I Rode Shotgun in a Rally Race By Strapping a Phone To My Face
Source: http://gizmodo.com/i-rode-shotgun-in-a-rally-race-by-strapping-a-phone-to-1599131166
Google Cardboard
Thursday, July 03, 2014
Flying the uncertain skies with the latest Phantom drone
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/03/dji-phantom-2-vision/
"Does it shoot?" That's the first question an enthusiastic kid asks as I test-fly the DJI Phantom 2 Vision+ in a London park. When the child's father finally catches up, his first question is: "How much is one of those?" In my incredibly short career as a drone pilot, I've been reminded how the human imagination withers with age. A couple of weeks with the DJI drone would teach me quite a few things; not only about human perception of these flying devices, but also about the future of our skies.
The answer to the boy's question is no, it doesn't shoot... unless you're talking about video. The answer to dad's question is much less open to interpretation -- the Phantom 2 Vision+ costs $1,299, which includes a 1080p camera built in, plus a three-way brushless gimbal (the part that keeps the camera stable). The Vision+ is a ready-to-fly, all-in-one video-recording drone that lets amateurs like me record silky-smooth, almost cinematic aerial video. A fact that brings us to something of a fork in the road where drones are concerned.
Remote-control drones have been used by the military, academic research teams, big-budget video productions and the private sector. They're also popular with home-brew and hobby enthusiasts, but other than the odd $50 toy, they've never really crossed over to the mainstream. DJI isn't the only company that makes consumer-friendly drones, but it's the company leading the market. Its Phantom models require no assembly, and are (relatively) easy to fly. They have an impressive flying range, a decent 20 or so minutes of airtime per charge and a host of other premium features (including GPS, return to home and different flying modes). The Phantom 2 Vision+, with its built-in camera and smooth video (the first Phantoms with cameras were marred by unstable footage), could bring quadcopters, aerial photography and a whole bunch of privacy issues firmly into public consciousness.
After my maiden flight, I take the Vision+ on a trip to the seaside town of Bournemouth, UK, on a sunny Saturday. It's mid-spring and a steady flow of ice-cream-holding day-trippers crowds the promenade; small groups of people dot the beach. I'll admit, I'm nervous about flying the drone. Am I allowed to? Are there laws against this (the UK Civil Aviation Authority has regulations, peppered with terms like "substantially" and "near")? These are the questions in my mind.
The Vision+ shows you what the built-in camera sees in real time, often referred to as First Person View (FPV), through an app for your phone. The same app is where you change camera settings, angle (through 90 degrees) and swap between photo and video modes. It also locates your drone on a map (should it tank while out of sight), and displays battery status. If you have a GPS lock at takeoff, there are fail-safes that bring the drone back to you when battery levels are critically low. You don't want to rely on fail-safes, though. Having real-time info is immensely reassuring.
That's until the connection between app and drone breaks. This happens one time as I'm flying above the sea. I still have full control of the Vision+; I just can't rely on FPV for navigation. Basic flying may be simple, but it's still easy to get in a pickle. Forward on the controller relates to the direction the drone is facing; when it's facing you, pushing forward will fly it toward you. Sometimes, when trying to avoid something, it's easy to fly in the wrong direction (often it's better to shoot straight up). On this occasion, the video connection restores after about 20 seconds. Long enough that I decide to play it safe and bring the Vision+ back in to land. Besides, a small crowd has gathered behind me on the promenade; they're either curious onlookers, or the beginnings of a mob.
Later, I take the Vision+ to a quiet location by a harbor. The weather is bright and sunny, with a moderate wind. Setting up the Vision+ for flight isn't difficult, but the last and vital step is to let the drone get a GPS lock -- which takes about 30 seconds. Without it, the drone could drift in the wind and disappear entirely. With GPS lock, when you take your hands off the controller, it'll keep its location.
On one flight, I lost the GPS signal, and within seconds the drone drifted 50 feet -- fortunately close to the ground, before ditching. Another use for the GPS is restricted flying zones. With this info loaded, you can't launch your drone near an airport. Or, if you're a bit farther away, you can only fly to a certain altitude. Aviation authorities are still catching up with what to do about consumer drones, but incidents are already taking place that could lead to more restrictive legislation.
