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Tuesday, August 09, 2011

Microsoft's KinectFusion research project offers real-time 3D reconstruction, wild AR possibilities

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/09/microsofts-kinectfusion-research-project-offers-real-time-3d-re/

It's a little shocking to think about the impact that Microsoft's Kinect camera has had on the gaming industry at large, let alone the 3D modeling industry. Here at SIGGRAPH 2011, we attended a KinectFusion research talk hosted by Microsoft, where a fascinating new look at real-time 3D reconstruction was detailed. To better appreciate what's happening here, we'd actually encourage you to hop back and have a gander at our hands-on with PrimeSense's raw motion sensing hardware from GDC 2010 -- for those who've forgotten, that very hardware was finally outed as the guts behind what consumers simply know as "Kinect." The breakthrough wasn't in how it allowed gamers to control common software titles sans a joystick -- the breakthrough was the price. The Kinect took 3D sensing to the mainstream, and moreover, allowed researchers to pick up a commodity product and go absolutely nuts. Turns out, that's precisely what a smattering of highly intelligent blokes in the UK have done, and they've built a new method for reconstructing 3D scenes (read: real-life) in real-time by using a simple Xbox 360 peripheral.

The actual technobabble ran deep -- not shocking given the academic nature of the conference -- but the demos shown were nothing short of jaw-dropping. There's no question that this methodology could be used to spark the next generation of gaming interaction and augmented reality, taking a user's surroundings and making it a live part of the experience. Moreover, game design could be significantly impacted, with live scenes able to be acted out and stored in real-time rather than having to build something frame by frame within an application. According to the presenter, the tech that's been created here can "extract surface geometry in real-time," right down to the millimeter level. Of course, the Kinect's camera and abilities are relatively limited when it comes to resolution; you won't be building 1080p scenes with a $150 camera, but as CPUs and GPUs become more powerful, there's nothing stopping this from scaling with the future. Have a peek at the links below if you're interested in diving deeper -- don't be shocked if you can't find the exit, though.

Gallery: Microsoft's KinectFusion research project at SIGGRAPH 2011

Microsoft's KinectFusion research project offers real-time 3D reconstruction, wild AR possibilities originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 14:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Plug-in Prius pulling into American driveways in February or March of 2012

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/09/plug-in-prius-pulling-into-american-driveways-in-february-or-mar/

Plug-in Prius

Good new PHV fans, the plug-in Prius you've been promised should start pulling into American driveways in February or March of 2012 -- at least according to a startup date chart at Donlen. The fleet management firm claims initial orders will be taken on November 10th of this year, with the vehicle scheduled to into production in January. An Autoblog tipster also claims to have some rather vague details about trim and color options, as well as its estimated MSRP, which should be below $30,000. Now we've just got to figure out how many extension cords it'll take to reach from our apartment window to the street below.

Plug-in Prius pulling into American driveways in February or March of 2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 15:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How Did Jay-Z and Kanye Keep the Biggest Album of the Year from Leaking? [Music]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5829033/how-did-jay+z-and-kanye-keep-the-biggest-album-of-the-year-from-leaking

Kanye and Jay-Z, rap's Zeus and Athena, have finally released their buzz-flinging collaboration, Watch the Throne. And it's pretty good! But more impressively, unlike virtually every single album ever these days, it didn't leak online first. How'd they do that?

By exploiting tech to the fullest—both ignoring and embracing it to their advantage, XXL reports. The news that Watch the Throne would debut on iTunes weeks before smaller (physical) outlets pissed off these smaller (physical) outlets. They were getting snubbed on one of the most hyped musical releases in quite some time. But everyone knows that CDs are the reason albums leak online—the process of stamping and shipping out the discs provides an ocean of time for unscrupulous employees to pilfer and rip unreleased music.

So screw discs, said Ye and Jay. Eschewing CDs for AACs might have angered the retail establishment, but it guaranteed their full control over the music. Nobody had access to those files but them, and because they recorded the entire thing together in person, no verses or beats were ever exchanged via email, making hacking or any other online interception out of the question. And we know Kanye doesn't take kindly to hackers, after he flipped out when an unfinished track of his was put online last fall. Whether it was resultant paranoia, or just a new indifference toward physical media (Jay-Z would be shrewd enough for this!), Watch the Throne beat the hackers. Now all they have to worry about is the reviews. [XXL via NY Mag]

Photo: Daniel Boczarski/Getty

You can keep up with Sam Biddle, the author of this post, on Twitter, Facebook, or Google+.

