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Wednesday, December 18, 2013

This Chromium experiment takes the URL out of the address bar, because why not?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/18/chromium-experiment-takes-the-url-out-of-the-omnibox/

Chromium, Google's open-source Chrome project, isn't for the average Joe (or Jane); it's for open-source fanatics. So today's two Chromium experiments, announced by Product Evangelist François Beaufort, should give that subset of users something curious and something useful to play with, in that order.

First up is a Chrome OS experiment that mixes up the traditional URL-in-omnibox setup by removing the host URL altogether and placing it within the toolbar, just off to the right side (as pictured above). You can still click on that "origin chip" to display the full URL, as well as permissions data, if you'd like, but the the omnibox will remain empty for -- we're not sure -- a cleaner search experience, perhaps? Again, the reasoning behind this odd switch up is unclear, but knowing Google, it likely has to do with reducing clutter in the user interface as much as possible.

The other, much more sensible experiment involves a bit of code that allows you to make any site of your choosing (presumably a favorite) into a Chrome App. The option, once enabled, will appear under Tools in Chrome's dropdown menu. All it requires is one click and you're done. And no, you wouldn't be wrong for thinking of this as a new way to bookmark sites... it is and it's simple to do.

Just hit up the source below to get cracking on this Chrome customization and that other, weird one if you're so inclined.

Filed under: Internet, Software, Google

Source: Francois Beaufort (G+), (2)

A Tiny Night Vision Camera That Lets Your Smartphone See In the Dark

Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-tiny-night-vision-camera-that-lets-your-smartphone-se-1485632462

A Tiny Night Vision Camera That Lets Your Smartphone See In the Dark

If you've tried any of the countless smartphone apps that promise to turn your phone's camera into night vision goggles, you already know they're all snake oil. If you really want your device to see in the dark, you need a more sensitive sensor and a healthy blast of invisible infrared light, which the Snooperscope delivers.

Glyph is a high-res wearable display headed to Kickstarter for $499

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/18/avegant-glyph/

We were sold on Avegant's retinal head-mounted display even when it looked like this, but the company's latest reveal has us throwing balls of cash at the screen. The consumer version will be branded as Glyph, and it's set to debut January 22nd on Kickstarter with a pre-order price of $499. Avegant had its previous-gen prototype on hand last month at Engadget Expand, and the refreshed version (pictured above) will be on display at CES -- it looks quite nice in the render, but this is a product you'll really need to see to believe.

The device will sport integrated noise-canceling headphones with a flip-down display, enabling the unit to double as a standard set of cans when you're not in the mood to consume super-sharp video content projected from the built-in virtual retinal display. We spent a few minutes with the final headphone design this week, and audio sounded great, but you'll have to hang tight until CES for a full hands-on with the refreshed version. For now, click through for our hands-on demo with the previous prototype, narrated by Avegant CEO Ed Tang.

Filed under: Displays, Household, Wearables

Vivo Xplay 3S unveiled with a 6-inch 2K display, powerful audio amp and fingerprint reader

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/18/vivo-xplay-3s-2k-display/

We came away rather impressed with the Vivo Xplay from China, so today's launch of its successor, the Xplay 3S (which is a bit odd as there was never an "Xplay 2"), is something that we've been looking forward to since the teaser way back in October. As mentioned before, this new Android phone is still the first to pack a 2K (2,560 x 1,440) display, which works out to be a ridiculously high 490ppi density on the 6-inch panel.

Like other recent Vivo phones, you'll find a pair of dedicated audio chips on the Xplay 3S -- here you have ESS Technology's ES9018 DAC and Texas Instruments' OPA2604 amplifier, both of which are said to be the crème de la crème in their respective categories. This should go nicely with the built-in DTS Headphone:X feature that brings 7.1 or even 11.1 surround sound effect to your stereo headphones; plus Vivo's video streaming service already hosts about 200 Headphone:X-capable movies (along with over 400 movies in 1080p and over 1,000 movies in 720p), with more to be added each month.

Other specs include a 2.3GHz quad-core Snapdragon 800, 3GB of RAM, 32GB of storage, a 3,200mAh battery plus support for both TD-LTE and FDD-LTE. This is all inside a 172g body with a 4.5mm-thick metallic bezel, though the phone is just a tad thicker towards the middle due to its curvature. The actual new bit this time round is the fingerprint reader on the back, which lets you unlock the device and sensitive documents.

Our only worry is that the f/1.8 13-megapixel camera -- which should be of decent quality -- is positioned rather close to the fingerprint scanner, meaning it's prone to smudges. On a related note, like many Chinese phones these days, the 5-megapixel front imager should keep the girls busy with its various beautification features. What's more, these settings can also be toggled by voice command now, but only if you don't mind shouting "make my face thinner" or "make my eyes bigger" in front of other people.

There are some nice goodies in the latest version of Vivo's Android ROM, which is now awkwardly dubbed Funtouch OS. The most notable one is Photo+, a video sharing app that takes advantage of augmented reality (as demonstrated in the above clip). Once your video is uploaded to the cloud, you can pick a video frame for printing or sharing digitally; and then using the same app, point the camera at the still to "animate" it with its assigned video clip.

