WiFi File Explorer Manages Your Android SD Card from a Web Browser [Downloads]

Android only: Missing your USB cord, or just too lazy to grab it? WiFi File Explorer turns your Android SD card into a small web server, so you can transfer files, stream media, and otherwise control your content across a Wi-Fi network. More »






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Commodore USA to relaunch Amiga brand with series of AROS desktops

Barry's back, kids! The CEO of Commodore USA just informed us that, in addition to slapping Commodore stickers on various all-in-one PCs, he has acquired the rights to the Amiga name (we only hope that the process went a little smoother this time around). The plan is to sell machines that fully support AROS -- an open source variant of AmigaOS 3.1 that the kids seem to go crazy for. We can't wait to get a look at these bad boys, but for now it looks like we'll have to do with the picture of an old Amiga 3000 he inexplicably included with the PR. The PR, that is, that can be seen in its entirety after the break.Continue reading Commodore USA to relaunch Amiga brand with series of AROS desktopsCommodore USA to relaunch Amiga brand with series of AROS desktops originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | CommentsApple Computer Applied Materials Arian Semiconductor Equipment Arrow Electronics

Apple to livestream its fall event

Hey, do you hate reading? Well, finally Apple is feeling your pain. Tomorrow at 10AM PT, Apple will stream its fall event directly to your Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod as it unfolds. Of course, if you're a Windows user or you're wielding some kind of satanic Android device, you'll be out of luck apparently. Unless we're misreading this line: "Viewing requires either a Mac running Safari on Mac OS X version 10.6 Snow Leopard, an iPhone or iPod touch running iOS 3.0 or higher, or an iPad."

At any rate, you can tune to the livestream at apple.com, or if you really care about an untainted and supremely intelligent take on the proceedings, you'll follow along with our liveblog right here.Apple to livestream its fall event originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 31 Aug 2010 18:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Apple PR  | Email this | CommentsHeartland Payment Systems Google Google Formfactor

CrunchGear Week in Review: Death Drives A Stick Edition

Here are some stories from the past week on CrunchGear: New Display Tech Could Have Eight Times The Pixel Density As Retina Display Immortality Via Valve?s Team Fortress 2 Hat-Describing Contest Now You Wily Terrorists Will Be Subject To Long-Range Skeleton Analysis I?d Live In It. Bufalino Camper Combines Car, Bedroom, Office Science! Viral Batteries [...]Cosmote Mobile Telecom. D-Link Digital China Holdings Directv Group

Yahoo brings fantasy football to Android

Football season is here, and that means fantasy football  is everywhere at the moment. If you don't have time to watch all the games, you can stay up-to-date with your league and players on Android with Yahoo! Fantasy Football '10. Yahoo is one of the leaders of the fantasy sports world, so it's great to see a dedicated app make its way to the Market. With the app, users can check league and player stats, make roster changes and more. If you're a fantasy football fan and use Yahoo, don't miss this free app in the Market; it will make your life a lot easier! [Thanks Small_law!]
appid: 


com.yahoo.mobile.client.android.fantasyfootball


Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

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Former Digg Engineer: Digg v4 Is Here To Stay

"Digg v4 is not a redesign, not a reskin, it is a 100% rewrite. It?s completely new design, code, architecture, and infrastructure. It has almost no relationship to the v3 system whatsoever."
Social news site Digg is currently in the particularly bloody throes of its fifth user revolt, and unlike revolts one through four, we've heard that Digg is absolutely positively not capitulating to users on this one.

Has Kevin Rose finally decided to heed our advice? It's not so cut and dry according to former Digg engineer Ian Eure who wrote "They Can?t Go Back" on his personal blog earlier today. One reason they can't move backward? Talent, Eure emphasizes.Millicom Intl. Cellular Mobile Telesystems Nanya Technology Nii Holdings

Ladies, Please Don't Rely On A Floppy Disk For Self-Defense [Weapons]

101 Weapons for Women is probably a lovely book with plenty of great suggestions as to what can be used as an improvised weapon in case of danger, but I really don't think a floppy disk belongs among those things. More »






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YouTube adds free, full-length movies

Filed under: Video
It looks like Google isn't stopping at free phone calls to the U.S. and Canada In their never-ending quest to win new fans. They're also going to let you watch all the free, full-length movies you can handle over on YouTube! That's good.

The selection, however, doesn't include current releases and there aren't a lot of big-name films. That's bad. But you can watch loads of classic horror films, Three Stooges, Jackie Chan and Bruce Lee, Hitchcock, and a nice selection of Bollywood titles and documentaries. That's good!

It also comes with a free frogurt! No, not really. I was just having a Treehouse of Horror flashback.

