Hasta La Gadget!

Here’s your classic case of “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should.” Microsoft’s Innovation Labs have just demonstrated a OneVision Video Recognizer algorithm that’s powerful enough to perform face detection duties on a running video feed. It can recognize and track humanoid visages even while they’re moving, accept tags that allow auto-identification of people as they enter the frame, and can ultimately lead to some highly sophisticated video editing and indexing via its automated information gathering. Of course, it’s that very ease with which it can keep a watchful eye on everyone that has us feeling uneasy right now, but what are you gonna do? Watch the video after the break, that’s what.

Continue reading Microsoft’s OneVision Video Recognizer can detect, identify, and track your face on video… so smile!

Microsoft’s OneVision Video Recognizer can detect, identify, and track your face on video… so smile! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Mar 2011 10:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Wirelessly-powered TVs are nice, and transparent displays are cool and all, but what about an ambient light-powered transparent LCD? Well, that’s nothing short of awesome. Samsung showed off just such a device at CeBIT 2011 last week — a prototype 46-inch display with 1920 x 1080 resolution and ten-finger touchscreen capability. We aren’t sure what kind of black magic Sammy put in this thing, but it’s an incredible feat of engineering to make such a large display — and its accompanying solar cells — efficient enough to run exclusively off the juice it pulls from surrounding light sources. No word on how the photon-powered LCD compares to existing HD monitors in terms of brightness, refresh rates, or color reproduction, but a muted picture is a small price to pay for cutting the electrical cord forever.

Samsung demos ambient light-powered transparent LCD originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 Mar 2011 12:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Give yourself a cookie if you can still remember as far back as August 29th of last year. That was the day when HP’s Phil McKinney teased the world with images of three new prototypes being developed in his company’s labs — there was a tablet, now known as the HP TouchPad, a smartphone that’s since taken on the name of Pre 3, and something snaked around his wrist that looked suspiciously like a watch. Today, we learn more about this Metal Watch, as HP calls. It’s a continuation of the company’s overarching theme of mobile interconnectedness, however unlike its webOS devices, this connected watch is nowhere near ready for prime time (or maybe it’s just like them since none are actually shipping yet!). The new Metal fella is still a research project as much as anything else, but it’s seen as a key part of our future, acting as an easy-to-use information aggregator. It looks just like any old watch to us, but why not jump past the break and let HP’s CTO enlighten you on what makes it special?

[Thanks, Obstacle-Man]

Continue reading HP shows off Metal Watch concept (video)

HP shows off Metal Watch concept (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 05:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Who says dreaming doesn’t pay? A young designer by the name of Heikki Juvonen recently won himself a six-month job placement at Citroen’s PSA Design Centre in Paris after producing the most compelling response to the company’s Double Challenge set to students at London’s Royal College of Art. The premise was simple — put together an aesthetic for an ultra-compact urban vehicle that Citroen could call its own, and judging by the imagery above, we can all probably agree that Heikki achieved a very distinctive look with his E-3POD. We’re not yet certain how we feel about being inside the largest of the three wheels for the duration of our electrically powered journeys, but the young gent has half a year on his hands to tweak and refine his eye-catching design. We’ll be ready to test-drive the prototype as soon as Citroen becomes mad enough to build one.

Antistatic E-3POD concept wins Citroen design award, job for its student creator originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 05:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Translogic, Carscoop  |  Heikki Juvonen  | Email this | Comments

MacBook Pros to get Sandy Bridge CPUs in March? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Feb 2011 10:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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