In addition to the OS' gentle facelift, other cool new features include gesture assignment for contacts, mood-based music playlist, "air wake" gesture input to toggle apps, location-based reminders, City Show AR app (like Layar) to browse nearby offers, and a "timeline desktop" app that lists your photos and interaction with friends chronologically. One unfortunate thing here is that Vivo's new camera app looks all too similar to Nokia's offering, but it'll be interesting to see if the latter company can do anything about this in China.

Sadly, there's no info on when the Xplay 3S will be available for purchase. All we know is Chinese online store Tmall will be taking pre-orders soon, and there's no doubt that Vivo is pushing for a full launch before Chinese New Year (January 31st for 2014). The price is CN¥3,498 or about $580, and the company told us that it has big plans for the overseas market next year, so we shall keep an eye out for the Xplay 3S' next move.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Source: Vivo (Chinese)

Article: Famo.us shows the prettiest of 3D user interfaces for web-based mobile devices

Steve Newcomb, the chief executive of Famo.us, wants touchscreen user interfaces for mobile web apps to be beautiful with enhanced 3D graphics. He is releasing what he calls "jaw-dropping demos" today of what he has in mind for his platform technology, which takes advantage of the WebGL protocol....

http://venturebeat.com/2013/12/17/famo-us-shows-the-prettiest-of-3d-user-interfaces-for-web-based-mobile-devices/

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Article: LG G Pad 8.3 review

Google's just another carrier, or at least that's what it'll tell you. Just as Verizon and AT&T customize every device they sell, with apps and services and robotic ringtones, Google's selling its own flavor of some of the most popular devices on the market. It just so happens that Google Play Ed...

http://www.theverge.com/2013/12/17/5217498/lg-g-pad-8-3-review-google-play-edition

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Article: Monitors are so 2013: Apple scores patent for a ‘desk-free’ computer with smart laser projector

Imagine a Mac Mini that's completely wireless and can intelligently project a large image on a wall, instead of relying on an external monitor. It may sound like science fiction, but it actually may not be that far off. Apple today has received U.S. Patent No. 8,610,726, "Computer systems and met...

http://venturebeat.com/2013/12/17/monitors-are-so-2013-apple-scores-patent-for-a-desk-free-computer-with-smart-laser-projector/

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Article: How feds use one “seed” and 3 “hops” to spy on nearly everyone

The U.S. government has tried to reassure critics of its massive phone surveillance program by pointing to "minimization" procedures that are supposed to restrict spying to a handful of bad guys. Those reassurances now carry little credibility after a federal judge explained how the process actua...

http://gigaom.com/2013/12/17/how-feds-use-one-seed-and-3-hops-to-spy-on-nearly-everyone/

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Article: Stupeflix Launches Replay, An App To Quickly Stitch Your Photos Together Into Videos

Stupeflix, a startup that offers video tools to app developers, has launched a mobile app of its own called Replay. In many cases, when a developer-focused company launches an app, it's done as a proof-of-concept: "Hey, look what you could do with our technology!" In this case, however, co-founde...

http://techcrunch.com/2013/12/17/stupeflix-launches-replay-an-app-to-quickly-stitch-your-photos-together-into-videos/

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This Algorithm Can Make Pictures of Your Face More Memorable

Source: http://gizmodo.com/this-algorithm-can-make-pictures-of-your-face-more-memo-1485244465

This Algorithm Can Make Pictures of Your Face More Memorable

We all know somebody with one of those faces. You know, the friend who always gets mistaken for someone else. They say, "I know I remember you from somewhere!" But they don't. Turns out there's a science to this sort of thing—and it could make your face more memorable.

Relightable Dome creates interactive images where you control the light source

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/17/relightable-dome/

Stitching together a bunch of images to create a single picture is hardly a new concept. Panoramas are old hat, and Google is even using 360-degree photos to help guide your shopping decisions. But a team of students at NYU's Interactive Telecommunications Program, with the help of a few others, are taking a slightly different approach. The Relightable Dome, or Relightable Photobooth, uses Reflectance Transformation Imaging (RTI) technology which captures an object or person under a variety of lighting conditions then combine it into a single, interactive photo. Inside the box is a concave surface studded with 81 LED flashes. A custom microcontroller inside triggers each flash in sequence and a camera mounted at the rear captures an image at each stop. And, while the enclosure is custom, the camera doesn't need to be. At the back is simply a bracket that practically any shooter can be mounted on, though in this case it was a Canon DSLR. The pictures are then stitched together on a laptop using a piece of open source software and a special algorithm to create an interactive image where you control the light source. The whole process, from triggering the first flash to final file takes less than five minutes.