BlackBerry's Site Hacked After RIM Vows to Help Bring BBM-Using Rioters to Justice [BlackBerry]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5829077/blackberrys-site-hacked-after-rim-vows-to-help-bring-bbm+using-rioters-to-justice

There's been talk over how the UK rioters have been using BBM as a means to organize the troublemaking that's plagued London and UK cities the last three nights. In an act of retaliation, RIM's Inside BlackBerry blog's been hacked.

Calling themselves "TeaMp0isoN," the hackers claim they did it because they opposed RIM helping the UK policeforce to identify rioters using their BBM messaging service, writing in a statement to RIM that:

"You Will _NOT_ assist the UK Police because if u do innocent members of the public who were at the wrong place at the wrong time and owned a blackberry will get charged for no reason at all, the Police are looking to arrest as many people as possible to save themselves from embarrassment…. if you do assist the police by giving them chat logs, gps locations, customer information & access to peoples BlackBerryMessengers you will regret it, we have access to your database which includes your employees information; e.g – Addresses, Names, Phone Numbers etc. – now if u assist the police, we _WILL_ make this information public and pass it onto rioters…. do you really want a bunch of angry youths on your employees doorsteps? Think about it…. and don't think that the police will protect your employees, the police can't protect themselves let alone protect others….. if you make the wrong choice your database will be made public, save yourself the embarrassment and make the right choice. don't be a puppet..

p.s – we do not condone in innocent people being attacked in these riots nor do we condone in small businesses being looted, but we are all for the rioters that are engaging in attacks on the police and government…. and before anyone says "the blackberry employees are innocent" no they are not! They are the ones that would be assisting the police."

While other social networking sites such as Twitter and Facebook have been used to either help organize riots or merely gloat over their looted goodies, RIM has received much of the blame. This could be attributed to the fact that BBM messages are free and private to send—or simply because 37 per cent of 16 - 24 year olds in the UK own a BlackBerry, according to Ofcom. [Inside BlackBerry via TNW via Techmeme]

Hey Maybe This Samsung Galaxy II Celox 4G Won't Feel Like Crap [Android Phones]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5829108/hey-maybe-this-samsung-galaxy-ii-celox-4g-wont-feel-like-crap

We like the Samsung Galaxy II a lot. Hell, we think it's what your next Android phone will look like. But one thing that's terrible? The overwhelming sucktitude of its plastic. Hopefully this Galaxy II Celox will be different.

IT Tong has released an image of the currently unannounced Galaxy II Celox 4G LTE (4.5-inch screen, 16GB, 8 megapixel camera, 2 megapixel front facing camera) and it looks—if one were optimistic and hopeful that Samsung could make good phone hardware—to have slightly better materials than before. At least, the bezel looks a little better, right? RIGHT?! Ah, who am I kidding, it probably won't feel any better. But 4G LTE sounds awesome! It's expected to hit Europe first. [IT Tong via BGR]

Chromium's experimental touch UI demoed on video, made for meaty fingers

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/08/chromiums-experimental-touch-ui-demoed-on-video-made-for-meaty/

Chromium Tablet UI

Google was pretty adamant at I/O that Chrome OS would not be coming tablets, but that hasn't stopped its open-source cousin from adding some touch friendly features. Chromium (the browser, not the OS) got its first tablet tweaks back in June, but this is the first time we're seeing them on video. While the larger icons, widgets, and virtual keyboard, may eventually make their way onto the rumored Seaboard, there's no guarantee these (obviously still early) experiments will ever debut as part of Chrome OS or even the browser. Check out the video after the break for a brief glimpse of this work in progress and, if you're feeling adventurous, hit up the more coverage link to download the latest source code -- just make sure to compile with 'export GYP_DEFINES="touchui=1"' to unlock the finger-friendly face of Chromium.

Continue reading Chromium's experimental touch UI demoed on video, made for meaty fingers

Chromium's experimental touch UI demoed on video, made for meaty fingers originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 19:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vision Research's Phantom v1210 and v1610 do slow motion in style (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/08/vision-researchs-phantom-v1210-and-v1610-do-slow-motion-in-styl/

No matter how fast that piece of Jell-O landed on the floor, you'll be able to review the journey in all its slow motion glory with the newly announced Phantom v1610 and v1210 cameras. Vision Research is calling the latest entries in the Phantom line the "world's fastest one megapixel digital high-speed cameras." The v1210 is capable of capturing 12,000 fps to 16,000 fps, with its higher end buddy the v1610 capturing between 650,000 fps and one million fps, if you sacrifice resolution. Shooting 1280 x 800 widescreen images (at regular speed), the v1210 boasts 12GB, 24GB, or 48GB of segmented memory, while the v1610 can hold 24GB, 48GB, or 96GB of segmented memory. Other features include an image-based auto-trigger, ethernet port, SMPTE & IRIG timecode, genlock, 28 micron pixel size, 12-bit depth pixel depth standard, and an HD-SDI output. No word on pricing, but if you have a budget like NFL Films, let the epic sports montages and Truffle Shuffling commence. Check out some slow motion footage captured on the Phantom HD Gold after the break.

