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Friday, July 08, 2011

Listen and Watch How the Sounds of Transformers 3 Were Made [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5819429/listen-and-watch-how-the-sounds-of-transformers-3-was-made

Soundworks Collection has a great little feature on a very big movie called Transformers 3. Heard of it? Sure! In this video you get to see how the movie's sound effects were made using dry ice, electric guitars and more.

We already know the creative sound methods used in Transformers 3: Dark of the Moon (like tigers with emphysema) but in the video above you get to see the sound artists actually at work. Their passion for the project and getting it right bleeds through, they examine every detail of every possible sound everywhere. Dry ice melting on metal is freaky, they used it. Spending days on an electric guitar is painstaking, they did it. It's always awesome to see behind the scenes of movie making magic. [SoundWorks Collection]

Remains of the Day: YouTube Launches New Redesign Entitled "Cosmic Panda" [For What Its Worth]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5819182/remains-of-the-day-youtube-launches-new-redesign-entitled-cosmic-panda

YouTube tries out new, sleek, redesign; Apple promises to fix .pdf loophole for jailbreaking; Gizmodo takes a look at what exactly goes into a "Social Media Background Check."

YouTube launches new experimental redesign, "Cosmic Panda": [YouTube] via [Mashable]
Kindle users with New York Times subscriptions now have free access to NYT Online: [New York Times] via [mocoNews]
Apple to patch latest jailbreak hole in upcoming software update: [MacRumors]
Chrome extension allows users to add Facebook events to Google Calendars: [Chrome Web Store] via [Addictive Tips]
Paypal to buy Zong, will allow for purchases through paid through cellphone bills: [PayPal Blog] via [MacWorld]
The inner workings of a social media background check: [Gizmodo]

The bizarre mathematical conundrum of Ulam's Spiral [Maths]

Source: http://io9.com/5819325/the-bizarre-mathematical-conundrum-of-ulams-spiral

If there's anything we learn from math teachers and the Da Vinci Code, it's that prime numbers are magic. They can do anything, and be anywhere. Including a doodle on a math paper.

In the 1960s, a gentleman known as Stanislaw Ulam was making his way through a miserable meeting by doodling on a piece of paper. Unlike most of us, who only manage to do 3D cubes and obscene drawings of people we don't like, Ulam tried filling his paper with math. And he discovered something very strange. Ulam drew a '1' at the center of his paper. Directly to the right of the one he drew a '2.' Above the two he drew '3', and continued spiralling the numbers outwards toward from the one. When he was done filling up the page, he decided to circle all the prime numbers - the numbers divisible only by one and themselves.

The bizarre mathematical conundrum of Ulam's Spiral
What he found was a lot of diagonal lines. They crisscrossed the paper, sometimes in short bursts and other times in long strings. While there are plenty of singularities and outliers, a large plot of the primes on Ulam's Spiral shows a remarkable density of diagonals. Further plotting with computers show that these diagonals appear even when the numbers get high, and even when the spiral doesn't originate with the number one. Change the spiral from one that's plotted on a grid to one that's plotted on a circular spiral, and the lines will change direction, but they'll still be there. Plot it on the hexagon - more lines.

It's things like this that make prime numbers so eery. They keep showing up in nature, in important functions, and in pure mathematical play. (I think they're the ghosts of ancient Greek numerals.)

Someone Thought It Was Clever Combining Instagram With Color [Apps]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5819324/someone-thought-it-was-clever-combining-instagram-with-color

Far from being lukewarm, Instacolor takes the best bits of Instagram and combines them with the location-specific guidelines of the unpopular Color, helping you find other photo-sharers in your proximity, in real time. Out now, it costs $1. [iTunes via TechCrunch]

Apple Patent Shows Visual Content Sharing Between iPad and iPhone [Patents]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5819338/apple-patent-shows-visual-content-sharing-between-ipad-and-iphone

From the looks of things, Apple has been working on a content sharing feature between iOS devices, much like HP is doing on WebOS with the TouchPad and Pre 3. But taking things one step further, they've animated it all.

