Hasta La Gadget!

In between watching giraffes fight and people who can’t parallel park, you’ll find a new attraction on YouTube this week: live streams from members of US Congress. Today, the video-sharing website announced that all federal legislators will receive the ability to tap into advanced features on their YouTube channels, and yes, this includes the ability to pop off about the opposition party at a moment’s notice. Naturally, YouTube is no stranger to public service, as it’s served up similar live streams of both the DNC and RNC, the State of the Union address, and most recently, Coachella. It seems that C-SPAN’s turf is safe for the time being, however, as you won’t yet find live daily coverage of congressional sessions. As a consolation, you can hit the break for the giraffes… which is eerily similar to watching Congress.

[John Boehner photo credit: Gage Skidmore / Flickr]

Filed under: Internet

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Via: The Next Web

Source: YouTube

Apple‘s comprehensive overhaul of iOS 7 could see some of the new features delayed until 2014, insiders warn, with the challenges in redesigning the iPhone and iPad platform forcing a staggered release. iOS 7, the next significant release, will introduce “sweeping” changes to the appearance of the UI as well as the functionality of email and calendar apps, among others, insiders tattled to Bloomberg, with the possibility that the scale of the task may mean not all elements make the expected release date, roughly believed to be September 2013.

Instead, the insiders claim, Apple might debut its aesthetic alterations first, and then follow up in future iterations with new features to the core iOS apps. Most noticeable is a shift away from so-called skeuomorphic design, which attempts to replicate real-world objects such as day-planners and file cards using on-screen graphics that resemble them.

That style of design, though making iOS one of the more easily-grasped platforms in the smartphone and tablet space, has also left the software looking comparatively dated, with the core interface little modified since the first generation on the original iPhone. Changing it is the responsibility of designer Jonathan Ive, who has reportedly been shaking up Apple’s internal processes with the project, just as much as he has been threatening the existing UI.

For instance, insiders say, Ive is now encouraging more communication between hardware and software teams, which previously – such as under former CEO Steve Jobs – would have been kept in isolation. That interaction also apparently includes bringing some members of the Mac team on to help the mobile software redesign, a temporary measure which has some history given Apple did the same thing in the run up to the original iOS release.

In the center of the endeavors is Ive himself, who is supposedly “methodically reviewing” all fo the new designs. That’s meant to be a preventative measure to avoid the Apple Maps saga of 2012, but also keeps him centrally updated in the process as a whole. The design chief also regularly attends meetings held by the software teams, it’s said, taking a more passive role while getting up to speed with the challenges of interface coding.

Chatter of a “flatter” iOS 7 broke earlier this week, with reports that the aesthetic was being tamed so as to leave it looking less dated and more akin to the “pure technology” ethos Microsoft chased with its Metro interface on Windows Phone. Other leaks indicated a new notification center which would gather together at-a-glance updates, along with a fresh batch of app icons.

Apple is expected to give a preview of iOS 7 at WWDC 2013, to be held in early June.

Apple iOS 7 overhaul may push core app refresh to 2014 is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s no wonder people are interested in exoskeletons. Not only do they tap into our lust for the technology of science fiction movies, but among other applications, can make a significant impact on the lives of those living with disabilities. While many offer leg support, a team from University of Pennsylvania recently took silver in an engineering competition for its TitanArm prototype, a powered upper-body exoskeleton that, as the picture above shows, allows you to out-rep anyone at the gym.

Designed to be lightweight and cheap to produce, the robotic bicep upgrade uses a (mostly) aluminum frame, battery-powered DC motor, cable drive system, racket braking and thumbstick controller for movement, with a BeagleBone board supervising the electronics that pull it all together. The group at UPenn imagines TitanArm could be employed as a lifting aid, but more importantly, in healthcare applications like increasing mobility or physical therapy — sensors and other data from the exoskeleton could even allow docs to monitor patients remotely. More info on the project can be found at the source link, while a video below shows TitanArm in use and outlines the hardware that makes those heavy hammer curls a cinch.

Filed under: Robots, Wearables, Alt

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Source: TitanArm

T-Mobile has been slowly inching closer to closing its acquisition deal with MetroPCS, and the day for inking that contract is finally here. Less than a week after MetroPCS shareholders approved the merger, which would give them a total cash payment of $1.5 billion, the deal is done, and T-Mo is a publicly traded company. In addition to giving Deutsche Telekom a 74 percent stake in the new company, the deal will bring nine million new prepaid customers to T-Mobile. According to the Uncarrier‘s President and CEO, the network would “continue our legacy of marketplace innovation by tearing up the old playbook and rewriting the rules of wireless to benefit consumers.” T-Mobile plans to keep the MetroPCS brand, holding on to its retail outlets too, pitching to different demographics with the two carriers, according to AllThingsD. MetroPCS broke the news to its customers first through Facebook, although Big Magenta followed swiftly with the official press release — you’ll find that right after the break.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, T-Mobile

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Source: MetroPCS (Facebook), T-Mobile

Samsung‘s latest smart camera has broken cover, the NX2000, pairing a 20.3-megapixel APS-C sensor with a sizable touchscreen and integrated WiFi, NFC, and remote app support. Replacing last year’s NX1000, the Samsung SMART Camera NX2000 can fire off stills at up to 8fps or record Full HD 1080p video, as well as swap lenses with Samsung’s range of twelve options, including a 3D capture lens.

On the camera side of things, there’s Samsung’s DRIMe IV engine for processing noise reduction and colors, with a maximum shutter speed of 1/4000th of a second and ISO 100-25600. There’s also a smart mode, for macro and panoramic shots, as well as more gimmicky photography like “best face” and “beauty face” which automatically processes those in-frame to smooth out skin and remove blemishes.

For video, there’s 2D capture in 30fps or 24fps and 3D capture – with the right lens – at 30fps. The NX2000 outputs in MPEG4 AVC/H.264 format with AAC audio, saving to microSDXC card.

On the “smart” side, meanwhile, there’s a 3.7-inch WVGA touchscreen to control the camera, and integration with social networks for directly squirting off your images over a WiFi connection. WiFi Direct is supported, over WiFi b/g/n, and an onboard email client can be used for more old-fashioned sending of shots. Pair the NX2000 with Samsung’s SMART CAMERA App – a simple matter of tapping it with an NFC-enabled phone – and you can use the software as a remote viewfinder, as well as take advantage of its data connection.

Samsung will offer the NX2000 in three color variants – white, black, and pink – priced at $649.99.

Samsung NX2000 SMART Camera packs NFC and WiFi is written by Chris Davies & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.