Update: pricing starts around a cool $100,000.

Continue reading Vision Research's Phantom v1210 and v1610 do slow motion in style (video)

Vision Research's Phantom v1210 and v1610 do slow motion in style (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Vizio tablet now shipping nationwide, priced at $300

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/08/vizio-tablet-now-shipping-nationwide-priced-at-300/

Well friends, if you've been waiting to get your hands on the 8-inch Vizio tab (and don't live near a Costco), your time has come. The company announced today that its slate has begun shipping to retailers nationwide including Sam's, Walmart and Amazon. The Android tablet is now priced at $299, a $30 drop from our last retail sighting -- and just in time to entice those of you heading back to school in search of a new piece of tech to play with during that history lecture. Or perhaps you just want to kick it like Blake Griffin... don't worry, we won't judge you. Besides, what else do you need for your dorm room other than an integrated universal remote to queue up all those Lord of the Rings marathons?

Continue reading Vizio tablet now shipping nationwide, priced at $300

Vizio tablet now shipping nationwide, priced at $300 originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 22:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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NVIDIA's Project Maximus takes multi-GPU mainstream, 'Virtual Graphics' takes it to the cloud

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/08/nvidias-project-maximus-takes-multi-gpu-mainstream-virtual-gr/

NVIDIA just wrapped up an intimate press briefing here at SIGGRAPH 2011, where -- amongst other things -- it officially took the wraps off of two major initiatives. Project Maximus and Virtual Graphics are the two main topics of conversation here, and while both are obviously targeting working professionals at the moment, there's no question that a trickle-down effect is already on the company's mind. With Maximus, the outfit plans to stop recommending bigger GPUs to pros, and start recommending "a light Quadro GPU and as large a Tesla as you can get in the system." The overriding goal here is to make multi-GPU technology entirely more accessible; to date, it hasn't exactly been easy to get a finely tuned multi-GPU setup to the masses, but it sounds like a good deal of future flexibility (it'll be "nearly infinitely scalable") aims to change that. Just imagine: dynamic coupling and decoupling of GPUs depending on user load, at a far more detailed level within the application...

Update: Regarding that Tesla bit, NVIDIA clarified with this: "What we're saying is for applications that are light on graphics / don't place a heavy demand on graphics, but more so a heavy demand on computational tasks, users will have an option to choose an entry- or mid-level Quadro card for graphics functions, such as the Quadro 600 or Quadro 2000. For certain applications, better performance is achieved by adding a Tesla companion processor, as opposed to scaling up the primary Quadro graphics. Users still require as much graphics as possible."

Gallery: NVIDIA's Project Maximus and Project Monterey revealing at SIGGRAPH 2011

Continue reading NVIDIA's Project Maximus takes multi-GPU mainstream, 'Virtual Graphics' takes it to the cloud

NVIDIA's Project Maximus takes multi-GPU mainstream, 'Virtual Graphics' takes it to the cloud originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 08 Aug 2011 23:15:00 EDT.! Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Leakster names Sprint's latest: Samsung Epic 4G Touch, HTC EVO Design 4G, and Motorola Admiral

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/09/leakster-names-sprints-latest-samsung-epic-4g-touch-htc-evo-d/

We love starting the week with a good leak, and thanks to an anonymous tipster, we're swimming in a flood of juicy names. First, it appears the Samsung Within is getting a new alias, and without delaying your anticipation, let us re-introduce you to Sprint's upcoming Galaxy S II handset: the Epic 4G Touch. As the moniker suggests, the QWERTY keyboard is likely sliding away, though lovers of physical buttons might find solace with the mysterious Epic 2. If your ideal smartphone combines qHD resolution with HTC Sense -- and eschews the 3D display and dual-core CPU -- the Kingdom is one step closer to reality, and it'll be known as the EVO Design 4G. Finally, a new Motorola will arrive at the Now Network, and it's been christened the Admiral. Unlike its peers, it's lacking the "4G" nomenclature, meaning it's avoiding the upper echelons of Sprint's stable... and hopefully sporting longer battery life, too.

