Source: http://gizmodo.com/a-rub-on-tattoo-for-diabetics-could-mean-the-end-of-fin-1679477242
Pricking your finger for a blood glucose test will never, ever be fun. Thankfully, scientists have been hard at work on a bloodless and needleless alternative: a rub-on temporary tattoo that, as weird as it sounds, gently sucks glucose through the surface of the skin.
Even with the assistance of modern technology, holding a conversation in two different languages can be difficult. Google Translate allows you to speak with someone and have each utterance translated as text and audio, but until now you had to manually toggle every time the other person talked. As expected, Google is speeding up the process with smarter language recognition and speaker switching, which comes as part of a new update. So when you boot up the app and press the microphone icon, it'll recognise which of the two languages is being spoken, offer a translation and then automatically alternate whenever the conversation flips over. No more tapping on the screen again and again.
In addition, Google has revamped its camera mode to quickly translate words and phrases directly on your screen. So if an important sign on the Paris Metro has you stumped, you should be able to just grab your smartphone, tap the camera icon and wait for a translation to appear augmented reality-style. The feature currently works for English, French, German, Italian, Russian, Portuguese and Spanish words, and Google says it'll be adding support for additional languages over time. Of course, this is hardly a new idea -- Word Lens had a similar proposition, and ever since Google acquired its developer Quest Visual we've been waiting patiently for its inevitable debut.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/13/neiman-marcus-memory-mirror/
If you've ever wanted to see yourself in a few different outfits before deciding on your next wardrobe, Neiman Marcus now lets you view them side by side. The retailer's Memory Mirror takes video and stills of what you try on for comparison, in addition to 360-degree views so you can see all the angles and items in different colors. As you might expect, snapshots from the digital mirror can be shared, so you can ask your Facebook friends if red really is the best choice. There's also an option to share the session with a salesperson so they can recommend new items next time. Right now, the Memory Mirror is only installed at the Walnut Creek, California location, but other units should be in place by the end month. Hopefully it works with men's clothes, too.
If you've been aching to try a different operating system on your Chromebook without running it in a window or otherwise jumping through hoops, you're going to get some relief very shortly. Google's Chrome OS team is adding support for an easy debugging switch that lets you tinker with the system files, such as by installing new drive images. If you want, you'll have the freedom to boot up from a USB drive and load a new OS, such as Linux. This still won't be a solution for the faint-hearted (you're likely on your own if something goes wrong), but it'll simplify things if you're bored with Google's web-centric software.
Google said it would allow both iOS and Android users to leverage its Chrome Remote Desktop feature on-the-go, but Apple faithful have yet to get the chance... until today. Once you've installed the desktop app from the Chrome Web Store, access to that machine with an iPhone or iPad is a few taps away. The Android version rolled out last April, and despite a lengthy wait, those who prefer iOS can now make use of the tool. Looking to take it for a spin? The app is available for download at iTunes.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/12/razer-sale/
If you've been anxiously waiting for a price drop on one of Razer's gorgeous, very expensive laptops, today is the day for you: the hardware-maker is celebrating its Best of CES 2015 awards with a massive, one-day sale. The Razer Edge is getting a 30 percent price drop, while all other hardware is getting halved in price. There are, naturally, some limitations: you can only buy one item (so make it count) and you have to be a member of Razer's "Insider" program (which basically means you have to give them your email address and little else). Oh, and the savings end tomorrow (January 13th) at 5:59PM PT, so maybe hurry up if you're gonna do this.
Still on the fence about that laptop? Head over to our review of Razer's Edge laptop from early 2014 right here and find out if it's the one for you!
Filed under: Gaming, Laptops, Software, HD
Source: Facebook
Source: http://jalopnik.com/ford-gt-this-is-it-1678893649
Ford did it. They actually went and did it. It's been rumored about
The robotic turtle above can't wield katanas, eat pizza or shout cowabunga, but it can still do something awesome: draw big sand sketches on the beach. It's named "Beachbot" and was developed by a team from ETH Zurich and the Zurich division of Disney Research, a network of labs responsible for s...
http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/12/disney-research-beachbot-art/?ncid=rss_truncated
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Source: http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/10/djis-inspire-1-hand-held-gimbal/
DJI is perhaps best known for its drones. The company also makes some pretty sweet photography gear. Often, these two skill sets meet in perfect harmony -- like the 4K camera-toting Inspire 1 video drone. DJI thought it was a shame to keep that new camera limited to aerial photography though, so it's setting it free with a hand-held gimbal (motorized camera stabilizer). In fact, the gimbal part is the same as the one that's on the drone, but attached to a handgrip mount. The result is a small, yet extremely stable 4K video camera. Similar devices exist for GoPros, but DJI's design is not just more visually appealing, but also more practical and comfortable to use. We were lucky enough to get to try it out for ourselves in the desert.
