Dr. Augustine Fou's Online Scrapbook

Monday, March 05, 2012

Tobii's IS-2 eye tracker is cheaper, 75 percent smaller than its predecessor

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/05/tobiis-is-2-eye-tracker-is-cheaper-75-percent-smaller-than-its/

Of all the things we saw at CES, Tobii's eye-tracking Gaze interface was one of the most memorable, even if the execution was a bit flawed. Now the company's back with a next-gen sensor that fits on a single board and is 75 percent smaller than the iteration we saw at CES -- a milestone that will presumably allow it to accommodate a wider range of devices. Tobii also says the IS-2S eye tracker consumes 40 percent less power than its predecessor and will be cheaper to implement, though the company doesn't specify how much it'll cost. It's also unclear which Windows PC and tablet makers will take a chance on the technology, though that won't necessarily stop us from getting an early demo at CeBIT this week.

Gallery: Tobii IS-2 eye tracker

Continue reading Tobii's IS-2 eye tracker is cheaper, 75 percent smaller than its predecessor

Tobii's IS-2 eye tracker is cheaper, 75 percent smaller than its predecessor originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 05 Mar 2012 12:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Will the Nexus Tablet Come Fromâ¦ Asus? [Rumor]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5890483/will-the-nexus-tablet-come-from-asus

Skip the grain and go straight to a full salt-lick for this one. Android and Me claims claims trusted sources have confirmed that Asus will be making a quad-core, 7-inch Google Experience tablet for $199. Why the hell not?

The story goes like this. At CES this year Asus announced a 7-inch, $250 tablet that was powered by Nvidia's quad-core Tegra 3 processor. Supposedly Google was so impressed that they approached Asus and were like, "Hey, wanna build one for 50 bucks cheaper and then slap our name on it?" and Asus was all like, "Sure bro. That sounds tight!" Or something like that.

It would make sense on some levels. Clearly Asus is already almost there in terms of price-point and features Google was looking for, and Android and Me speculates that to get it down to $199 they would just shave off some of the built-in storage and instead have an SD card slot for users to provide their own. Amazon's Kindle Fire has almost certainly been the best-selling Android tablet to date, but because it uses Amazon's version of the software Google isn't getting any of that mobile ad money. They want to fix that, and a $200 quad-core tablet with Google's full ecosystem would certainly tempt a lot of people.

At the same time, you've got to wonder why would Google buy Motorola Mobility if they weren't going to use them for making Nexus devices. Seems like a good fit, no? They built the OG Droid, and the Xoom, which debuted Android 2.0 (Eclair) and 3.0 (Honeycomb), respectively. But then again, the Xoom was a pretty major flop, so maybe it would make sense for them to go to Asus after all. The Asus Transformer series has been very well received. The rumor also speculated that there could be a ten-inch version for $300, but I've already exceeded my recommended daily allowance of sodium. [Android and Me via Unwired View]

Sunday, March 04, 2012

Mercedes slaps sheet of LEDs on the side of an F-Cell, turns car into a chameleon

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/04/mercedes-f-cell-gets-led-camouflage/

It's not often that folks want to hide the fact that they're driving a Mercedes, what with plenty of them being among of the finest motorcars on the road. However, as part of a marketing plan to call attention to its zero-emissions F-Cell model, the German marque swathed a side of one in LEDs to give it the ultimate in camouflage. You see, in addition to that makeshift display, a Canon 5D Mark II was mounted on the other side of the car so that video of its surroundings could be shown on the LED bodywork -- rendering the car all but invisible to onlookers, as long as they're staring at the left side, of course. Go ahead, head on down to see the magic of digital camo for yourself in the video after the break.

Continue reading Mercedes slaps sheet of LEDs on the side of an F-Cell, turns car into a chameleon

Mercedes slaps sheet of LEDs on the side of an F-Cell, turns car into a chameleon originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 04 Mar 2012 19:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Saturday, March 03, 2012

OLED Lights Will Make Future Audis Glow Like Jellyfish [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5890141/oled-lights-will-make-future-audis-glow-like-jellyfish

Like a bioluminescent creature rising from the depths, these OLED lighting concepts from Audi are simply otherworldly. Eat your heart out, KITT.

Audi demonstrated the new lighting today at the Audi Electronics Center in Ingolstadt. As you can see, the R8 and Q7 both feature flat-panel OLED displays running the length of the vehicle—eight segments alone create the flashing turn indicator strip.

According the Stephan Berlitz, Head of Lighting Technology and Electronics at Audi, OLED is a natural extension of Audi's own pioneering efforts integrating LED lighting into its vehicles,

This homogeneous visual effect would not be possible with today's LEDs. These are individual points of light that need additional optical devices – reflectors, optical conductors or scatter optics. OLED surfaces are themselves the source of light, and the thin plates also look attractive. They weigh little, light up extremely fast, develop only a small amount of heat, last for several tens of thousand hours and don't consume any more energy than conventional light-emitting diodes. OLEDs suit Audi perfectly because they combine high-end technology, maximum precision and super design!

This technology is still a few years from the showroom floor and Audi still needs to overcome the lights' 80-degree Celcius temperature limit. As soon as that's sorted, Berlitz expects these lights to begin showing up as white daytime running lights (just as the LED's did before them) before being integrated into the larger signal sets. The company is even rumored to be exploring a 3D OLED feature. [Eurocar News via OLED Display]

OLED Lights Will Make Future Audis Glow Like Jellyfish

ASUS Eee PC Flare 1025C netbook up for preorder, ships March 10th for $299

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/03/02/asus-eee-pc-flare-1025c-netbook-up-for-preorder-ships-march-10t/

If netbooks are your cup of tea and you've been waiting to get your hands on an ASUS Eee PC Flare 1025C like we did back at CES, you're in luck. Matte Black and White color options are up for preorder now from Amazon. Get ready to part with $300 for one of the available schemes, as the kit is set to ship out next week. If you recall, the 10.1-inch netbook packs a 1.6GHz Intel Atom N2600 dual-core processor, 1,024 x 600 LED display, 1GB of DDR3-1333 memory, a 320GB 5,400RPM hard drive and weighs-in at just under three pounds. The PC's six-cell, 56WHr battery touts a 12.5 hour life span, giving you ample time to submit those TPS reports sans outlet. If you're looking for all the fine details, hit the coverage link below before committing.

ASUS Eee PC Flare 1025C netbook up for preorder, ships March 10th for $299 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Mar 2012 17:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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