According to Patently Apple, Apple is working on a method of sharing files, contacts, webpages, etc., that is activated by gestures which are metaphoric in nature. The prime example here, is "pouring" files from your iPhone to your iPad.

Example: A Pouring Motion

Apple's patent FIG. 1B illustrates an iPhone (device 110) in motion relative to the iPad (device 120). Here, the user has rotated their iPhone above the iPad's interface (122) in a manner similar to tipping a glass of water. This angular motion can be detected by one or more onboard motion sensors.

As shown in FIG. 1B, detached objects 114a-114d could be animated to simulate the effect of gravity by "sliding" toward the lowermost portion of interface 112 as device 110 is rotated. The animation of the objects creates the appearance that the objects have mass and are reacting to forces of a real world, physical environment. In FIG. 1C, we see that the iPad could interpret the rotation of the iPhone as a pouring motion as an indication of the user's intent to transfer the files represented by selected objects 114a-114d.

Upon determining that the user of the iPhone intends to transfer the files, the iPhone (device 110) determines if the iPad (device 120) is present and available to receive the files. After a link is established between the two devices by Bluetooth or RFID and authenticated, the iPhone could request that the iPad accept a file transfer.

Other physics based examples include floating objects, friction, repelling forces, and a vacuum-like effect that would come from something like an Apple TV. And this all sounds entertaining, but maybe a bit over the top. Can't I just tap my two devices together and call it a day? [Patently Apple]

This Solid-State Camera Fits on the Head of a Pin and Can Dive Into Your Skull [Monster Machines]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5819033/this-solid+state-camera-fits-on-the-head-of-a-pin

Image quality isn't the only measure of a camera's functionality. The PFCA, developed by a Cornell Postdoc, has only a 20-pixel resolution but its size and construction will allow it to go where few cameras have been before.

The Planar Fourier Capture Array (PFCA) is constructed from a single piece of doped silicon and lack either a lens or any moving parts. It measures just 1/100th of a millimeter thick and only a half millimeter on each side—thinner than a human hair. Its dim 20-pixel-wide images are captured using advanced mathematical Fourier Transformations. Basically, the PFCA doesn't record images as a whole. Instead, each pixel records one component of the image by measuring the individual incident angles within it. This disparate data is then patched together by a computer into a unified image. "It's not going to be a camera with which people take family portraits, but there are a lot of applications out there that require just a little bit of dim vision," states Gill.

Nothing on the PFCA requires off-chip manufacturing, which results in an incredibly simple, small, and light miniature camera that costs pennies to produce. Similar-sized cameras with moving parts are more expensive by a factor of ten! This allows the camera to be, say, implanted in your skull to image neurons or used by satellites to measure the angle of the Sun or even help tiny robots to navigate a landscape.

[BoingBoing - TruthDrive - NewTec]

Monster Machines is all about the most exceptional machines in the world, from massive gadgets of destruction to tiny machines of precision, and everything in between.

"Halp, I'm Stuck In My PC!" And Other Fun Transparent-Gadget Hacks [Photography]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5819383/halp-im-stuck-in-my-pc-and-other-fun-transparent+gadget-hacks

I know, I know—another weekend stretches before us, a weekend full of twiddling thumbs and watching paint dry before work begins yet again on Monday. So why not make your gadgets transparent? Seriously. Photojojo has a great tutorial, which works on computers, laptops, iPads, TVs...[Photojojo]

Samsung's Q2 profit drops 26 percent due to sluggish TV sales, demand for phones explodes

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/07/samsungs-q2-profit-drops-26-percent-due-to-sluggish-tv-sales-d/

You may or may not have noticed, but we're once again in the thick of earnings season, and today Samsung's in the hot seat. The company has reported that its second-quarter profit fell 26 percent year-over-year to 3.7 trillion won ($3.5 billion), largely thanks to underwhelming sales of flat screen TVs and, to a lesser extent, semiconductors. That's a shade worse than the whiz kids over on Wall Street were expecting, according to Bloomberg. In fact, the demand for televisions was so disappointing that it overshadowed what was actually an impressive quarter for the outfit's mobile division -- sales of feature and smartphones quadrupled year-over-year to 19.2 million units, putting the company on track to further narrow the gap with Nokia, the world's bestselling handset maker. All told, this balanced out to a modest growth in revenue -- an uptick of 2.9 percent to 39 trillion won ($36.7 billion).

