Hasta La Gadget!

Let’s face it, we’re doomed as a species, because one day, Boston Dynamics is gonna unleash its army of DARPA-funded droids and wipe us all out. The company’s sprinting robot, Cheetah, has now broken the land-speed record for humans, clocking speeds of 29.3 miles per hour, meaning not even the 27.79mph Usain Bolt can escape. Fortunately for us, it’s got a fatal flaw; a balance problem that means it can only remain upright with a boom keeping it steady. Unfortunately, that’s not going to be a problem for long, since field-testing on an independently upright version begins early next year. We’d wish you sweet dreams, but, you know, we’re too busy building an underground shelter.

Continue reading Boston Dynamics’ Cheetah robot will hunt you down faster than any person (video)

Filed under: Robots

Boston Dynamics’ Cheetah robot will hunt you down faster than any person (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Sep 2012 12:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With the evolution of computers came the deterioration of our bodies. In addition to bad posture, we suffer in our hands and wrists, shoulders and necks. Think about back and forth your neck does in an average day going from keyboard to screen and back. Sure, ergonomic solutions exist for certain elements of PC use, but the keyboard-monitor shuffle with the neck still remains a problem. In reality it will remain a problem until the keyboard – relatively unchanged since inception – takes a new form.

Dov Moran, inventor of the USB flash drive, had the same dilemma finding himself constantly looking back and forth. So he did something about it. Welcome to Smartype, a keyboard with built in screen. It displays the last line you typed – while also displaying it on your monitor. It reduces the need to look back and forth at what you typed, relieving neck strain and eye strain. And theoretically you become more productive as you maintain focus on the keyboard versus the back and forth to the monitor. Although currently only available in Israel, Smartype is expected in more countries soon, with an estimated price of $100. Conceptually it makes sense, but let’s see what the market says once launched worldwide. Interested? Visit thesmartype.com for news or to sign up for email alerts once widely available.

[ Keyboards Get Smart Too copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

Nuance has pushed out a new version of Dragon Dictate for Mac, its OS X voice dictation package, taking on Apple’s own Mountain Lion speech recognition and throwing in smartphone microphone support too. Dragon Dictate for Mac 3 promises a 15-percent accuracy increase versus the previous version, along with the ability to transcribe audio files; meanwhile, if you have an iPhone or Android device, you can use that as a wireless microphone.

Apple obviously brought its own challenge to speech recognition systems in the latest OS X release, with Mountain Lion supporting native transcription. However, Apple’s implementation is server-based, and so Macs require a data connection in order to process voice commands and dictation.

In contrast, Dragon Dictate for Mac 3 is self-contained, as well as including support throughout Mountain Lion, so there’s no need to be online. There’s integrated commands for Notes and Reminders, along with better understanding of formatting such as abbreviations and numbers; Nuance has also tweaked the way corrections are made, so as to streamline the process and take less time away from actual dictation.

If you’re working from a recorded audio file, meanwhile, you can load a .wav, .m4a, .m4v, .mp4, .aif, or .aiff recording and – as long as it’s a single person speaking – have it automatically transcribed. There’s also support for 16kHz wideband Bluetooth microphones for improved wireless recordings, and which – when automatically recognized by the app – bypasses the initial voice training program altogether. If you have either an iOS device or an Android phone, you can now use the Nuance Remote Microphone App too.

Dragon Dictate for Mac 3 is up for preorder now, priced at $199.99. Those already using Macspeech Dictate or Dragon Dictate can save $50 as an upgrade; there’ll also be bundles with a compatible Bluetooth headset. Digital deliveries are expected to begin September 13, with in-store shipments from September 24.

Dragon Dictate for Mac 3 boosts accuracy and adds Android mic support is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

There is nothing quite like snooping around internal documents of mobile carriers to check out just what might be coming our way, and the latest look at Verizon’s catalogue points out the Nokia Lumia 822 and HTC 6435, where the latter might just carry a quad-core processor. Well, first of all, the Nokia Lumia 822 is, in all probability, the recently announced Lumia 820, save that this is the version for Verizon. Available in gray and white, it points toward 4G connectivity as well as reveals the database insertion date.