Speaking of terror, why not go watch The Brain That Wouldn't Die!?
YouTube adds free, full-length movies originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 08:50:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsEastman Kodak Co Earthlink Dst Systems Discover Financial Services

There?s No iTunes Store Refresh Tonight. I Wonder Why?

It's like clockwork. 9 PM PT rolls around on Monday evening, and Apple rolls out an update to the iTunes Store. You see, Tuesday is the day that new movies and music are typically released in the U.S., so it makes sense to overhaul the store at this time to show off that new content. Only tonight, that didn't happen. Why? Because why roll out an update when you're going to completely overhaul the store the following day?

As you're probably well aware, Apple is holding an event in San Francisco this Wednesday. They tend to hold events related to iTunes and the iPod every year around this time, though this is a little earlier than normal. The invitation gives every indication that it will be music-related, but it will likely be more than that. Speculation is mounting that we'll see an update to the Apple TV, called iTV, and some new iPod hardware as well. But iTunes itself is also due for some changes, and that's very likely why we're not seeing any updates tonight.Intel Insight Enterprises Ingram Micro Informatica

Microsoft: Android Hidden Costs Are Expensive [Windows Phone 7]

According to Business Insider, Microsoft says that Android's hidden manufacturing costs are much higher than their own $15-per-unit Windows Phone 7 license. They have some very good points, but others are not so good. Here are their arguments: More »






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Deal of the Day ? Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS Silver 12.1MP Digital Camera with 4GB SDHC Memory Card

The LogicBUY Deal for Saturday is a 12.1MP Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS Silver digital camera.� The SD1300 has a 2.7? LCD and a 28mm wide-angle lens.� It also offers 4X optical zoom and Optical Image Stabilizer.� The best deal LogicBUY can find currently is: $194.99 – $35 coupon = $159.99 with free shipping.� The coupon [...] Filed in categories: NewsTagged: Deal of the DayDeal of the Day ? Canon PowerShot SD1300 IS Silver 12.1MP Digital Camera with 4GB SDHC Memory Card originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on August 28, 2010 at 8:05 am.National Semiconductor National Instruments Motorola Moody’s

Adobe Photoshop Express for Android taken for a spin, leaves me a little unsatisfied

Filed under: Photo, Utilities, Adobe, AndroidFrom the outset, a smartphone photo manipulation app is a fantastic idea. Thanks to the turtleneck mafia, awful-and-noisy-built-in-camera photography has become something far bigger than most of us expected -- who could've predicted that the iPhone would become the most popular camera on Flickr in under two years? But now, ladies and gentlemen, it 's the turn of the Android. With dozens of new Android handsets emerging every month, and with the Android market share creeping ahead of the iPhone, it's now time to talk about Android photography.

There's a bit of a problem, though: most photo manipulation software for Android phones smells worse than a Titan's loincloth. Mashable has a list of them, but they're all plagued with inadequacies and bugs; some are slow and some simply don't work on newer phones!

Enter Photoshop Express for Android. From Adobe you'd expect nothing short of a photo editing miracle app, but alas that isn't the case. Photoshop Express is certainly useful -- and it is a very polished, professional app that's free of bugs -- but I just wish it did a bit more. I wish it wasn't so annoyingly devoid of obvious, easy-to-implement features.From the outset, Photoshop Express is very smart. You're welcomed with a pretty, blue Adobe splash screen, and then you're shown all of the photos currently on your phone. You can start editing right away, or choose a photo to upload.



You also have the option of viewing your online photos (those stored at Photoshop.com), but here's my first gripe: you can't download photos to your phone! I wanted to edit one of my Photoshop.com photos, but the app simply won't let me. I have no idea why Adobe has locked it down in this way -- perhaps to provide a 'new feature!!1' for the next release? (Also, look at the Phone/Online tabs in the image above -- notice how the 'depressed' look indicates which tab you're on. I don't like it!)

Back to editing, then. Either select a photo already on your phone, or push the hardware camera button to take a new photo. This is the screen you'll see:

Beneath those four headings there are a variety of functions. Here's a complete list (don't worry, there aren't many): crop, straighten, rotate, flip, exposure, saturation, tint, black & white, contrast, brightness, soft focus, effects, and borders. Most of these are self-explanatory, and they all do the same thing as their desktop software equivalent. The 'effects' are nice, providing you with a bunch of pre-programmed filters that'll make your mundane on-the-way-to-work photos less boring.

There's a couple of handy undo/redo buttons at the bottom -- and no, you can't make those two annoying bars disappear while you edit the photo. The only way to see the final result is to save the image (thus losing your undo/redo history... awesome!)

Finally, the app has the ability to upload your edited photos to Photoshop.com, Facebook and TwitPic. You can also set it to 'auto upload' your photos, which is a rather cool way of keeping your phone synchronized with your Interwebs. [If you're interested, you can see my awesome full-size photo on Photoshop.com!]