The effect is quite different than a 3D model where you manipulate the object. In fact, we can only describe it as dramatic. Museums were among the first to make use of the tech for capturing detailed imagery of stone inscriptions, textiles and manuscripts. Shifting the light source exposes subtle nuances in the texture and illuminates even the deepest crevices, without creating a sterile flat image. While the uses for retailers and museums are obvious, something even more stunning happens when you stick your face inside. By simply shifting the angle of the light source you can bring emotion to an otherwise expressionless face. A flash from a high corner may cast menacing shadows and create the illusion of a frown or scowl, while one closer to face and slightly beneath the mouth may make it appear as if you're smiling.

The project was partially inspired by Yang Jiang's background in photography, and her obsession with lighting and the way shadows can play with the perception of the human face. Along with Peiqi Su, Liu Jing and Liao Wei, she worked to create this project for ITP's Winter show, where it drew a lot of attention -- almost every time we walked by someone was crouched with their head inside. The next step is potential commercialization. Right now, the only way to view the files is either with a desktop RTI viewer, or through the web view on the Relightable website. Eventually the group plans to build an embedable widget for viewing the images, but for now you'll have to go to their site and upload images of your favorite Engadget editors directly.

Edgar Alvarez contributed to this report.

Filed under: Cameras

LG's 21.5-inch Chromebase all-in-one puts ChromeOS on the desktop

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/17/lg-chromebase-aio/

Besides Samsung's Chromebox series ChromeOS has appeared mostly on laptops, but now LG will put its new Chromebase up against Apple's iMac and Windows-based all-in-one desktop PCs. According to the spec sheet, that 21.5-inch 1080p IPS LCD hides an Intel Celeron CPU, 2GB of RAM and a 16GB SSD inside, along with an assortment of ports (including HDMI-in so you can use it as a monitor) in the back and on the sides. It won't compete with high-end PCs on horsepower or internal storage, but it's ready to play a part in Google's vision of network computers that run mostly web-based apps, are hassle free and require no real maintenance. We're not expecting to get Steam loaded on here, but when we're playing IT for relatives over the holiday something like this may seem like a better option. Without a pricetag it's hard to judge properly, so we'll look for that and more information -- including other devices that might use some of the Chrome-related trademarks that leaked in October --next month at CES.

Filed under: Desktops, HD, Google, LG

Source: LG

Opera Max beta compresses most of the data going through your Android device

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/17/opera-max-beta/

Opera's mobile browsers are quite popular because of their ability to compress data, but it's unfortunately been limited to just that -- the browser itself. This becomes less and less useful as smartphones continue to evolve, since our data usage patterns encompass so much more than just the simple browser: many of us are constantly streaming music, uploading and downloading images and apps, and so on. To lighten the hefty load we inflict on our monthly data allotments, Opera has launched a beta of its new Android app called Opera Max, which compresses most of the information that goes through your device -- websites, images, videos and many of your usual apps (Instagram and Vine immediately come to mind, but the possibilities are wide open).

Opera makes this happen by setting up a Virtual Private Network (VPN) that measures all of the data coming through your device. Data requests are then sent through Opera's servers, though the company tells us that it only measures how much data you use and how much you save -- in other words, it says your information is safe. There's no guarantee on how much data you'll save, but if you're a gulper like us, we suspect it'll be a significant amount. While the company hasn't specified how many beta testers are allowed, it does say that room is limited; if you're into the idea, you'll need to join its Google Plus Community, opt in to the beta and then download the app from the Play Store.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Google

Source: Opera

Real Racing 3 finally gives players a taste of live competition on iOS

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/18/real-racing-3-real-time-multiplayer-ios/

Real Racing 3's time-shift multiplayer mode was a great addition to the game, but the latest update for iOS makes playing with friends even better. Now, aside from being able to face the car ghosts of your friends' pasts to beat their records, four players can hit the virtual tracks for some real-time racing. As a nice plus, both the refreshed Android and the iOS apps now include playable digital counterparts of the McLaren P1 plug-in hybrid and the next-gen Lamborghini Veneno, though they cost a pretty (in-game) penny. If you're hankering to digitally drive certain BMW and Ford models, it may be best to look elsewhere -- otherwise, head over to iTunes where the game remains free to download and play.

Filed under: Misc, Mobile

Via: iMore

Source: iTunes, Firemonkeys (1), (2)

Tuesday, December 17, 2013

drag2share: Now iOS users can control Google Glass remotely with MyGlass companion app (update)

source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/17/google-glass-my-glass-apple-ios/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

For a while there, Google's Glass was really only for the Android population since the eyewear required compatible devices running the MyGlass app for activation and the full suite of features. Not so anymore, as the company's just released that companion app to Apple's App Store making it possible for iOS users to set up the device, manage contacts and Glassware apps, view texts, as well as remotely navigate with turn-by-turn directions right from their smartphones. You'll need to be running iOS 7, however, in order to run the app and take advantage of the screencasting possibilities. And before your itchy trigger finger hits download, heed Google's oft-repeated advice: "If you ! don't have Glass, then downloading this will be a waste of time." That's right from the mouth of Mountain View itself. Consider yourself warned.

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drag2share - drag and drop RSS news items on your email contacts to share (click SEE DEMO)

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