Google Glass got an unofficial augmented reality app on Thursday as Layar introduced its immersive platform to the wearable device. The beta software has to be downloaded directly from Layar’s website and installed manually to Glass. Once that’s done, however, you can simply say “OK Glass, scan t...
http://gigaom.com/2014/03/20/layar-brings-augmented-reality-and-a-qr-code-scanner-to-google-glass/
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/19/google-voice-commands/
Glass users are all too familiar with the battery of commands required to get the headwear to spring into action. Beginning today, two of those lines are available in the Google Search for Android app. If you say "Okay Google" followed by "take a photo," your device will launch the camera app. Similarly, "take a video" accomplishes the same, albeit it in movie mode. Of course, we prefer to speak into a smartphone only when absolutely necessary, and with plenty of other methods for launching into photo mode (including, of course, simply tapping the camera icon), this is a feature we don't plan to use anytime soon.
Filed under: Cellphones, Google
Source: Google
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/19/cloak-app-helps-you-avoid-people/
There are a plethora of geo-location-based apps that make it incredibly convenient to do friendly things, like chat with nearby peers about local hotspots or meet up with a coworker on the fly. A new iOS app called Cloak, however, utilizes services from Foursquare and Instagram for a more anti-social purpose. The brainchild of Brian Moore and former Buzzfeed director creative director Chris Baker, Cloak identifies the location of friends (read: those you'd rather not bump into) based upon their latest check-in. While perusing the map, you can choose to "flag" certain undesirables, like exes or annoying third-wheels, to be notified when they wander within a preset distance of your personal bubble. Or you could, ya know, skip town altogether just to be safe.
Filed under: Misc, Internet, Software, Mobile
Source: The Washington Post, Cloak
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/19/google-keyboard-update/
Keyboard software updates for Android, or any other mobile device, are relatively unexciting because... well, you know, keyboards. But, if you happen to have opted for Google's particular stock version by way of the Play Store, you're about to get a better autocorrect experience. A new update that's currently rolling out introduces the option for Personalized Suggestions, meaning the app can mine data from any other Google service you use to better serve your swift typing needs. Don't worry, all that info is apparently stored locally on your phone. And it's not like you'll have to dig through menu options to find this particular setting, either. Google's put it front and center so the first time you fire up the keyboard post-update, a helpful alert message will appear above the keys to make sure you know the deal. You can always turn it off, however, and return to a life less finely autocorrected. The choice is yours: one path leads to unintentional humor and the other to accuracy.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Google
Via: Droid-Life
Source: Google Play
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/20/ibm-watson-genetic-cancer-treatments/
Sure, IBM's Watson crunches data for mobile apps and powers food trucks, but its owners are constantly looking for important studies that can put its cognitive computing expertise to the test. With the recent announcement of a clinical trial studying ways to deliver personalized care to brain cancer patients, the Jeopardy-conquering supercomputer appears to have found that next major challenge. In collaboration with New York Genome Center, Watson will be tasked with trawling archives of medical literature and clinical data, using its patten recognition skills to identify the best cancer treatments based on a patient's genetic make-up. Teams of scientists had manually undertaken the process before, but it's exactly the kind of problem Watson was designed to help solve. IBM says it will begin a trial later this year and hopes to open its findings to doctors across the world.
Filed under: Internet, Software, Alt
Source: Financial Times
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/20/intel-extreme-edition-eight-core-cpu/
Since Intel's next Haswell chips are aimed squarely at enthusiasts, what better place to unveil them than at the Game Developer's Conference? The 4th-gen Core-i7 Extreme Edition CPU, codenamed "Devil's Canyon," will feature eight unlocked cores and 16 threads, trumping the last model's six cores. It'll also support the latest DDR4 memory standard, which brings much higher transfer speeds and lower power drain than DDR3. Along with a better thermal interface, all that will enable "significant" overclocking and performance enhancements, according to Intel. It also announced a Pentium Anniversary Edition with unlockable cores and revealed the "Black Brook" reference all-in-one -- designed to show off tech like its RealSense 3-D camera (see the video after the break). Finally, Intel revealed that its 5th-gen Broadwell 14-nanometer processors will be available unlocked and with IRIS graphics. Given that those chips are expected soon and the Extreme Edition Core CPU will arrive in mid-2! 014, it might be prudent to put off that upgrade.
Filed under: Desktops, Peripherals, Intel
Source: Intel
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Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/skin-bacteria-attracts-mosquito-bites-2014-3
If you can't spend a summer night outside without slapping your ankles — and you still end up with dozens of mosquito bites — then it might be true that the flying pests really do love you.
And those lucky people who say they don't get bitten? They exist too.
But it's not because one person's blood tastes better to the small hovering bloodsuckers — or at least, not just that. In a TED 2014 talk on Wednesday in Vancouver, microbial ecologist Rob Knight explained that the bacteria, or microbes, on skin produce different chemicals, some of which smell more attractive to mosquitoes.
