Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Wednesday, June 08, 2011

Kinect integration in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, hands-off (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/08/kinect-integration-in-ghost-recon-future-soldier-hands-off-vi/

Microsoft's E3 keynote may have exploded with deeper Kinect support, but nothing caught our eyes quite as sharply as Ghost Recon: Future Soldier's rifle-exploding Gunsmith demo. A Ubisoft representative showed us how it's done: separating your arms separates your deadly firearm into a gorgeous display of floating screws, components, and accessories, which can be effortlessly modified, swapped, and replaced with gesture and voice commands. Too picky to decide for yourself? Then don't: just tell Gunsmith what you're looking for. For instance, saying "Optimize for range" produces a weapon any sniper should be proud of -- even better, we found that commanding Gunsmith to "optimize for awesome" birthed a rifle (pictured above) sporting an underbarrel shotgun attachment. A gun attached to a gun? Yeah, that works. Weapons can be tested in Gunsmith's gesture-controlled firing range, an engaging shooting mode exclusive to the Gunsmith weapon editor and not usable in regular gameplay. Head past the break for a hands-on (figuratively speaking) video.

Continue reading Kinect integration in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, hands-off (video)

Kinect integration in Ghost Recon: Future Soldier, hands-off (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 07:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

IBM puts Watson's brains in Nintendo Wii U

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/07/ibm-puts-watsons-brains-in-nintendo-wii-u/

Nintendo's new console, the Wii U, was finally unveiled to the world today at E3 2011, and we got a glimpse of its graphical prowess at the company's keynote. Details were scarce about the IBM silicon Nintendo's new HD powerhouse was packing, but we did some digging to get a little more info. IBM tells us that within the Wii U there's a 45nm custom chip with "a lot" of embedded DRAM (shown above). It's a silicon on insulator design and packs the same processor technology found in Watson, the supercomputer that bested a couple of meatbags on Jeopardy awhile back. Unfortunately, IBM wouldn't give us the chip's clock speeds, but if it's good enough to smoke Ken Jennings on national TV, we imagine it'll do alright against its competition from Sony and Microsoft.

[Thanks, Sonny]

Continue reading IBM puts Watson's brains in Nintendo Wii U

IBM puts Watson's brains in Nintendo Wii U originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 14:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source

IBM | Email this | Comments

Acer unveils two new Aspire Ethos laptops for multimedia enthusiasts, street fighters

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/07/acer-unveils-two-new-aspire-ethos-laptops-for-multimedia-enthusi/

It's been more than a year since Acer first launched its Aspire Ethos line of laptops -- a family that got a bit bigger today, with the announcement of the 8951G and 5951G. These rambunctious little extroverts are powered by the latest generation of Intel's Core i processors, offering Turbo Boost speeds of up to 3.4GHz. Big bro 8951G boasts a 18.4-inch display that transmits images in Full HD, 1920 x 1080 resolution and 220-nit brightness, while spunky little 5951G struts around with a 15.6-inch HD 1366 x 768 screen of its own. They also support NVIDIA GeForce GT500 and DirectX 11 graphics and sport Dolby-approved surround sound, aluminum-magnesium alloy shells, glossy matte finishes and back-lit chiclet keyboards. Acer plans to unleash the pair sometime in mid-June, though they won't come for cheap, with prices starting at £1,000 (about $1,643). Aspiring owners can find more information in the full PR, after the break.

Continue reading Acer unveils two new Aspire Ethos laptops for multimedia enthusiasts, street fighters

Acer unveils two new Aspire Ethos laptops for multimedia enthusiasts, street fighters originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 07 Jun 2011 21:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Sony announces NEX-C3 and Alpha A35 cameras, new macro lens

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/08/sony-announces-nex-c3-and-alpha-a35-cameras-new-macro-lens/

We've been (impatiently) waiting for Sony to update its NEX line of digital cameras since the NEX-3 was discontinued earlier this year, and it looks like a worthy successor has finally been named. Announced today, the NEX-C3 appears identical to the model leaked in April, and uses the same format APS-C image sensor as its predecessor, bumping resolution to 16.2 megapixels in a camera body smaller than the NEX-5. Sony says the new entry-level cam is designed to fill the gap between point-and-shoot and DSLR cameras, and is the smallest body to pack an APS-C sensor, offering DSLR-level image quality -- the same 16.2 MP chip is also included in its new full-size Alpha A35, which replaces the A33. Both cameras can shoot at up to 5.5 fps (the A35 adds a 7 fps mode at 8.4 megapixels), and include 3-inch LCDs, with the NEX keeping its hallmark tilt display, and the A35 adding Sony's Translucent Mirror live-view mode, and an electronic viewfinder. We have plenty more to share, including a new lens and flash, along with pricing and availability for all, so jump past the break for the juicy details.

Gallery: Sony NEX-C3 and Alpha A35 Gallery

Continue reading Sony announces NEX-C3 and Alpha A35 cameras, new macro lens

Sony announces NEX-C3 and Alpha A35 cameras, new macro lens originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 00:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | | Email this | Comments

Samsung shows affection to CyanogenMod, gives its devs a free Galaxy S II

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/08/samsung-shows-affection-to-cyanogenmod-gives-its-devs-a-free-ga/

Let's see if we're grokking this: Samsung is not only telling the dev community it's okay to place custom ROMs on its flagship device, it's actually encouraging the practice by handing out free phones? Atinm, the developer responsible for prepping CyanogenMod on the Captivate and Vibrant, took to Twitter to praise the manufacturer for sending him a free Galaxy S II. From the looks of it, Samsung sent the phone to a select number of devs intent on building an official release of CM7 for the GSII. Unlocking bootloaders has already become the new fancy with manufacturers like HTC, Motorola, and Sony Ericsson jumping on the bandwagon, but this is the first time we've heard of a company doling out free devices to the custom ROM community. Does this mean that, instead of enforcing TouchWiz with an iron fist, Samsung is looking at how this practice could actually benefit consumers? We doubt this will be the case for all of the company's future Android phones, but wouldn't you love to live in a world where it was?

