Voice Calling Spotted in the Latest Version of Whatsapp on iOS
Source: http://gizmodo.com/voice-calling-spotted-in-the-latest-version-of-whatsapp-1634763542
Voice calling is definitely
Monday, September 15, 2014
Artist gets Google results removed to 'highlight' his new work
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/14/google-right-to-be-forgotten-artist/
Ever since Google announced that it's complying with the European Commission's "right to be forgotten" ruling, it's been inundated with requests to take down all sorts of search results. Many of those sought to bury negative reviews or write-ups, but in this particular case, the search result Google took down was neither negative nor damaging. In fact, it used to lead to a five-year-old article published on Worcester News, which called the piece's subject (an artist by the name of Dan Roach) "excellent" and "very talented." That's right -- you can apparently ask Google to remove anything from its results pages in the European Union, even if it's not dangerous or offensive... and maybe even if it's helpful to some people. Worcester News editor Peter John was so dismayed by what happened, that he called it "the most absurd and silly piece of censorship" when he talked to The Guardian.
If you're wondering, it was likely Roach himself who asked the tech giant to remove a link to an article that describes him as a brilliant artist, based on the statement he gave Worcester News. Roach, who's now fully experiencing the Streisand effect, said: "The decision to ask for the link to be removed from Google was based on no more than a wish to highlight my new work, rather than the old." John, however, couldn't help but question why the request was granted.
He told The Guardian:
An artist wanting to remove part of his back catalogue did not strike us as the sort of principle that the European court of justice had in mind when it came up with the right to be forgotten ruling. Would Google remove early Hirsts or Monets on request?
To be fair, Google itself was opposed to the EU Commission's ruling from the start, but it had no choice but to comply.
Via: Poynter
Source: Worcester News
Chromebook-to-Chromecast video? Yes, with Google Drive
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/15/chromecast-google-drive-video/
As if Android apps hitting Google's Chrome OS wasn't enough excitement for Mountain View's operating system for one week. Now, you can play movies stored in Google Drive via the OS' video player app on your Chromecast. According to Googler François Beaufort, doing so is pretty easy too: simply open the Files app, select a video clip from Drive and hit the sparkly new Cast icon. Voila, cloud-stored videos are now viewable on the biggest screen in your house and even more media functionality for your Chromebook. Of course, since this is in the developer channel there might be a few bugs here and there -- if you spot 'em be sure to let the Chromium team know.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD, Google
Source: François Beaufort (Google+)
Olympus' E-M1 camera gets a silver hue and a slew of pro features
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/15/olympus-e-m1-updates/
Olympus' OM-D E-M1 may still be hot stuff as far as high-end mirrorless cameras go, but it's easy to point out flaws: it's missing a few big pro features like tethering, and that businesslike black exterior isn't very charming. Well, consider both problems licked. The company has just unveiled both a retro (and fairly stylish) silver edition of the E-M1 and, more importantly, a big 2.0 firmware update that could help you make a living from your photos. To begin with, tethering has arrived; like with other camera systems, you can both send photos to your PC as you shoot and control the camera from the computer's screen. It's now easy to use the E-M1 for studio shoots or live events, where you often need to put your photos on a computer as quickly as possible. The refresh also lets you correct lens distortion in-camera, and preview long exposure shots like you can with the E-M10. Olympus' smartphone app is more useful, too, offering support for self-timed photos, timelapses and speed-sensitive panning shots.
The silver-clad cam will ship this month for the same $1,400 (body-only) as its all-black counterpart, and you can grab the 2.0 update on September 24th at 10PM if you're already an owner. Whether or not you're new, you may want to go lens shopping -- Olympus is also releasing a high-end 40-150mm telephoto that touts both a bright, constant f/2.8 aperture and heavy-duty weather resistance. It'll cost you a steep $1,500 when it ships in November, but it could be the only glass you need for that next big photo safari.Filed under: Cameras
Source: Olympus
Google reveals the first low-cost Android One phones
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/15/google-reveals-first-android-one-phones/
As predicted, Google has just revealed the first Android One phones at an event in India today. Micromax, Karbonn and Spice Mobiles are the companies working with Google at launch, all three launching new handsets this morning. What can we expect from an Android One device? Karbonn, for example, is launching the "Sparkle V Red," (pictured below) which comes with dual SIM slots, a 4.5-inch display (480 x 854), a 5-megapixel primary camera, 1GB of RAM and, importantly, the latest version of Android (KitKat).
The Android One initiative is Google's big push into developing markets. India is a huge growth opportunity for smartphones, and Android One is designed not only to make more affordable handsets (the new ones will cost around 6399 Rupees -- about $100), but it's also a way of bringing a consistent Android experience. There are plenty of cheap devices that run the operating system, but they suffer from lack of updates. With One, Google can manage the software updates directly, ensuring a much better, less fragmented experience. The three new handsets should go on sale later today.
