sensor for artificial bow tracking

Here at the Engadget HQ we're very serious about articulating the noise and action of a bow when it comes to our synthesized string instruments, and the O-Bow looks like it could be the low cost solution we were dreaming of. (No, Smule Magic Fiddle doesn't count, it's a devil "instrument" and it lies). Hacker / musician Dylan Menzies has devised a method using the optical sensor from a mouse for tracking anything with a grained surface, like a wooden stick, and using it to make a single sample synthesizer "sing" like a real bowed instrument. Unfortunately, that single sample sounds pretty terrible right now, but Dylan is working on a more sophisticated method of modeling the instrument. Until then, we'll just have to resort to giving Smule dirty looks and messing around with our Korg joystick. There's a video after the break, but don't say we didn't warn you about that sample.

Continue reading O-Bow repurposes a mouse sensor for artificial bow tracking

O-Bow repurposes a mouse sensor for artificial bow tracking originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Nov 2010 22:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microvision's PicoP-based SHOWWX+ projector: twice as bright, zero percent larger

Still holding out on nabbing a pico projector? We know, we know -- you'll leap when there's 1080p. But if you're kosher with baby steps, Microvision's newest entrant might just fit the bill. The SHOWWX+ is a revamped version of the ouftit's original PicoP-based SHOWWX, and it seems that a full year in the engineering lab has enabled the company to pop out a device that's 50 percent brighter, yet the exact same size. The internal battery can keep the 15 laser lumens shining for two solid hours, and there's also a 5,000:1 native contrast ratio. iDevice users will be elated to know that this guy is a Made for iPod, iPhone and iPad product, enabling it to output Netflix content without any DRM issues (or so we're told). The native resolution still checks in at 848 x 480, and if all that sounds just peachy, you can get one headed your way today for $449. Head on past the break for Netflix and Rage HD demos.

Gallery: Microvision's PicoP-based SHOWWX+ projector

Continue reading Microvision's PicoP-based SHOWWX+ projector: twice as bright, zero percent larger

Microvision's PicoP-based SHOWWX+ projector: twice as bright, zero percent larger originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 04:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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MIT Femtosecond Laser Camera Shoots Pics Around Corners, No Periscope Required

To most of us, seeing what's around the corner before rounding the bend is known as premonition. For students and professors at MIT's Media Lab, it's called physics. The lab is working on a laser-based camera that can snap images around corners, imaging scenery that is beyond direct line of sight.

The camera works by incorporating complex computer algorithms with blasts from a femtosecond laser that issues ultra-short bursts of light lasting just one quadrillionth of a second. Those intense light bursts charge forward and illuminate a scene – even a scene around the corner from the source – sending photons bouncing around the area. Some of those photons make it back to the camera, which uses aforementioned complex computer mathematics to rebuild the scene around the corner, pixel by pixel.

Professor Ramesh Raskar, head of the Camera Culture group at MIT's Media Lab, equates the technology to X-ray vision, but instead of going through an obstacle the camera uses light to go around it. That could have some seriously handy applications in the arenas of defense, search and rescue, or machine vision. Rescuers could use the technology to map collapsed buildings to search for survivors or determine the safety situation inside, and robot cars could quickly map the area directly around a corner before it begins a turn to ensure it charts the proper path.

There's a bit more information via the Media Lab, but for more serious details check out this paper on transient imaging by one of the grad students involved with the project.

[MIT, TechRadar]

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Stuxnet Worm is a "Game Changer" for Global Cybersecurity, Top U.S. Official Tells Senate

The Stuxnet worm has generated plenty of commentary from computer industry experts and security pundits, but yesterday the U.S. government's senior cybersecurity expert at the Department of Homeland Security weighed in, calling the malicious program a "game changer" in cyber warfare. The head of the DHS's Cybersecurity Center, Sean McGurk, made the statement to the Senate Homeland Security Committee Wednesday.

We already knew Stuxnet was unprecedented, but it's what is unknown about it that makes it so unsettling. The code can enter systems undetected, steal information or alter processes, and basically live there causing a mess of things while the system appears to security software to be working properly. But authorities don't know where the Stuxnet worm came from, or what it was specifically designed to attack, McGurk told Senators.

