Wednesday, April 02, 2014

drag2share: This New, Flying Wind Turbine Is Also A WiFi Hotspot

source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/bxCoku2SYDs/altaeros-energies-wind-turbine-is-also-a-wifi-hotspot-2014-4

The invention could have a major impact in places like Alaska, with vast swaths of land that are off the grid, and without traditional sources of power and internet access.

The startup, Altaeros Energies, developed the BAT-Buoyant Airborne Turbine, which is filled with helium and can rise to 1,000 to 2,000 feet to generate power from strong, high-altitude winds. Because the turbines can access these high-altitude winds, they generate roughly double the energy of standard turbines.

In addition to generating lower-cost energy for remote areas, the turbines could serve as sources of internet connectivity and cellphone service. They'll also be able to provide weather data to communities.

The flying turbine transfers the energy through cables that tether it to the ground. This is what it looks like in action:

Wind turbine GIF

Altaeros hopes to deploy the new turbines near remote Alaska villages that are off the grid, according to the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. The company received a $1.3 million grant from the Alaska Energy Authority to test the turbine there.

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drag2share: Philips' New Clear LED Bulbs Look Just Like Incandescents

Source: http://gizmodo.com/philips-new-clear-led-bulbs-look-just-like-incandescen-1556835056

Philips' New Clear LED Bulbs Look Just Like Incandescents

Despite being more energy-efficient and longer lasting, consumers keep finding excuses for wanting to stick with ancient incandescent lightbulbs. But with clear glass and a special LED lens that looks like a traditional filament, Philips' latest LED bulbs might finally convince those afraid of change.

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drag2share: Meet Apple's 'SkyNet' - Multipeer Connectivity Framework

source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/8BEK5F5lQJE/mobile-insider-meet-apples-skynet--mozilla-board-shakeup--pebble-hits-target-shelves-2014-4

MEET APPLE'S 'SKYNET' – THE iOS 7 FEATURE THAT COULD 'CHANGE EVERYTHING'Apple's mundane-sounding Multipeer Connectivity Framework attracted little attention during its quiet rollout for iOS 7. But following the recent release of the quirky FireChat app, which uses the Framework to connect users who don't have direct access to Wi-Fi or a data connection, the feature's significant disruption potential is beginning to raise eyebrows.

The technology is called mesh networking. "It's going to change everything," Mike Elgan writes for Cult of Mac, comparing the technology's potential impact to "the Internet itself."

Here's how it works: Using the same inter-device connections that power Air Drop file transfers, Apple devices within range can connect to each other, acting as relay nodes in a device network running separately from the Internet. Apps like FireChat use the mesh network to relay data from device to device, until they find a device with Internet connectivity to bridge the gap.

"Apple is a leader here with its Multipeer Connectivity Framework," notes Elgan. "But it appears that Google is also going big with consumer-level mesh networking."

Eighty-five percent of Apple's mobile devices currently run iOS7.  (Cult of MacWired)

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drag2share: Hypnotizing joint animation requires another joint

Source: http://sploid.gizmodo.com/hypnotizing-joint-animation-requires-to-smoke-a-joint-1556492706/@caseychan

Hypnotizing joint animation requires another joint

What? Wait. What. Whaaaaaa... Magic! Wait, what? Wow!

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drag2share: 8 hours of airliners departing from Los Angeles in one single photo

Source: http://sploid.gizmodo.com/awesome-image-shows-8-hours-of-airplanes-departing-from-1556515164/@caseychan

8 hours of airliners departing from Los Angeles in one single photo

Los Angeles architectural photographer Mike Kelley posted this awesome image of almost all the departures and some of the arrivals at LAX during a period of eight hours last Sunday. You can buy the photo here if you want.

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drag2share: Computers Are Now Able to Teach Each Other Pac-Man, The End is Near

Source: http://gizmodo.com/computers-are-now-able-to-teach-each-other-pac-man-the-1556505099

Computers Are Now Able to Teach Each Other Pac-Man, The End is Near

Until now, humans have had one significant advantage over computers and robots: We meatbags were the only ones who could teach them how to function. Now, researchers at Washington State University have created computers that can teach other computers. And they're using Pac-Man to do it. Is nothing sacred?

