Source: http://gizmodo.com/9-of-the-most-photorealistic-renderings-on-the-web-823379988
It can be difficult to know what's real and what's fake when it comes to digital art these days. But don't torture yourself worrying about it now: Here are some of the most photorealistic 3D renderings on the web. Each one is completely synthetic; every single detail generated by madly talented 3D artists. Enjoy.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/23/alibaba-smart-tv-platform/
As much as we enjoyed the decade we spent vegging out in front of the shopping channel, we had hoped that the internet had put such days behind us. Not so, thanks to Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba, which has developed its own Smart TV OS, separate to Aliyun, in the hope of pumping even more cash out of our wallets. Developed in collaboration with Wasu Media, the duo will launch a set-top box later in the year, and are in talks with companies like Cisco, Haier and Allwinner to produce compatible devices. While customers will be able to use smartphones to stream media and control their TVs, they'll probably be strong-armed into buying apps, shopping at the Alibaba-owned Juhuasuan and even making utility payments via the company's Alipay platform. Looks like we've got no choice but to finally buy that noiseless karaoke microphone we've been avoiding all these years.
Via: The Next Web
Source: Alizila
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/23/googles-street-view-takes-you-up-mount-fuji-sans-crampons/
In contrast to its happy visits to the Eiffel Tower and Burj Khalifa, Street View's exploration of Dead Island may have given you the wrong impression of Japan. Luckily, one of the country's most picturesque symbols, Mount Fuji, was recently scaled by what must be some of Mountain View's most athletic trekkers. The fruits of the 12,400-foot climb and incessant photo stops are 14,000 separate panoramas, including many sunrise shots only available to diligent night climbers. They're now live on Maps, so hit the source or panorama after the break for a far less taxing peek.
Via: TNW
Source: Google Maps (Blog)
Source: http://gizmodo.com/amnh-3d-printing-camp-lets-make-some-dinos-868773820
At the American Museum of Natural History's two-week camp Capturing Dinosaurs: Reconstructing Extinct Species Through Digital Fabrication, a group of teens learned the processes and tools used by paleontologists for studying dinosaur bones and digitally reconstructing them. And we got to tag along for some of it.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/glasses-com-for-ipad-test-glasses-on-your-virtual-head-872558168
We've become a lazy, lazy people. If there's two things that really bring us together, it's an irrational demand for instant gratification and a desire to have as little face-to-face interaction as is humanly possible. Now on the one hand, this is probably the beginning of society's grand demise. But on the other, doing things sucks! So we might as well give in to fate and enjoy sweet, sweet laziness while we can. Which, thanks to glasses.com's new app, now included eyewear shopping.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/powerful-new-mit-computer-system-can-make-the-internet-872658937
The Transmission Control Protocol is like a crossing guard for the internet, regulating traffic to keep things flowing. Sure, engineers are constantly working to improve it, but it's manmade, so there's always room for human error. But researchers at MIT have created a computer system that could fix all that—and make the internet two to three times faster.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/disneys-new-algorithm-turns-any-photo-into-a-3d-wonder-872804707
Disney Research, a partnership between the mouse-eared entertainment juggernaut and universities around the globe, is on a virtual reality roll. Its latest development, an algorithm that turns 2D photographs into 3D landscapes, can transform a regular photo into a video game-style environment, using consumer-grade computer hardware.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/nokias-lumia-625-a-4-7-inch-windows-phone-on-the-chea-878218682
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/23/parallella-production-boards-shipping-pre-orders-open/
Following its successful Kickstarter campaign, Adapteva flashed the production versions of its Parallella "supercomputer" boards in April, penning in a loose summer delivery date. Today, the company reports that the first "beta" units have begun winding their way to backers who pledged at the DEVELOPER, 64-CORE-PLUS and ROLF levels. Other backers should receive their boards by summer's end "after some final refinements." For those who missed the crowd-funding window, you too can get a Parallella, as Adapteva has now opened up general pre-orders for the 16-core version on its website. While all Kickstarter-bought boards will bear a Zynq-7020 SoC, new pre-orders are configured with a 7010 as standard, though you can upgrade to the 7020 should you lay down more dough. However, newcomers will be treated to "Gen-1" boards, which will offer slight improvements over earlier versions, such as reduced power consumption and an added serial port three-pin header. You'll find the basic 16-core board going for $99 over at Adapteva's store, with an expected October delivery date. The company tells us the 64-core version will also be available for public consumption, with pre-orders beginning in Q4 this year.