That last part is debatable. While there is still a degree of uncertainty about Stuxnet's aims, cybersecurity firm Symantec released a report Friday saying that all evidence points to Iran as the target of the worm. "Stuxnet is a threat targeting a specific industrial control system likely in Iran, such as a gas pipeline or power plant," the report reads. "The ultimate goal of Stuxnet is to sabotage that facility by reprogramming programmable logic controllers (PLCs) to operate as the attackers intend them to, most likely out of their specified boundaries."

Symantec researchers were able to deduce this from the fact that Stuxnet requires specific industrial control systems from very specific vendors (one in Finalnd, the other in Tehran) to work, and more than 60 percent of infections have been reported in Iran (there have been approximately 44,000 unique infections reported; just 1,600 are in the United States). That has led to speculation that Stuxnet was designed to sabotage Tehran's controversial uranium enrichment program.

Still, global security experts appear co closer to pinpointing a source of the attack, which is a serious threat to systems that control infrastructure like power grids and pipelines around the globe. That's more than a little unsettling in a wired world. According to one cybersecuiry expert quoted by CNN, "we're not only susceptible, but we're not very well prepared."

[CNN, Symantec]

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Brilliant 10: Maurizio Porfiri, the Water Wizard

His research could lead to self-powered underwater vehicles that lead sea creatures away from manmade hazards

What does an engineer do when he needs insight? "I don't think," says Maurizio Porfiri. "I watch an insane amount of movies." He also tends listens to the Cure, devours novels, and tends to his tomatoes. That's not to say Porfiri is a slacker. He works across several fields to build underwater devices and puts in 12-hour days at the lab, but his best thoughts come to him while he's relaxing.

Consider his idea for biologically inspired robots that might influence animal behavior in nature. "If we borrow design from nature to build our robots, why not use the robots to assist nature?" says Porfiri, who is an assistant professor at the Polytechnic Institute of New York University. "Can we close the circle?" Maybe a robot fish could guide real fish away from power turbines or oil spills. Drawing on research that suggests that fish school by following the wake of other fish, Porfiri designed his robot to generate fishlike turbulence. An electric current from a battery makes a polymer in the tail expand and contract like muscles, producing an eerily natural-looking and silent movement. This spring, he put a biomimetic robot together with actual lab fish, which followed it about 25 percent of the time.

"As a kid I was always asking 'why this? why that?' until the family would get fed up," he says. That curiosity led him to a doctorate in theoretical and applied mechanics in his native Italy and, because he wanted to work over here, an American one in engineering mechanics. Then he fell into a postdoc working on algorithms to control autonomous submarines, and underwater applications became his life's work. The waters that cover about 70 percent of the Earth's surface are basically unexplored. But underwater vehicle systems lag behind their surface counterparts in power (solar can't be used in the deep) and communications systems (Wi-Fi doesn't exactly crank through 300 feet of liquid).

Porfiri's lab could close that gap. He's creating simple algorithms that could help underwater robots form into schools, he's been investigating polymers that harvest kinetic energy from water, and he's designing a new robot—a mammal-safe one, without external blades. If any of those things trip him up, he says, it will be time for a sixth viewing of Fargo.

See the rest of PopSci's Brilliant 10 for 2010.

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Best iPod Nano Watch Strap?

There are several other companies making watch straps for Apple’s latest iPod Nano but the NanoWatch is by far my favorite. The designers have been working feverishly since the Nano (6G) made its debut and although technically late in the game, I believed it paid off. The back of the strap is debossed to perfectly level the Nano’s built-in clip. It’s the only company I know of that makes their straps out of eco-friendly silicon – that’s no nickel or phthalater. It’s also the only company who makes silicon to perfectly match the Nano’s color range. Only €18.00.

Designer: Thomas Frederiksen (Buy it here)

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Yanko Design
Timeless Designs - Explore wonderful concepts from around the world!
Yanko Design Store - We are about more than just concepts. See what's hot at the YD Store!

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Awesome Screenshot Captures and Annotates Web Sites in Google Chrome [Video]

Chrome: Awesome Screenshot is a screen capture and annotation tool with text editing, drawing, and free image sharing—all accessible from the Google Chrome toolbar. More »

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How To Track Your Vehicle on the Cheap [Howto]

Lo-Jack schmojack. You don't need some spendy GPS unit and to keep tabs on that new Escalade. Uplinking your wheels to the great eye in the sky without breaking the bank is easier than you think.