At nearly 900 feet above the harbor, I completely lose sight of the Vision+. Thanks to the app, I can see what it is seeing. But I can't see it. It feels weird. You know it's up there, and you can control it, but it's also unsettling -- like riding a bicycle with your eyes closed. Before going out of sight, the Vision+ attracts the attention of a local kite flier. He marches over, informing me he'd seen these things online, and that "they go for, what, about £200?" He seems confident with his assessment of what the Vision+ is worth. He tells me I should definitely mention how high it flies in my review. It flies to at least 876 feet. Maybe more, but this is the point I chicken out and bring it down to a manageable (and visible) level. Pro tip: This descent feels like it takes forever, especially when you're being scrutinized watched by a know-it-all kite flier.
The only other time the Vision+ goes out of visible range is on my second-ever flight. I had it high enough that there was no chance of collisions, with a clear line of sight for its return. The truth is, no matter how confident you are, even with a video feed, flying blind is dangerous. I guided the drone back using the FPV until I got a visual on it, but had that link broken (like it did on later flights) I'd have been stuck hoping the GPS/return-to-home mechanism came through.
On assignment, I lug the Vision+ halfway around the planet to Hawaii. Fortunately, the drone is incredibly light (1.2kg/2.8 pounds). I bought a backpack built for transporting the Vision+, and I'm happy I did. The case is also light, but rugged, and the drone feels safe inside. It's on this trip I realize how popular DJI's Phantom line is. I spot a number of them, most with GoPros (only the "Vision" models come with a camera built in). While the camera on the Vision+ is decent, the video can appear washed out sometimes, or fuzzy when you move the drone quickly (it's full HD, and also takes 14-megapixel photos). If you want to add your own camera, the popular choice is a GoPro. It's conveniently sized, and has plenty of accessories for attaching it to DJI drones.
It's in Hawaii that I get a sense of what might be over the horizon in the world of drone flying. Coincidentally, I'm at a GoPro event. It's here I meet, and share the skies with, a number of other pilots for the first time. Standing between two trees, looking out over Kuilima Cove, I meet Roland. I assume he's part of the GoPro party, filming for them. I introduce myself, and learn that Roland's just here on vacation, a drone enthusiast out in the wild, soaking up the coastal views with his DJI Phantom. He tells me he likes to push them "pretty hard," and that he's lost one already (he spares no more details than that). His Phantom hovers over a group of kayakers heading out from the beach. One of them looks up and sees the drone, giving a wave as they pass underneath. Roland's not using FPV; he's just a skilled pilot, and manages to float his craft in the right place from quite far away. If the DJI app has taught me one thing, it's that my depth perception is questionable at best; terrible at worst.
It's later when I am flying the Vision+ on the other side of the cape that I have a wake-up call. My drone is high, with the camera facing straight down. On my FPV, I see another DJI drone come into view and fly directly underneath mine. It's not Roland; it's yet another pilot. We're both flying above some surfers in the water. I've spotted it, but I don't know if the other pilot has spotted me. Neither of us can see each other, so we're unable to communicate at all. If I take my Vision+ any lower, we'll have a real risk of collision, and with many people below and eight spinning rotors in play, it's risky at best. I bring it in to land to be on the safe side. As fun as flying the drone is, it's a test of your nerves at times.
In the weeks I've had the DJI drone, a number of newcomers join the consumer-friendly UAV market. Kickstarter has seen two action/sport-specific 'copters get funded, like Pocket Drone before them. DJI is no doubt already cooking up its next craft, too. That's a lot drones headed for inexperienced hands. My fear is that as numbers increase, people will start flying them in populated or built-up areas. How many news stories will it take before lawmakers re-think current legislation?
When I started flying the Vision+, I expected the public to be suspicious. In reality, everyone I met was genuinely curious, or entertained by it. Even when they were aware it had a camera, they seemed OK with it. No one ever told me to move along, or that I shouldn't be flying/filming here. I fear that won't be the case for long.
