Hasta La Gadget!

Worried that the lack of Street View functionality is going to spoil your impending N9 honeymoon? Fret not MeeGo fans, as Espoo’s Labs outfit is here to save the day with Nokia City Scene. The Navteq-powered app looks much like a clone of Google’s mobile offerings, except that it’s tightly integrated with location based services (Foursquare, Facebook Places) highlighting venues your friends frequent. Currently restricted to “about a dozen” US cities and London — with more European locales coming soon — its usefulness may be limited unless you’re a globetrotting jetsetter or super friendly with some gray-market importers. Hop past the break for a video demo, and then hit the source to get your download on.

[Thanks, Martin]

Continue reading Nokia City Scene is Street View for your N9, mostly works in the US where you can’t get one

Nokia City Scene is Street View for your N9, mostly works in the US where you can’t get one originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 27 Oct 2011 13:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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You may have a better chance of winning the lottery or running into Captain Kirk at the mall, but when it comes to being impaled with pieces of the now defunct Upper Atmosphere Research Satellite as it plummets towards Earth, it’s better to be safe than sorry. The SatelliteAR Android app has added a temporary feature that gives stargazers the ability to monitor this space junk’s trajectory to avoid impact when it re-enters the atmosphere sometime later today. NASA has assured us that the bus-sized satellite won’t land anywhere in North America, but if it touches down at night, people on the ground could witness a pretty sweet light show wherever it does land. Android users determined to avoid a Wicked Witch of the East-like fate can download the app at the source link below and check out the video demo after the break.

Continue reading SatelliteAR Android app now tracks falling UARS, helps you avoid being smooshed

SatelliteAR Android app now tracks falling UARS, helps you avoid being smooshed originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Sep 2011 11:13:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s not as cool as Chipzilla’s other augmented reality project, but at least this one exists out in the real world. Present at branded storefronts, the camera-based AR tech uses image recognition on Lego boxes to superimpose their brick-ladden contents in fully animated form. New at IDF was the second generation of the already existing product, which despite being functionally identical to its predecessor, has now been miniaturized thanks to second generation Core processors. Ready to see it in action? Peep the gallery below and the video after the break.

Myriam Joire contributed to this report.

Continue reading Lego’s augmented reality at IDF, eyes-on (video)

Lego’s augmented reality at IDF, eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Sep 2011 14:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The plucky little white ball that first rolled its way into our hearts back at CES is back, and now it’s getting ready to continue its journey onto store shelves. Sphero is a little plasticLED-lit orb that can be controlled using a number of smartphone applications. The toy’s makers like to refer to it as a “real-world Wii,” letting users control it either via a phone’s touchscreen or with gestures, using the handset’s accelerometer. The ball itself is palm-sized — it feels like a standard toy ball, until you give it a bit of a shake, feeling its insides jiggle.

At present, the company is showcasing three apps — one for standard driving in real-time, one that lets the user draw paths with their fingers and a third “golf” app, that offers the most Wii-like interaction, with the user swinging their smartphone like a club to move the ball. The apps are straightforward and let you change Sphero’s color. All in all, the company seems to have come a ways since first showcasing earlier prototypes back in January. You can expect to see Sphero start shipping before the end of the year, for $129 a pop. It will be compatible with both iOS and Android. We hand fun with the thing, but who knows how long it will take to get sick of it. Thankfully, it will launch with three to six apps, with more coming soon. Hands-on video after the break.

Continue reading Sphero the smartphone controlled ball gets ready to roll out, we go hands-on (video)

Sphero the smartphone controlled ball gets ready to roll out, we go hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 19:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The folks at Parrot have been promising us an Android app for the AR.Drone since pretty much day one. Well, it certainly took long enough (it’s been over a year since the app was demoed at Google I/O), but pre-made quadrocopter fans no longer have to reach for unofficial solutions to pilot their unmanned vehicle with their Droids. Sadly, games for the flying augmented reality platform are still MIA, but at least you can fire up AR.FreeFlight and have the $299 UAV tear around your block and annoy your neighbors. But, it shouldn’t take long for some one to whip up something fun with the SDK. Check out the video and PR after the break, and hit up the more coverage link to download the free app now.

Continue reading AR.Drone control finally comes to Android, lazy quadrocopter enthusiasts rejoice

AR.Drone control finally comes to Android, lazy quadrocopter enthusiasts rejoice originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 02 Sep 2011 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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