Photoshop Express for Android Tech Specs

Installed Size -- 2MB, but it has a cache that will grow as your library of images expands!
Speed/Responsiveness -- Snappy and smooth (Android 1.6 @ 600 MHz, LG GT540 Swift)
User Interface -- Pretty and very intuitive, except for the complete lack of buttons on the 'Online photos' tab, grrr
Configurability & Extensibility -- Nope, nothing like that (but being able to upload to other non-Photoshop.com services is cool)
License -- Free, closed-source



Share TweetAdobe Photoshop Express for Android taken for a spin, leaves me a little unsatisfied originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsDiscover Financial Services Diodes Inorated Diebold Dell

Since October 7, 2005, I?ve Read 219,651 Stories Via RSS. You?

Google Reader has been my go-to RSS reader since October 7, 2005. How do I know? A new update to the service today tells me that and a few other interesting tidbits about my reading habits.

Technically, the big news of this update to Reader is a new fullscreen mode. I guess it's nice to have in certain circumstances (just hit "f" to activate it). But to me that's a little ho-hum. Much more interesting to me are a few of these new statistics they're dishing out.Avnet Bharti Airtel Bt Group Canon

Daily Crunch: Puft Edition

Gozer the Gozerian, The Traveller Has Come Mag Gun Is Like A Game Gun Crossed With A Wiimote We?re Living in The Future: Scientists Create Dry Water Rogue Robo-Chopper Flies Into Restricted Airspace Above Washington Quick Look: Mint Floor-Cleaning RobotElectronic Arts Eclipsys Eastman Kodak Co Earthlink

Robotic Yale Aerial Manipulator grabs a can of Guinness

There's plenty of UAVs out there capable of dropping things, but comparatively fewer that are able to pick things up. Some researchers at Yale University doing their part to change that, however, and have recently shown off their so-called Yale Aerial Manipulator; a UAV with a robotic hand. While that may not exactly sound like much, the four-fingered hand is able to "autonomously" grab objects that weigh up to two kilograms while the UAV is in flight, and the helicopter itself is able to reach a top speed of 120 kilometers per hour. That, the researchers say, could let the UAV pick up bombs or packages in difficult to reach areas, or even simply be used to make deliveries in urban areas -- like that can of Guinness you've been craving, for instance. Head on past the break to check it out in action.Continue reading Robotic Yale Aerial Manipulator grabs a can of GuinnessRobotic Yale Aerial Manipulator grabs a can of Guinness originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 18:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |  Technology Review  | Email this | CommentsSra International Spss Spansion Sonus Networks

AT&T's Xperia X10 hardware hands-on

Time to revisit and old friend, the Sony Ericsson Xperia X10.  It's not often that you'll see us review the same phone twice, but this time we're making an exception.  With the huge U.S. subscriber base of AT&T, there's a good chance at least a few of you will be picking this one up, and some recent firmware changes were made to address some of the issues we saw with the X10 the first time around.  And we love playing with new Android phones, I won't lie to you.The physical hardware hasn't changed since we looked at the X10 before.  Still the same 1GHz Snapdragon, 4-inch LCD screen, 1 GB ROM/512 MB RAM, and a nice 8.1-megapixel camera with LED flash.  And it stills feels great in your hand -- build quality and materials are always top notch with SE products.  To top it all off, AT&T has included a great set of earbuds and mic, which you can see in the video after the break.
Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

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Diaspora Clarifies: Open Source On September 15, Consumer Alpha In October

A few days ago, we noted that Diaspora was three weeks away from unveiling their open-source Facebook alternative. But a small update today clarifies one important point. On September 15, Diaspora will release the open source code for the project. But it won't be until October that the first consumer-facing alpha is available.

This isn't a major hiccup, it's just an update to make sure people aren't expecting to be able to use Diaspora on September 15. Instead, at that time, developers will have a chance to tinker around with what the team has come up with in these past several weeks -- with the $200,000 they raised from 6,500 people through Kickstarter back in June.Hynix Semiconductor Infosys Technologies International Business Machines Inventec

The Lego Inception Brickbending Photo Trick [Lego]

You may bend reality in dreams, but to bend a Lego street you need to build a model in three different scales and use forced perspective. That's what Sam masterfully did for his Inception homage vignette. [Flickr via Brothers Brick] More »






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Next-generation iPod touch and nano accessories and rumors continue to surface

We're but a few days away from Apple's music-related "special event," and naturally the bloody rumors are being tossed into the water, frothing up into quite a feeding frenzy. Last week came talk of new iPod touch and nano models, and now we have even more cases and accessories that seem to back up the belief that there's a fourth-generation touch and a sixth-generation nano coming. The nano is rumored to have a 3 x 3cm touchscreen (presumably this one) and room on the bottom for a proper dock connector, ensuring compatibility with the millions of iPod cradles and whatnot out there. The new cases we're seeing certainly back up that idea, with a dock-sized cut-out along with room for what's said to be a headphone jack, volume controls, a hold button, and a clip 'round the back. At the moment we know rather less about the new touch, but we can hazard a guess as to what it'll look like.