Anxieties aside, I'm hooked on flying the DJI. Already I've been researching scenic locations and accessories to geek out on. At $1,299 (for the camera-enabled model), it's not cheap. But, with new competition on the way, DJI will want to maintain its head start. Given the amount of time between its original Vision and the Vision+ (less than four months), it might not be too long until the next model takes off.
With more drones in the skies, the potential for accidents can only increase. How long before there's a defining case, or a change in public perception due to increased privacy concerns? Perhaps, like the cameraphone, the gradual introduction of more flying cameras will lead us to adapt and become more comfortable with them. The only thing for sure is that with drones like the Vision+, that future isn't far around the corner, and the skies will be buzzing with people ready to film it.
Source: DJI
You Can Get A Full PC That's The Size Of A Credit Card For Just $45
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/hummingboard-raspberry-pi-competitor-2014-7
Raspberry Pi, the $35 Linux-based computer for educational projects and home tinkering, has by and large cornered the market for those who need a quick and easy single-serving computer. But it appears to have new competition from the HummingBoard, a similar computing setup with a few spec improvements and slightly higher price.
Starting at $45 for the barebones device and going as high as $117, the HummingBoard aims to fill pretty much the same niche as the Raspberry Pi, but its various models boast faster processors, more RAM, and more USB connections.
The HummingBoard could be used as a credit card-sized personal computer or it could act as the brain for your next internet-connected project. The video below gives you an overview of the device, and you can compare the various models available on the HummingBoard site.
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There's Now an Automotive Grade Linux for Open Source Cars
Source: http://gizmodo.com/theres-now-an-automotive-grade-linux-for-open-source-ca-1599601706
There's no denying your car's dashboard is pretty dumb
Wednesday, July 02, 2014
This is the coolest demonstration of self-driving cars Iâve ever seen
If Volvo had to appeal to Van Damme's epic split
NVIDIA's Shield successor is a tablet
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/02/nvidia-shield-tablet/
The next version of NVIDIA's funky handheld Shield console will actually be called the Shield Tablet, according to a listing from a testing body called the Global Certification Forum (GCF). There's been much speculation about the device, especially after a diagram of what looks like the controller showed up at the FCC. That's usually a sign that a product is imminent, and we were told last year that a new model could come sooner than expected by NVIDIA CEO Jen-Hsun Huang himself (see the video below). As a reminder, the original Shield is a portable, Tegra-powered console, with a built in controller and 5-inch screen that can run Android games and apps. But it's main raison d'etre is to wirelessly stream games from your NVIDIA-equipped PC, making it a rather nichey device. The GCF page confirms the "Shield Tablet" name that NVIDIA posted by mistake on its own site, and adds the fact that it'll have 4G capability.
So why a tablet? The original Shield is just a tablet with a controller (permanently) attached, so separating them makes sense. That way, NVIDIA could market it as a high-end tablet, a handheld gaming device and possibly a home console that'd plug into your TV. It's also feasible that more than one Shield device is coming, though that seems less likely. Either way, a mysterious benchmark for an NVIDIA Mocha tablet gives us a clue about the specs, which are identical to the new Xiaomi Mii pad. That device has a 7.9-inch, 2,048 x 1,536 screen, with 2GB of RAM and NVIDIA's new Tegra K1 quad-core CPU. If the Shield Tablet is similarly equipped, it'd be much more capable of running serious games than the original, as shown in the video below (which features NVIDIA's reference Tegra K1 tablet, by the way). 4G connectivity would also make it much more usable on the road. If all this pans out, it'd make sense -- allowing the Shield to be a standalone tablet might be the final carrot to entice gamers into throwing their cash at it.
LEAKED: This Might Be Google's Next Major Tablet Release (GOOG)
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/google-nexus-tablet-2014-specs-rumors-2014-7
Google hasn't updated its Nexus line of tablets since it introduced the latest Nexus 7 about one year ago.
It's about time for an upgrade, but don't expect another standard Nexus successor this year.
A new leak suggests that HTC is working on a new tablet codenamed Volantis.
This tablet is expected to be released under Google's branding, which means it's either a new Nexus tablet or one of the first devices to launch under the company's rumored Android Silver program.
