Source: http://gizmodo.com/minimum-for-android-a-space-saving-keyboard-for-sloppy-1168628051
After a successful Indigogo funding campaign and a closed trial period, design startup Whirlscape is finally making its Minuum Keyboard available to the public—giving you all the screen space you need by condensing your full, QWERTY keyboard into one, itty bitty line.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/youtubes-getting-a-functional-makeover-on-android-1168594630
Google's YouTube app is getting a functional, stylish makeover Android today. Along with an updated, Google Now-esque, card-based design, you'll also be able to enable your ADD by playing videos while looking for others, and devouring whole playlists. Bet Microsoft is jealous
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/19/jpls-robosimian-flexes-its-robot-muscles-haunts-your-nightmares/
Not content on landing several rovers on the surface of Mars, NASA's JPL team's been working on more earthly projects. RoboSimian is an ape-like robot designed for search-and-rescue missions that's expected to compete in the DARPA Robotics Challenge. It features four multi-jointed limbs with unique hands and no defined front or back -- allowing it to always face the right way. Thanks to its primate-like movement and posture, the robot will be able to navigate over difficult terrain, climb ladders and even drive vehicles (one of the DRC's requirements). While the project itself isn't new, JPL recently published an interesting video that shows RoboSimian gripping tools, lifting its own weight and balancing delicate objects. This means, of course, that robot monkeys will soon join spiders, cats and dogs in your dystopian nightmares. Video after the break.
Filed under: Robots
Source: JPL
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/20/asus-thunderbolt2-motherboard/
The ink is still fresh on Intel's formal blessing of Thunderbolt 2, and as promised, there's already a product on the market from perennial early bird ASUS. The Z87-Deluxe/Quad ATX is the first motherboard to pack the tech, which combines four of the original 10Gbps Thunderbolt channels into two bi-directional 20Gbps ports. That's four times the speed of USB 3.0 if you're keeping score at home, allowing two 4K displays to be driven at once, or faster-than-SATA-6 SSD speeds, for instance. Otherwise, it's as well-equipped as you'd expect from a bleeding edge mainboard, with 4th-gen Intel (Haswell) CPU support, 10 SATA-6 ports, 8 USB 3.0 ports, and 3 PCIe 3.0/2.0 x 16 slots. There's no pricing or availability yet, though Thunderbolt-equipped motherboards tend to be expensive. Still, if you wear the "early adopter" name-tag with pride, hit the PR after the break.
Filed under: Desktops, Peripherals, ASUS
Via: Legit Reviews
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/20/gensler-the-hive-multi-surface-experience/
We've seen touch-friendly tables before, but they're rarely so slick as the Multi Surface Experience, a newly launched collaboration between design firm Gensler and ad agency The Hive. The installation lets guests explore Gensler's architectural portfolio (the book you see above) just by walking up to a wavy table. An overhead projector, Kinect for Windows and special software present an interface wherever people stand; when users choose to learn more about a project, it pops up on a wall-mounted 4K display. The current experience is sadly confined to Gensler's Los Angeles office, but it's also the start of teamwork that could lead to commercial designs. Don't be surprised if company lobbies are much livelier in the future.
Source: The Hive
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/20/garmin-virb-action-cam/
There are more than enough action cams on the market, but that's not stopping Garmin from jumping head first into that saturated space. The GPS maker hopes to bring something fresh to the table with its $299 VIRB and $399 VIRB Elite, a pair of ruggedized camcorders that do more than simply snap footage from within a clear protective shell. Both models can shoot 1080p clips at 30fps and 16-megapixel still photos (while recording video) for up to three consecutive hours with one 2,000mAh cell, but they offer a variety of features that some competitors can't match, including a low-power 1.4-inch transflective LCD for navigating menus and previewing footage, optional (digital) IS and the ability to sync up with a variety of other Garmin devices through ANT+.
That last feature is perhaps the most compelling here -- VIRB's ANT+ chip lets you add on accessories like a heart rate monitor while also pairing with the company's Fenix watch, logging GPS coordinates and other stats with each captured clip. The pricier Elite flavor brings positioning sensors on board, however, along with an altimeter and WiFi, which you can use to connect the cam to a dedicated Android or iOS app. That software component lets you see a live preview and control basic settings (video start/stop and still image capture) remotely -- eventually, you'll be able to send content from the device to your phone or tablet, though that functionality isn't included just yet. A tiny remote will also be available as an add-on, should you opt to leave your smartphone at home.
It's easy enough to operate the water-resistant camera without a remote though, even with it mounted on your helmet or attached to a surf board. A large sliding record button lets you power up and start shooting video right away, even when the camera's turned off. There's no built-in storage, but you can slide in your own microSD card under the battery. The Garmin VIRB ships next month for $299, while its Elite counter part will ship around the same time for $399. Check out that base model, along with some of the many optional straps and mounts, in our hands-on photos just below.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/20/microsoft-says-project-spark-beta-launching-in-october/
Microsoft just flaunted some of Project Spark's gaming powers at Gamescom 2013 in Cologne: motion and voice capture. If you'll recall, the platform enables gamers to create their own digital spaces for games using the Xbox One's integrated Kinect sensor and the upcoming SmartGlass. Microsoft's Team Dakota group showed how to use facial capture, body motion capture and voice and sound to create animations, dialogue, cut scenes and more. You'll be able to try it yourself on Windows 8 at the end of October 2013, or by January 2014 for the Xbox One. Check the video after the jump to see the fruits of their labor, but maybe turn the volume down a hair. Just sayin'.
Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft
Source: Xbox
Source: http://gizmodo.com/this-flexible-oled-camera-can-snap-one-shot-panoramic-p-1166231075
Taking panoramic photos was once a time consuming process of carefully snapping a series of shots and then manually stitching them back together in Photoshop. Today it's as easy as just panning across a vista with your digital camera or smartphone, but researchers at Queen's University's Human Media Lab have come up with an even easier solution: a flexible camera that captures panoramic images in a single snap.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/19/samsung-galaxy-mega/
Duck and cover -- Samsung announced this morning that its latest monster handset, the Galaxy Mega, will be arriving on our shores this month. The 6.3-inch monolith will be coming to AT&T, Sprint and US Cellular. Beyond that, availability information is one thing about this phone that's still on the small side -- as the company explains in a press release this morning (which you can find in all of its PRy glory below), "each carrier will announce their specific availability, colors and timing." We do know that it'll have Android 4.2.2 and a 1.7GHz dual core processor. Expect more info on the only smartphone visible from space to follow soon from each of the aforementioned carriers.
Update: As expected, the carrier announcements have begun trickling in. You can find Sprint's below. It adds...a little information to what we already knew, namely the fact that the Now Network will be offering up unlimited data with the handset.
Update 2: More info now from the AT&T camp, and this time out, it's stuff we can really use -- namely price and date. The carrier's got the massive handset arriving the 23rd, priced at $150 (with, you guessed it, a two-year contract). The rest of that release is after the break -- beneath all the other releases, naturally.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/19/oppos-4-7-inch-r819-arrives/
Oppo has just announced the R819, a 4.7-inch smartphone that's likely to have high appeal to lovers of stock Android. The Chinese firm will release the handset with its Oppo Color ROM, but users will also be able to install stock Android through a relatively simple sideloading procedure. Hardware wise, it's also decently spec'd, considering that Oppo seems to have tried to cram as much as it could into the sleek 7.3mm thick (.29 inch), 110 gram (3.9 ounce) shell. You'll get a quad-core MediaTek CPU, 720p IPS display, 1GB RAM, 16GB ROM, a Sony Exmor-equipped 8-megapixel f/2.0 rear camera with an LED flash, a 2,000mAh battery and dual-sim capability. There's no word on availability or pricing yet, though unlike some China-based handset makers, Oppo's devices often wind up in the US.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/18/ceton-ships-infinitv-6-pcie-tuner/
Ceton vowed that it would release a PCI Express equivalent of its InfiniTV 6 ETH box, and it's delivering on that promise (if belatedly) by shipping the InfiniTV 6 PCIe. The adapter still lets Windows Media Center users watch or record up to six HD cable TV channels through one CableCARD, but in a form factor that slots neatly into a dedicated home theater PC. The board is in stock at Amazon and Newegg today at its expected $299 price. While that cost puts the InfiniTV PCIe at the high end of the TV tuner spectrum, it may be worthwhile for viewers who just can't afford to miss a show.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals, HD
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/18/aircast-android-chromecast/
ClockworkMod dev Koushik Dutta has teased us with a few interesting ways to get our own media streaming on Chromecast, but now he's actually releasing one to the public. AirCast runs on your Android device and streams video from the gallery, Dropbox or Google Drive to Google dongle, with playback controls available in the app or from the notification bar. So why is this ready for release now? According to the developer, he's reverse engineered the protocols and is no longer using the SDK. Still, the app is just in testing now and he warns that the button doesn't appear in gallery apps on some devices, including the HTC One. It will stop working on its own after a couple of days while Dutta works the kinks out, look below for links to the download or more information, and check out a video demo after the break.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Mobile, Google
Source: Koushik Dutta (Google+), AirCast APK download
Source: http://gizmodo.com/watercolor-paintings-can-be-made-with-code-1162418254
Watercolors are a compelling medium because their aesthetic is the product of multiple variables. The pigment, the surface and, of course, water play into every unique stroke. But design engineer Kenichi Yoneda is using openFrameworks to create digital watercolors. And they look organically beautiful.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/researchers-snuck-malware-onto-the-app-store-by-making-1158847317
No one really knows exactly how Apple makes sure the apps that wind up in its store are safe. All we know is that the App Store has a comparatively better track record than its Android counterpart
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/08/16/google-plus-ios-update/
A mere couple of days after the latest version of Google+ arrived for Android, iOS users are finally getting a taste of it courtesy of today's version 4.5 release. The latest update brings a number of notable features, one of which is integration with Google Drive, which lets G+ fans view, edit and share images via the cloud service. Like the Android version of the app, Hangouts has replaced the Messenger function for messaging and calls, and you can now start a Hangout with someone directly from the person's profile page. Domain-related features for Apps for Business users are also supported. Those itching to find out what else is new can go ahead and download it from the App Store link below.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet, Mobile, Apple, Google
Source: Google+ (App Store), Frank Petterson (G+)
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