Jul 25
By now we’ve had a few months to come to terms with the fact that, yes, 3D printed guns exist
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Jul 25
It’s been up in the air for a while whether or not we’d see Call of Duty: Ghosts make its way to the Wii U. Activision didn’t initially announce Wii U support when it first made the game official, and executive producer Mark Rubin pretty much hinted to the fact that we would see a Wii U version, but now it’s official.
Activision announced its fall lineup of Wii U games, including Call of Duty: Ghosts. The best part is, the Wii U version will launch on November 5, which is the same day that the Xbox 360, PS3, and PC versions will launch. Still no word on next-gen versions, but they’ll be launching alongside the new consoles in November as well.
The press release doesn’t reveal much about the Wii U version of Call of Duty: Ghosts, other than that the game will support the “Wii Remote and second-screen on the Wii U GamePad.” Other than that, we’re not sure how the game will utilize the second screen on the GamePad, but hopefully it’ll enticing enough for Wii U gamers to fully enjoy.
Back in June, Infinity Ward executive producer Mark Rubin pretty much confirmed the Wii U version of the game, but didn’t necessarily point it out deliberately, only saying that the company “isn’t talking about Wii U yet.” At that time, they wanted to keep the Wii U launch a mystery, but it wasn’t really a mystery anymore after that point.
Call of Duty: Ghosts is the latest in the popular Call of Duty franchise, and it’s being developed by Infinity Ward this time around (Treyarch and Infinity Ward switch every year). Infinity Ward made a name for themselves when they released Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare back in 2007, which completely changed the first-person shooter market and is still used as a template for shooter games to this day.
Call of Duty: Ghosts Wii U version officially confirmed is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jul 25
Last month we featured the iblazr, an external LED flash for mobile devices (it’s on Kickstarter now if you want to get one). If you have an iPhone 4 or later and you want a more versatile flash, get Rift Labs’ The Kick. Not only does it have more LEDs, it can also display millions of colors, emit animated light effects and copy colors from videos.
The Kick has 40 LEDs. You can adjust their brightness and color temperature from the device itself, but for most of its features you need its companion iPhone app. From there you can change the color of the light that the LEDs emit, pick a lighting effect and – its coolest feature – you can sample a light or a lighting effect from a video. You can choose a video online or one that’s already on your iPhone. This lets you simulate the light from fire, lightning, TVs and more.
The Kick also has a tripod mount and its own battery, which is charged via USB.
You can order The Kick from Photojojo or directly from Rift Labs for $179 (USD). Again, it only works with the iPhone 4 or later.
[via Gadget Review]
Jul 25
Black Milk’s digital divide
Posted in: Today's Chili
Before we arrive, his manager, Hex Murda, warns us that the producer’s setup is “minimal.” It’s hard to say, precisely what that means in these days of bedroom superstars, but we’ve done our best to tamp down expectations in the wake of our visit to the sprawling analog forests of John Vanderslice’s Tiny Telephone studios. Black Milk moved to Dallas from his native Detroit roughly eight months before, to a relatively quiet street 10 minutes from downtown. In spite of having lived in the space for the better part of a year, the apartment has that just-moved-in feel. There aren’t many places to sit, unless you’re willing to set up camp on top of one of the stacked boxes of Synth or Soul 12-inches he and his girlfriend are packing up ahead of the upcoming Record Store Day. Not exactly the sort of studio environment one anticipates when visiting one of alternative hip-hop’s leading producers / MCs with a resume that includes the likes of Slum Village, Guilty Simpson and Jack White.
“I’m thinking of extending the studio out there,” he tells us. At the moment, there’s not a lot in the common area, save for a couch and a TV he says he never really watches. It would be ideal for some additional recording equipment and the drum set he left back in Michigan, assuming the neighbors don’t mind, that is. For the time being, however, it’s ground zero for Black Milk mail order — buy something through blackmilk.biz, and there’s a pretty good chance it’ll be boxed up and shipped out by one of the apartment’s two residents.
Jul 25
Scientists at Imperial College London propose a spinning ship with artificial gravity to get to Mars.
(Credit: Screenshot by Tim Hornyak/CNET)
“Get your ass to Mars,” as Arnold Schwarzenegger said in “Total Recall.” OK, but if you actually land there, can you come back?
Sure, if you’re aboard an ambitious mission to the Red Planet conceived by British scientists. It isn’t just a flyby.
Not only will you be able to return to Earth after your Martian vacation, you’ll have artificial gravity and magnetic shielding from harmful radiation on the way. Aside from your daily cup of tea, what more could you ask for?
Developed for a documentary on BBC, the mission plan from Imperial College London calls for a return craft to be sent to Mars beforehand. It would then use ice from underneath the planet’s surface to create fuel for the trip back to Earth.
The journey to Mars would take at least nine months and would involve serious threats from radiation and weightlessness.
As seen in the shockingly simple diagram below, astronauts would travel in a 30-foot-long cruise habitat vehicle that would launch on a conventional rocket. It would later separate from a lan… [Read more]
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Jul 25
As the world collectively recovers from the global pandemic that will forever be known as "Royal Baby Fever," many are wondering what to do with the empty, gaping hole left in their lives. Fortunately, Lego is here to help us pick up the pieces.