[Thanks, Hobbsy101]Next-generation iPod touch and nano accessories and rumors continue to surface originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 30 Aug 2010 08:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink 9to5mac  |  Alibaba (1), (2)  | Email this | CommentsViewsonic Verisign Verifone Holdings Veeco Instruments

New Google Voice with widget support surfaces

A few days ago we saw the G2 testing ROM leak, which brought to light a rather interesting new find, widget support in an updated version of Google Voice. Well, many of us were looking for a link, sadly it didn't appear to be just that easy, but that has all changed. Links seem to be flooding the web of locations to download this updated Google Voice onto your device today. If you want to test out the new version, you can download it directly right here. Reports are that it is working great with the exception of the phone dialer button on Sense ROMs, due to the difference in integration, and this coming from a leak, not being an official update. Be sure to check it out, and jump in the forums and let us know what you think! Thanks to 0mie and everyone else who sent this in.Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

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How would you change Apple's iPhone 4?

We know, half of you aren't even going to read past the headline before you start angrily banging away about Apple's admitted antenna gaff and the still-not-totally-fixed proximity sensor, but we're urging you to look deeper. Think harder. Critique your criticisms. In all seriousness, Apple's iPhone 4 garnered more attention (negative or otherwise) than any other phone released this calendar year, and for good reason -- in fact, Apple itself had to hold an emergency press event just to announce what could've been announced in a PR blast: everyone's getting a free case. That said, Cupertino has still managed to move millions of units in just a few months, and that demand doesn't seem to be dropping off at any significant rate. If you're one of the lucky (or unlucky) ones that have managed to procure Apple's latest iPhone, we're overly anxious to hear your thoughts on changing it. How would you have addressed the antenna issue? Would you have preferred a less drastic departure from the 3GS form factor? Would you have offered more colors than white and black? Thrown in Bluetooth 3.0 for kicks? Go ahead, the floor's yours -- just don't abuse it, cool?How would you change Apple's iPhone 4? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 22:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments



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New ARM architecture (likely Eagle) better suited for OS virtualization

Looks like that fake Pre with the iOS / BlackBerry OS split personality is a little ahead of its time, but ARM -- supplier of the architecture that underpins most of the world's smartphones -- likes the idea. In a recent talk at Stanford, ARM program manager David Brash talked up some of the highlights of new "extensions" to the existing ARMv7-A platform, and though he apparently never mentioned Eagle by name, it seems safe to assume that he was referring to the capabilities that Eagle would bring to the table when it launches in the next couple years. Notably, the extensions will break through ARM's current 4GB RAM limit by mapping 4GB windows of memory to each virtualized operating system, which dovetails nicely -- suspiciously nicely, in fact -- with VMware's recent talk of wanting virtualized phones capable of seamlessly switching between multiple platforms without any hacky bootloader solutions. We're definitely game for that, but considering that Eagle is still years away from retail reality, we're not bothering to clear space on our credit limit just yet.New ARM architecture (likely Eagle) better suited for OS virtualization originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Phone Arena  |  Linux for Devices  | Email this | CommentsIbasis Hypercom Hewlett Packard Co Heartland Payment Systems

Drips is a Flash-based painting app that lets you pretend you're Jackson Pollock

Filed under: Design
Drips is a fun Flash application that was inspired by the art of legendary American artist Jackson Pollock.
Its functionality is very basic -- you splash random colors on the canvas and that's about it. You can select a specific color or allow Drips to randomly rotate colors every time you let go of the mouse. You can also change the background color (again, either randomly or by selection).
There's no undo, of course, but I take that to be in the spirit of Pollock himself. One feature that is missing is control over brush size. I'm pretty sure that Pollock would have approved of such a feature.
I don't think it's a tool for creating masterpieces, but I like its lack of features. It captures some of the raw fun of just painting (or doodling), without messing about with too many features, brushes, toolbars, etc. I also like the strong, bold, random colors.Drips is a Flash-based painting app that lets you pretend you're Jackson Pollock originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsZoran Zions Ban Yahoo! Yahoo

The Cyborg Fly Project Uses a Tethered Fly to Guide a Robot Through an Obstacle Course [Fly Controlled Robot]

By tricking a fruit fly into thinking it was flying using an array of LEDs, researchers used the fly's wing movements to steer a robot through an obstacle course. There's video, so you can check out this cyborg fly for yourself. More »






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New ARM architecture (likely Eagle) better suited for OS virtualization