Even if it is a new Nexus device, it probably won't look much like Google's current Nexus tablets based on reports we've seen.
The photo shown in this story is said to be a leaked press image of the tablet obtained by Android news blog Android Police.
However, Twitter account @evleaks, which has a strong track record for leaking products before their unveiling, claims that this image is fake. We won't know for sure until Google officially unveils its next tablet.
Evleaks also claims to have revealed the tablet's specifications, which suggest that Volantis could be a strong competitor to other Android tablets out there. It's expected to come with a sharp 8.9-inch 2560 x 1600 resolution display, which would pack 281 pixels per inch. Android Police, however, reports that the display resolution will be 2048 x 1440.
The higher the pixel density, the sharper the image. So, this would make the Volantis' screen slightly less sharp than those of the iPad Mini (326 ppi) and 8-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab S (360 ppi) if @evleaks' information is true.
The tablet is also expected to run on a 64-bit processor, which could enable performance that's f! aster, m ore efficient, and better at multitasking than 32-bit processors. This seems plausible since Google announced at its most recent developer's conference that devices running on Android L will support 64-bit processing by the end of the year.
If you're a fan of the HTC One's design, chances are you'll take a liking to Volantis. Rumors from both @evleaks and Android Police suggest that the HTC tablet will feature the same zero-gap aluminum construction found in the HTC One. It'll have the company's signature BoomSound speakers too, which deliver audio that's superior to other phones on the market.
There are a few inconsistencies between @evleaks' newest report and previous rumors. While @evleaks reports that this is probably one of Google's first Android Silver devices, Android Police's report calls it the Nexus 9. Regardless of what it's called at launch, it seems likely that HTC's tablet will be sold under Google's brand.
SEE ALSO: Which Android Phone Should You Buy?
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Optical illusion painting changes its perspective as you move around it
When I started to watch this video I thought I wasn't looking at a painting but a high definition flat display that tracked your eyes, modifying a 3D model to give you the illusion of real depth. And then the magics finally get revealed. It's so simple and so damn cool.
Stuntmen in LED Suits Made This Impossible Parkour Run a Reality
Source: http://gizmodo.com/stuntmen-in-led-suits-made-this-impossible-parkour-run-1598488091
The advent of CGI has allowed us to realize things on-screen we never thought would be possible—from living, breathing dinosaurs
drag2share: Googleâs killer Android L feature: Up to 36% more battery life thanks to Project Volta
When the next version of Android arrives, don't be surprised if your phone can run longer on a single charge. Project Volta, part of Android L, is the reason. Google devoted an entire session at Google I/O to Project Volta, which optimizes power consumption on an Android device and also provides some developer tools to help make more battery-efficient apps.
While Android L is only available in a developer preview, we can already see the potential of Project Volta thanks to Ars Technica's Ron Amadeo. He used the same standard and repeatable battery test Ars typically uses to measure Android device battery life. The findings with Android L? Amadeo's Nexus 5 phone lasted two hours longer with Android L as compared to Android KitKat, a gain of 36 percent.
So what's the secret sauce in Project Volta that makes Android L more power-efficient? It's a number of different things that quickly add up to more battery life. In the Project Volta session at Google I/O, Google said it scrutinized how different components use power, and for how long, in various but typical circumstances.
Passing data through the cellular radio obviously causes a spike in power usage, for example, but the radio doesn't drop back to a sleep state for several seconds. Turning on the phone's display just to check for new notifications can quickly gobble up battery power as well. After examining these and other use-cases, Google determined that for every one second of "active" use on a typical phone, standby time is reduced by a full two minutes. If you have 50 apps that are active for a second, then — say for synching, polling or showing notifications — that's 100 minutes of standby time gone.
Enter Project Volta, which groups and schedules certain tasks in a more efficient manner. It also includes new APIs for developers to take a similar approach and reduce the overall number of power-intensive activities needed for their apps to work. There's a new network activity awareness API, for example, so that apps can determine if the cellular radio is active, in which case an app can "piggyback" on the connection instead of later waking up a sleeping radio.