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Jul 25
At first glance it doesn’t look like much but this thing is a reference design of the first 13-inch MacBook. Remember those from 2006?
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Jul 25
Amazon won’t be winning any awards for its clumsily-named Cloud Drive Photos app, but with this latest update, it could win over the affection of its user base. Whereas last time we left Cloud Drive Photos, Amazon’s focus was, well, all about photos, this time the app spotlight falls on video for the first time. Now, users will be able to auto-save, secure, manually upload or download and stream any video from Amazon’s cloud that falls within the service’s 2GB or 20 minute-clip limit. Photos aren’t entirely left out of this version 1.7 bump, though, as images viewed while in landscape will now scroll by as larger previews. Thrilling stuff, non? Here’s to hoping the next inevitable update obliterates the company’s silly naming scheme for something more succinct — perhaps, just Cloud Drive? Nah, that’d make too much sense.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Software, Mobile, Google, Amazon
Via: TechCrunch
Source: Google Play
Jul 25
Do not worry that your Google TV will be losing support now that Chromecast has been introduced – on the contrary. This week none other than Google’s Sundar Pichai spoke up in an interview confirming and denying several points on Chromecast specifically, making clear the idea that Google TV and Chromecast will exist as separate entities. In fact, Pichai, explained, Google TV will continue to expand as “full-fledged Android for television”, complete with Chromecast support.
At the moment you are able to “fling” some content from your Android device to a Google TV device, YouTube and Netflix supporting this sort of functionality on devices like the Vizio Costar (as shown hooked up to a massive TV at Google I/O 2013 below.) What’s suggested by multiple sources speaking almost immediately after the Chromecast event yesterday is that Google TV will be getting Chromecast support.
“I’m still gainfully employed working on +Google TV – no it isn’t dead, and yes it will support Cast.” – Warren Rehman, Google TV
Google TV Developers channel on Google+ notes also that the two teams will high-five into the future.
“With the exciting news about Chromecast we are getting a lot of questions mostly wondering if Google TV is dead.
No, in fact partners are continuing to launch new Google TV-enabled HDTVs and boxes. As we announced at I/O, we are working with partners to bring the latest experience of Android and Chrome to devices later this year. We believe there is ample room for both products to exist and succeed.” – Google TV Developers
Chromecast is made to work with flinging and basic mirroring of content only. It does not work with Miracast technology, nor does it have the speed required for gaming, according to Sundar Pichai, due to too much latency in the speed Chromecast can connect.
Sound like a good idea? At the moment it would appear that you’ll be seeing the same little buttons to fling as you would in the current standard Chromecast experience. To see the full Chromecast experience in a rather basic way, have a peek at SlashGear’s What is Chromecast? to learn more!
Google TV is not dead: Chromecast will co-exist is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jul 25
FitBark Has Another Go At Proving Its Health Tracker For Dogs Isn’t Barking Mad
Posted in: Today's Chili
Bored of quantifying your self already? Why not quantify your pet instead? FitBark is a Fitbit style health tracker for your under-walked canine companion. We’ve covered this (frankly) barking mad gizmo before, back in May, when its creators were exhibiting at Hardware Alley at TechCrunch Disrupt NY but they’ve now taken to Kickstarter to raise funds to get the device out in the wild. Again.
It’s actually FitBark’s second attempt at Kickstarting the gizmo. As Gigaom points out, its creators pulled an earlier attempt at crowdfunding the device in order to rethink the business model, scrapping the monthly subscription fee and opting for a fixed price-tag of $69 via Kickstarter or $99 for general retail.
FitBark are after $35,000 to cover manufacturing costs this time around, and are more than half-way to achieving the target with 32 days left to run on the campaign — so crazy or otherwise, this is one hardware startup that’s pretty much a dead cert for its first manufacturing run-around-the-park at least.
Now I say barking mad but that’s mostly tongue-in-cheek, being as FitBark is not the only health tracker angling for pet owners’ cash. Whistle, a startup backed by $6 million in Series A funding, launched a $99 wearable activity tracker for dogs only last month. There’s also Tagg, which combines activity and location tracking by including GPS in its device. So underestimate the pet-owning dollar at your peril.
So what does FitBark actually do? Attach it to your dog’s collar and it tracks daily’s activity levels, sending the data back to FitBack’s servers when your smartphone is in range, or throughout the day if you purchase a dedicated FitBark base station (and keep you pet penned up at home while you’re out). The latter scenario would allow owners to keep remote tabs on their pet’s activity levels when they’re not at home, but unless you own a mansion (or employ a dog walker) your dog isn’t going to be able to do a whole lot of running around without you. FitBark then crunches all the activity data, offering customisable daily activity goals, and delivering the results back to you via an app. So far, so kinda sane.
At its more barking mad fringe, the FitBark also lets pet owners compare — well, they say “unify” — their own fitness with their dog’s fitness/activity. So yeah, boasting that you are fitter than Fido is apparently a thing now…
FitBark is also the first platform that leverages existing APIs of human fitness trackers to bring you a unified view of your fitness level and that of your dog. From the outset, FitBark will seamlessly receive input from your Nike Fuelband, Fitbit, Withings Pulse, or Bodymedia Fit. We’ll look to expand the list as we learn about new open APIs or partnership opportunities. If you’re not only a devoted dog parent but are also serious about tracking your own fitness, you’ll love this.
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