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drag2share: Lenovo's latest budget Android tablets focus on high-quality audio

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/01/lenovo-tab-a-series-tablets/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

Lenovo Tab A8-50 tablet

If Samsung's new Galaxy Tabs aren't your cup of tea, Lenovo may have the budget tablets you're looking for. It just unveiled four entry-level Android slates that expand on the sound quality focus we saw in last year's models. The Tab A7-30, A7-50, A8 and A10 all have Dolby audio that should improve your small-screen movie experience. They also have "responsive" (if unnamed) quad-core processors, too. You're mostly choosing devices based on screen sizes. The A7-30 has a basic 7-inch display and optional cellular support, while the A7-50 jumps to HD and throws in a 2-megapixel front camera; move to the A8 and you'll get an 8-inch panel, while the A10 includes (you guessed it) a 10-inch display. Lenovo plans to ship the new Tab A-series worldwide in the second quarter of the year, with UK prices ranging from a frugal £100 ($166) for an A7-30 to a still quite affordable £170 ($283) for an A10. There's no mention of a US launch for the new A-series so far, but we've reached out for more details. We'll let you know if these starter tablets reach American shores.

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drag2share: Amazon delivery lockers now also accept returns

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/02/amazon-locker-returns/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

You're not the only one who's ever bought silly things from Amazon while drunk. Good thing Amazon has several return methods, the newest of which lets you send back that banana slicer through the company's strategically placed delivery lockers. According to The Wall Street Journal, the e-commerce giant will now let you return duds that way, so long as you get a drop-off code from its Online Returns Center first. You'll need that code to open a cabinet on the locker, where you can stick in a box (up to12x12x12 inches in size) that holds and conceals your embarrassing purchase.

The WSJ says this move could save Amazon some serious cash, as up to a third of online purchases are usually returned and shipping's one of the company's biggest expenses. After all, carriers can retrieve items and deliver new orders at the same time whenever they visit a location. Unfortunately for customers, Amazon charges the same amount for locker returns as it does for UPS drop offs. We imagine it's still a welcome development for folks who live or work near one of those lockers, though -- whatever makes it more convenient to send back that Borat mankini, right?

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drag2share: Samsung's Smart Home service ready to control new wave of TVs and appliances

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/02/samsung-smart-home-app-service-ready/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

Samsung has just taken a big step in its home automation plans by launching its Smart Home service in the US and Korea. That means you can now download an Android app that, in conjunction with Samsung's cloud service, will give you control over certain (crazy expensive) Samsung smart appliances. In the US, those include Samsung's T9000 Smart French Door refrigerator, the WF457 smart front loading washing machine, all 2014 Smart TVs and, later in the year, the Smart Bulb, Gear Fit and Smart Ovens. On top of an app for any Android 4.0 or later device, a Tizen app will soon arrive to Samsung's Galaxy Gear 2 smartwatch, as well. Once all that's installed and connected, you'll be able to fully contr! ol a was h cycle, check the temperature of the fridge or even say "good night" to the TV remote to shut down all connected devices. Samsung has promised that all of this is encrypted and secure, so let's hope that's the case -- all this is just the beginning of its "grand plan" to enhance your home.

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drag2share: People Use This App To Chat With Each Other Through A Hidden Feature In Apple's Software

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/firechat-app-uses-hidden-ios-7-feature-2014-4

FireChat — a new anonymous messaging app that has been download more than 100,000 times since it launched — uses one of the coolest features we've seen so far for people to talk to each other.

The app harnesses a feature in Apple's mobile software, iOS 7, called a Multipeer Connectivity Framework. This is found on all Apple devices and enables a direct connection to other devices over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi without the need of an Internet connection to act as an intermediary.

FireChat is a hybrid of Snapchat and Whisper: the app lets you send anonymous messages to a chat room filled with random people, but the messages are not stored anywhere and are quickly deleted when you close the app.

