Microsoft HoloDesk: when you need to juggle something that isn’t there (video)


If you’d thought that OmniTouch and PocketTouch were the end of Microsoft Research’s natural user interface projects, think again. It’s now released a video of the HoloDesk, a tool that lets you manipulate virtual 3D objects with your bare hands. Looking through a transparent display, the objects react nearly instantly, rolling from a sheet of real paper into a real cup and falling into shadow if you block the virtual light-source. The Cambridge lab that developed the tool sees uses in remote working, collaboration or device prototyping. If you hadn’t guessed, there’s a hacked Kinect at the heart of HoloDesk’s DNA, which makes us wonder how long it’ll be before we can use it to play Halo.

Microsoft HoloDesk: when you need to juggle something that isn’t there (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Oct 2011 14:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Microsoft News  |  sourceNext at Microsoft (TechNet)  | Email this | Comments

DXG-5F9V makes home video memories a 1080p HD affair, 3D glasses not required

Who said all the 3D perks had to be reserved for Hollywood? DXG’s making the home video fun a virtual en vivo experience with the release of its 3D and 2D camcorder, set to hit the company’s online store today. For $299, you’re getting a 5 megapixel still camera and glasses-free, 1080p HD video recording at 30fps, viewable on either the handheld’s autostereoscopic 3.2-inch LCD display or the flatscreen of your choosing via an included HDMI cable. The DXG-5F9V only ships with 128MB of storage inbuilt, so if you’re aiming to immortalize your Jackass-worthy shenanigans, you’ll want to secure a 32GB SD card for additional capacity. With the holidays fast approaching, this might be your best bet to relive those looks of disappointment on Christmas morning. Official presser after the break.

Continue reading DXG-5F9V makes home video memories a 1080p HD affair, 3D glasses not required

DXG-5F9V makes home video memories a 1080p HD affair, 3D glasses not required originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 20 Oct 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Playstation 3D Display hits shelves November 13, Sony answers your burning questions

We’d imagine come November 13th, the above will be the scene inside many a PS3 owner’s house. That’s when Sony’s hot little 24-inch PlayStation 3D display will officially be available in the US, Canada, Europe and parts of Asia. Sony took to its US PlayStation Blog today with the news, along with a lengthy FAQ to keep your GAS at bay in the meantime. If you’ll recall, the 240Hz 1080p display packs a single set of component inputs, two HDMI 1.4 ports, stereo RCA outputs, a headphone jack, an integrated subwoofer, and of course, 3D-capability with supported titles. For five hundred bucks you’ll get the PS 3D Display, one pair of USB-rechargeable 3D Glasses ($70 for each additional pair), a copy of Motorstorm: Apocalypse and even an HDMI cable. Notably, its fancy (and exclusive) SimulView feature will let two sets of 3D shades grab either the left or right side feed in supported 3D games for a private 2D view. Disappointingly, this puppy isn’t wall-mountable, but hey, that 24-inch panel surely makes it ideal for a desktop setup, no? Full details at the links below, along with a refresher shot of those 3D specs just past the break.

Continue reading Playstation 3D Display hits shelves November 13, Sony answers your burning questions

Playstation 3D Display hits shelves November 13, Sony answers your burning questions originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Oct 2011 18:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink USA Today, Joystiq  |  sourcePlayStation Blog (US)  | Email this | Comments

Transformers Blu-ray 3D release coming to Japan in January, still no release date for US

The United States got a quickie Blu-ray release of Transformers: Dark of the Moon a couple of weeks ago sans-extras and 3D, with only a promise they would be delivered “in the coming months” but that is not the case across the Pacific. In Japan Paramount has announced the Blu-ray 3D version is coming January 20th complete with English and Japanese soundtracks. There’s still no date for a full-fledged release around these parts, so if you’re an early adopter (if you have a 3D TV, it’s a pretty safe bet) your first chance to bring the billion dollar blockbuster home as Michael Bay intended may come with some extra kanji on it.

Transformers Blu-ray 3D release coming to Japan in January, still no release date for US originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 Oct 2011 21:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceAV Watch  | Email this | Comments

NVIDIA intros 3D Vision 2 glasses with brighter field of view, comfier design

NVIDIA’s 3D Vision is impressive and all, but one trade-off you’ll have to accept when you put on those active shutter glasses is a markedly dimmer field of view than what you’d get if you settled for plain-Jane 2D gaming. Well, the outfit just unveiled the second generation of the technology — appropriately named 3D Vision 2 — and this go ’round it promises not to strain your vision quite so much. These shutter glasses have a lens that’s 20 percent larger, promising a brighter experience. As an added perk, the frames have been rejiggered to be lighter and more flexible so that you can comfortably wear headphones without pinching your lobes. As for the newest 3D Vision monitors and laptops, those panels promise reduced ghosting, as well as 120Hz 2D gaming. In tandem with today’s announcement, NVIDIA announced that a trio of products — the Toshiba Qosmio X770 / 775, Toshiba Satellite P770 / P775 and ASUS’s 27-inch VG278H 1080p monitor — will support now 3D Vision 2. If a new rig’s not in the cards, the company also assures us that these glasses will be backward compatible with older 3D Vision panels. Look for them this month in the form of either standalone frames ($99) or as part of a $149 kit. All those details and more in the PR tucked after the break.

