Wednesday, February 16, 2011

IntoNow for iPhone [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5762497/intonow-for-iphone

Hot damn. It's like Shazam for your TV.

What is it?

IntoNow, Free, iPhone. Shazam for your TV. That pretty much sums it up. Basically everything that's been broadcast on TV in the last five years (on the top 130 stations or so, that is) has a unique soundprint that can ID the show. IntoNow listens for a few seconds, searches the soundprint database, and tells you which episode of which show you're watching (or which movie, if it's been broadcast in the last few years). Then it'll spit out a bunch of relevant links and give you options to broadcast what you're watching on Twitter, FB, etc. It even works on stuff you're watching on Hulu or episodes of TV you downloaded off the internet. Impressive!

Who's it good for?

People who watch a lot of TV, I guess? Or people who want a way to "check in" to that episode of Gilmore Girls they're watching.

Why's it better than alternatives?

As far as I know it's the only TV Shazam out there.

IntoNow for iPhone

How could it be even better?

Well, it's pretty amazing seeing it in action, and it works more or less flawlessly with the material it's intended to work with, but if you're not into announcing which shows you're watching to your friends, there's not a whole lot of use scenarios, I don't think? I guess if you're at the gym? Still very impressive.

IntoNow for iPhoneInto Now, iPhone | iTunes

We're always looking for cool apps—for iOS, Android, Windows Phone or whatever else—to feature as App of the Day. If you come across one you think we should take a look at, please let us know.

For more apps, check out our weekly app roundups for iPhone, iPad, and Android

Read More...

Glasses-Free 3D Classes Down the Metropolitan Opera [3D]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/#!5762346/glasses+free-3d-classes-down-the-metropolitan-opera

Glasses-Free 3D Classes Down the Metropolitan OperaThe biggest attention grabber at the Met's upcoming production of "Siegfried" won't be some Nordic diva. It's going to be the advanced 3D projections on a 45-ton set that will create an intricate forest scene. Better still: audiences own't have to dawn those geeky glasses:

For its visual sleight of hand, the 3-D technology being deployed at the Met will also interact with the movement of the set. The set uses a bank of projectors, motion-capture cameras and computers to fashion the images. The tilt on the stage allows for hundreds of different projections, changing in slivers of a second, at the different depths to help create, say, the color, shading and contour of a rock, or at least to convince the eye.

The imagery is rendered in realistic detail using fractals: fractured geometric shapes that keep iterating reduced-size copies of themselves according to mathematical formulas. When the fractals are programmed into the computerized light system, the result is a dense symphony of geometric detail, giving the illusion of three dimensions.

Exciting that they can do this! Whether they should, though, depends on just how how big a headache those fake rocks give you by the second act. [NY Times]

Read More...

Confirmed: Samsung will launch an 11.6-inch 9 Series laptop

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/confirmed-samsung-will-launch-an-11-6-inch-9-series-laptop/

We had a feeling the 11.6-inch version of Samsung's 9 Series laptop was the real deal when it popped up on Provantange's site yesterday, and the company just confirmed for us that it does in fact have a smaller model waiting in the wings. Sadly, our Samsung contact wouldn't confirm anything on the pricing front, but he did tell us that it will be available with a Core i3 processor. We didn't get any information on that rather interesting listed USB 3.0 port, either. Sure, we've still got a few question marks here, but hey, at least we know it's real.

Confirmed: Samsung will launch an 11.6-inch 9 Series laptop originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 14:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Dell's 2011 smartphone and tablet lineup leaked: Android Ice Cream, WP7 sliders, and a slate running Windows 8

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/dells-2011-smartphone-and-tablet-lineup-leaked-android-ice-cre/

Wrigley, Hancock, Millennium, Gallo, Sterling, Rosemount, Silver Oak, Peju and Opus One. What are we rattling off? Oh, just the list of codenames from one of the largest leaks we've ever seen out of Dell. WPCentral and Android Central got their hands on alleged smartphone and tablet roadmaps for the entire year, detailing the company's plans for devices running operating systems that have yet to be formally announced, including Android Ice Cream (yes, Ice Cream!) and Windows 8 as well as the tablet-friendly Honeycomb. Here's the full rundown.

Smartphones:
  • Things look pretty boring (and by boring, we mean beautifully curvy) until approximately mid-April of this year, when the Venue Pro gets some "additional features and enhancements" which we're pretty sure we can name.
  • Then, Q3 brings the Wrigley, what looks like a vertical QWERTY slider identifying itself as "Windows Phone 7 Next Gen," and sporting a 1GHz CPU, 4-inch 800 x 480 screen, and a 8 megapixel camera with 720p video recording. Nothing out of the ordinary, as far as we know.
  • By September, things should get very interesting as Android Ice Cream will apparently be out, and Dell's Hancock will scoop it onto a a 4-inch qHD screen with dual cameras, dual-core processing and 1080p recording.
  • Starting Q4, would-be Hancock buyers will have a dual-core multimedia slate alternative, as the Millennium drops the keyboard for a larger 4.3-inch screen and DLNA support (though the front-facing camera is limited to VGA resolution.)
Tablets:
  • Dell's Streak 10 won't keep us waiting for long: come April, the Gallo will reportedly be chomping away at some tasty Honeycomb. But that's not all -- Dell lists a handwriting update for the Gallo in October or thereabouts. There's also a Streak 7 update scheduled for July -- we imagine that's the point when Dell believes it can shoehorn Android 3.0 onto its older brother.
  • Meanwhile, Dell's 10-inch Windows 7 slate, internally known as Rosemount, is slated for June, with a 1366 x 768 resolution that should allow for native playback of 720p video.
  • We can't tell you what the Sterling is, but it's likely a mid-sized one, as it's slated to take over the Streak 7's duties in or about October with Android Honeycomb on board.
  • Finally, come CES 2012 in January, we now expect Dell to drop three new tablets at once: the Opus One and Silver Oak running Android Honeycomb, and the Peju with Windows 8. (The Streak 10 / Gallo will apparently soldier on.) Numbers on the left of the charge suggest that the Opus will be small, the Silver Oak mid-sized, and the Peju large.
As noted at the head of the slide, all details here are subject to change, but we're sure as heck a lot more confident that Dell plans to do something with all those tacky mockups. One more chart after the break!

Continue reading Dell's 2011 smartphone and tablet lineup leaked: Android Ice Cream, WP7 sliders, and a slate running Windows 8

Dell's 2011 smartphone and tablet lineup leaked: Android Ice Cream, WP7 sliders, and a slate running Windows 8 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 17:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAndroid Central (1), (2), WPCentral  | Email this | Comments

Read More...

Apple details call-related differences between CDMA and GSM iPhones

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/02/16/apple-details-call-related-differences-between-cdma-and-gsm-ipho/

The only thing conspicuously missing here are the differences that actually count.

Apple details call-related differences between CDMA and GSM iPhones originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Feb 2011 18:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink 9to5Mac, iLounge  |  sourceApple  | Email this | Comments

Read More...