Apr 26

Distro Issue 88: TechShop makes its mark on American manufacturing

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Distro Issue 88: TechShop makes its mark on American manufacturing

There’s a hackerspace in San Francisco that’s equipping hardware startups with the tools they need to get up and running for a mere $125 per month. A brand new issue of our weekly visits TechShop to take a gander at the industrial revolution that includes the likes of Square among its successes. On the review front, the Samsung Galaxy S 4, Nokia Lumia 720 and ASUS Cube all get put through their respective paces. In the first installment of Eyes-On: Classic Edition, we take a peek back at a dapper handset from 2009. All of this and more awaits your swipes via any of the download libraries below.

Distro Issue 88 PDF
Distro in the iTunes App Store
Distro in the Google Play Store
Distro in the Windows Store
Distro APK (for sideloading)
Like Distro on Facebook
Follow Distro on Twitter

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Source: iTunes, Google Play, Windows Store

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Apr 26

The Science of Jetpacks

Posted in: Today's Chili

If there’s one universal truth, it’s that everybody wants to fly around using a jetpack. But how the hell do they work? This video should help explain. Bear with the physics, because the video as a whole makes for some really interesting watching. [YouTube] More »

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Apr 26

Alleged Leaked Olympus E-P5 Photos Surface

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Alleged Leaked Olympus E P5 Photos SurfaceThe other day we reported on a rumor that Olympus had a couple of mirrorless cameras coming up, the E-P5 and the E-PL6. While we’re still waiting on what the E-PL6 could look like, the folks at 43Rumors have managed to get their hands on what looks like a leaked photo of the upcoming E-P5 camera. As expected, the camera is reminiscent of the class PEN F model from back in the day, and if the rumors are to be believed, the E-P5 is expected to feature a 16MP camera and built-in WiFi to allow photographers to transfer photos from the camera to their mobile devices or computers wirelessly. The rest of the specs remain unknown but we expect the rest to be revealed sometime in May, so stay tuned for updates! In the meantime what do you guys make of this? Anyone digging the retro look, or would you have preferred something a little more modern?

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Canon Rumored To Relaunch EOS M System With New Cameras And Lenses, Pentax Confirms They Are Working On APS-C Camera And A New Full Frame DSLR,

    

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Apr 26

HTC Windows Phone For Sprint Spotted In Logs, Could Be The HTC Tiara

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HTC Windows Phone For Sprint Spotted In Logs, Could Be The HTC TiaraWe had earlier reported that digging around app logs by a Chinese developer had unearthed some potentially new Windows Phone devices in the pipeline, and now thanks to another look at these updated logs, the folks at WPDang have discovered a new HTC Windows Phone that could be headed towards Sprint! According to the server logs, this particular HTC model is referred to as the P0881. However with the HTC Tiara having yet to launch and with it primed for release on Sprint’s network, it is possible that this device could be the HTC Tiara, rather than another HTC Windows Phone handset. If this is the case, we guess there’s really not much to be excited about since the HTC Tiara is hardly the most powerful Windows Phone device available, but since Sprint customers seem to be lacking in choice when it comes to Windows Phone devices, we guess the HTC Tiara would be a welcome addition regardless.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: New iPhone Commercial Focuses On Its Camera With False Claim, Skype Launches On BlackBerry 10, But Only On The BlackBerry Q10,

    

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Apr 26

Potentially New Windows Phone Devices From Huawei, Samsung And Nokia Spotted In Logs

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Potentially New Windows Phone Devices From Huawei, Samsung And Nokia Spotted In LogsWe know that Nokia has announced that they will be revealing a new Lumia device on the 14th of May, with many speculating that it could be the highly-anticipated Lumia 928 for Verizon. However could that be all the Lumia devices they have up their sleeves? According to the folks at WPDang, it seems that one Chinese developer who has been poking around his app traces to look for evidence of new Windows Phone devices, has stumbled across some potentially new Windows Phone devices in the app logs. These alleged new Windows Phone devices come from manufacturers such as Huawei, Samsung and Nokia.

For Huawei a certain H889L model was spotted, while Samsung’s model is the SCH-I930. Nokia on the other hand seems to have a handful of devices, such as the RM-860_nam_usa_100, RM-877_nam_att_205, RM-943_apac_prc_001, RM-941_apac_hong_kong, and the RM-910_apac_prc_002. We’re not sure what these model numbers mean, but as the names might imply, some of them are destined for regions such as Hong Kong and China, while others are targeted for the US market, an AT&T phone seems likely as well. Perhaps Nokia will reveal these devices on the 14th of May, but until then stay tuned as we will keep you updated.