Filed under: Misc
Source: GitHub (Gen-1 board specs), Adapteva store
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/22/exynos-5-octa-5420/
Samsung couldn't help itself last week when it teased a new Exynos 5 Octa system on a chip, and now it's dishing out the full details. The fresh 5420 variant of the SoC is based on Mali-T628 MP6 silicon, packs a quartet of ARM Cortex-A15 cores running at 1.8GHz and four 1.3GHz Cortex-A7s in an ARM big.LITTLE configuration. Seoul claims that the package packs 20 percent more CPU processing punch, and has two times greater 3D graphics power than its predecessor. Dual-channel LPDDR3 at 933MHz gives the processor a screaming memory bandwidth of 14.9 GBps, which lends it full HD WiFi display support. Baked inside is an image compression solution that makes for energy efficient multimedia loading, and squeezes out more hours of use with high-res displays. There's no word on which devices might use the new SoCs, but the chips are already being sampled by Samsung's customers, and mass-production is slated for August.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/23/plantronics-intros-backbeat-go-2-bluetooth-headphones-promises/
Plantronics was proud to present its BackBeat Go Bluetooth in-ear headphones last year, but it's also aware improvements are always welcome. To that end, the company's ready to show off its second iteration: BackBeat Go 2. P2i moisture resistance and reworked internals for improved sound back up the sporty wire-behind-the-ear design and fit stabilizers -- look out, Jaybird. Not only does the hardware remember up to eight devices, but a DeepSleep mode shuts it down if you walk out of range without turning the power off, allowing it to sleep for up to six months. The internal batteries squeeze out about 4.5 hours of playtime for music, and an optional microUSB recharging case ($20) can provide about two and a half juice refills. As you'd expect, an inline remote keeps you in control of your playlists and calls, while DSP enhances incoming and outgoing sound. Ears perked? The headphones will be available starting today at various retailers in your choice of black or white for $80.
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/23/opencl-2-0-opengl-4-4-specifications/
SIGGRAPH has only just begun, but the Khronos Group is already giving folks of the graphics programming persuasion some fresh APIs to talk about. Yesterday marked the release of the OpenCL 2.0 provisional specification, and it's boasting an Android installable client driver extension, along with improvements to image handling, shared virtual memory and more. It's expected that the new version of OpenCL will be finalized in six month's time, and feedback regarding the changes are being welcomed. The fresh OpenGL 4.4 spec revamps everything from shaders to asynchronous queries while keeping full backwards compatibility, and includes additional functions to make porting Direct3D apps a smoother process. If parallel programming and cross-platform graphics are your thing, hit the break for the full feature breakdown in the press release.
Source: Khronos Group (1), (2)
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/23/dnp-use-your-android-devices-processing-power-to-discover-stars/
If you've ever wanted to help out with a scientific research project but lack the PhD credentials, there's now a much simpler way: all you need is a decent Android device and a new app called BOINC. Similar to projects such as Folding@Home for laptops and desktops, the app harnesses your mobile device's extra CPU cycles to help crunch data for scientific studies. Don't worry, it'll only work if you're on Wi-Fi, so it won't eat up your data plan. You can choose which research endeavor to support from within BOINC, including Einstein@Home and FightAIDS@Home that seek to discover pulsars (stellar remnants) and AIDS treatment, respectively. The app, which you can install from Google Play, was designed to be as unobtrusive as possible and will work as long as you're running Android 2.3 or higher. Generous (and envious) iOS users, sit tight -- the developer is mulling over the possibility of creating an iOS app next.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Alt, Google
Via: CNET
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/07/22/fresh-paint-windows-phone-8/
Fresh Paint, the digital art app born on Windows 8, has finally migrated to mobile devices, and starting today, aspiring artists running Windows Phone 8 can fiddle with its brushes to their hearts' content. This new, simplified version doesn't make any major departures from the Windows 8 application; you can still mix pigments to create custom hues, share your creations via text, e-mail and SkyDrive and add filters to your photos to make them look like paintings or sketches. It's worth noting that WP8 doesn't support styluses, so you'll have to make do with finger painting or a capacitive stylus without pressure sensitivity. To download the free app, head over to Windows Phone store, linked below.
Filed under: Software, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: Windows Phone Store, Windows Phone Blog
Source: http://gizmodo.com/samsungs-beautiful-curved-oled-tv-comes-to-the-usa-for-868113547
Back at CES we were floored
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