That's just one of many Project Volta enhancements; you can hear about all of them in this recording of the Project Volta session from Google I/O 2014.
Apple May Be Killing iPhoto, But It Sounds Like The New Photo App Will Be A Lot More Powerful
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/how-apple-will-upgrade-photos-for-os-x-2014-7
Last week, Apple announced it would halt development on two of the company’s signature photography applications, Aperture and iPhoto, instead shifting its focus to the new Photos app introduced at WWDC last month.
For those worried the Photos app might not be robust enough to handle the needs of professional users, Ars Technica’s Sam Machkovech learned from an Apple representative that the new Photos app will include “professional-grade features such as image search, editing, effects, and most notably, third-party extensibility.”
Here’s the full statement from Apple:
With the introduction of the new Photos app and iCloud Photo Library, enabling you to safely store all of your photos in iCloud and access them from anywhere, there will be no new development of Aperture. When Photos for OS X ships next year, users will be able to migrate their existing Aperture libraries to Photos for OS X.
You read that correctly: Though Photos may eventually introduce some great features for professional and casual photographers alike, Photos for the Mac won’t be available when OS X Yosemite ships this fall. It will instead release at some point in 2015.
However, the inclusion of third-party extensibility in the new Photos app will be a nice touch.
For those uninitiated, Apple introduced “extensibility,” or app extensions, at its WWDC keynote last month, which is Apple’s way of letting applications talk to each other and even project software elements into other ! apps whi le still maintaining a highly secure environment.
In the case of Photos, this means app developers will soon be able to build sharing options within the Photos app to link to their own applications. For example, this could let users apply photo-filters from third party apps that aren’t available in the new Photos app.
The new Photos app will offer plenty of tools to keep your photos looking beautiful and organized, and it’s all tied together with a search engine that lets you explore your photos based on the date or time the photo was taken, its location, or by albums or favorites. You can also drag and drop your photos to customize the order in which they’re displayed, and all of your changes will immediately auto-sync across all your devices.
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Google snatches up streaming service Songza
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/07/01/google-buys-songza/
Google has just purchased music streaming service Songza and, while the exact terms of the deal have yet to be disclosed, it reportedly involves what financial experts refer to as "a boat load of money." Apple boosted its streaming music presence by picking up Beats. So it only makes sense that Google would have to fire back with an acquisition of its own. Like Beats, Songza relies pretty heavily on actual human curation to build playlists. The newest member of the Mountain View family uses contextual data about you to decide the best playlist for you at any given time. These lists are put together by DJs, musicians and music critics rather than some algorithm that looks at meta data like genre or BPM. These lists can get you pumped for a work out or just get you through a slow work day, but what they're not is a Pandora style infinite radio station.
For now, the service will continue as normal, but expect to see it curated lists and powerful data stores brought to bear on Play Music and YouTube. See, Songza knows not just what people listen to, but when they listen to it, what the weather is like and where they are. Imagine this coming together with the rest of Google's contextually-driven services. You could wake up one morning and Google Now will have already selected a playlist for you from All Access. Seeing as how it was a rainy Monday morning and you had along commute ahead of you, Google decided a set of tunes hand picked by Morrissey would perfectly match your mood.Filed under: Software, Mobile, Google
drag2share: Swatch's robot-made wristwear offers classic Swiss time at a tiny price
For many watch lovers, Swiss mechanical movement is the gold standard. However, it's also staggeringly expensive -- it's all too common to spend several hundred (if not several thousand) dollars just to see "Genève" on your wrist. That's what makes the US launch of Swatch's Sistem51 so special. While the watch still behaves like a conventional Swiss automatic with visible mechanisms, it's built using a fully robotic process that gets rid of the elaborate hand-crafting that drives up the price. As a result, you'll only pay $150 for the privilege, or about as much as an ordinary quartz timekeeper.