Continue reading NVIDIA intros 3D Vision 2 glasses with brighter field of view, comfier design

NVIDIA intros 3D Vision 2 glasses with brighter field of view, comfier design originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Oct 2011 21:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Maide Control iPad app lets you build and view 3D models with your bare, sweaty hands (video)

Looking for a hands-on 3D controller that won’t require any five-fingered peripherals? Check out Maide Control — a new app that allows users to manipulate 3D CAD data from the comfort of their iPad displays. Available for $4.99 on iTunes, this app will wirelessly sync an iPad with any compatible 3D program, thereby enabling modelers to mold and view their designs using an array of multitouch gestures. You can also use Maide Control to showcase models on larger displays (say, at a company presentation), or to connect multiple iPads to the same render, in case you’re working on a more collaborative project. For now, the app only supports Google SketchUp and Rhino on Windows only, though the company plans to incorporate other 3D apps and Mac support in the near future. Wiggle past the break to see a pair of demo videos, or hit up the source link below to download the app directly from iTunes.

Continue reading Maide Control iPad app lets you build and view 3D models with your bare, sweaty hands (video)

Maide Control iPad app lets you build and view 3D models with your bare, sweaty hands (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Oct 2011 08:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMaide, iTunes  | Email this | Comments

LG Optimus 3D app converter starts roll-out this month, why settle for only two dimensions?

LG’s 2D to 3D app converter will finally arrive on the Optimus 3D (AKA the Thrill 4G) this month. In order to play nice with it, apps and games need to be using OpenGL. The converter is packaged inside the company’s maintenance release for the 3D smartphone and will be available on European handsets any day now, followed by a gradual global roll-out over the next few weeks. You can expect to find a few more tri-dimensional nuggets, including 3D video editing and the ability to view 3D video in 2D. LG says that it will also add Dolby Mobile sound and automatic image-stabilization for 2D video-capture. But, we’re more interested in that app converter — we want those furious fowl to really pop out at us.

LG Optimus 3D app converter starts roll-out this month, why settle for only two dimensions? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 15:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony DEV-5 Digital Recording Binoculars sample photos and video

We can’t say that we were too keen on Sony’s DEV-5 Digital Recording Binoculars at first look — it really is hard to get past that $2,000 price tag. But after Sony finally allowed us to shoot photos and video (albeit for a mere three minutes) at the company’s CEATEC booth, we were pleasantly surprised at the image quality, at least some of the time. The images we shot were in 16:9 format, and were roughly 5.3 megapixels in size (the camera’s maximum resolution is 7.1 megapixels). With only a few minutes to play around, we didn’t have time to switch the menu from Japanese to English (CEATEC is held just outside Tokyo), so we had no choice but to use the default settings.

Still, images shot at f/1.8 appeared crisp, even with moderate shake (it’s difficult to keep a heavy pair of binoculars steady when holding them at eye level), with accurate exposure and white balance. When zooming to 10x, however, still photos appeared very noisy, as you’ll see in the gallery below. So are they worth the sky-high price tag? Well, it’s safe to say that we’re not ready to whip out the credit card, though they did perform better than we expected, based only on what we had initially seen through those dual high-res viewfinders. Jump past the break for an HD sample clip, or click the more coverage link below for the untouched samples.

Continue reading Sony DEV-5 Digital Recording Binoculars sample photos and video

Sony DEV-5 Digital Recording Binoculars sample photos and video originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Oct 2011 11:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google Earth hits one billion downloads, those with fear of flying still getting virtual kicks

In a feat that outdoes even Dr. Evil’s vision of worldwide domination, the folks in Mountain View have reported a staggering one billion downloads of Google Earth. Over the years, the service has taken us around the world, giving us a peak into amazing and sometimes obscure places ranging from the bottom of the ocean to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro. It’s also evolved from its humble beginnings as a desktop app back in 2005 to include a mobile app and a plug-in, not to mention a 3D flight simulation used with Google Maps — all features that helped it reach the astronomical milestone. For that, we salute you Google Earth. Check out the celebratory video after the break.

Continue reading Google Earth hits one billion downloads, those with fear of flying still getting virtual kicks

Google Earth hits one billion downloads, those with fear of flying still getting virtual kicks originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 17:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceOfficial Google Blog, Google Earth  | Email this | Comments

Toshiba’s 4K, glasses-free 3DTV announced in Japan with more specs this time

We first saw the retail edition of Toshiba’s 3840×2160 resolution autostereoscopic (no glasses) 3DTV when it was announced in Europe at IFA last month, and now it has debuted in Japan during CEATEC. This time the company dropped a few more details, revealing that in lenticular 3D mode it’s limited to an effective resolution of 1280×720, and showed off the face tracking that automatically optimizes the experience for up to nine simultaneous viewers depending on where they’re sitting. Also mentioned were an optional THD-MBA1 input adapter due in 2012 and that 4K-res streaming IPTV is currently being tested. The Regza 55X3 will be priced comparably to its $10K~ Euro-spec counterpart when it arrives in December, but there’s still no word on when it will ship in the US. Check out a few pictures of the presentation in the gallery below.

Toshiba’s 4K, glasses-free 3DTV announced in Japan with more specs this time originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceEngadget Japan, Toshiba  | Email this | Comments