PCMag’s Tech New Year’s Resolutions

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As we near the end of the year, it’s time to roll out the old New Year’s resolutions–you know, the ways we plan to better ourselves in those weeks between January and February, only to largely forget or otherwise abandon them. I’m sure plenty of us have that same old set of clichéd goals: lose weight, quit smoking, get our unread inbox messages down to zero.

We won’t bore you with all of those personal resolutions–instead, we’ve opted to use our energies to help make everyone else better. We asked the PCMag staff to help us come up with some resolutions they’d like to see put implemented by some of the more prominent tech people and companies on the scene today.

Day After Christmas Sale 2010: Best Buy

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Happy Boxing Day, all! Fittingly, perhaps, I’m writing this update from an airport in rainy California, crossing my fingers that I’ll be able to make it back into snowy New York before the year is out–JFK’s not looking so good at the moment…

If you’re stuck in the airport like me, what better time to do some online gadget shopping, right? Plenty of stores are attempting to clear out some stock post-holiday, both online and in-person.

Let’s kick it off with some gadgets from Best Buy.

HRP-2 humanoid robot learns to use obstacles to its advantage

There may be plenty of robots out there able to avoid or overcome obstacles, but we can’t say we’ve seen too many that are actually able to use obstacles to their advantage. That’s the claim to fame of this so-called HRP-2 robot built by researchers at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, however, which is able to detect objects around it and discern how they can be used to help it with a specific task — like leaning on a table to help balance while kicking a ball, for instance. As New Scientist points out, whether intentional or not, the end result is a robot that behaves remarkably like an elderly person — see for yourself in the video after the break.

Continue reading HRP-2 humanoid robot learns to use obstacles to its advantage

HRP-2 humanoid robot learns to use obstacles to its advantage originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 11:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Geek.com  |  sourceNew Scientist  | Email this | Comments

Stereoscopic copy-paste finally brings that clone tool into the third dimension (video)

Stereoscopic copy-paste finally brings that clone tool into the third dimension (video)

With the right software anybody can be photo editing guru, eliminating redeye, removing unsightly blemishes, and maybe adding an image of Godzilla lurking in the background just for fun. However, if you’ve been unlucky enough to try to do the same in 3D you know just how distinctly unsatisfying that experience can be. Maybe not for long. Thanks to NewScientist we just caught a glimpse of an October presentation made by Swiss engineers Joren van Baar and Wan-Yen Lo called “Stereoscopic 3D Copy & Paste.” It is, basically, exactly what it sounds like, tools that let you define various objects and planes on a stereoscopic image, similar to how you might grab a shape with the magic wand tool, and then duplicate it and move that shape around on both parts of the 3D photo. The software handles re-creating shadows, automatically tackling occlusion too, and while the results aren’t perfect, particularly if you’re trying to change perspective or partially occlude an object behind something that’s transparent, it certainly trumps trying to do it by hand. Check out the video below and take a moment to be thankful that you didn’t have to buy gifts for all those kids above.

Continue reading Stereoscopic copy-paste finally brings that clone tool into the third dimension (video)

Stereoscopic copy-paste finally brings that clone tool into the third dimension (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 08:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink NewScientist  |  sourceStereoscopic Copy & Paste  | Email this | Comments

Fisker raises Karma plug-in hybrid base price to $95,900, brings that 750i back into consideration

Oh, sure — gas is bound to hit $4 a gallon before 2020, but you can buy an awful let of petrol with the money you’ll save from dodging Fisker’s increasingly expensive Karma. ‘Course, those looking to blow 100 grand on an eco-friendly automobile are probably doing so just to throw Ma Earth a bone, but still — money matters. Originally teased way back in the fall of 2007, Fisker’s first plug-in hybrid still hasn’t ended up anywhere near mass production, but it has managed to see two rather significant upticks in price all the while. Right around two years ago, we saw the $80,000 MSRP boosted by $7,000, and today, prospective customers are being notified via email that the Karma’s base price is now sitting at $95,900 before a $950 destination fee. Granted, the company insists that this includes an integrated solar roof panel (valued at $5,000), and it still starts at $1,400 less than a Panamera S. And yeah, that base price does shrink to $88,400 after you include federal tax incentives. That said, we’re doubting high-rollers that were dead-set on handing over $73,000 or so after tax breaks are currently stoked about an increase this large, particularly when there’s still no definitive ship date. To Fisker’s credit, we’ve seen General Motors go through similar trials and tribulations surrounding the Volt, and even at $95k, you’ll be hard pressed to find more sexy than this on four (street legal) wheels.

Fisker raises Karma plug-in hybrid base price to $95,900, brings that 750i back into consideration originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 05:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAutoblog Green  | Email this | Comments

Safari Browser Stats for March are…

This article was written on April 01, 2008 by CyberNet.

safari scared …not as good as I thought they would be. Apple brought Safari 3.1 out of Beta in the middle of March, and shortly after that they started to push Safari out to all of the Windows users who already had iTunes or QuickTime installed. Well, as we roll our way into April I thought it would be interesting to see what kind of bump Safari got in usage by using their rather questionable method of distribution.

Overall in February Safari had a market share of 5.70%, and in March it climbed to 5.82%. The disappointing news is that Safari already had 5.82% of the market share in January, and so the small jump that they had in March merely got the browser back up to its peak.