The trillion or so microbes that live on skin are a small percentage of the 100 trillion bacteria that live on and inside the body, but they play a huge role in body odor. Without those bacteria, human sweat wouldn't smell like anything.
However, those different bacteria vary greatly from person to person. Knight explained that while we share 99.9% of DNA with other humans, most people only share about 10% of their microbes.
To demonstrate that mosquitoes are overwhelmingly attracted to certain types of skin microbes, researchers asked 48 adult male volunteers to refrain from alcohol, garlic, spicy food, and showers for two days. The men wore nylon socks for 24 hours to build up a collection of their unique skin microbes.
Researchers then used glass beads that they had rubbed against the underside of the men's feet to pick up their scent as mosquito bait.
Nine men out of the 48 proved to be especially attractive to mosquitoes, while the scents of seven lucky volunteers were largely ignored. The "highly attractiv! e" group had 2.62 times as high a concentration of one common skin microbe, and 3.11 times higher concentration of another common microbe, compared to the "poorly attractive group." That poorly attractive group had a more diverse bacterial colony on their skin as a whole.
Researchers say that it's possible that some people's smell acts a natural deterrent.
But there's an equalizer for those that naturally draw swarms of mosquitoes. The same pests are attracted to beer drinkers.
The study was published in the journal PLOS ONE.
SEE ALSO: This Small Patch Could Make You Invisible To Mosquitoes
DON'T MISS: These 40 Science Experts Will Completely Revamp Your Social Media Feed
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Source: http://gizmodo.com/150-megapixel-image-sensor-wont-power-your-nikon-migh-1547113979
Two Chinese companies, TowerJazz and Gpixel, have teamed up to develop the GMAX3005, a new massively high-resolution 150 megapixel CMOS image sensor. The goal is to use it for medical and industrial applications, so don't expect it to see it in your next DSLR.
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Apple has already stopped calling Apple TV a "hobby." It's too important now
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/19/toshiba-details-4k-laptop-arriving-before-summer/
Toshiba has just dished most of the important details about its intriguing 4K Satellite P50t that we saw at CES 2014, along with some other new models. Unfortunately, it's left some info hanging -- namely the all-important prices. For the most part, the Satellite 50t model sounds pretty fine, considering the sleek 2.2kg (4.8 pound) weight. There's that exotic 282 pixel per inch 3,840 x 2,160, 15.6-inch touchscreen, driven by 2GB AMD Radeon R9 M265 graphics, for starters (1080p is optional). It's also packing an Intel Core-i7 CPU, 16GB DDR3L RAM, 4 USB 3.0 ports, an SD/SDHC slot, Bluetooth 4.0, 802.11ac WiFi and Windows 8.1. Oddly, the otherwise well-spec'd device only features a 1TB mechanical disk option, when it's clearly screaming for SSD speed -- hopefully Toshiba will rectify that prior to release. Availability is listed as sometime in Q2, but again, there's no clue about pricing. Meanwhile, Toshiba's also detailed a few other models after the break.
Slipping down the scale are Toshiba's S50 (15.6-inch, 4.5 pounds) and S70 (17-inch, 5.9 pounds) laptops. Those eschew 4K for 720p, 900p or 1080p displays with optional touch, and use either Intel HD or AMD's Radeon R9 discreet graphics. Except for fewer USB 3.0 ports (two instead of four), the CPU and other features are the same as the P50t. The Satellite C50/C70 and L50/L70 models round out the new range. Each is available in 15.6-inch and 17-inch models, but the L50/L70 maxes out at 1,920 x 1,080, while the 15.6-inch C50 packs a 1,366 x 768 screen and the 17-inch C70 can do 1,600 x 900 (touch is optional for most models). As for the rest of the specs, there's a dizzying array of options. Depending on the size and model, you can get Intel Core-i7 or AMD chips, 8-16GB RAM max, up to a 1TB hybrid SSD and Blue-ray drives. There are too many configurations to detail here, but if you're still intrigued, check the galleries or sources below.Filed under: Laptops
Source: Toshiba (1), (2), (3), (4)
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/19/holodeck-headset-sulon-technologies/
Two months ago, Sulon Technologies broke cover with a video showcasing a bulky augmented reality and virtual reality system. Fast-forward to today. The chunky backpack and headset combo has been replaced by a much, much smaller second prototype -- it's just a headset with a power cord coming out the back. Oh, and it's got a name: The Cortex. If you're a tinkerer, you can pre-order the dev kit version to follow this new prototype -- the company claims this more polished hardware will be shipping out in Q4 of 2014. It'll cost you $500 to get this particular peek into the future, though, so read on to find out what it's like wandering around with the dev kit's hacked-together portable predecessor on your melon.