Looks like that fake Pre with the iOS / BlackBerry OS split personality is a little ahead of its time, but ARM -- supplier of the architecture that underpins most of the world's smartphones -- likes the idea. In a recent talk at Stanford, ARM program manager David Brash talked up some of the highlights of new "extensions" to the existing ARMv7-A platform, and though he apparently never mentioned Eagle by name, it seems safe to assume that he was referring to the capabilities that Eagle would bring to the table when it launches in the next couple years. Notably, the extensions will break through ARM's current 4GB RAM limit by mapping 4GB windows of memory to each virtualized operating system, which dovetails nicely -- suspiciously nicely, in fact -- with VMware's recent talk of wanting virtualized phones capable of seamlessly switching between multiple platforms without any hacky bootloader solutions. We're definitely game for that, but considering that Eagle is still years away from retail reality, we're not bothering to clear space on our credit limit just yet.New ARM architecture (likely Eagle) better suited for OS virtualization originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 18:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Phone Arena  |  Linux for Devices  | Email this | CommentsApple Computer Applied Materials Arian Semiconductor Equipment Arrow Electronics

The Full-On Assault On Cable Is Underway

Google, Apple, Microsoft, Netflix, Amazon -- when you hear these names, you usually think about how these tech giants all compete with one another. But what if they all teamed up for one cause? They'd be unstoppable, right? We're about to find out.

All of these companies are currently sitting in the same boat about to storm the beaches. Which beaches? Those belonging to the the cable television providers in the U.S. It has only just begun, but the assault is underway.

Let me start by saying that of course the cable companies aren't about to go away. Even if the mega assault by the tech juggernauts is successful, it will be many years before everyone's addiction to cable gives way to something else. But it will. And that something else will be content served over the Internet.Anixter International Apple Computer Applied Materials Arian Semiconductor Equipment

Chrome extensions with right-click context menus coming soon! And your chance to win a Chrome hoodie...

Filed under: Developer, Google, BrowsersIn a move that is surely an effort to keep pace with Firefox's helter-skelter development of Jetpack, Chrome Beta now has a context menu API!

There's also a bunch of other new APIs, the most exciting being the Omnibox API. Imagine Chrome's built-in search engines (type 'Amazon', then a space, and then a book name -- it searches Amazon!), but with extension access. Type the name of an extension into the Omnibox, and then any further input is redirected to the extension. Actually, having said this is an exciting addition, I'm really not sure what an extension would do with it... Perhaps something Ubiquity-esque?

The new Infobar API might be of interest, too. You know that blue bar that appears when Chrome asks you whether you want a page to be translated? Well, extensions can now pop those up for you. I can see security and privacy extensions like LastPass making use of them, or an extension that alerts you when a page you're visiting has an 'official Chrome extension' (you know, instead of that awful JavaScript hack...).

Oh, and if you make an extension (featuring the new APIs? It's not clear), let Google know and they might send you a free Chrome hoodie! Hooray.Chrome extensions with right-click context menus coming soon! And your chance to win a Chrome hoodie... originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 09:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsOn Semiconductor Nvidia Nuance Communications Novellus Systems

Bit.ly Clickabit, Now. Bit.ly Now, Later?

Today on their blog, URL shortening service Bit.ly unveiled a cute new feature: Clickabit. It's a Twitter account that surfaces some of the "surprising and bizarre" links being shortened and shared across their network. But the feature also hints at something we've been talking about for a while: Bit.ly Now.

"We?re currently hard at work on several systems that will expose some of the interesting data we?re playing with. In the meantime, we?d like to introduce @clickabit," Bit.ly writes in the post. They key part is obviously the first half. We've known for a while that Bit.ly has been planning some sort of service to expose the best links being shared across the web -- kind of like Tweetmeme or Digg. But Bit.ly links are shared on email and Facebook too; it would be about more than Twitter.Arian Semiconductor Equipment Arrow Electronics Asml Holding Asustek Computer

The Marmota project shows off what we can expect from augmented reality in the next few years

Filed under: Fun, Utilities, Mobile
Augmented reality, at the moment, is a bit kitsch. It's a technology that's been threatening to emerge for years but, like "virtual reality," it's always been held back by technological constraints. Until the last year or two, most AR and VR implementations involved you wheeling around a laptop (or strapping it to your back!) -- and VR still requires a silly pair of glasses. That's all about to change, however, with the gigahertz-in-our-pocket smartphones.

In the next few years, almost everyone in the Western world will have a handheld device that's capable of displaying rich 3D graphics. GPS will pinpoint your location and elevation in real-time, and 3G and 4G (5, 6, 7 ...) networks will make both topological data and the Internet's wealth of contextual data available at any time and any place. But enough talking, let me show you what I'm talking about: check out the Marmota project. It hides behind such subtitles as "visual environment monitoring" and "semantic image labelling," but in essence, it's the next step in augmented reality.

