No one’s going to drop $25,000 on a fabulous 84-inch 4K TV without something to watch on it. So to get the broadcast ball rolling, Sony has demonstrated a real-time satellite transmission system that cleverly compresses a 4K signal without reducing its stunning image quality. More »
Google has opened its wallet and dropped some coins into the box of WiFi provider Boingo, opening up free internet access to Android devices as well as PCs and Macs at 4,000 locations in the US. The promotion, which will last until the end of September, will include coverage in 15 airports and will be co-branded with Google Play, the search giant’s app download and multimedia store.
It’s also the first of Boingo’s new WiFi sponsorship programs, called the Cloud Nine Media platform, which will see the internet provider’s connectivity subsidized by advertisers. Google appears to have opted not to offer free wireless to iOS device users (though those with a MacBook still get to go online on Google’s dime) which is unlikely to endear the company to those on an iPhone or iPad.
Still, our guess is that somebody will soon figure out a workaround and everybody will be happy. Google will also be taking the opportunity to push its music, movies, books, and apps via the captive audience.
Coverage of the free WiFi will include JFK airport in New York, Chicago O’Hare, and Seattle-Tacoma, as well as select Manhattan subway stations. There’s also support in various hotels, malls and restaurants; you can find a full list here
Google pays for 4,000 free WiFi hotspots (but not if you have an iPhone) is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Machina is a menswear clothing brand that is in the process of mounting a Kickstarter campaign to promote a new product. The campaign doesn’t start for about a month, but the company has a demo version of its unique “wearable” MIDI controller live on the floor of TechCrunch Disrupt in San Francisco this week.
The Machina MIDI Jacket will come in a couple of different styles, but the basic concept is that it is a jacket or vest that is outfitted with several different sensors (multiple MIDI touch sensors, accelerometer, etc.) that can control beats and samples via Wi-Fi and MIDI.
So you can effectively trigger and alter tones by moving your fingers accross the three sliders on the front of the vest. You can also affect the speed of a beat or sample by moving your arm and the accelerometer in the sleeve. This is a cool concept and an interesting and kinetic way to trigger and control beats and sounds. It works with a custom Mac OS X application that the company also created, with iOS versions soon to follow (for maximum portability).
I got a hold of their Kickstarter video a bit early, and they gave me permission to post it. They will have more info about this new concept at their website in the coming weeks.
Without astronauts to pilot them, NASA no longer needs manned landing modules like the one Buzz Aldrin flew during the Apollo mission. Instead, NASA is building a new generation of robotic spacecraft capable of setting down on alien worlds without human intervention. More »
Microsoft has just announced that it will be providing security patches for the Windows 8 IE10-specific version of Flash, despite the software giant initially suggesting it wouldn’t. The patch will be available “shortly,” and hints at a return to the update cycles of old. More significantly, as ZDNet points out, unless Microsoft coordinates these releases with Adobe, there could be a constant cycle of IE10 being vulnerable in the future. On a positive note, the fix should be released before Windows 8 goes prime time, but for those who jumped on board early, you might want to keep one eye locked on the update page, and get it when it lands.
Filed under: Software
Microsoft confirms Flash vulnerability fix for Internet Explorer 10 coming soon originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 11:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Pentax’s Q10 isn’t the company’s only new camera today; there’s also a pair of new full-sized DSLRs, the Pentax K-5 II and K-5 IIs, for those wanting native K-series lens support. Each packing a 16.28-megapixel sensor and Pentax’s PRIME II imagine engine, the two new DSLRs offer ISO 100-12800 (ISO 80-51200 in expanded mode) and a 3-inch 921k dot LCD preview display with anti-glare finish and toughened glass cover.
The difference between the two cameras is the absence of an anti-aliasing filter in the K-5 IIs, which makes it good for landscape-style shorts where detail is paramount and distortion less likely. Otherwise, both get a custom shake-reduction mechanism which shifts the CMOS – by approximately three shutter steps – to avoid blur, and 7fps burst shooting for up to 30 shots.
The viewfinder supports 100-percent field of view, while the body is made of magnesium alloy and stainless steel; the body is dustproof and weather-resistant, as well as resilient to temperatures as low as 14-degrees Fahrenheit. There’s a digital level tucked inside too, and a battery good for up to 980 shots on a single charge.
The Pentax K-5 II will go on sale in October, priced at $1,199.95 body-only, or $1,349.95 with the DA 18-55mm WR zoom, or finally $1,549.95 with the DA 18-135mm WR zoom. As for the K-5 IIs, that will also hit in October, priced at $1,299.95 body-only.
Pentax K-5 II and K-5 IIs offer DLSR with or without anti-aliasing is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
We’re getting close. I can almost smell that new iPhone. But what else will we see at the event? There have been plenty of rumors leading up to Wednesday’s announcement, as is often the case with Apple functions, but divining the odds on how many of those will actually come true is a thorny undertaking. Here’s a high-level overview to get your betting pools started.
The iPhone 5 is literally the overshadowing element of the event invite, and we’ll see it. If you bet against a new iPhone unveiling Wednesday, you should stay far away from Vegas. But what it’ll look like is more up in the air.
I provided a look at what you can expect from the iPhone 5 last week, but here’s the CliffsNotes version, along with probabilities:
That’s pretty much the whole picture, discounting some of the more out-there possibilities. Here’s one thing it definitely won’t have: a discounted, ad-supported version.