[Thanks, anonymous]

Leakster names Sprint's latest: Samsung Epic 4G Touch, HTC EVO Design 4G, and Motorola Admiral originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 00:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Light Blue Optics touch interface pico projector passes through the FCC

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/09/light-blue-optics-touch-interface-pico-projector-passes-through/

Last time we saw Light Blue Optics' Light Touch, it was deep in the bowels of CES, where we got to play with its touch-sensitive projections. Well, the little laser pico projector has finally made its way from that dark trade show corner into the bright lights of the FCC. It still turns any flat area into a WVGA touchscreen using holographic laser projection (HLP) and infrared sensors, only now it's more finger friendly and supports multi-touch gestures. It also has a 3.5mm headphone jack and a single mono speaker so you aren't surface computing in silence, and there are composite video and micro-USB ports for pulling content from other devices. Of course, the Light Touch still only projects a 10.1-inch image, so it won't be turning your wall into a touchscreen. But, it should do just fine turning a tray table, desk, or perhaps even the nearest person planking into one.

Light Blue Optics touch interface pico projector passes through the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 02:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy S II LTE phone surfaces in Korea, codenamed Celox?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/09/samsung-galaxy-s-ii-lte-phone-surfaces-in-korea-codenamed-celox/

There's a new Samsung Galaxy S II rumor circulating the web today -- this time, it's emanating from South Korea, where specs and images of an LTE smartphone, reportedly codenamed "Celox," have just surfaced. According to its listing, the phone is powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon APQ8060 processor, sports a 4.5-inch WVGA Super AMOLED Plus display, and boasts 16GB of internal memory, with a microSD slot offering an extra 32GB. The phone also runs on Gingerbread, rocks a 1750mAh battery (compared to the smaller Galaxy S II's 1650mAH cell), offers 800MHz LTE support (at up to 50Mbps upstream, 100Mbps downstream) and features an 8MP rear-facing camera, along with a 2MP sensor up front. It all seems pretty similar to that Hercules handset we recently spotted, except for its noticeably different home button, protruding back, and LED flash. No word yet on if or when the handset will hit the market, but considering that both Verizon and AT&T support 700MHz LTE, this particular model may be destined for Europe's 800MHz networks, rather than the US. We'll be sure to bring you all the details as soon as they pour in.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Samsung Galaxy S II LTE phone surfaces in Korea, codenamed Celox? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 04:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Sammy Hub | source

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Acer's Aspire 3951 leaks with MacBook Air-like specs, available in October?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/09/acers-aspire-3951-leaks-with-macbook-air-like-specs-available/

It looks like Acer may be dropping down to the lightweight laptop division, now that images of its so-called Aspire 3951 have leaked out of Vietnam. An ostensible rival to the recently refreshed MacBook Air, the 13.3-inch 3951 reportedly boasts a similarly slim design, measuring 13mm thick and weighing less than 1.4 kilograms (about three pounds). According to Sohoa, the aluminum-cased device is powered by a second generation Intel Core processor, features an optional 160GB SSD, and offers more than six hours of battery life, along with Bluetooth 4.0 support. Much like the Air, this Aspire can purportedly boot up pretty fast, as well, rousing from sleep mode in just 1.7 seconds. It's rumored that Acer will release this new line in October within the curiously affordable price range between $770 and $960, but we'll have to wait and see whether that actually comes to fruition. In the meantime, you can check out an extra image of the Aspire 3951 below, or hit the source link for the full collection.

[Thanks, @tranquochuyvn]

Update: Oddly enough, it appears that we've caught a glimpse of this exact same laptop before, except it was portrayed by M.I.C. Gadget as a Thunderbolt MacBook Air leak. Perhaps the folks received some bad intel, be it intentional or not.

Continue reading Acer's Aspire 3951 leaks with MacBook Air-like specs, available in October?

Acer's Aspire 3951 leaks with MacBook Air-like specs, available in October? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 07:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft Touch Mouse to take center stage at UIST Student Innovation Contest

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/09/microsoft-touch-mouse-to-take-center-stage-at-uist-student-innov/

It's August, and that can only mean three things: vacations, back to school shopping, and another UIST Student Innovation Contest. Taking center stage this year is Microsoft's Touch Mouse -- a multitouch gesture-based peripheral that we first saw earlier this year. UIST contestants will have to come up with cool new ways to interact with the mouse, with the winning innovator receiving $1500, and $500 going to the runner-up (trophies are apparently involved, as well). All entries will be demoed on October 17th in Santa Barbara, and the winners will be announced on the following day. Hit the source link for information on registration, or squeeze past the break for a video from UIST chair Kayur Patel, along with a clip on the Touch Mouse.