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Future Blackberry 10 Devices May No Longer Feature Removable Batteries [Rumor], Rumor: Samsung Galaxy S4 Waterproof Edition Coming Your Way,

    

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Apr 26

DARPA divorces satellites for GPS-free tracking chip

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When we think about GPS satellites, most of us think about how the typical consumer uses GPS in their vehicle to get from one place to another. In fact, many people rely so heavily on GPS that in the event of a map problem, some people have literally driven right off the road because they depend so heavily on GPS. While a significant GPS outage for your average consumer might be an annoyance, an outage for the military could be catastrophic.

darpa-timu

The military uses a number of different types of weapons that rely on GPS signals to accurately track and destroy enemy targets. If the GPS satellite system were to go down due to accident or a military strike, GPS guided missiles, and bombs could be rendered ineffective. DARPA doesn’t like the thought of military weapons rendered ineffective by taking down a few satellites that orbit unprotected in space.

Therefore, researchers at DARPA have been working on creating something called the TIMU, or Timing and Inertial Measurement Unit. This tiny chip has everything it needs on the single piece of silicon to navigate around the globe without relying on GPS satellites. The sensor has a six-axis IMU including three accelerometers and three gyroscopes. It also has a highly accurate master clock all packed into a space measuring only 10 mm.

DARPA says that the tiny piece of silicon can give hardware using it a near precise location. DARPA says that the little sensor works because it provides three pieces of information that are required to accurately guide anything to a desired destination. The three pieces of information are orientation, acceleration, and time. The chip DARPA designed uses six layers of silica and is only 50 microns thick. That is about thickness of a human hair with each of the six layers providing a different function depending on the sensor embedded there. The TIMU does have applications outside of military use and could allow for civilian GPS devices offering improved navigation indoors or underground where GPS satellites can’t be used.

[via Element 14]


DARPA divorces satellites for GPS-free tracking chip is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

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Apr 26

Mayer reportedly new Jawbone director as Yahoo eyes wearables

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Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer has joined the board of portable gadget specialist Jawbone – known for its UP fitness monitor, headsets, and speakers – it’s reported, reigniting chatter that the search company might look to leveraging wearables along the lines of Google’s Glass. Mayer had apparently been in talks with Jawbone about a director’s position prior to joining Yahoo back in July 2012, so AllThingsD reports, and has already attended at least one board meeting sources at the company claim.

jawbone_up_stack

Mayer’s roles while at Google, where she climbed to the position of Vice President of Local, Maps, and Location Services before leaving to join Yahoo, included work on product design, usability, and engineering. That is likely to be a large part of her appeal to Jawbone, a privately-owned company which has raised more than $200m from venture capitalists and other firms.

However, Jawbone itself – and the company’s existing footprint in wearable technology, most recently the UP fitness monitoring band, but also including a range of Bluetooth headsets with voice-activated controls and limited app support – is likely to have been particularly appealing to Yahoo. The company has made it known that it is looking to raise its game in mobile, initially with redesigned smartphone apps for weather and email.

However, Yahoo’s senior director of product management, mobile communications, Lee Parry, also confirmed that the company was looking at the growing wearables market. “It would be crazy not to be looking at Google Glass or Apple’s watch” he conceded in an interview back in April 2013.

Whether Yahoo will aim quite so high as Google’s head-mounted computer is unclear, though the wearables market itself is predicted to surge with more simplistic gadgets – like UP – initially driving demand. However, increasingly complex devices such as wearable displays are tipped to play an increasing role in the market, as prices fall, capabilities increase, and battery life extends.

It’s likely early-days for any sort of Yahoo Glass rival, but there’s plenty of scope for Mayer to help guide the company through the growing marketplace, as well as ensure Yahoo itself gets a foot in the door. Neither Jawbone nor Yahoo have commented on the leak.


