Apr 08
But the luminescent flip-flops beg a question. If the wearer is walking in an area so treacherous that he or she must spot-weld high beams to the feet, why wear sandals?
Apr 08
Kondo’s spring-loaded spider robot creeps on the cheap (video)
Posted in: robot, RobotApocalypse, Robots, Today's Chili, video
The latest in a long line of terrifying (and occasionally adorable) pseudo-arachnid robots, Kondo‘s upcoming KMR-M6 is doing more with less. Thanks to a unique spring supported linking leg joint, this hexapedal bug gives you the heebie-jeebies with only two servos per leg. The new leg design lowers build costs while improving performance and stability, and was developed for education, research, and hobbyist markets. The base kit hits Japan next month for about ¥76,000 (about $880) and comes with twelve servos, a control board, a 10.8V 800mAh NiMH battery, software, and a frame with extra space for adding optional, cameras, grippers, or other servo controlled fancies. Although it’s not as lovable as Kondo’s turtle-bot, watching this robo-bug scuttle and march (after the break, if you’re wondering) is far more awesome than it is creepy. It’s another sign of the robot apocalypse, sure, but are you seriously going to let that ruin your Friday, Friday, Friday, Friday?
Continue reading Kondo’s spring-loaded spider robot creeps on the cheap (video)
Kondo’s spring-loaded spider robot creeps on the cheap (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 14:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apr 08
When the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer was introduced in 1946 as a tool for calculating the trajectory of artillery shells, it made headlines nationwide as the first all-electronic computer. But there was little mention of Jean Jennings Bartik and the other women who programmed the machine, charting new territory by converting math into a nascent machine language. More »
Apr 08
Enzo’s Pinball gets you all touchy-feely with your phone
Posted in: Android, android market, AndroidMarket, froyo, gingerbread, Today's Chili
We got a hands-on sample of Haptify’s haptic-powered apps a couple months back and came away intrigued, but yearning for more. Well, the company is finally ready to sate our penchant for playtime physicality with its first game, Enzo’s Pinball. The game debuts with three tables (“more coming soon”), and is designed to let you feel every bump, rattle, and ricochet as if it were the real thing. It isn’t identical to its tangible counterpart, but it is an upgrade over the rumble-free digital competition. Haptify’s haptic black magic works with handsets running Android 2.1 and up, so there’s an awful lot of potential pinball wizards out there. You can grab the game in the Android Market and it’ll cost $1.49 to give in to your tactile desires.
Enzo’s Pinball gets you all touchy-feely with your phone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apr 08
DIY Circuit Board Lets You Build Your Own Android Accessories
Posted in: Android, diy, hacking, Today's Chili
Smartphone apps are great for controlling things like GPS and cameras, but what if you need to add a bit of gear that isn’t built into your handset? Enter the IOIO (pronounced “yoyo”). This little board lets Android developers interface with any number of electronics components through Java, the language used to write Android apps. Think of it like an Arduino for your cell phone: it makes it possible to control anything connected to the little board using an app on the phone. It doesn’t even require any modification to the phone’s hardware or firmware. Your warranty remains intact if you want to tinker around with homemade phone accessories.
Created by DIY-er Ytai in Tel Aviv, the device is coming to the online retailer Sparkfun soon. When the board ships, Ytai has promised to open source the hardware and software behind it with a “very permissive license,” so if you decide to monetize your weekend project, it might not be out of the cards. It’ll be absolutely fascinating to see what inspired developers do with this board if it has anywhere close to the same impact as the Arduino. And hardware hackers, if you’re listening, an iCade for Android would be pretty nice.
Apr 08
Zoho Now Accepts Google & Yahoo Logins
Posted in: Google, Today's Chili, Web Sites, YahooThis article was written on May 14, 2008 by CyberNet.
Zoho took a pretty big leap today, and it will likely pay off in big ways for them. What they decided to do is leverage Google and Yahoo’s rapidly growing user base to help attract new users. How so? Instead of having to create a Zoho account new (and existing) users can simply login using their Google or Yahoo credentials.
This is a smart move because now users don’t have to worry about going through the sign-up process, and then having yet another login/password that they have to remember. I’m sure a fair amount of Google Docs users haven’t jumped on the Zoho bandwagon for exactly that reason.
Already have a Zoho account? No problem… here’s what the Zoho blog has to say about the new system:
- If you already have a Zoho account with your Google or Yahoo! email address, you will be logged in to the Zoho account automatically.
