Apr 04

Kinect used to make teleconferencing actually kind of cool (video)

Posted in: augmented reality, AugmentedReality, kinect, Microsoft, mit, research, Today's Chili, university, video

No matter how hard Skype and others try to convince us otherwise, we still do most of our web communications via text or, if entirely unavoidable, by voice. Maybe we’re luddites or maybe video calling has yet to prove its value. Hoping to reverse such archaic views, researchers at the MIT Media Lab have harnessed a Kinect’s powers of depth and human perception to provide some newfangled videoconferencing functionality. First up, you can blur out everything on screen but the speaker to keep focus where it needs to be. Then, if you want to get fancier, you can freeze a frame of yourself in the still-moving video feed for when you need to do something off-camera, and to finish things off, you can even drop some 3D-aware augmented reality on your viewers. It’s all a little unrefined at the moment, but the ideas are there and well worth seeing. Jump past the break to do just that.

Continue reading Kinect used to make teleconferencing actually kind of cool (video)

Kinect used to make teleconferencing actually kind of cool (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 03:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 04

Get Your #Denkimeter Game On.

Posted in: apps, gaming, iPhone, LIFESTYLE / FASHION, Today's Chili

Those who know how humid and disgustingly sweaty Japan can get in the height of summer won’t be looking forward to the possibility of no air conditioning as the looming threat of blackouts extends into the season of three shirts a day. Various power saving efforts are being introduced and around town you can see convenience stores doing their bit with only half the store lights on, and even the iconic Shibuya TV screens were turned off until recently. Tapping into this, a university professor Inoue Akihito the author of Japanese blog Critique of Games has come up with a power saving game that is catching on on twitter called #Denkimeter”.

denkimeter-top

The basic rules are simple and involve the player locating and checking the reading on their electric meter at home or in the office. You can take a photo of the meter and the player must tweet the reading along with the time and date using the hashtag #Denkimeter. Players then update the reading periodically throughout the day and determine how much power they have used based on the change in reading from the previous tweet. Each person is encouraged to update after events such as preparing dinner or doing the laundry to get an idea of how we can cut down on our electricity usage. Your final reading on how much energy is saved is given as your “戦闘力” or “combat power”.

denkimeter-middle

When players enter their power savings into the Denkimeter site they receive a motivational or amusing derogatory comment back based on how well or poor they are doing. Displayed publicly on twitter also, there is added incentive for players to up their “combat power” by dropping their electricity usage and gain social kudos while at it.

The popularity of the game has also spawned an iPhone app that allows players to enter the wattage and tweet directly from the app which calculates energy difference since your last entry.

denkimeter-iphone

Alternative ways that Japan could save a ton of energy however would also be to just close all the pachinko parlors, now there is an idea.

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Apr 04

T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide gets PC-assisted Froyo update

Posted in: Android, froyo, HTC, t-mobile, Today's Chili
Gingerbread may not be a very likely option, but T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide users can now get a dessert of another sort (albeit a slightly stale one), as the phone has finally received an update to Android 2.2 (a.k.a. Froyo). Unfortunately, there’s apparently no over-the-air update planned, and the software required for the installation is Windows-only, so anyone with a Mac looking to upgrade will have to find a PC-using friend willing to help them out. If you’re all set to go, however, you can download the update from HTC at the source link below.

[Thanks, Frenchy]

T-Mobile myTouch 3G Slide gets PC-assisted Froyo update originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 02:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 03

redsn0w untethered jailbreak for iOS 4.3.1 released for Windows and OS X, lacks iPad 2 support

Posted in: Apple, apple tv, hack, ios, ipad, iPhone, ipod touch, IpodTouch, jailbreak, Today's Chili

If you’ve been waiting for a nice, easy jailbreak solution for iOS 4.3.1, then today’s your lucky day: Dev-Team’s just released redsn0w 0.9.6rc9 for both Windows and OS X, allowing us mere mortals to free our supported devices — iPhone 3GS, 4 (GSM); iPod touch 3G, 4G; iPad 1; and Apple TV 2G — with a few simple clicks. Alas, there are a couple of caveats: the iPad 2 isn’t supported here, as Cupertino has somehow managed to tighten up its security to fend off hackers (for now); and ultrasn0w users have also been told to hang tight until there’s a compatibility fix — Dev-Team will announce on Twitter when this becomes available. As for those who are eligible for this new jailbreak, head over to Dev-Team’s website for the download links, and make sure you have the corresponding IPSW files handy as well — you can find them over at iClarified or on your favorite search engine.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

redsn0w untethered jailbreak for iOS 4.3.1 released for Windows and OS X, lacks iPad 2 support originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 01:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 03

Lensbaby Composer goes Pro

Posted in: Today's Chili

Lensbaby rolls out a higher-end version of its Composer lens accessory targeting shooters who want smoother focus and tilt operation.

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Apr 03

Next-gen iPod nano chassis hints at camera?

Posted in: Apple, camera, iPod Nano, leak, rumor, Today's Chili
Here’s yet another juicy leak from China to go with your breakfast. Delivered by the same folks who brought us the sixth-gen iPod nano display module leak, this time we have what appears to be a chassis for the next touchscreen nano. According to Apple.pro, the circular hole at the top right is likely to house a little camera, which would bring back the good old days with the camera-donning fifth-gen nano. Obviously, to make space for such an imager here, the spring-loaded clip on the back would have to be downsized and shifted, which would explain why the four screws are off-centered here, unlike those on the current-gen nano (as seen in iFixit’s teardown shot after the break). That said, let’s not forget that this rumor is coming straight out of KIRFdom, so we’ll remain skeptical until this baby pops out around September time, as has been the case with most nano launches in the past.