This one’s coming. Apple telegraphed it way back at WWDC in June. Features are also already known, because Apple showed them off. Some highlights include a more knowledgeable Siri (though not necessarily a smarter one), system-level Facebook integration, call response features that allow you to answer inbound phone calls with canned or custom text messages, FaceTime over 3G (where carriers allow), Passbook, and more. All of these things are definitely coming, but Apple could always sneak a feature or two in there under the radar, though it isn’t very likely given the forensic level of attention paid to iOS 6 beta releases.
Steve Jobs used to seem to hate the idea of a smaller iPad, but, lately, rumors around such a device have reached a fever pitch. Truth be told, it feels a lot like the atmosphere around the original iPad’s release, which was also long-rumored before it became a reality. Is one in the works? Yes. Is one taking the stage on Wednesday. Smart money says no.
An iPad mini is a marquee product, and the iPhone is a marquee product. It’s true that they probably won’t compete with one another in any essential way, but why split the spotlight when it makes far more sense to keep the mini in your pocket as a pre-holiday special? Let fans spend on the iPhone, recover slightly, and then scratch that gift-giving itch with a smaller, more affordable version of Apple’s best-selling tablet.
Plus the Apple blog-o-sphere has already declared separate events much more likely, with The Loop’s Jim Dalrymple giving the textual equivalent of a knowing link to John Gruber’s supposition.
Apple said it was coming eventually, and the company showed it off at WWDC. Dates were set for fall, and it seems like issuing an update for OS X alongside Facebook coming to iOS makes sense. Just for the sake of symmetry. Or Apple could just as easily throw this one out quietly on its own, since it doesn’t really need the attention of an event stage. I’m 50/50 on this one.
That’s how I’m betting for Wednesday. Feel free to jump in with your own odds, or with anything else I might have missed.
Pentax has revealed its latest compact interchangeable-lens camera, the Pentax Q10, a 12.4-megapixel snapper that the company promises will deliver regular DSLR results from a chassis sized like a deck of cards. The Q10, available in a number of colors including the striking red shown here, uses both Pentax’s Q-mount lenses as well as – with the new Adapter Q – existing Pentax K-mount lenses, for a broader array of shooting options.
The new CMOS is backside-illuminated and supports up to ISO 6400; it’s mounted in a shake reduction mechanism of Pentax’s own design, which uses accelerometers to track the Q10′s movements and smooth them out. The camera itself includes an Auto Picture mode, with 21 scenes, and a 5fps burst shooting mode.
A pop-out flash – with an eye-catching multi-jointed mechanism – can be used at two different positions, for different discharge angles, and there’s a choice of four exposure modes including Programmed AE (P), Shutter Priority, Aperture Priority, and Metered Manual. A dedicated bokeh control automatically creates the popular defocusing effect.
As for video, the Q10 can record Full HD 1920 x 1080 H.264 clips and outputs via micro-HDMI. A 3-inch LCD is on the back, and Face Recognition can spot and track up to 12 faces in frame. The camera will go on sale in October 2012, priced at $599.95 with an 02 zoom lens, while a new Pentax-06 Telephoto Zoom will be $299.95. The Adapter Q for K-mount lenses will arrive sometime this year, priced at $249.95.
Pentax Q10 interchangeable lens camera official is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Yesterday marked the launch of a new service from Valve with the beta of Big Picture mode for Steam. Big Picture mode is a version of the Steam digital delivery platform designed to operate on big HDTVs rather than smaller computer monitors. The new mode will allow users with high-end media PCs connected to the TV to get higher quality graphics in the living room than they can with their consoles.
Despite numerous rumors to the contrary, Valve does not intend to launch its own game console any time soon. Rather the goal was apparently to make PC gaming more accessible and convenient in the living room. I’d love to have some of my PC games on my massive projector screen and this new Big Picture mode will make that easier than ever.
Big Picture mode looks sort of like the dashboard on an Xbox 360 or on other set-top boxes. You can use it to purchase games, surf the Internet, and chat with friends using the standard in-game overlay. Naturally, Big Picture mode has fonts, icons, and menus optimized for viewing on a big screen. The mode is also designed with prompts that can be used via a game controller from across the room, and even has a special keyboard mode optimized for game controllers. As a matter of fact, they recommend the Xbox 360 Controller for Windows, or the Logitech Gamepad F710 for gameplay and controlling the interface.
PC users can opt into the Big Picture beta now. There’s no word yet on when the Mac version will be available, though Valve says it’s “coming soon.”
[via Kotaku]
Yes, we’re just a day away from the unveiling of the long-rumored, next-generation iPhone. Will it be the iPhone 5? Will it be The New iPhone? What’s in a name, really? We invite you to weigh on on that subject in the comments below, but if you were left wanting by the incremental step forward taken by the iPhone 4S we have a feeling you’ll be feeling pretty good after this show is over. Tim Cook takes the stage at 10am PT on September 12th, but if you look in the time bubble floating below you’ll see exactly when the event will happen in your neck of the woods. Oh, and if you’re wondering where to go, you need only set your browser to this URL:
http://www.engadget.com/2012/09/12/apple-iphone-5-liveblog/
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile
Apple’s iPhone 5 unveiling happens tomorrow, get your liveblog here! originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 Sep 2012 11:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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