The best thing would be for you to read through the Marmota website and check out the pictures, but I'll give you an example of what Marmota will let you do. Right now, you can pull down Flickr photos from a given geolocation -- that's pretty cool, ... but that's also about it for the current state of augmented reality. With Marmota, you point your camera at a landscape (or cityscape!), and the server sends you topological and contextual information for the scene you're looking at. So, if you hold your smartphone up in front of a mountain, the mountain's name and elevation are shown on the screen (here's a larger version of the image above) -- the software can also show you roads, landmarks, and so on. Using topological information, the 2D image on your phone can even be converted into a 3D image (watch the video, it's very cool), and presumably you can then see over a range of mountains and down into the valley beyond!

The coolest thing is, this technology is actually ready to go. The project has used Android phones as its test bed, and the app should be available in the "immediate future." I'll keep you updated and bring you a proper review as soon as possible.

[via ReadWriteWeb]The Marmota project shows off what we can expect from augmented reality in the next few years originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsXilinx Western Digital Volt Information Sciences Vishay Intertechnology

Ciclotte exercise bike goes from concept to product

digg_url = 'http://www.engadget.com/2010/08/27/ciclotte-exercise-bike-goes-from-concept-to-product/';
We can't say we had too much hope that the futuristic-looking Ciclotte exercise bike concept we saw last year would ever turn into an actual product, but it looks like this is one concept that's defied the odds. Of course, it'll set you back more than ten grand, but you will soon be able to order the unicycle-style bike online, and in your choice of three different colors no less (full carbon, silver or purple). Apart from its striking design, the bike also boasts an epicycloid crank system and a magnetized main wheel to generate resistance, a steel and carbon frame, an adjustable seat and handlebars, and a few other modern amenities like a touchscreen display to adjust the settings. Hit up the gallery below for a closer look. Gallery: Ciclotte exercise bikeCiclotte exercise bike goes from concept to product originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 12:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Wired  |  Ciclotte  | Email this | CommentsNational Instruments Motorola Moody’s Miscrosoft Office

10 Reasons You Need An iPad For College

So you’ve heard about the Apple iPad and you’re heading back to school soon. Chances are you’re probably wondering if it’s a smart choice to invest your money towards purchasing an iPad for college. In this article we’ll help explain a few of the many benefits there are for college students who own, or will [...]Amazon.Com America Movil Amkor Technology Amphenol

How One Man Accidentally Invented Electronics in 1906 [Inventions]

When Lee de Forest accidentally created the first electronic audio amplifier—the Audion—he "inaugurated the age of electronics." You can learn about it in this excerpt from Nicholas Carr's book What the Internet Is Doing to Our Brains. [Gizmodo] More »






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Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 for AT&T review

We've already published a pretty exhaustive review of Sony Ericsson's Xperia X10 some five months ago, but it's taken until this month for it to reach AT&T's network and retail chain. A lot's changed in the mobile phone market since then -- the iPhone 4, the EVO 4G, Dell Streak, numerous Verizon Droids, and so on. Does the X10 still compete? Read on to find out.Continue reading Sony Ericsson Xperia X10 for AT&T reviewSony Ericsson Xperia X10 for AT&T review originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 13:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | CommentsAutomatic Data Processing Avnet Bharti Airtel Bt Group

Multi-robot command center built around Microsoft Surface (video)

While we've given up on ever winning an online match of StarCraft II, that doesn't mean top-down unit control schemes are only for nerds in their mom's basement with their cheap rush tactics and Cheeto fingers and obscene triple digit APMs (we're not bitter or anything). In fact, we kind of like the look of this robot control interface, developed at UMass Lowell by Mark Micire as part of his PhD research. The multitouch UI puts Microsoft Surface to good use, with gestures and contextual commands that make operating an unruly group of robots look easy, and a console-inspired touch control setup for operating a single bot from a first person perspective as well. There are a couple videos after the break, the first is Mike operating an army of virtual robots, using Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio to simulate his soldiers and environment, but the second shows his first person UI guiding a real robot through a maze, in what amounts to a very, very expensive version of that Windows 95 maze screensaver.Continue reading Multi-robot command center built around Microsoft Surface (video)Multi-robot command center built around Microsoft Surface (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 17:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink Wired  |  UMass Lowell Robotics Lab  | Email this | CommentsTibco Software Thq Texas Instruments Teradata