Continue reading Next-gen iPod nano chassis hints at camera?

Next-gen iPod nano chassis hints at camera? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink 9 to 5 Mac  |  sourceApple.pro  | Email this | Comments

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Apr 03

Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro successor spotted as SK17i, sports Gingerbread

Posted in: Android, cellphone, gingerbread, in the wild, InTheWild, leak, mango, mobile phone, MobilePhone, phone, qwerty, slider, smartphone, Sony Ericsson, SonyEricsson, Today's Chili, xperia

Looking for your fibrous dose of gadget leak? Look no further than China which has, again and again, outed several spy shots of what appears to be the Xperia X10 Mini Pro’s successor. Dubbed the SK17i and codenamed “Mango,” this time we’re looking at some proof of Android 2.3 on this little Sony Ericsson slider, along with a homescreen UI not dissimilar to that of the X10 Mini and X8 series. Other than that, we’re not seeing anything new here, though we can’t help but wonder if the unused Xperia Duo trademark has finally found its rightful owner — you know, maybe Duo as in a two-part slider phone? As always, only time will tell.

[Thanks, @Tehpriest]

Sony Ericsson X10 Mini Pro successor spotted as SK17i, sports Gingerbread originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 00:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 03

Pirate Bay Sold for $7.8 Million

Posted in: Today's Chili, Web Sites

This article was written on June 30, 2009 by CyberNet.

piratebay sold.pngHuge news broke this morning when information got leaked to the press regarding an acquisition of The Pirate Bay. It’s said that they got $7.8 million for the site which will be turned over to the buyers, Global Gaming Factory X, in August. That might seem undervalued for a site that is nearly in the top 100 sites on the Internet according to Alexa (currently at 112), but given their legal troubles it isn’t surprising that they weren’t able to milk it for all it’s worth.

It didn’t take long for The Pirate Bay to respond to the news, and they confirmed that they are indeed being acquired by Global Gaming Factory X. They are trying to reassure users that things won’t change very much, and that this is all part of them “evolving.” According to TorrentFreak the new owners are looking for ways to ensure that copyright owners get paid, and that the site is legal. They are also reporting that the Pirate Bay’s BitTorrent tracker will be replaced with some new technology that is supposedly better, but is also backwards compatible with the BitTorrent network.

This is disappointing news for the BitTorrent community, but I guess it will help us appreciate those other BitTorrent sites (like MiniNova) that have managed to stay up. Plus this may spur even more interesting in private, invite-only, BitTorrent sites like Demonoid or What.CD. So where are you going to head for your torrent needs now that the Pirate Bay’s ship has set sail?

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Apr 03

TDK’s new line of Boomboxes and audio gear now officially available

Posted in: headphones, Today's Chili

TDK has slowly been rolling out some of its new audio gear since it first showed off the line at CES in January, but it’s now finally officially announced that the whole lot is readily available across the US and Canada. That includes both its two-speaker and three-speaker Boomboxes, its “room-filling” Sound Cube, a set of high-end headphones, and even a belt-drive turntable — those range in price from $249 for the headphones to $499 for the three-speaker boombox. Of course, while TDK is boasting quite a bit about the sound of the gear, it’s also placing a heavy emphasis on their appearance, for which it can thank design firm Ziba. Don’t miss the more coverage links below for a bit of insight into how it crafted the products.

Continue reading TDK’s new line of Boomboxes and audio gear now officially available

TDK’s new line of Boomboxes and audio gear now officially available originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 23:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apr 03

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: Renewable art touches the sky, an electric Audi TT, and cryogenic energy

Posted in: Today's Chili

Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us — it’s the Week in Green.

This week Inhabitat saw renewable energy projects blast off around the world as Kenya announced the construction of the largest wind farm in Africa and a team of Georgia Tech researchers developed a heart-powered nanobattery that can charge your gadgets on the go. We also learned that the mixture of saltwater and fresh water in estuaries could provide for 13% of the world’s power needs, and we took an in-depth look at a cryogenic energy system that produces electricity from liquefied air. Finally, we showcased photographer Mitch Epstein’s haunting photos of “American Power” which recently won the Prix Pictet prize.

It was also an epic week for architecture as the Pritzker Prize – the world’s highest architecture honor – was awarded to Portuguese architect Eduardo Souto de Moura. We also saw a high-tech solar skyscraper with a mind-bending wavy facade rise in Seoul, and we shared 15 visions for skyscrapers of the future — from vertical farms to shipping container towers and oil rig cities.

Finally, this week we saw a bright future dawn for green transportation as a team of students unveiled a hyper-modified electric Audi TT that is powered by solar energy. We also learned that the European Union is considering banning gas cars by 2050, and we took a look at Microsoft’s new database that tells you the cheapest place to charge your EV. Last but not least, we brought you a 10-seater pedal-powered party bike, and we showcased a stylish LED-lit jacket designed to keep cyclists safe at night.

Inhabitat’s Week in Green: Renewable art touches the sky, an electric Audi TT, and cryogenic energy originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Apr 2011 21:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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