Standalone GPS units can cost hundreds. And that's not counting the installation and (frequently hefty) activation and monthly fees associated with whatever service you do choose. For most of us, it's overkill. The good news is that if you happen to have a GPS-equipped phone lying around, you can rig your own vehicle tracking system for virtually nothing. Here's how it's done:

BURNER PHONE + FREE MAPPING = INSTANT TRACKING
What You'll Need
• A pre-paid phone with a data plan
• An InstaMapper account
• Access to, duh, the Web.
What It Costs
• About $30 for the phone and a little over $10 a month, depending on the cellular plan.
Optional Equipment
• 12V car adaptor (to keep your makeshift GPS unit juiced).

Here's How to Do It:

GET A PHONE
• If you already have an old handset (make sure it has GPS), skip directly to software installation bit.

• If you don't, head over to Boost Mobile and buy one. Don't worry, they're cheap. We recommend the Motorola i290—at $30, it's the cheapest burner you can get. (Other cheap iDEN phones are also available at Best Buy and Target.)

SET IT UP
• Regardless of which phone you select, make sure you turn on its Internet access (this is not a smartphone, and you have to manually activate that in the settings). Otherwise your phone won't be able to transmit data.
• Tweak the settings. Presumably, you're only going to use this for vehicle tracking, so you'll want to set the ringer volume to 0 and mute the keypad. No point in alerting thieves to the fact they're being tracked, right?
• Next step is choosing a tracking/mapping service. There's no shortage, but we likeInstaMapper because it's free, you can install it over the air (download this tool, and then grab this .zip file), and it's easy to use. AccuTracking is another alternative, but it'll cost you about $6/month.
• Launch that bad boy. On the i290, it'll be located under "Java Apps" and called "GPS Tracker." (Look for the satellite icon). Now enter the device id you got from your InstaMapper account and click "save". The phone will ask for your permission to access the GPS chip. (Select "yes.") When the status message changes from "Locating..." to "Tracking..." you're up and running. You should see the location of your phone on InstaMapper's website.

STASH IT
• The final step is the trickiest. For real 24/7 tracking, you'll need to hardwire the phone to your car's battery. This means getting intimate with the electrical system. If you're not comfortable doing that, ask someone who is...like a professional installer. If you are...proceed.
• You'll first want to pick up a Motorola car charger, like the Syn1630. Next, connect it to car's wiring with a 12V Accessory Outlet. The trick here is finding a 12V circuit in your car that's NOT always on—if you connect it to something that doesn't shut off when you power down your ride, you could drain the battery when the car is parked for a long time. We recommend the light in the glovebox—consult the wiring scheme for your car or ask your mechanic.
• Voila, the adapter will power on your phone automatically whenever you (or a thief) starts the car.
• Finally, you'll want to hide your little tracking device. Since you wired the thing into your glovebox, you might want to stash the phone in there. Now visit the InstaMapper site and track to your hearts delight.

See? It's not that hard. And now that you've saved as much as a grand by not springing for that Lo-Jack, go ahead and use the extra cash for something truly worthwhile, like, say, some nice 20-inch spinners.

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Splashtop Remote Desktop brings Windows PC access to your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

Oh, sure -- you've got a smorgasbord of virtual machine clients out there for the iDevice in your life, but you haven't had this one. Until today, of course. Splashtop (the former DeviceVM) has just unleashed its Remote Desktop app for iPhone, iPod touch and iPad, enabling users to funnel Windows PC content onto their handheld. The catch is an obvious one -- you'll need a WiFi connection to make the magic happen, though we're assuming you wouldn't even want to imagine how sluggish the process would be over 3G. The company claims that this app will let users "watch movies, listen to music, or access any other Windows files and programs, including full web browsers with Flash," and you'll need a WiFi-connected Win7, Vista or WinXP machine nearby to take advantage. We've got a feeling this won't work nearly as well as advertised (sorry, it's just the nature of tunneling / emulation), but those willing to take the plunge can tap into the App Store as we speak.

Continue reading Splashtop Remote Desktop brings Windows PC access to your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch

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Splashtop Remote Desktop brings Windows PC access to your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 06:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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