Mayer reportedly new Jawbone director as Yahoo eyes wearables is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

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Apr 26

Fujifilm’s Finepix JZ700 compact shoots for speed with 8 fps burst, 200 fps video

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Fujifilm's JZ700 compact camera goes for performance with 8 fps shooting, 1080P video

Camera makers seem to be scrambling to equip their compact models with wireless options, all the better to work with the smartphones that are trying to replace them. Fujifilm‘s taking a different tack with the 14-megapixel FinePix JZ700 by going for raw performance instead, like 8 fps burst shooting and 1080/30p video, both quite rare in low-end compacts. You’ll also get an 8x Fujinon lens equivalent to 24-192mm, optical image stabilization, a 2.7-inch, 230K-dot LCD, up to 3200 ISO sensitivity, numerous filters and, interestingly, 200 fps video capture — though the resolution at that speed isn’t specified and we can imagine it’s pretty low. Still, the camera’s already hit the streets for around £130 ($200) and we don’t know of any other near time-stopping cameras you can grab for that sum.

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Apr 26

Trekkies get their own Roddenberry approved home on the web

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Star Trek fans have a lot to look forward to in the next month or so as the latest film in the franchise comes to theaters. That movie is sure to be one of the most popular films of the summer, but the movie isn’t all Star Trek fans have to look forward to. Roddenberry Entertainment has teamed up with Wikia to launch what is being called the ultimate Star Trek fan portal.

trekini

Roddenberry Entertainment and Wikia have announced a partnership to launch an online community portal called the Trek Initiative. The Initiative plans to give the millions of Star Trek fans around the world the place to talk and learn more about everything having to do with the Star Trek series and universe. The platform will also give fans a place to share local community projects and view exclusive content.

When the new Track The portal launches, it will have lots of Roddenberry content including a recording of a commencement speech that Gene Roddenberry gave in 1976. That particular speech spans 55 min. and during the speech, Roddenberry discussed the future of the human species and more. The portal will also offer fans images that haven’t been seen before from Gene Roddenberry’s personal life and from the set of various Star Trek movies and television episodes.

Gene Roddenberry’s son, Rod Roddenberry, also promises to offer blog content for the site giving insight into the motivations behind the Trek Initiative and to give fans perspective from inside the family. The Trek Initiative will also serve as a gateway for all sorts of Star Trek content on the web offering links to various Star Trek websites.

[via Trek Initiative]


Trekkies get their own Roddenberry approved home on the web is written by Shane McGlaun & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

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Apr 26

European M-Payments Startup SumUp Partners With Revel Systems, An iPad POS Provider, For Its Push Into Europe

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sumup

SumUp, one of the many European mobile card reader startups targeting small businesses — and taking advantage of Square’s continued absence to acquire users and build out a business — has taken another step designed to expand its reach by announcing a partnership with Revel Systems, a maker of iPad POS software.

Revel Systems provides iPad-based tills to more than 400 chain stores and restaurants throughout the U.S., Canada, Australia and Saudi Arabia but it’s aiming to expand into Europe, hence the tie-up with SumUp. After launching last August, SumUp has now rolled out to 10 European markets.

Revel Systems will be using SumUp’s API, which it made available in fall last year, to process debit and credit card and cash payments in Europe. In other markets the company uses payment gateway USAePay, and says it can also integrate directly into Mercury Payment Systems.

In Europe the SumUp mobile payments app will come pre-loaded on Revel Systems tills and users will also get SumUp’s black card reader — which plugs into the iPad to take card payments. The partnership won’t bear instant fruit for SumUp on the customer acquisition front but as and when Revel Systems builds up its customer base in the region, SumUp will also make gains.

Commenting on the tie-up in a statement, John Doe, CEO of Revel Systems, said it chose to partner with SumUp to offer flexibility to its retail customers — but did not specify what it offered over and above other European mobile payments startups such as iZettle and Rocket Internet’s Payleven.

“SumUp’s technology is aligned with ours because it’s lightweight, secure, and speedy. SumUp is a natural partner for us,” he said. “We’re always looking to forge new partnerships with those businesses that aim to enhance the overall customer experience. Our users are also certain to appreciate the easy SumUp sign-up process and pay-as-you-go billing. We’re looking forward to working with SumUp as we expand to new markets.”

As with the myriad mobile payments players targeting small businesses, SumUp does not charge a monthly fee to businesses using its system but rather takes a 2.75% per card reader transaction charge. SumUp accepts Visa, Mastercard and recently added support for Amex in the majority of its markets.

The Revel Systems tie-up is not SumUp’s first b2b partnership aimed at building out its business. The company has previously announced partnerships with German taxi hailing app Taxi.de and an odd job software platform provider.

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