Let's get back to how it looks for a moment. It's pretty cool. Naturally, it matches the design language of the Inspire 1 drone. As a standalone device, it's a smart-looking piece of kit, but there's definitely a whiff of "Stormtrooper" about it. The device we saw was only a prototype, but it's clear it'll be ergonomic and comfortable to use. There are a few controls on the handle within reach of your thumb, and it houses a mic too, as the camera doesn't have one (there's not much to record up in the air).
What makes the gimbal really smart though, is the addition of a clip for your phone. DJI has created a companion app that allows you to use your smartphone as a viewfinder. This makes the mini rig a surprisingly comprehensive, yet portable stabilized 4K video setup. What better way to test it than shooting side by side with a camera on a regular, non-stabilized grip? We did exactly that, stomping around the Nevada desert. The results speak for themselves. The footage is incredibly, dreamily smooth, but a few bugs in the app meant we could only grab a few short moments. Watch below to see for yourself.
The gimbal may just be a prototype, and we still have no idea of price, but we're sure this information will be available soon enough. What we do know is that DJI is thinking about ways to add real value to its existing kit. The addition of this device makes the Inspire drone package 100 percent more useful. Now you can theoretically use the same camera to complete a whole video project, and anything that improves our overall workflow is a welcome addition.
Filed under: Cameras
Source: http://ces.gizmodo.com/you-can-rent-this-modular-pocket-pc-for-200-a-year-1678615054
Did you know that Chromebooks were originally supposed to be disposable computers? That didn't quite come to pass. But a new computer company called The Hive has a PC that you actually do trade in, year after year.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/that-aim-assisted-rifle-is-now-accurate-up-to-a-mile-1678303048
Oh, what a difference two years make. The Precision-Guided Firearm (aka the Linux Gun) from TrackingPoint that blew many a mind at 2013's CES is back and better than ever. And by "better" I mean able to hit a target traveling at 30 mph, 1,800 yards out.
Source: http://ces.gizmodo.com/this-modular-smartwatch-could-have-as-many-days-of-batt-1678389628
One of the biggest problems with powerful smartwatches is battery life. Who wants to charge their watch every night? But what if your watch was made of modular blocks and you could add as many batteries as you like?
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2015/01/08/engadget-forums-whats-up-with-curved-displays/
Walking through the halls of the Las Vegas Convention Center, one thing becomes abundantly clear. Curved displays are apparently all the rage. They're everywhere and include everything from Ultra-HDTVs, monitors and even smartphones. Much like 3D televisions of the past, it seems like every hardware manufacturer got together and said, "This is exactly what consumers need!" The thing is, I've yet to meet anyone who has one. Are they the real deal? Head over to the Engadget forums and share your thoughts!
Filed under: Displays
Source: Engadget forums
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-is-going-big-on-video-2015-1
Facebook has acquired video technology startup QuickFire Networks for an undisclosed amount.
QuickFire Networks CEO, Craig Y. Lee, announced the acquisition on the company website.
“QuickFire Networks was founded on the premise that the current network infrastructure is not sufficient to support the massive consumption of video that’s happening online without compromising on video quality,” Lee writes.
QuickFire’s technology reduces the bandwidth needed to watch video online without sacrificing on video quality.
Facebook averages more than one billion video views per day, so it makes sense that they’d want to deliver a higher quality video experience to users.
The company posted a blog post on January 7th outlining “what the shift to video means for content creators,” and highlighted how integral video had become to the platform.
Facebook noted that, on average, more than 50% of people who come back to Facebook every day in the US watch at least one video daily and in a single year Facebook video posts per person increased 75% globally and 94% in the United States.
QuickFire will be able to help streamline the increased video consumption and provide support to the platform as it rolls out more video in emerging markets, which frequently have slower connections.
A group of key QuickFire employees will be joining Facebook as part of the acquisition. In the meantime, the company will be reaching out to individual customers and partners as business winds down.
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Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/android-lollipop-adoption-is-abysmal-2015-1
Almost nobody is using Google’s latest and most ambitious update to its Android operating system. Based on the company’s latest numbers charted for us by BI Intelligence, less than 0.1% of all Android devices are running the latest version, called Lollipop. It doesn't even appear on the chart, because we don't show distributions with less than 0.1% adoption.
Most Android users are still on Android Jelly Bean (46% of devices), followed by KitKat (39.1%), the most recent version of Android that came out before Lollipop. Android suffers from a ton of "fragmentation" — that is, many different versions of the software out at the same time — because Google gives third parties like hardware makers and carriers lots of leeway on what they can do with the platform. It’s difficult to roll out new updates since each new software edition must pass through so many different channels before it reaches the end user. Unfortunately, this makes it hard for developers trying to build Android apps — which version do they build for?
SEE ALSO: Mobile Shopping Grew Like Crazy Last Year
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