Continue reading Microsoft Touch Mouse to take center stage at UIST Student Innovation Contest

Microsoft Touch Mouse to take center stage at UIST Student Innovation Contest originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 07:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Perceptive Pixel unveils an 82-inch multi-touch LCD, TV news anchors overcome by giddy hands

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/09/perceptive-pixel-unveils-an-82-inch-multi-touch-lcd-tv-news-anc/

Perceptive Pixel has been no stranger to massive multi-touch screens ever since it got over being so Frustrated. At this year's SIGGRAPH the company is showing off a whopping 82-inch projected capacitive LCD -- and you thought MondoPad was huge. Apparently, the "slim" 6-inch deep, optically bonded display is "the world's largest" of its type, although Perceptive does make an 88-inch DLP model if you need a bit more real estate. On-screen content is displayed in 1080p HD resolution at 120Hz, and with an unlimited multi-touch response time of less than 1ms, it's ready for all the situations Wolf Blitzer's digits can handle. We'll hopefully be checking it out on the show floor, but for now you'll find more details past the break.

Continue reading Perceptive Pixel unveils an 82-inch multi-touch LCD, TV news anchors overcome by giddy hands

Perceptive Pixel unveils an 82-inch multi-touch LCD, TV news anchors overcome by giddy hands originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cablevision's Optimum app hits 2.0, brings cable TV streaming to iPhone, iPod Touch

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/09/cablevisions-optimum-app-hits-2-0-brings-cable-tv-streaming-to/

Cablevision took a major step into the future back in April when it opened up its full channel lineup for viewing on the tablet with Optimum for iPad, and now it's bringing that experience to other iOS devices. The new app, simply called Optimum, runs alongside the original and works on iPhones or iPod Touches, bringing the same controversial ability to stream live TV or play back video on-demand -- provided the viewer is still at home. That tether to your service address takes most of the shine off of viewing on mobile devices, but we won't argue too much about adding extra screens for no additional charge. The iPhone app launches at versino 2.0, sharing features with the newly updated iPad app including the ability to work as a remote control for the cable box and schedule DVR recordings remotely. Hit the source link below to grab either app from iTunes or check out the press release after the break.

Continue reading Cablevision's Optimum app hits 2.0, brings cable TV streaming to iPhone, iPod Touch

Cablevision's Optimum app hits 2.0, brings cable TV streaming to iPhone, iPod Touch originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 10:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD intros Radeon-branded RAM, gives gamers that coordinated component look

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/08/09/amd-intros-radeon-branded-ram-gives-gamers-that-coordinated-com/

Have an inexplicable lust for all things AMD? Better sit down for this one folks, as your favorite chip company is back, this time peddling Radeon-branded RAM in exchange for your hard earned dough. Tested to the "highest industry" standards, the DDR3 modules will be available in three SKUs: the entry-level "Entertainment" sticks (clocked at 1333MHz), followed by speedier "Ultra Pro" (1666MHz) and an "Enterprise" RAM of an unknown speed. Akiba PC Online! spotted 2GB modules of the lowest tier chilling in Japan for a cool ¥1570 (around $20 stateside), as-well as a US product page (which we've kindly linked below). Small price to pay for memory to match your graphics card -- brand loyalty's a beautiful thing, right guys?

AMD intros Radeon-branded RAM, gives gamers that coordinated component look originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Aug 2011 06:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Monday, August 08, 2011

Whatâs the Fastest Web Browser in the âReal World?â Chrome.

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/08/whats-the-fastest-web-browser-in-the-real-world-chrome/

Compuware’s benchmarks division, Gomez, has just released new data from a website measurement project whose goal was to determine what the fastest web browser is in the “real world” of desktop users. The project only measured load times of users on broadband connections.

The data, collected over a one-month time frame, captured the results of 1.86 billion individual measurements on over 200 websites. The results of the test? No surprise here – the winner is Google Chrome.

In the chart below, you can see the page load time (blue) is lowest (3.433 seconds) for Chrome 12, ~~the latest release of~~ Google’s Web browser. Update: Chrome 13 is the latest release, as of last week.

On the high end is Apple’s Safari 4 (6.149 seconds) and IE 7 (6.006 seconds), neither of which are the curent versions.