Anonymous chatting apps are big right now, even though some people think they might just be a fad. But more than just an anonymous chatting app, FireChat is actually a new way to chat, where people can connect regardless of whether they're connected to the Internet or cell service.

The app could come in handy if you're at a crowded concert where lines of communication are typically clogged. FireChat would let you quickly share photos and comments with the people around you without interference.

FireChat is an interesting app, but it's far from perfect. For now, the app is only available for iOS, but you can see what it looks like below:

The set up process is really easy. All you need to do is create a username. It can literally be anything.

How To Use Firechat

The app barely provides a demo. After you finish the setup process, you're immediately thrown into a chat room titled "Everyone." CNET writes that this part of the app randomly organizes 80 people from around the country into one room. The conversation moves fast, and you can literally talk about anything. The downside is you still need some form of data connection for it to work.

How To Use Firechat

Swipe over to the right to go into another chat room called "Nearby." This part of FireChat is supposed to enable more-personal conversations but only works within certain distances. If other people are on the app within around 100 feet, you can quickly jump into the room and start talking.

How To Use Firechat

SEE ALSO: If you're bored of regular TV, use this app to find something new to watch online

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drag2share: These Adorable Penguins Can Show You How Skype Is Trying To Revolutionize The Classroom

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/skype-in-the-classroom-2014-4

Penguin

Since Skype launched its education initiative, Skype in the Classroom, nearly three years ago, the community has really taken off. 

To date, the program has helped more than 80,000 teachers in 235 countries collaborate on more than 8,000 lessons taught over Skype. 

Teachers create profiles that list things like where they're located, the ages of their students, and the subjects they teach. Meanwhile, Skype has partnered with organizations like NASA, Penguin Books, SeaTrek.org, and Microsoft, who post upcoming Skype lessons for teachers to enroll in so they may take their students on free, virtual field trips.

With Earth Day on the horizon, Skype shared an adorable video of a class of UK students getting an interactive lesson about endangered penguins from Rifqah Taliep of The Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds.

The video encompasses the initiatives goal: To use technology to give students amazing, immersive educational experiences that they couldn't get from reading a textbook or watching a film. Instead of reading about endangered penguins, they can see them, while asking an expert questions, live. 

penguins2 

Without stepping outside the classroom, the students learn about real-world wildlife rehabilitation.

Penguin2

The idea is that learning about something by actually seeing and interacting with it, makes the topic more exciting and memorable for the students.

Penguins1

By registering for the Skype in the classroom community, teachers receive free Skype Group Video Calling for 12 months as a spec! ial bene fit of the program. 

Watch the full video here:

SEE ALSO: Oprah wants you to put down your smartphone and just say hello to someone instead

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Tuesday, April 01, 2014

drag2share: Airtame wireless screen-mirroring dongle shipping in October for $99

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/01/airtame-wireless-hdmi-dongle-shipping/

Airtame, the Danish startup that received our Best of CES 2014 award for its awesome wireless video dongle, has confirmed that it will be shipping its first lot to its beta users this month in July. Better yet, the device has since been upgraded from a single-core Freescale chip to a dual-core version, along with dual-band WiFi and hardware acceleration on all three PC platforms: Windows, Linux and Mac. Over 15,000 Airtame dongles have been pre-ordered so far, and these will start shipping in May or June October after some tweaking based on the beta feedback.

For those who aren't familiar with Airtame, this is an HDMI dongle that you plug into a monitor or TV. With the software installed on your PC, you can wirelessly mirror or extend your desktop to one or multiple remote screens equipped with the dongle. What's more, you can also choose to do so over your home network or over a direct WiFi connection (while somehow still maintaining your PC's internet connection). The team claims that the performance is superior to that of existing Miracast dongles and Chromecast, featuring a low 25 to 30ms latency that's good enough for gaming -- as we found out at CES. The Chromecast, on the other hand, has a one- to two-second delay (plus it's not really made for screen mirroring); and we've yet to come across a Miracast pairing that works reliably.

The Airtame dongle will eventually support smartphone and tablet video transmission, as the team received a lot of requests for a way to beam local content to the remote screen. However, app developers will need to use Airtame's SDK to enable this feature -- there will be supported apps at launch, and the dongle will also have its own browser that can be controlled from your mobile device.