- If you do not have a Zoho account with your Google or Yahoo email address, then you have the option to either associate the Google or Yahoo email address with your existing Zoho account (under Accounts) or you can create a new one.
- If you add your Gmail and Yahoo email addresses (under ‘My Email IDs’ section) and confirm them, you’ll be able to login to your Zoho Account with either your Zoho Account, Google Account or your Yahoo! Account.
If the unified login process isn’t enough of a benefit then maybe you’ll like the fact that you can import contacts from both Google and Yahoo to your Zoho account. I tried this out and it was literally a 10-second process: go to your Zoho Accounts page, select Contacts, click Import, and select the service you want to import from. Done!
The next logical step for Zoho would probably be support for OpenID, but in my eyes they were smart for starting with Google and Yahoo accounts. Right now OpenID is still only known and used by the slightly more tech-savvy crowd, whereas most people already have a Google or Yahoo account.
Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com
Related Posts:
- Why Hasn’t Yahoo Acquired Zoho Yet?Import Documents from Google Docs to ZohoGoogle Finally Brings Some Of Their Services TogetherZoho Brings Interactivity With Microsoft OfficeZoho Writer Gets Offline Editing Capabilities
Apr 08
Apple Patent Proposes Hybrid LCD, E-Ink Display
Posted in: Apple, e-readers, ipad, iPhone, LCD, patent, R&D and Inventions, Tablets and E-Readers, Today's Chili
A dual e-ink and LCD screen could save your gadget’s battery life and your eyesight. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
Many iPad owners have complained that its backlit screen is just too bright for bedtime reading.
A recently unearthed patent shows that Apple has plans to fix such a problem by developing a hybrid display: part LCD or OLED, part low-power electronic ink.
Uncovered by Apple Insider, the patent, “Systems and Methods for Switching Between an Electronic Paper Display and a Video Display,” illustrates a method for displaying static content in e-ink while other portions of the screen appear using standard LCD technology.
Apple’s idea to combine a traditional display and an “electronic paper” display isn’t new. Last year, Pixel Qi developed a hybrid LCD screen for netbooks that lets the user toggle between a low-power reading mode and a brighter, standard LCD mode. Also, a startup called Entourage has made a hinged dual-screen folding tablet with an LCD on one side and e-ink screen on the other.
E-ink, or “electronic paper” as Apple refers to it in the filing, doesn’t rely on backlighting, resulting in a screen that is highly readable (even in bright sunlight) and low on power. The technology is dominated by the black and white displays produced by E Ink, such as the screen of the Amazon Kindle, but color e-ink displays are also on the horizon.
Apple’s method would involve a screen with “multiple composite display regions” with individually activated backlights, so content could be displayed in “electronic paper” mode if, for instance, it’s mostly text, or in “video display” mode if it involves high-resolution video or animations. The operating system would control the switching.
Apple Insider says it could be accomplished by sandwiching a clear e-ink display between a capacitive touchscreen and an OLED or LCD.
Such a hybrid display seems like it’d be great for extending your iPad or iPhone’s battery life, giving the backlights a break if you’re reading from iBooks or Instapaper. Not to mention a welcome breather from staring at bright, retina-searing screens all day.
Apr 08
The Owl1-A uses an ultrawide band radio frequency beam to detect people hiding in containers. Will it find the rats, too?
Apr 08
After $30 million capital infusion, including $20 million from Intel, makers of Kno educational tablet say they will no longer make tablets, but will focus on software for students.
Originally posted at Circuit Breaker
Apr 08
Prototype Tesla-powered RAV4 driven, demonstrates extreme brake regen
Posted in: tesla, Today's Chili, Toyota
What happens when you put the powertrain from a Tesla Roadster into an SUV? You get the Toyota RAV4 EV, an early prototype of which PluginCars got a chance to drive. It referred to a “sophisticated proof of concept,” basically a drivable show car, and the performance is reasonably stout: 0 – 60MPH in nine seconds — not bad for a 3,900lb car. Range is estimated to be 100 miles in real-world conditions, but that’s liable to change between now and when the car is expected to hit dealers, sometime toward the end of 2012. We’re guessing the Roadster-style pushbutton gear selector will be gone by then, too.
Prototype Tesla-powered RAV4 driven, demonstrates extreme brake regen originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 08 Apr 2011 13:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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