Samsung's Q2 profit drops 26 percent due to sluggish TV sales, demand for phones explodes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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WiFi Xoom sheds $100, could stand to lose a few more Benjamins

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/07/wifi-xoom-sheds-100-could-stand-to-lose-a-few-more-benjamins/

$499 Xoom WiFi

Oh Xoom, you're but a few months old -- still only a babe -- and Motorola already has you on a diet. Sure, maybe it was a mistake to jump right into the deep end where big boys play, but you had to try right? Well, now that you've shed a $100 in weight, treading water alongside the rest of the WiFi tablets should be a little bit easier and, with 32GB of storage, you're more well-endowed than your $499 brethren. Still, it might be too little too late with the Galaxy Tab 10.1 muscling in on your territory and "iPad" quickly becoming a generic word for slates. Maybe if you dropped another $100 you'd have better luck -- and talk to your 3G-packing sibling, he's looking a little plump around the price tag too, if you ask us.

WiFi Xoom sheds $100, could stand to lose a few more Benjamins originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 11:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

MobileBurn | source

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iPhone 4 SLR Mount lets you shoot 5-megapixel photos with your $3,000 lens

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/07/iphone-4-slr-mount-lets-you-shoot-5-megapixel-photos-with-your/

So you flew around the world for a photo assignment, camera bag packed full of high-end lenses, but forgot the DSLR on the kitchen counter. Not to worry! You never leave home without your iPhone 4 and its new must-have accessory: the iPhone SLR Mount. ~~$190~~ $249 scores you one of these aluminum bad boys, eager to pair with your multi-thousand dollar Canon or Nikon optics, bringing "powerful depth of field" and manual focus to your smartphone's itsy bitsy image sensor. You can reportedly use the new pricey mobile rig to capture photos with shallow depth of field, without the need to add one of those "unethical" $5 digital filter apps. The accessory is ready to ship, so you're just 24 hours (and a couple hundred dollars) away from having this life-changing masterpiece sent straight to your door. As for us? We're holding out a bit longer for the iPad version.

Update: The folks at Photojojo wrote in to let us know that the $190 price provided earlier today was incorrect -- the iPhone 4 mount will actually set you back a cool $249.

iPhone 4 SLR Mount lets you shoot 5-megapixel photos with your $3,000 lens originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 13:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

iLounge | source

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Photojojo | Email this | Comments

Motorola's LTE-infused Xoom 2 tablet caught skipping through the FCC?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/07/motorolas-lte-infused-xoom-2-tablet-caught-skipping-through-the/

There's nothing but a photo, a few dimensions and confirmation that LTE / CDMA radios are onboard, but it's sure looking like the device linked down in the source is Motorola's elusive followup to the Xoom. For those camped out under a boulder the past day or so, the Xoom recently saw a permanent $100 price drop for the WiFi-only model, and eagle-eyed observers may recall a brief glimpse of what appeared to be an unannounced Verizon Wireless slate a few weeks back. Of course, having a storyline that fits is only half the battle, but with the IHDP56LU2 measuring 259mm long and 166mm wide, it's getting harder and harder to reject any lingering thoughts that the Xoom 2 may indeed be on its way. For the curious, those dimensions are ever-so-slightly more compact than the existing Xoom, and it's not just anything that gets hooked up with radios to support both of VZW's native networks. So, what say you? Is the Xoom 2 really getting ready to bust your summer wide open? Or are we looking at the world's largest LTE smartphone?