More details, plus a new color, on the AT&T Motorola Flipout

  We brought you the first pictures of the AT&T version of the Motorola Flipout, and now it's time to drop off a truckload of info on the device. Let's do so in handy bullet form, shall we? The phone runs the updated version of Motoblur 1.5 -- but it's not what you find on the Droid X and Droid 2. The operating system is Android 2.1 (update1, we presume). Widgets are resizeable, like on the Droid X and Droid 2. There are filtering options for your social networks, so you're not completely deluged with information. The 2.8-inch screen (at the old-school 320x240 resolution) is described as "garbage" with a low, low 120 pixels per inch. (Hey, it's not mean to be high-end.) That said, the body of the phone and build quality are said to be top-notch, which is no surprise for Motorola. We may not like the design, but, dammit, they can certainly build things well. Benchmarks:  26FPS on nenamark, 444 on quadrant, 5.8MFlops on linpack, but it's topping out on gears and 2dfps at 30FPS. The phone is pretty speedy, with its OMAP processor running at 720MHz and PowerVR SGX 530 GPU. This is AT&T we're talking about, so there is no app sideloading, but like the Backflip and Aria and Captivate, you can use ADB or the Android Sideload Wonder Machine to install the .apk files. Google Navigation is in, and Google is the default search, unlike on the Backflip. Yahoo is the homepage, but that is changed easily enough. So there you go, folks. We're looking at a small, speedy, pocketable Android phone. We've got a couple more pictures after the break, including one with a blue backing -- perhaps there will be interchangeable battery covers?
Posted originally at Android CentralSponsored by Android Cases and Accessories

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Foursquare Takes Over Times Square With A Massive Display Ad

In terms of brand recognition, it's hard to top a huge live display billboard in Las Vegas. But Foursquare has managed to do it. As you can see above, they now have a massive, multi-level and multi-angle display practically screaming about the service to all those in Times Square in New York City.

"Check in, find your friends, unlock your city," the ad reads. In smaller print at the bottom it talks about checking in to American Eagle for some kind of special. Foursquare head of business development Tristan Walker confirms that American Eagle is behind the ad, which he says is the "largest digital billboard in Times Square."Finisar Fei Company Fairchild Semiconductor International Fair Isaac

Inspiring a Nation to Take War to the Skies [Imagecache]

During World War II, President Roosevelt declared that America would manufacture 185,000 military aircraft in 1942 and 1943. To illustrate and inspire the effort, 4,500 model airplanes were hung spectacularly from the ceiling of Union Station in Chicago. More »






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The Online Video Debate: Size Versus Quality

Editor's note: The following guest post is by Ashkan Karbasfrooshan, the CEO of�WatchMojo, a producer and distributor of premium video content.

Last week, Erick posted an article on TechCrunch titled ?Industry Insiders Say Online Video Advertising Is Reaching A ?Frenzy Point.'" It was a surefire way to get online video entrepreneurs excited, right? Not so fast.

The article quoted two CEOs of large online video businesses?namely Keith Richman of Break Media and Jason Glickman of Tremor Media?whose basic argument was as follows: It very well may just be the big ad networks and properties like Hulu that are seeing the vast majority of new ad dollars.

While one might think that the top 10 firms in a given industry will prevail, it?s important to think of legendary General Electric CEO Jack Welch's rule that a company should be either No. 1 or No. 2 in a particular industry, or else leave it completely. Online video frequently draws comparisons to search, which today has become a two-horse race between Google and Microsoft. Considering that the high-profile and defunct Veoh was a perennial top-10 competitor in video, one wonders: is anything other than No. 1 or No. 2 in video really a winning a strategy?Millicom Intl. Cellular Mobile Telesystems Nanya Technology Nii Holdings

Aiaiai TMA-1 Headphones Lightning Review: High On Bass, High On Style [Review]

Designed by DJs for DJs, Aiaiai's TMA-1 rugged headphones have all of the bass and sensitivity needed to be heard in a club, without the overt branding. And for non-turntablists, they work very well on the road too. More »






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Dr. NakaMats: The Man Who Claims to Have Invented Nearly Everything You Love [Inventions]

It's tough to think about inventors without remembering dear Dr. NakaMats. He claims to have invented over 3,000 items—frequently while almost drowning himself—and basically thinks Thomas Edison's an uneducated wimp who quit at 1,093 inventions. More »






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Two more tablet-friendly features on their way to Google Chrome

Filed under: Google, Browsers
Google had originally pegged December 2010 for the first release of Chrome OS, but it's been looking like a fall release is now a safe bet. It's certainly netbook-ready at this point, though some missing features (like an on-screen keyboard) may mean that tablet devices arrive slightly later.

Developers keep plugging ahead, however, and continue to work on tablet-friendly features. Two code revisions have landed in the past couple days which will definitely make Chrome more at home on tablets. The first is device orientation support (think auto-rotating content on your Chrome OS tablet and accelerometer-enabled games) and the other is speech input (hello, voice commands!).

