'Tractor beam' for water can pull boats in any direction

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/11/tractor-beam-for-water/

It can be difficult to get waterborne objects to go in the right direction -- just ask any boat captain who has had to fight waves on a choppy sea. However, researchers at the Australian National University have developed a "tractor beam" (really, a wave generator) that would make it trivial for you to float anything to its intended destination. The system creates complex 3D waves that have their own currents, letting you pull a target simply by adjusting the waves' frequencies and sizes. In fact, you can produce any flow you like; scientists in the lab made vortices on demand.

A generator like this wouldn't be useful when dealing with big cargo ships in the open ocean, but the team sees it as very handy for controlling many other objects. You could bring small boats into port, for instance, or contain oil spills without using barriers, burns or chemicals. The invention could be used to simulate challenging sea conditions, too. Any practical uses won't be ready for a while, but there could be a day when you don't have to worry about crashing into the docks (or other boaters) after a sailing expedition.

Filed under: Transportation, Science

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Via: Phys.org

Source: Australian National University, ARXIV (PDF)

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The first footage from Blackmagic's new $6,000 4K camera is predictably sublime

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/11/blackmagic-4k-ursa-first-footage/

Blackmagic's 4K URSA camera is (yet again) late after it was announced at NAB in April, but it looks to be worth the wait. Cinematographer John Brawley -- who also demo'd early footage of Blackmagic's Pocket Cinema Camera -- has just shown the first footage from the $6,000 camera. The URSA is a large departure from past models, as it features a 10-inch, 1080P pop-out display, traditional camcorder form factor and a user-replaceable 4K sensor with a global shutter. It also bests previous Blackmagic models by shooting 4K at 60fps, the speed Brawley used on all but one shot. He used a Cooke 25-250 MK3 T3.7 (PL mount) zoom lens, shooting onto several 128GB SanDisk CFast 2.0 cards at UltraHD (3,840 x 2,160) resolution. As you'd imagine, the footage looks amazing and Brawley said Vimeo doesn't do the original ProRes HQ files justice. The only problem is that the camera is double the price of Blackmagic's Production Camera 4K -- but it's still a lot less than pro models like Red's Scarlet Dragon.

Filed under: Cameras, HD

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Via: No Film School

Source: John Brawley (Vimeo)

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Acer's Chromebook 13 lasts a stunning 13 hours on a charge

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/11/acer-chromebook-13/

Until now, if you wanted a Chromebook with a full HD display, you only had one option: the 13-inch Samsung Chromebook 2. Want epic battery life? Yep, all roads lead to Samsung there, too. Well, not anymore, anyway. Acer just announced the Chromebook 13, and it matches Samsung nearly spec for spec with an optional 1080p display and NVIDIA's quad-core Tegra K1 chip, promising up to 13 hours of runtime (details on that after the break). This is interesting for two reasons. First off, although this is essentially the same class of product as what Samsung is selling, it costs $100 less: $299, versus $400 for the Chromebook 2. Sounds good, right? What's more, this is the first-ever Chrome OS device with an NVIDIA processor inside.

This is potentially good news even if you're not a self-described chip geek: Tegra K1 offers long battery life, just like Samsung's own Exynos chip, but the graphics should be better for things like gaming and interactive websites -- the sorts of rich web apps frequently used in classrooms. And if you've ever used a Samsung Chromebook, you know there's room for improvement there: For all of Samsung's plus points (a crisp display, comfortable keyboard), the Chromebook 2 is relatively sluggish. But will this be more robust than those new Core i3 models we're seeing? That remains to be seen.

On a superficial note, the Chromebook 13 is definitely more basic-looking than the Chromebook 2. Whereas Samsung's model comes kitted out with a fake-leather lid, the Chromebook 13 is made of plain white plastic. It's clear that if Acer made any sacrifices to reach that lower price point, this is it. Then again, this is a perfectly serviceable, if unexciting, design, and the full-sized keyboard is naturally more spacious than what you'll find on Acer's older 11-inch Chromebooks.

The Chromebook 13 is up for pre-order today, starting at $279 with a 1,366 x 768 display, and $299 for the full HD model. Of note: The full HD machine is rated for 11 hours of battery life, compared with 13 for the 1,366 x 767 version. In addition to the US, it will be sold in various European countries, including the UK, Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Norway, France, Germany, Russia, Italy, Spain, South Africa and Switzerland. As a heads-up, the Chromebook 13 doesn't have a touchscreen for now, though that could change: When we asked an NVIDIA rep if a touch edition was in the works, he winked and said "That's an interesting idea." Consider it confirmed, folks. Almost.

Filed under: Laptops, Google, Acer, NVIDIA

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Microsoft's found a way to smooth out your GoPro shakycam footage

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/11/microsofts-found-a-way-to-banish-gopro-shakycam-footage/

GoPro footage is great when well-shot, but the jittery results from less-talented individuals can induce nausea or seizures. If you're interested in doing sped-up time lapse shots, however, Microsoft researchers have created an algorithm that makes them video game-smooth. Their technique is not like regular video stabilization, however. Instead, the "Hyperlapse" method first calculates a 3D camera path and rough geometry of the scene. Then it creates a smooth new optimized camera path, which is used to stitch and blend existing frames to create new output frames. The team has created several sample videos as shown below, and we've got to hand it to them -- despite some artifacts, the final results feel like nearly like flying.

Filed under: Cameras, Science, Software, HD, Alt

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Via: Neowin

Source: Microsoft Research

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Smartwatch pioneer Meta returns with a premium alternative to Pebble

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/08/meta-m1-preorders/

Back in the days when Pebble just made a BlackBerry accessory called the inPulse, the biggest name in wearables was MetaWatch, the smartwatch firm that spun out of Fossil. After a few years of seeing other people's devices hog the limelight, the company has shortened its name and is now ready to make a comeback. The Meta M1, designed by Nokia and Vertu legend Frank Nuovo is launching this September, but pre-orders for the unit are opening today. It's the same piece of hardware that we saw back at CES but -- unsurprisingly for a company with a background in watchmaking -- with a wider variety of cases and straps for fashion-conscious consumers including rose gold. For instance, the base model comes with a natural black rubber band, setting you back $250, but those with fancier-pants can slam down $450 for an all s tainless steel variant. Either way, we're looking forward to getting this piece of gear in for review.

Filed under: Wearables

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