Motorola's LTE-infused Xoom 2 tablet caught skipping through the FCC? originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 15:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Wireless Goodness | source

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FCC | Email this | Comments

Xperia Arc hits the US unlocked and ready for action

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/07/xperia-arc-hits-the-us-unlocked-and-ready-for-action/

The Xperia Arc is one the best handsets we've seen from Sony Ericsson, but US consumers have had to sit by and watch as the thing popped up in other markets around the world -- until now, that is. The unlocked AT&T-compatible quad-band 3G handset just hit Sony's store. The Gingerbread-packing smartphone has a 4.2-inch Reality Display, 512MB of RAM, an 8 megapixel camera, and will start shipping tomorrow. The Xperia Arc will run you $600 -- that's the price you pay for contractual freedom.

Xperia Arc hits the US unlocked and ready for action originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 17:25:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Toshiba Thrive in stock at Newegg and Amazon, is ready to ship free to your door

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/07/toshiba-thrive-in-stock-at-newegg-is-ready-to-ship-free-to-your/

You'll need to wait until Sunday to get your hands on a Toshiba Thrive at Best Buy, but the Honeycomb slate is ready to head out Newegg's door, with free shipping to boot. $430 nets you an 8GB tablet with two-day shipping, or you can add 30 bucks to get it overnight. That's unlikely to mean tomorrow at this point, but if you play your cards right, you could be sliding through emails a la Swype before the weekend is out.

Update: Best Buy has confirmed that the Thrive will be available on July 10th, both in-store and online.

Update 2: Looks like it's live on Amazon, too!

Toshiba Thrive in stock at Newegg and Amazon, is ready to ship free to your door originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Jul 2011 18:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

SlashGear | source

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Toshiba unveils new CMOS sensor, flaunts smaller pixels

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/08/toshiba-unveils-new-cmos-sensor-flaunts-smaller-pixels/

Hoping your next smartphone will have more megapixels while being even thinner than the last? Us too, but we're not known to skimp on image quality -- an unfortunate conundrum of squishing more pixels into a tighter space. Enter Toshiba's new CMOS sensor, advancing on both fronts, with 8 megapixels and what the firm reckons is the smallest pixel size in the industry at 1.12 micrometers. Also present is backside illumination, helping maximize photon accrual -- which should make a certain Steve oh-so proud. Currently being sampled, the teensy gizmo plans to go into mass production later this year. Interested? Peep the full release after the break.

Continue reading Toshiba unveils new CMOS sensor, flaunts smaller pixels

Toshiba unveils new CMOS sensor, flaunts smaller pixels originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 05:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Crayola ColorStudio HD app for iPad swipes its way to your child's heart

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/08/crayola-colorstudio-hd-app-for-ipad-swipes-its-way-to-your-child/

The iPad is not childproof. It's fragile and expensive and we can't imagine why you'd want to hand it over willy nilly to your kids. That said, if you've got money to burn and don't mind letting small hands tool around with high-end consumer products, then this should tickle your parental fancy. Announced as a collaboration between Griffin Technology and Crayola, the Crayola ColorStudio HD app for iPad matches a marker-shaped digital stylus -- the inventively titled iMarker -- with your child's LCD-colored imagination. The chunky, kid-friendly stylus mocks the tip of a pen, crayon, marker or paintbrush as your doe-eyed youngin' swipes along 30 plus animated pages -- all while sitting too close to the screen. If free is the key to your heart, go ahead and grab this now on the App Store -- it's the marker clone that'll set you back 30 bills. That said, it's a small price to pay for your child's happiness. Also, digital Burnt Sienna -- need we say any more?

Update: Turns out our friends at TUAW have already had the chance to sample one of these in the wild. Check out their impressions.

Continue reading Crayola ColorStudio HD app for iPad swipes its way to your child's heart

Crayola ColorStudio HD app for iPad swipes its way to your child's heart originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Jul 2011 06:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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