The Sistem51's transparent, brightly-hued look isn't for everyone; you probably wont wear it to a high-brow social function. However, it does have a few technical advantages over some pricier watches. There's a 90-hour power reserve to keep it ticking when idle, and the sealed body should keep out the dust or moisture that could lead to a costly repair. Just be ready to make a pilgrimage if you want one as soon as possible. The Sistem51 is only available at Swatch's Times Square store in New York as we write this, and the West coast will have to sit tight until the July 8th launch in San Francisco. It may take considerably more time to reach other parts of the country. If you've already been waiting ages to brag about owning a watch with Swiss mechanicals, though, it won't hurt to hold out for a little while longer.drag2share: Google's trippy Cube experiment lets you play DJ with six videos at once
If you're bored with regular music videos, there's now something a little more interactive from Google called The Cube. It sprang from the Creative Labs division, which has done similar experiments in the past. As shown in the embed below, you can manipulate the box by grabbing it with a mouse or finger and revealing different videos on each face, along with different parts of the music mix. As you move between several bizarre scenarios -- like a psychedelic face and a woman on the phone in a bath -- the music also mixes in rhythmic sync. Google cooked up the idea at a conference earlier, and hopes to demo more projects on it in the future. It works on a computer or recent Android handset with the latest version of Chrome. After trying it ourselves on a Nexus 5 with Chromecast, we'd recommend sitting down first, though.
Yahoo's New App Is About To Make Your Android Phone A Whole Better
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/android-launcher-review-2014-7
In early 2014, Marissa Mayer declared that she would usher a "mobile first" mindset into Yahoo.
That influence has made itself present through Yahoo's recent acquisitions and the apps it's released over the past few months — including Aviate.
Yahoo's Aviate launcher for Android, which the company acquired in January for an undisclosed price, just officially exited the beta phase days ago. This means it's in the Google Play Store and ready for full-time use.
A launcher is an app for Android phones that replaces your phone's lock screen — or the hub from which you launch apps.
Aviate is a slick Android launcher that seeks to not only add additional features to your home screen, but also provide contextually aware information.
Aviate claims that it will cater certain information depending on the time of day and where you are. After spending some time with Yahoo's new launcher, here are some first impressions I came away with.
What It Does
When you set up Aviate, you'll be asked to select the apps you use the most as well as your favorite app categories.
This tells Aviate which apps to include at the bottom of your new home screen and how to organize your other apps.
The home screen itself looks clean, tight, and organized. By default, Android offers up a ton of different home screens for storing your favorite widgets and apps.
Aviate eliminates the need for excessive home screens, and presents similar information in a menu-based format that I find to be more neat and efficient.
The look and feel of Aviate maintains the flat yet colorful design language we've seen in other apps from Yahoo, such as Yahoo Weather and Yahoo News Digest.
It's a nice change from the cluttered user interface you'll find on certain Android phones.
How It Works
Aviate displays a ton of information, but neatly tucks most of it away behind menus that can be accessed with a quick swipe.
The standard Aviate home screen displays the time stamp at the top sandwiched in between an icon that looks like a rising sun and an app menu icon. That rising sun icon is the symbol for Aviate's Today space, which I'll explain in further detail below.
A photo of your choosing takes up most of the screen, and the apps you use most frequently are listed in rows at the bottom.
Swiping to the left reveals what Aviate calls Collections, which sorts apps into the genres you chose during the setup process.
If you want to view all of your apps, tapping the app grid icon will break them down in alphabetical order. It looks more like the app menu in Windows Phone than Android.
Swiping to the right presents daily information that Aviate thinks is relevant to you.
By default, the Today tab is shown when you swipe to the right, but you can change this by tapping the menu icon. Aviate calls these "spaces."
The Today space, for example, includes options like setting your phone to "Do Not Disturb," setting an alarm, or finding directions to work. The Listening space provides a music players and lists all of your music apps. Most spaces access your calendar to pull up events happening throughout the day too.
You can also add widgets to any of these spaces to further customize the information displayed.
Conclusion
Aviate is an attractive yet simple home screen replacement for Android phones. It's ideal for those who want a less cluttered interface but are still seeking the same access to widgets and apps you'd get from multiple home screens. Like Yahoo's other apps, the interface is simple, clean, and colorful.
SEE ALSO: The Most Important New Features Coming To Your Android Phone That Google Didn't Tell You About
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