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Samsung shows affection to CyanogenMod, gives its devs a free Galaxy S II originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 02:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink

Android Central, PocketNow | source

Twitter | Email this | Comments

CHART OF THE DAY: Apple Just Pre-Announced Its Best Ever Quarter Of iPad Sales And Nobody Cares (AAPL)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-ipad-sales-2011-6

Buried in Apple's big WWDC keynote yesterday was the revelation that the company is on track to sell 8 million iPads for the 2011 June quarter.

That would be Apple's best quarter of iPad sales yet and a 74% jump over what it did just last quarter. It would also beat analyst estimates for iPad units which were around 6.5 million-7 million.

And yet, no one seems to care. Apple's stock is actually down 1% for the day. Maybe investors are spooked by seeing a rail thin Steve Jobs, or they're disappointed about the lack of a new iPhone.

chart of the day ipad sales

For the latest tech news, visit SAI: Silicon Alley Insider. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.

Join the conversation about this story »

See Also:

Tuesday, June 07, 2011

eWise Raises $14 Million For Online Payments Technology

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/07/ewise-raises-14-million-for-online-payments-technology/

Online payments company eWise has raised $14 million in new funding led by Wellington Partners with Balderton Capital, TTV Capital,, and Patagorang participating in the round. This brings eWise’s total funding to over $26 million.

eWise develops a payments technology, called Secure Vault Payment, that allows users to automatically deduct a payment from their bank account without disclosing their personal information to online businesses. Payments are processed via a login and password to the bank’s site.

eWise expects that this payments technology could reach 400 million uses within 5 years. Clients include Citibank and First Direct (part of HSBC) in the UK, Ping An in China, Westpac in Australia and USBank in the U.S. The company plans to use the funding to expand further to the U.S. as well as for the development of a new mobile payments technology.

CrunchBase Information

eWise

Information provided by CrunchBase

Social Lending Marketplace Prosper Raises $17.2M From Eric Schmidt, DFJ, Others

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/07/social-lending-marketplace-prosper-raises-17-2m-from-eric-schmidt-dfj-others/

Prosper.com, a social lending marketplace that connects borrowers with individual and institutional investors, this morning announced that it has raised $17.2 million in funding from new investors Draper Fisher Jurvetson and Crosslink Capital.

Existing investors Accel Partners, CompuCredit, Omidyar Network, Eric Schmidt’s TomorrowVentures and Volition Capital also participated in the round.

Prosper also announced that Tim Draper, founder and managing director of DFJ, and Jerome Contro, general partner and COO of Crosslink Capital, will join the company’s board of directors.

According to its website, Prosper’s peer-to-peer lending marketplace currently boasts more than 1,080,000 members and over $236,000,000 in funded loans.

Prosper has raised close to $75 million to date. Its closest competitor, Lending Club, has secured $52.7 million in venture capital.

CrunchBase Information

Prosper

Information provided by CrunchBase

Juniper: NFC Payments To Reach $50 Billion Worldwide By 2014

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/06/07/juniper-nfc-payments-to-reach-50-billion-worldwide-by-2014/

We know Google has made a big bet on near field communications (NFC) as a payments system with the launch of Google Wallet, but does the technology have the potential to be the future of how money is transacted? Juniper Research seems to think so. The company is releasing a new report that forecasts that global NFC mobile contactless payment transactions will reach nearly $50 billion worldwide by 2014.

Juniper says that NFC is steadily gaining traction, and because of the latest rollout of the technology both in the U.S. and outside the U.S., 2011 and 2012 are expected to be “banner years for NFC service rollouts.”

For background, NFC enables people to make transactions, exchange digital content and connect electronic devices with a simple touch. As we’ve seen with Google, Android phones such as the Nexus S are being built with NFC chips, making your cell phone a mobile wallet. It’s unclear if Apple will add NFC technology to the iPhone 5.

Of course, NFC has gained traction in international markets before the U.S. Orange Mobile is using the technology, and Starbucks is set to sign on to use the technology to enable payments in the U.K.

Juniper says that in the next 18 months, we will see implementations of the technology in up to 20 countries. In fact, Juniper is forecasting that North America and Western Europe together will exceed the Far East region in under three years based on transaction value. North America and Western Europe will account for 50% of NFC payments market by value in 2014.

As we’ve written in the past, there are a number of barriers that could prevent NFC technology from becoming a mainstream technology, so it’s not a sure thing that NFC will reach the sort of scale that Juniper is forecasting.

Photo via MacRumors

Tesla Model S is almost production-ready, does photo shoot to prove it

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/07/tesla-model-s-is-almost-production-ready-does-photo-shoot-to/

You're looking at an unlikely picture: two Tesla EVs on the same street. The Silicon Valley carmaker is hoping to become more mainstream, however, when it releases its Model S sedan next year to complement the exuberantly expensive Roadster 2.5. Tesla has just released photos of the latest, nearly production-ready build of the Model S to whet our appetites. The shots reveal a couple of sleek cosmetic changes to the front bumper and body panels, but mainly we're just happy to see the S rolling on schedule. Oh yes, and there's another glimpse of the 17-inch infotainment console, which Auto Evolution now reports will be accompanied by built-in 3G. Sounds dandy, but that $57,400 starting price had better include a data plan. Man, who are we kidding?

[Thanks, Lucian]