In terms of retail availability, you can already pre-order the $99 Airtame dongle via the official website, or you can wait for its launch at select large, but unnamed retailers in the US, Canada, UK and Europe. Russia and some Asian countries will get the dongle later, as they require local safety certifications.

Update: We have been notified of a change in delivery date after this article went up, so we've updated the dates accordingly.

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drag2share: Samsung confirms thinner and lighter Galaxy Tab 4 tablet range

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/01/samsung-confirms-tab4-tablet-range-will-be-thinner-and-lighter/

Though the FCC already ruined the surprise, Samsung has just launched three new lower-tier Galaxy Tab 4 tablets. The series consists of the 7-inch Galaxy Tab 4 7.0, 8-inch Galaxy Tab 4 8.0 and -- wait for it -- the 10.1-inch Galaxy Tab 4 10.1. The design has changed substantially from the Galaxy Tab 3, instead following the lead of the Galaxy Tab Pro series with thinner bezels and less weight. Unlike the high end range, though, the Tab 4's specs are squarely aimed at the mainstream: a 1.2GHz quad-core CPU, 1,200 x 800 WXGA graphics, Android 4.4 KitKat, 1.5GB of RAM, 16GB of memory, a MicroSD slot and 3/1.3-megapixel front/back cameras on all models. All three will launch with LTE Cat 4 capability from the get-go, along with Samsung services like Link and WatchOn. They're set to arrive this quarter in black and white colors, with no pricing yet -- but we'd figure on around the same as last year's $300 Galaxy Tab3 8.0.

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drag2share: This quarter-sized chip platform could power future Android Wear devices

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/01/mips-ingenic-newton-android-wear/

While Intel has backtracked on its "Edison" chip size claims, another Android Wear partner is claiming that its system-on-chip is the size of the proverbial SD card. Imagination Technologies (MIPS) has just revealed the Newton platform based on its MIPS architecture, built by chip-making partner Ingenic. It uses Ingenic's power-sipping, Android-compatible 1GHz JZ4775 CPU (similar to that in the GEAK watch), to help it give smartwatches and other wearables 30 hours or more of battery life. A laundry list of other features is also baked in, like support for up to 3GB RAM, 720p video, WiFi, Bluetooth 4.0, NFC, MEMS sensors, health care sensors and USB support. Device makers can pick and choose those options thanks to the modular design, which also allows for rapid prototyping. In theory, that will help Android Wear hardware makers turn their designs into products more quickly -- and fulfill Google's ambitious product launch timetable.

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Source: MIPS

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drag2share: Google to focus on portrait shots and effects with improved camera app

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/04/01/google-new-android-camera-app/

We know that Google has been looking to bring more advanced photo features to Android for a while, but it may soon be ready to show off what it's been working on. Sources aware of Google's plans have confirmed to us that the search giant is currently testing a new version of its camera app that will sport a refreshed UI, a background-blurring effect for portrait shots, and improved panorama and Photo Sphere modes. As part of its overhaul, we're told that Google has finally fixed issues with the default camera's photo framing, allowing users to snap images with a new 100-percent no-crop viewfinder. That means you'll see exactly what your Android device will capture before you hit the shutter button, with no unwanted objects creeping in at the edges.

The company is also said to be making the camera app more extensible, by opening support for third-party filters. This will allow developers (and Android enthusiasts) to create and import custom effects inside the stock camera app. The camera app's portrait skills may see some improvements too, with the addition a new lens blur mode that will take photos with a shallower depth of field, mimicking the effects you'd typically see in Nokia's Refocus app and HTC's new One.! New hig h-resolution panorama and Photo Sphere modes have also been added, improving the quality of your sweeping shots.

While many are awaiting the release of Android 4.4.3, the latest version of KitKat, Google is set to make these camera improvements available to users by way of a standalone update. Our sources indicate that the app will exist separately so that non-Nexus owners running Android 4.4 and above will be able to take advantage of the improvements, without having to wait for an OTA update from their device maker or carrier.

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