As you might recall from our last coverage on the browser stats Safari 3.0 was capturing a majority of the Safari browser market share. Here’s a breakdown of Safari’s March stats showing how the four most popular versions differ from February:

  • Safari 3.0: 3.96% [down 0.60%]
  • Safari 3.1: 0.82% [up 0.82%]
  • Safari 41: 0.58% [down 0.12%]
  • Safari 31: 0.30% [down 0.03%]

As you can see a majority of the people using Safari 3.1 are those that have likely upgraded from previous versions. It will be interesting to see what the stats are like for April since Safari 3.1 will have had a full month to incubate on the computers. But it doesn’t look like the overall market share for Safari will not likely soar because of Apple installing the browser onto millions of ill-informed Windows computers. You can, however, bet the bank that Apple will be boasting how many computers it has been installed on.

[stats via Net Applications]

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New solar machine could generate hydrogen fuel, food for your future vehicle

We’re hesitant to file this one in the folder marked “Awesome Things That’ll Never Happen,” but it’s definitely on the watch list. A new prototype solar device has been concocted to convert sunlight into fuel, much in the same way a plant does. Eco-minded folks will probably understand that conventional photovoltaic panels “must use the electricity they generate in situ,” and thus, cannot deliver energy at night; this here device takes a rather unorthodox approach, using the sun’s rays along with ceria (a magical, marvelous metal oxide) to “break down carbon dioxide or water into fuels which can be stored and transported.” In theory, at least, the device could be used to create hydrogen and / or carbon monoxide, with the former being obviously useful for fueling up hydrogen-based cars of the future. Sadly, the existing prototype is horribly inefficient — only around 0.7 percent of the solar energy can be converted into fuel — but researchers are adamant that they can boost that to nearly 20 percent in time. We’ll check back in a decade or so to see how things are progressing.

New solar machine could generate hydrogen fuel, food for your future vehicle originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 02:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceBBC, UPI  | Email this | Comments

MyFive: Reasons I Love Windows Vista Media Center

This article was written on March 09, 2008 by CyberNet.

I’ve had a Vista machine setup for over a year whose sole purpose is to record my television shows, and I have to say that I’ve fallen deeply in love with it. Prior to owning the Vista Media Center computer I was using a ReplayTV unit to do the recording, and I didn’t think that it got much better than that. The model that I had included a commercial detection feature so that it would automatically skip past commercials as it came across them. I loved it!

When I got the Vista Media Center the ReplayTV was put on the back burner because it was leaps and bounds better than the ReplayTV. For that reason it is actually very easy for me to pinpoint five reasons why Vista Media Center is so great:

  1. Appearance
    Vista Media Center looks really amazing, and I give the designers mad props for making it everything flow so nicely together. I especially love browsing movies that are on TV because it shows the box art for each of them.
    vista media center
  2. WebGuide [Homepage] [Review]
    This is a free add-on created by a developer who was hired by Microsoft after the add-on really started to take off. With WebGuide you’re able to remotely access your Media Center computer through a website. You can remotely schedule shows, browse the television guide, or even stream content to your computer.
  3. DVRMSToolbox [Homepage] [Review]
    As I mentioned earlier being able to skip commercials has become an important part of my television watching experience. This free software will let you do just that, and it is extremely configurable which is something power users will love.
  4. Tuner Extender [Homepage] [Mirror] [Review]
    I recently bought a dual-tuner to add to the single HD tuner that I already have installed in my computer. Vista Media Center will support up to two tuners by default, but it is actually capable of handling many more. The only problem is that you won’t be able to add more than two tuners without using this special application. The fact that I can have three tuners simultaneously recording shows is awesome, even if it does take a little tweaking!
  5. Xbox 360
    A few weeks ago I decided that I wanted access to my television shows in another room, and I was trying to figure out the best way of doing that. I decided on purchasing an Xbox 360 because it serves as Media Center Extender, and with that I’m able to access content from any Media Center machine that is on the same network as the Xbox. I have to say that Microsoft did a great job with the Media Center Extender technology, and I’m extremely happy that the commercial skipping still works even on the extenders. Oh, and I get to play Halo 3. ;)

If there’s one thing in Vista that I really want to applaud Microsoft for it would be the Media Center aspect. It has never really crashed on me, is very extensible, and there is quite a large community surrounding it. I can’t wait to see where Microsoft takes this in the next release of Windows.

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Nikon patent app details lens with manual and electronic zoom, videographers rejoice

We reckoned it was only a matter of time, and sure enough, it seems as if the engineers at Nikon are already one step ahead of everyone else. For those who’ve attempted to shoot video on a conventional DSLR, they’ve most likely ran into one problem in particular: zooming. It’s fairly difficult to manhandle a D3S under ideal circumstances, but try holding it steady while also keeping a firm grip on the zoom and focus dials. Without a camera rig, it’s essentially impossible to get anything more than novice captures, complete with oodles of blur and more Jellyvision than you could shake a butter knife at. If all goes well, the next Nikkor lens you purchase may make the aforementioned tragedy just another comical part of history. Nikon is apparently dreaming of a single lens that can be zoomed both manually (for still photography) and electronically (for video), and better still, there’s nothing stopping this from also supporting the outfit’s sure-to-be-forthcoming EVIL line of mirrorless cameras. Then again, it’s not like a patent application dictates a near-term release, but if we all cross our fingers in unison and pledge allegiance the Big N, who knows what kind of magic could happen.

Nikon patent app details lens with manual and electronic zoom, videographers rejoice originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Dec 2010 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Electronista, Nikon Rumors  |  sourceEgami  | Email this | Comments

Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 Finally Released

This article was written on July 12, 2006 by CyberNet.

Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 Finally Released

Firefox 2.0 Beta 1 is now on the Mozilla FTP server. This release is available in a large variety of languages for Windows, Mac, and Linux users. I have been working on a review of this build and it should be posted a little later today.

For those people interested I will also be posting a portable version that will allow you to test Beta 1 without messing up your current Firefox profile.

Update:
You can download the portable version here.
 
Mozilla has also posted the release notes for Beta 1.

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