A redesigned iOS is on its way this fall. And with it comes a drastically different looking experience than what we’ve grown accustomed to since 2007. The extent of the overhaul has led some devs to wonder if it’s worth charging you again for an iOS 7 update. Would you pay?
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The Kite Patch is aimed at reducing malaria deaths.
(Credit: Indiegogo)
Aside from tick-slaying robots, what we all need for summer is mosquito-slaying robots.
That could happen in the future, but for now there’s Kite Patch, a square you stick on your clothing to make you practically invisible to mosquitoes for up to 48 hours.
The patch uses non-toxic compounds that disrupt mosquitoes’ ability to find people through CO2, according to its fundraising campaign on Indiegogo.
The technology was developed by Olfactor Laboratories and the University of California at Riverside, with backing from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
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Each week, there are dozens of Apple rumors, reports, and patent filings that hint at what’s coming out of Cupertino next. Some are legit, but most are totally bogus.
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When I look around the technology space, I can’t think of any single product that is so poorly associated with another device than Microsoft’s Kinect. The sensor, which is supposedly designed with gamers in mind, actually delivers very little value to gamers nowadays. In fact, the Kinect is designed for computers and entertainment – gaming is an afterthought.
Since its release years ago, the Kinect has been bundled with Microsoft’s Xbox 360 and will make a showing in the Xbox One box. Microsoft, meanwhile, continues to pretend that the Kinect is a great tool for gamers who want to get more out of their titles.
Unfortunately, a few game developers have helped Microsoft extend this myth. Electronic Arts, for example, used the Kinect in all kinds of ways in its last version of Madden NFL. But after the novelty wore off and wives got tired of their husbands calling an audible in the middle of the night, gamers went back to their controller and stopped the nonsense.
Let me be clear: Microsoft’s Kinect is by no means a bad product. In fact, it’s arguably one of the most sophisticated devices on the market, and one that’s worth trying out for just about anyone. But to say that it’s a gaming product ignores the true value of the device and what it can offer to tech lovers around the world.
“To say that it’s a gaming product ignores the true value of the device.”
As Microsoft showed with its Xbox One presentation, the Kinect thrives as an entertainment device. Its support for voice commands means controlling devices and entertainment is simple. And with a few waves of a hand, the Kinect can perform all kinds of functions for those who need a more intuitive experience. Gaming, meanwhile, never comes into play.
On the PC side, the Kinect is even more compelling. The device is being used by developers in all kinds of interesting ways, including allowing folks who are used to the mouse and keyboard to enjoy a more intuitive experience when interacting with Windows. More entertaining developers have found ways to leverage its camera for all kinds of fun tricks.
Meanwhile, developers continue to bundle some Kinect functionality into their video games. However, the vast majority of those installations have proven to be unnecessary add-ons that lack innovation and uniqueness and seem like they were tacked on for the sake of placating Microsoft.
The Wii’s dramatic rise and fall should prove to us all that while motion gaming was fun for awhile, it’s yet another idea that has been ignored by savvy gamers.
Getting more out of consoles, however, is not something that savvy gamers mind. In fact, it’s what they’re coming to expect. And in that regard, the Kinect is delivering. The device is the ideal living room companion, the best alternative to a remote, and is quickly becoming a gateway to entertaining content.
In other words, the Kinect has less and less to do with gaming each passing day.
Let’s Stop Pretending the Kinect Is A Gaming Device is written by Don Reisinger & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Do you have the insatiable desire to shoot a drone out of the sky? Well, since a community in Colorado is full of people
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When buildings fail, they fail spectacularly—and often, tragically. But failed structures also serve an important purpose: To teach engineering and architecture students what not to do.
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Back in May, Rovio introduced a new method that would allow Angry Birds gamers to have their progress synced across all of their devices, called Rovio Account. The new feature has been slowly rolling out over the past couple months, and the game developing studio announced today that Account is available to all on iOS and Android.
Essentially, the purpose of the feature is all in the name. Rovio Account lets you create an account, which is used to save and store progress in an Angry Birds game and have that game data synced across your multiple mobile devices. By doing this, gamers will be able to stop playing the game on one device, and pick up where they left off on another.
It’s important to note, however, that support is rather limited at this point. Rovio Account is only compatible with the original Angry Birds title release, as well as one of their most-recent launches, The Croods. The good news is that Rovio will be adding additional games to the support list in the future, but no timeline was provided.
Since Rovio has numerous games, including Bad Piggies and numerous Angry Birds spin-offs, it’ll be interesting to see which games receive priority as far being added to the list of Rovio Account support. We’re guessing that Rovio’s upcoming Angry Birds Star Wars II title will have the feature built-in from the start, but we’ll have to wait and see.
You should see the new feature pop up in either Angry Birds or The Croods if you have those installed on your device. You’ll be able to create an account from there and then log in on all of your other devices to sync your progress so that you don’t have to start over on a new device.
VIA: Android Community
SOURCE: Rovio
Rovio Account rolls out globally for cross-platform syncing is written by Craig Lloyd & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
This machine doesn't want your money.
(Credit: Video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET)
At first glance, the maroon Douwe Egberts coffee machine at the O.R. Tambo International Airport in South Africa looks pretty normal. On close inspection, it’s missing something important. There’s no place to put money. The only currency the machine deals in is yawns.
Facial-recognition software built into the machine looks for people standing in front of it. It maps their faces and waits for the telltale signs of a yawn. A yawn triggers a hot cup of coffee.
The international coffee company chose the airport as a prime place full of weary passengers and plenty of yawning. Over the course of the marketing stunt, the machine reacted to 210 yawns, doling out the caffeinated antidote by the cup.
Perhaps this technology could be incorporated into a device for the home. You could stumble into your kitchen in the morning, fumble over to your coffee maker, give it a big yawn, and collect your morning brew.
(Via… [Read more]
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Young Italian design studio Effettievoluti, is looking for imaginative designers to run with their idea of the all-in-one piece of furniture. If you can dream up a functional and attractive chair/sofa/bed/mat, then you may earn 1,500 euros for your design!
Rigado LLC multiplies the appeal of smart LED bulbs with Lumenplay, a modular LED Christmas light set. Like LIFX and Philips HUE, you control Lumenplay using your smartphone – in this case, via a Bluetooth connection. Pick from 16 million lighting colors and a variety of effects and even synchronize the bulbs to music.
The basic Lumenplay kit comes in two variants: a 10′ strand with 15 bulbs or a 20′ strand that has 30 bulbs. You can then purchase more as needed and connect the strands up to 340′. The bulbs have a lifespan of about 20,000 hours – that’s about 2 years and 3 months – and you can replace their bulb covers.
The downside? Unlike other smart LED bulbs, its mobile app doesn’t seem to have a timer feature. Lumenplay is also quite expensive, but at this point all LED bulbs are pricey. Pledge at least $54 (USD) on Crowd Supply to get a Lumenplay set as a reward.
[Thanks Alan!]
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