The second metric, perceived render time (green), refers to the amount of time it takes for the visible portion of the page to load in the browser. Again, Chrome did well here (2.374 seconds), but in this case, Firefox 5 did better (2.18 seconds).

To be clear, Gomez doesn’t test browser speed capabilities in a lab environment, it measures real-world performance – that is, a measurement of how the population actually experiences web browser performance. Traditionally, this data has been used by businesses that want to test their web applications after deployment.

As a Google Chrome user myself, these findings back up what I already believed regarding Chrome’s performance – that thing is fast! However, it also makes me think that Firefox 5 may be worth a second look.

More data from this report will be released at a later date, Compuware says.

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COMPUWARE

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Compuware Corporation is a recognized industry leader in enterprise software and IT services that help maximize the value of technology investments. They offer a set of integrated solutions for...

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YC-Funded Snapjoy Will Organize Your Photos For You (And Make Sure You Donât Lose Them)

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/08/yc-funded-snapjoy-will-organize-your-photos-for-you-and-make-sure-you-dont-lose-them/

As an intelligent TechCrunch reader with the gift of foresight, you’ve probably backed up your hard drive — and all of the precious photos locked inside — to at least one cloud service, just in case the unthinkable happens and you lose both your computer and your local backup.

But you’re unusual. Many of your friends probably haven’t backed up their photos at all, which means they’re one crashed drive away from losing those memories forever. And even if that drive doesn’t crash, their photos are likely buried in several layers of folders where they’re gathering a thick coat of digital dust.

Snapjoy, a Y Combinator-funded startup that’s launching today, wants to fix that: they’re offering to keep your photos backed up and organized automatically. And they’re taking on the likes of Flickr, iPhoto, and Picasa as they hope to become your go-to app for photo management.

The web-based service, which launches today to the public, looks nice — you can try a live demo right here. After uploading some photos (a process which Snapjoy says is significantly faster than some competitors) the app categorizes your photos for you, using metadata to try to intelligently place the correct photos in each album.

Unfortunately the service doesn’t pay attention to any albums you’ve already created using apps like iPhoto, which could frustrate some users. But Cofounder Michael Dwan says that most users typically sort their photos into albums that are similar to the ones Snapjoy creates (arranged primarily by date) — or they haven’t created albums at all, in which case Snapjoy is a big improvement. Another nifty feature: if you upload the same photo multiple times (which is easy to do if your photos aren’t very organized), Snapjoy will ignore the duplicates.

If you’re on a Mac you can download Shoebox, a native client that makes it easy to drag and drop photos to automatically upload them to the service (it will also detect when you’ve inserted an SD card, so you can quickly upload new photos). Dwan says that the company has more native applications in the works, including an uploader for Windows and an iPad app.

By default, everything uploaded to Snapjoy is private — the site is looking to become the repository for all of your photos, after all. But you can still share photos with select groups of friends, and if you grant permission, a friend can actually copy one of your photos into their own Snapjoy album (a feature that will come in handy when you’ve, say, gone on a trip with some friends). Down the line Dwan says that the site will add more social network functionality for those who want it (like Facebook integration), but it will still keep the default private.

Of course, Snapjoy is still a nascent two-person startup, and there’s no way of knowing whether it’ll be around in a few years — which is key if you’re using it for backup purposes. Dwan says that the company knows it still has to prove itself, and that users will also be able to download full archives of their photos (at the resolution they were originally uploaded them) whenever they’d like.

The service is initially free of charge for everyone. In the near future it will begin charging for users that upload a lot of photos (more than a few gigs), though it will be inexpensive, on the order of a few dollars per month.

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Airbnb Rolls Out 24/7 Phone Support, Additional Safety Features

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/08/airbnb-rolls-out-247-phone-support-additional-safety-features/

Less than two weeks ago, red-hot startup Airbnb got rocked by a wave of negative press after one of its guests blogged about the traumatizing experience of coming home to her apartment to find it utterly wrecked by a guest.

Airbnb’s initial response was lackluster at best. But after a couple of false starts, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky wrote an unconditional apology that reaffirmed that the company understood the concerns and was going to do everything it could to make things right. He promised a $50,000 insurance guarantee for hosts, as well as additional safety features that were on the way. And a week after that apology, we’re seeing the fruits of their efforts.

Today Airbnb has announced a new 24-hour support hotline, giving users a safety net in case something goes wrong. The logistics and personnel required to staff the line would have been too costly for a scrappy startup, but the extremely well-funded company can afford it, and this will do a lot to help reassure customers.