When I first laid eyes on Sulon's new headset, it was immediately apparent that I'd be demoing a very rough prototype. The eye cups (but not the optics) are ripped straight from an Oculus Rift, and much of the electronics attached to the headset's straps are wrapped in black gaffer tape. A custom-made spatial scanner sits up top and is stuffed with LIDAR, ultrasonic scanners and cameras. That combo's what maps its surroundings, thereby ensuring proper graphics placement both during augmented reality and virtual reality sessions.
The brain of the spatial scanner is a bit of silicon called a spatial processing unit -- it's dedicated solely to tracking everything the system needs to work, and that info gets beamed to the phone on your face through Bluetooth. And, while the spatial scanner maps the room the Cortex is in, it locates your hands by working with Razer's Hydra wireless nunchuck controller.
Once Sulon's software has interpreted all that info, it can overlay graphics onto your surroundings. Rather than using see-through displays like Meta, Epson or Google Glass, however, the Cortex augments reality in the same way that your smartphone does -- by using a camera and overlaying graphics atop the video feed it captures. In fact, the system actually uses an Android smartphone as its display.
The face of the prototype is actually a housing where you slide in a jumbo phone -- with a 6-inch, 1080p screen and a Snapdragon 800 -- that serves as both the display and the graphical brains of the thing. It's also got a camera stuck to the front of it. To counterbalance those bits, a power pack is situated around the rear of your skull. The prototype's version is tethered to an outlet, but company CEO Dhan Balachand assured us that the dev kit would pack a rechargeable battery that'll provide at least four hours of use.
The weight of the Cortex prototype is noticeable, but it didn't become uncomfortable during the five minutes we wore it -- we expect the dev model to be lighter.
As with the hardware itself, the software still has a ways to go, too. When you first slide the Cortex onto your head, it takes a few seconds to get adjusted as the headset calibrates its optics to suit your eyeballs. After some initial disorientation, we were looking at our empty hotel room and a few digital objects, and then noticed that the video feed was magnifying our view as compared to actual reality. Aside from taking some getting used to, it served to generally keep us aware that we were staring at a phone's screen instead of the real world.
That said, the shift from augmented to virtual reality is relatively seamless -- we stepped into a digital portal and suddenly the hotel room was a covered terrace overlooking a lake and some mountains. Graphical quality is what you'd expect when a mobile chip's providing the grunt: about as good as a PS2. And during our demo, there was significant flicker and chop to the animation. We were told that the system also works with PCs, in which case the graphics are much smoother. We didn't get to see such a setup.
Walking around a physical and digital space simultaneously was definitely an interesting experience while being tethered to a power outlet. But, we had helpful Sulon employees keeping the cord out of our way, and the headset itself has a warning system that beeps when you are reaching a physical boundary in the real world.
I played a zombie-shooting game, using the Razer Hydra to blast the undead as I ported from digital room to digital room (all the same size, of course), and found myself sitting still and turning in one place instead of traipsing around blasting walkers. While the digital world was mapped very closely to the real one, I couldn't shake the feeling that I was blindfolded, and so moved around with trepidation. Perhaps with more practice, I'd feel more comfortable. But, I feel safe saying that for the tech to catch on with the public, it'll have to be much more immersive. More accurately placed, smoother graphics might have provided me more confidence.
Bottom line? The hardware we wore was a hacked-together prototype, but warts and all, still managed to deliver a cool and somewhat immersive VR experience. It's still not wireless... yet, and we'd really like to see it with the new, faster spatial scanner that the company tells us will be in the dev kit -- as Balachand tells us it'll solve many of our graphical gripes. Still, what we saw is far from the holodeck enjoyed by the crew of the starship Enterprise, but there's potential in the Cortex. We'll be looking forward to finding out if it can fulfill it.
Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals, Wearables, HD
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Source: http://gizmodo.com/this-diy-device-turns-your-table-into-an-psychedelic-mu-1546599462
It's not so simple to become an electronic musician. The equipment is expensive. There's not a good how-to book. It's sometimes a little unclear what exactly electronic music is. That's why the Contact musical interface is so intriguing.
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Source: http://gizmodo.com/every-city-should-have-this-ingenious-library-of-thing-1546663306
It's happened to us all. You're planning for some big project and suddenly you're in need of a power drill... Or kitchen stand mixer... Or hiking gear. Now, you could just shell out for it, but when are you going to use it again? Enter Leila, a genius little "borrowing shop" in Berlin that saves you money while putting the dusty things in your closet to good use.
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Source: http://gizmodo.com/mod-turns-puts-your-paper-notebook-doodles-into-the-clo-1546699400
Sketching, jotting, or doodling in a paper notebook is one of life's simple joys, but more often than not we end up just tucking those notebooks away and never looking at them again. Mod Notebooks wants to change that, with a setup that digitizes your dead tree designs.
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I wish these 3D animation shorts were a full movie. Called Tiny Worlds, it shows miniature sized characters and machines solving normal sized problems. Cigarette flicked on the ground? A tiny submarine will blast it away. Matches left on the street? A mini semi truck will haul it away. Gum on the sidewalk? Let's call the small bulldozer. It's super cute.
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