Both features have been part of the Chromium code for a while now, but they're now enabled by default and it's typically a very short amount of time between a new Chromium feature being defaulted and its arrival in the official Google Chrome builds. It's also worth noting that voice input support is only on by default for Chromium's Windows users -- Mac and Linux users would need to add the ?--enable-speech-input switch to their shortcut for the time being.

Developer Jeremy Selier has posted a simple-yet-cool demo video of device orientation using his Macbook Pro -- check it out after the break!

Device orientation demo from Jeremy Selier on Vimeo.Two more tablet-friendly features on their way to Google Chrome originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 28 Aug 2010 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | CommentsSynopsys Synnex Symantec Sykes Enterprises Inorated

Ugly iPhone 4 Case Comes With Built-In Dual-SIM Adapter [Iphone 4]

This transparent iPhone 4 case doesn't exactly look great, but it comes with a clever feature: A dual-SIM adapter. It means that you can keep two SIM cards attached to your iPhone and toggle between them using a menu setting. More »






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Miranda IM 0.9 is now out -- new icons, better Win7 support, and lots more!

Filed under: Utilities, Windows, OpenOffice.org
Miranda IM is pretty much the most versatile, customizable, powerful, minimalistic and down-right sexy IM client on the planet.
I know that sounds like a lot, but I've been using it for years, and I've tried pretty much everything else Windows and Linux have to offer. I never tried Adium, so maybe Adium's better - but for Windows, nothing beats Miranda. As you can tell, this application is a prime candidate for one of my What the Zuk columns, so I will save the rest of my admiration for later and get to the news already:
Miranda 0.9.0 is now out! Miranda is very actively developed, but the release cycle isn't exactly lightning-fast. So 0.9.0 means something, and here's a few features off the list:

New improved protocols engine with full Unicode support
New high quality icon theme
First official x64 version
Added Windows 7 taskbar icon support

The weirdest feature added to this release was support for file transfers of over 4GB in size. I mean, who the heck transfers over 4GB of files over IM? This release also brings strong Unicode support across the board, so if you happen to be a non-English user this may come in handy. I just installed it myself, and the myriad of add-ons I use seem to work just fine.
And of course, Miranda keeps all of its existing goodness, including support for an insane number of protocols. I currently use it for IRC, ICQ, MSN, GChat, and Olark. One client to rule them all! If you've never used Miranda, now would be a great time to give it a spin!Miranda IM 0.9 is now out -- new icons, better Win7 support, and lots more! originally appeared on Download Squad on Wed, 25 Aug 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsSymantec Sykes Enterprises Inorated Sybase Sun Microsystems

The Engadget Show Live! with Omar Khan, Rock Band 3, and more!

Keep your eyes tuned to this post -- because at 8:00 PM ET, we'll be starting The Engadget Show live, with Samsung CSO Omar Khan, Rick Karr, Rock Band 3! Nilay's on vacation, but Josh and Paul are on hand with Joanna Stern and Ross Miller, plus we'll have music from Zen Albatross and visuals from invaderbacca and much, much, more! You seriously don't want to miss it! Check out the live stream after the break!

Continue reading The Engadget Show Live! with Omar Khan, Rock Band 3, and more!The Engadget Show Live! with Omar Khan, Rock Band 3, and more! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Aug 2010 19:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink   |   | Email this | CommentsFinisar Fei Company Fairchild Semiconductor International Fair Isaac

Rotate and Roll is a liquid physics Time-Waster

Filed under: Fun, Games, Time-Wasters
Rotate and Roll is a game about balls. However, it can rapidly turn into a game about balls plummeting towards inevitable doom, unless you play it wisely.
The balls in question are on a plank. Sometimes it's just one lonely ball per level, and sometimes there are as many as four. When you press the arrow keys, the entire level rotates. Obviously, the board tilts, and the ball starts rolling.
If it rolls off the screen, you're out. You're trying to get it to roll into that large ball that you see at the bottom of the screenshot. When it gets there, you win, and you get to go on to the next level.
Sometimes your ball needs to collect something before it can go on to the next level. For instance, you may need to pick up that coin-like thing, which you can see toward the upper right corner of the screenshot (on the right plank). So, you'd have to rotate the level to the right, collect the coin, gently tilt back to the left until your ball falls onto the lower plank, and go from there to the big ball.
Of course, this being a physics game, velocity matters. You don't want to rotate too quickly, but you can do some neat tricks by rotating very fast and "bouncing" the balls off of level elements.
The atmosphere is pretty soothing; there's nice acoustic guitar in the background, and the whole thing is pretty serene. It's quite a fun little game!Rotate and Roll is a liquid physics Time-Waster originally appeared on Download Squad on Thu, 19 Aug 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Read | Permalink | Email this | CommentsAt&T Autodesk Automatic Data Processing Avnet

When Technology Meets The Future

When Technology Meets The Future