Google also confirmed that it has negotiated special data plans with Indian operator Airtel that means users on that network will get software updates to the phone delivered without incurring data charges. It was also revealed that there will be a special YouTube app that allows users to download videos for offline viewing. This is something Google goes to great lengths to avoid, usually, but the idea is that this will allow users to grab a video one, and watch it later without either the need for data, or, again, incurring charges.
Lastly, Google made it clear that One phones will be in the first wave of devices to get the anticipated Android L update -- in a similar way to how Nexus handsets currently do. A blog post outlining the program also mentions Acer, Alcatel Onetouch, ASUS, HTC, Lenovo, Panasonic, and chipmaker Qualcomm (current phones have MediaTek processors) among others as hardware partners that have signed up to the program.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Samsung's new flagship NX1 shoots 28.2-megapixel stills and 4K video
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/15/samsung-nx1/
This week marks the start of Photokina, the camera show where pretty much every brand will unveil their latest and greatest pieces of kit. We'll hear from everybody in due time but right now, Samsung is in the hot seat. The tech giant just unveiled the NX1, the company's first camera that records 4K video. In addition to doing UHD footage at 30 or 24 frames per second and Cinema 4K at 24fps, it shoots stills with a 28.2-megapixel backside-illuminated APS-C CMOS sensor. In burst-capture mode, you can snap up to 15 frames per second at full resolution. ISO sensitivity now ranges from 100 to 51,200. Similar to the NX30, a more mid-range camera in Samsung's lineup, this has WiFi and NFC, along with a 3-inch Super AMOLED articulating display and a 1,366 x 768 electronic viewfinder. In this case, though, it's 802.11ac WiFi, there's Bluetooth too, and the EVF promises a shorter lag time of around 5ms.
Under the hood, the NX1 makes use of a new auto-focusing system with 205 Phase Detect points, which Samsung says cover 90 percent of the frame. It's those focusing points pros will care about most, though Samsung also tweaked its algorithms to better predict where a subject is going to move. The AF assist light also has an improved reach -- up to 15 meters. As for the body, it's a magnesium-alloy affair -- both dust- and water-resistant -- with an LCD status display on top, next to the mode dial.
The NX1 arrives in mid-October, priced at $1,499 for the body only. In addition, Samsung will sell a new 50-150mm with f/2.8 aperture through the entire zoom range. In addition, it brings four-axis optical image stabilization and the ability to limit focus to a custom range. So far, Samsung has declined to say whether its other cameras will get a firmware update to support this new lens and its custom-focus feature, though the company does have a pretty good history of providing software updates to older models. That will arrive next month too, at a cost of $1,599. There will also be an optional battery grip, which packs a 1,900mAh cell (about the same size as on the main camera), and which should give you an extra 500 shots, give or take.
Friday, September 12, 2014
New Ultralight Ceramic Cubes Can Be Squished and Recover Like a Sponge
Source: http://gizmodo.com/new-ultralight-ceramic-cubes-can-be-squished-and-recove-1633644849
A CalTech scientist and her team just announced the development of one of the strongest and lightest materials ever created. It's light enough to float like a feather, and so uniquely strong, it can be crushed and completely recover its shape. And—get this—it's made of ceramic.
This Is The Best 3D Food Printer We've Seen Yet — And It Makes Stunning Desserts
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/3d-systems-chefjet-printers-2014-9
One company, however, has gone a different direction, designing 3D printer that turns sugar into gorgeous geometric confections in your own kitchen.
“They work a lot like making frosting,” Liz von Hasseln, co-inventor of 3D Systems' ChefJet, told Business Insider. “If you’ve ever made frosting and left the bowl overnight in the sink, you’ll know that it gets quite hard and that’s essentially what happens inside the ChefJet Printer.”
After tweaking the existing technology to print layers of sugar, they printed their friend’s name as a cake topper and a business was born. The von Hasselns quickly realized the potential of their invention and established Sugar Lab, designing and printing 3D candies in flavors like mint, sour cherry, and vanilla.
The machines are roughly twice the size of a microwave and look like something one would see on a futuristic cooking show hosted by Spock.
The technology is still limited to sugar, but the ChefJet and ChefJet Pro come with a sort of “digital cookbook” that’s organized by food types. If you’re working on a wedding cake, there’s a cake section. If you’d like to make sugar cubes or candy, there’s a section for that, too.
But don’t expect to run out and buy a ChefJet or ChefJet Pro anytime soon. In its current iteration, ChefJet is meant for the professional market, to be used alongside other industrial kitchen equipment by pastry chefs, molecular gastronomists, and mixologists.
In other words, this is not the next microwave — yet. But as the science continues to evolve, von Hasseln does see additional practical uses for her invention.
“We’re at the v! ery begi nning of 3D printing,” she added. “This is a very exciting time.”