Another important new feature to help boost safety is VoiceConnect, which now allows hosts to call potential guests to do a quick screen, without revealing their phone numbers. This works a bit like Google Voice — you initiate the call using the web interface, then immediately get a phone call from Airbnb, which routes you to the potential guest’s line. Calls are recorded by Airbnb for security purposes.

Next is an improved references system. This has been around for a while (as ‘recommendations’), but Airbnb now has better integration with Facebook that makes it easier for users to build up their reputation even before they’ve received reviews from other Airbnb users. And that’s important, because the service is young enough that many users are trying it out for the first time. Another addition: there are now video profiles — currently for hosts only — that let hosts create a video that’s shared as part of their listing.

These launches come on the heels of a series of other safety features that have rolled out over the course of the last week. These include member verification (you can validate your profile by connecting it to third-party services like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn) and an integrated ‘photobooth’ feature that makes it easier for members to take a snapshot of themselves (and gives them less of an excuse not to have one).

Finally, in a blog post on August 5, Airbnb announced that it was using a tool on its new safety site that allows the community to vote on the changes it wants most. Less than five days after releasing that tool, Airbnb implemented the top two requests: it now allows hosts to mandate that all potential guests have a profile photo, and hosts can now decline reservations without that impacting where their space will appear in search results. The post explains that while it’s been possible to decline reservations before now, your results ranking would be negatively impacted if you rejected a reservation.

Get Ready For A Photo App Explosion With iOS 5

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/08/filter-this/

At this point, it’s already clear that the iPhone has become the camera many people use on a daily basis. The iPhone 4 is now by far the most popular camera on Flickr (and that’s true even though it’s being undercounted — likely drastically). And apps like Instagram, Hipstamatic, and Camera+ are exploding in usage, despite being iPhone-only. But some upcoming changes in iOS 5 point to an even brighter future for the iPhone as a camera. We’re likely to see an explosion of photo apps as a result.

Specifically, iOS 5 will include Core Image. This was previously announced at WWDC, but the current beta builds going around now point in the direction of what this should mean. With the latest beta (version 5), a ton of effects have been added. Last week, BGR posted the iOS 5 beta 5 changelog. Among the bullet points:

Several filters have been added since beta 1. The current list now includes the following filters: CIAdditionCompositing, CIAffineTransform, CICheckerboardGenerator, CIColorBlendMode, CIColorBurnBlendMode, CIColorControls, CIColorCube, CIColorDodgeBlendMode, CIColorInvert,CIColorMatrix, CIColorMonochrome, CIConstantColorGenerator, CICrop, CIDarkenBlendMode, CIDifferenceBlendMode, CIExclusionBlendMode, CIExposureAdjust, CIFalseColor, CIGammaAdjust,CIGaussianGradient, CIHardLightBlendMode, CIHighlightShadowAdjust, CIHueAdjust, CIHueBlendMode, CILightenBlendMode, CILinearGradient, CILuminosityBlendMode,CIMaximumCompositing, CIMinimumCompositing, CIMultiplyBlendMode, CIMultiplyCompositing, CIOverlayBlendMode, CIRadialGradient, CISaturationBlendMode, CIScreenBlendMode,CISepiaTone, CISoftLightBlendMode, CISourceAtopCompositing, CISourceInCompositing, CISourceOutCompositing, CISourceOverCompositing, CIStraightenFilter, CIStripesGenerator,CITemperatureAndTint, CIToneCurve, CIVibrance, CIVignette, and CIWhitePointAdjust.

“CI” obviously stands for “Core Image” and the part after that explains what many of the effects mean and/or do. All iOS 5 developers will now have access to many of these advanced tools. Simply put, it should make image/photo processing much simpler to implement and execute.

Previously, developers had to use the weaker Core Graphics to manipulate images on the iPhone. Or they had to jerry-rig their own solutions to tap into something like OpenGL for more powerful functionality. While filters may seem like a simple feature, they’re not easy to create from scratch. iOS 5 will now give developers built-in options and a base so they no longer have to create from scratch.

These Core Image options will also significantly speed up image processing for many of the apps out there already using some filters. The reason is that it gives developers easier access to OpenGL, which is what developers currently use for things like video game graphic rendering — it’s significantly more powerful than Core Graphics, but harder to access.

Does the mean the end of Instagram, Path, Camera+ and the like? No, those guys will likely continue to operate on the more advanced end of the spectrum. Camera+’s “Clarity” filter, for example, is likely far beyond what iOS 5 will offer out of the box. But it will be another step towards the commoditization of filters as a whole. If an app has camera functionality, many more will now likely include them because, why not?