The same can be said of the LTE-enabled HTC 6435 (image courtesy of Engadget which you can see after the jump), where this device recently made its way to Verizon’s database. Hopefully more light will be shed at this September 19th press conference in New York by HTC.

(more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Verizon Wireless to offer multiple Windows Phone 8 devices in Q4 2012, HTC acknowledge Android 4.0 ICS update delay for the Incredible 2,

Amazon is a company that just cannot stop leaking information about its new products. Before the live coverage of Amazon’s press conference on TechCrunch at 10:30 in Santa Monica, it is now a good time to write down what we know about Amazon’s lineup.

New Kindle devices are highly expected and the major focus of the conference should be on hardware. The Nexus 7 has proven to be a beautifully-designed cheap 7-inch tablet and an update to the Kindle Fire would be a welcomed announcement. The Kindle Touch has lost its edge in the e-reader landscape with the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight. Moreover the Pearl E Ink screen has not been updated since 2010. Lastly, there are some rumors that Amazon might finally be ready to release a Kindle-branded phone.

Kindle Fire

Even though Amazon claims that the Kindle Fire is now sold out, what it really means is that Amazon stopped production of the current Kindle Fire — a device cannot be sold out because it is the company that decides to stop production. Seeing how Amazon is desperate for attention, a new Kindle Fire is therefore very likely.

Some pictures of the device leaked. It still sports a 7-inch display with a narrower matte bezel and maybe a front-facing camera on some models. Amazon could choose to only offer the camera on the higher-end model to keep the entry price very low.

A 10-inch device could be introduced as well but we are much less confident about this rumor as the price has always been an important selling point for Amazon over the years. And of course it would put that purported tablet in direct confrontation with the iPad.

Talking about prices, in order to keep its edge in the race to the bottom, Amazon may adopt a similar strategy as its ereader strategy. In other words, Amazon may lower the price by showing ads — also known as special offers — when you turn on the device. A $149 device sure looks attractive when it is just a click away to add to your virtual cart.

Engadget received some logs that could indicate that the new Kindle Fire operating system will be based on Android 4.0.3 instead of 2.2 — a much needed improvement for third-party developers and even users. A bump in specs would be logical as well, with for example an improved processor and a screen with a better resolution.

And then there is the Firedock. Amazon trademarked the brand, probably for an accessory. Will it be unveiled today?

Kindle Touch

While we are not sure about the entry-level Kindle, the Kindle Touch is likely to receive an update. It is currently unavailable on Amazon.com. It did not receive the same PR treatment as the Kindle Fire, but the Kindle Touch is in need of an update as well.

Yesterday, the new Kindle Touch was teased by Amazon in an ad. The home button is gone and the bezel is now black.

Competitors such as the Nook Simple Touch with GlowLight or the just-announced Kobo Glo have a screen that glows in the dark. Contrarily to what it looks like, those devices are front-lit and not backlit. It uses small LEDs in the bezel to project light on a transparent film. The Kindle Touch should probably use the same technology due to the characteristics of E Ink screens.

Another improvement would be a new E Ink screen. The current Pearl screen has been used in Kindle e-readers since 2010. The company E Ink stated that a generation is supposed to last two years. Screen contrast between the text and the background should be improved as well as screen refresh rate for faster page turns — it depends on the processor too. But the more important improvement would be a bump in resolution. The Kindle has had the same 800×600 resolution since 2007. The Kobo Glo has a 1024×768 six-inch screen. Maybe it will be the same resolution for the Kindle Touch, maybe not.

Kindle smartphone?

Over the past few days, some rumors of a Kindle-branded smartphone have emerged. It is probably the next logical step for Amazon after hyping up its App Store so much. Bloomberg has come to that conclusion after hearing rumors from Foxconn and the hire of Matt Gordon, a specialist in patent protection to avoid lawsuits.

It is unclear whether the smartphone will be unveiled today. The rumors come very late. Moreover, specs and design remain unknown. It would be an interesting turn for Amazon, even if it is only released in a few weeks. With its incredible retail presence thanks to the ubiquitous Amazon.com, the device could sell well and prove to be yet another challenger in the smartphone landscape.