SEE ALSO: From Oreos To Nutella — The Latest 3D Printed Foods Are All 100% Edible
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Article: LG says white OLED puts it a decade ahead of competitors
LG believes it will be "impossible" for other RGB OLED manufacturers to successfully compete with its white OLED technology. LG's investment in white OLED might be ready to pay off as the company achieves high production quantities for its 4K OLED TVs while competitors using RGB OLED still strugg...
http://www.cnet.com/news/lg-says-white-oled-gives-it-ten-years-on-tv-competition/#ftag=CAD590a51e
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The Apple Watch Has A Really Clever Way Of Defeating Thieves
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-watch-anti-theft-security-2014-9
Apple chose to stay silent on some key topics about the Apple Watch during Tuesday's launch event. The battery life was skimmed over, and it wasn't clear what kind of security would be going into the device. But as technology reporters are getting to test out the Apple Watch, we're learning more about how it will work.
Mashable has reported on the clever way that the Apple Watch will prevent thieves from gaining access to your credit cards. The Apple Watch will include NFC payment using the Apple Pay system, meaning that customers can link their credit cards to their watch in order to pay for items by holding their watch near a special sensor.
That will make the watch a tempting target for thieves.
There have been questions over how secure the Apple Watch actually is, as it seems to have weaker security when compared to NFC payments on the iPhone 6. Customers need to hold their finger on the Touch ID fingerprint sensor on the new iPhone before paying for items.
Apple Watch has no such feature.
Luckily, Apple has come up with a clever way to make the new watch secure. As Mashable notes, it works using the four circular sensors on the back of the device. Two of the sensors are infrared, and the other two measure light. Apple uses these sensors to measure things like your heart rate. But it's also using the sensors to tell when the Apple Watch is on your wrist. If you take off the watch, then the device's screen locks you out. You need to enter a code on the Apple Watch before it can be used for payments again.
SEE ALSO: What An Actual Watch Expert Thinks Of The Apple Watch
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These Ant-Sized Radios Might Power The Internet of Things
Source: http://gizmodo.com/these-ant-sized-radios-might-power-the-internet-of-thin-1633891966
The jury is still out
Virgin Galactic Has Delayed Its First Flight
Source: http://gizmodo.com/virgin-galactic-has-delayed-its-first-flight-1633892960
Things don't always run smoothly for Virgin Galactic
'Virtual Reality Camera System' uses 6 Red Dragons to make 360-degree video magic
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/11/nextvr-red-virtual-reality-camera-system/
Oculus/Facebook, Samsung, Sony, Google. We're about to be flooded with virtual reality hardware, but what about content? While John Carmack works on the gaming side, the folks at NextVR (formerly Next3D) have been developing camera rigs to record live video in full surround that will let VR units put you anywhere in the world you want to go, and here's the latest one. Red Camera's Jarred Land spilled the beans, posting pics of this "Virtual Reality Camera System" which links six of his company's 6K Dragon cameras together in a rather monstrous-looking array. There should be demo footage on display at the IBC conference, but based on what we've seen from NextVR already, the potential is high. There aren't any cameras pointing up (or down) but previous systems from NextVR have used fisheye lenses to expand their range, and we expect something similar would be in store for this. NextVR is providing video to go along with Samsung's Gear VR headset when it launches and it's working with Oculus too. Judging by this setup more video experiences -- whether live streamed or recorded -- will be coming to the VR space soon.
Filed under: Cameras, Home Entertainment, HD
Source: Reduser.net, NextVR
Thursday, September 11, 2014
Bang & Olufsen's 85-inch 4K TV is competitively priced (for millionaires)
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/09/11/bando-new-85-inch-4k-tv/
Bang & Olufsen advertised the Avant 55, its first 4K TV, with the phrase "the one that moves." By the same logic, the Avant 85 should be titled "the, er, bigger one that also moves." Naturally, the colossal set comes with the usual Danish video trickery, including three-channel stereo, the BeoRemote One universal remote control and direct-type LED with 2D local backlight dimming (nope, us neither). The Avant 85 is priced at an, ahem, "competitive" £16,595 (around $27,000), but if you want the thing to move as well, you'll pay upwards of £1,095 (around $1,780) for the various motorized mounting brackets or stands
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
The NFL Makes $6 Billion Annually Just From National Television Contracts
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-national-tv-contracts-nfl-mlb-nba-nhl-2014-9
With five different broadcast partners all paying more than $1.0 billion annually to broadcast games, the NFL is now taking in more than $6.0 billion each year in national television broadcast rights revenue alone.
This figure does not include revenue generated from games broadcast on the NFL's own NFL Network. In addition, the NFL's deal with DirecTV is expected to increase from $1.0 billion per year now to $1.4 billion per year starting next year.
While the NFL dwarfs the other leagues in terms of national television revenue, the other leagues make up for it by selling television rights locally. For example, the Los Angeles Dodgers new television deal alone is worth approximately $300 million per year and several other teams own their own regional sports networks.
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