You’ll also likely see more apps that focus on video as a result of these additions to iOS. And there should be many more that focus on “crazy” photo effects.

Of course, the next iPhone itself may have an even bigger impact in the space. Rumored to have an 8 megapixel camera with a new sensor, the device will also likely be much faster when it comes to processing power. Combine this with the changes in iOS 5 and we’re likely going to see another leap forward in mobile photography.

And don’t forget the largest player in the photo space, Facebook. Work continues on their next app geared more towards photography. Meanwhile, Google appears to be attacking the space from a number of angles. And support for Tweeting pictures will now be fully baked into iOS itself.

Crunchbase

APPLE

Company:
APPLE

Website:
http://www.apple.com

Launch Date:
1/4/1976

IPO:
1980, NASDAQ:AAPL

Started by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak, and Ronald Wayne, Apple has expanded from computers to consumer electronics over the last 30 years, officially changing their name from Apple Computer,...

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Down Goes The Internetâ¦ Again. Amazon EC2 Outage Takes Down Foursquare, Instagram, Quora, Reddit, Etc

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/08/amazon-ec2-outage/

Screen Shot 2011-08-08 at 7.47.36 PM

Are you trying to use the web right now? Just stop. It’s largely broken.

As indicated by about 20 tips in the last few minutes and pretty much all of Twitter, Amazon’s EC2 service appears to be down. That means services like Reddit, Heroku, Foursquare, Instagram, Fab, Quora, Turntable.fm, Netflix and many, many others are down.

If this sounds familiar, it’s because it just happened this past April. So far, it looks like the outage has been going on for about 30 minutes.

Update: It looks like the outage may be isolated to EAST-1, so not all of EC2. Still, all of the companies above and hundreds of others are clearly affected right now.

Update 2: And after roughly 40 minutes of downtime, the Internet appears to be coming back online. Amazon’s status site confirms that it’s being resolved.

Follow @davetufts@davetufts
Dave Tufts

Amazon EC2 us-east: also downgraded by S&P

28 minutes ago via webReply RetweetFavorite

Follow @shervin@shervin
Shervin Pishevar

AWSh….

21 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhoneReply RetweetFavorite

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Instagram

Hey everyone – we're experiencing major problems with our hosting provider right now. We're doing our best to investigate. Updates soon

33 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhoneReply RetweetFavorite

Follow @harryh@harryh

ec2 east appears 100% down

26 minutes ago via webReply RetweetFavorite

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Martin May

EC2 East down = forkly down

24 minutes ago via webReply RetweetFavorite

Follow @wesleybarrow@wesleybarrow
Wesley Barrow

First the market, then AWS. Is the sun gonna rise tomorrow?

18 minutes ago via Twitter for iPhoneReply RetweetFavorite

Follow @Yobongo@Yobongo

We are experiencing some unexpected downtime due to Amazon EC2. Will update as soon as things are back to normal.

27 minutes ago via Twitter for MacReply RetweetFavorite

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Andrew

Update on AWS status page, "We are investigating connectivity issues for EC2 in the US-EAST-1 region." status.aws.amazon.com #Amazon

24 minutes ago via webReply RetweetFavorite

Move Windows Around Quickly Using Your Keyboard in Windows 7 [Video]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5828453/move-windows-around-quickly-using-your-keyboard-in-windows-7

Windows 7: One of the best features of Windows 7 is its keyboard support for moving and arranging application windows. Press the Win key and an arrow key to easily dock windows side-by-side, maximize them, minimize them, and move them to another monitor.

These are the killer shortcuts for manipulating the active window:

Win+Left arrow: Snap to the left half of the screen
Win+RIght arrow: Snap to the right half of the screen
Win+Up arrow: Maximize the window
Win+Down arrow: Minimize/Restore if it's maximized

If you have more than one monitor:

Win+Shift+Left arrow: Move window to the monitor on the left
Win+Shift+Right arrow: Move window to the monitor on the right

I use the Win+Left arrow and Win+Right arrow all the time on Windows, for comparing documents side-by-side or just keeping the browser open for reference while writing in another window. I'd go so far as to say the Win+arrow key shortcuts are a pretty good reason to upgrade to Windows 7 if you haven't already. (Not using Windows 7? In Windows Vista and XP, you can tile windows with the Ctrl key and right-clicking. For Mac users, there are several apps to get this Windows-like shortcut; I'm using free ShiftIt.)

You can follow or contact Melanie Pinola, the author of this post, on Twitter.

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