Hasta La Gadget!

The Pulse pen couldn’t do it. The more recent Echo couldn’t manage it either. But sending notes and linked audio wirelessly is what Livescribe‘s latest digital pen is all about. Branded the Sky WiFi Smartpen, it works with proprietary physical notebooks to preserve your handwritten notes and linked audio files on a minimum of 2GB of onboard storage, and then it sends them directly to your Evernote account via WiFi — from where you can access them on pretty much any PC, tablet or smartphone. If you’re wondering a how the pen selects the right network and enters a password, then it’s actually pretty straightforward: Livescribe’s new stationery is printed with connection buttons that, in conjunction with the OLED display on the pen itself, guide you through the procedure in a few seconds. The latest notebooks also have buttons for sending your captured thoughts to Google Drive, Dropbox and Facebook, although those services won’t be activated until early next year.

The basic 2GB Sky pen will arrive in stores on November 1st, priced substantially higher than its predecessor, the Echo (which will be phased out at the end of next year). The new base model will cost $170, with 4GB and 8GB varieties priced at $200 and $250. Arguably, the reliance on wireless cloud storage means that the amount of onboard memory isn’t so important any more, but if you do decide to opt for the most expensive model then you’ll also get a year’s subscription to Evernote Premium, which is worth $45. There’s a short explanatory video after the break, and as you’ll see from the gallery below we’ve already got the Sky pen in our clutches, so expect a full review in short order.

Continue reading Livescribe outs Sky WiFi Smartpen for $170, lets you record written notes and audio straight to Evernote

Filed under: Misc, Peripherals, Wireless

Livescribe outs Sky WiFi Smartpen for $170, lets you record written notes and audio straight to Evernote originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Oct 2012 00:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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How was your week? We got to spend a couple of days trekking around the Carnegie Mellon campus in Pittsburgh, PA to check out some of the latest projects from the school’s world renowned Robotics Institute — a trip that culminated with the bi-annual induction ceremony from the CMU-sponsored Robot Hall of Fame. Given all the craziness of the past seven days, you might have missed some of the awesomeness, but fear not, we’ve got it all for you here in one handy place — plus a couple of videos from the trip that we haven’t shown you yet. Join us after the break to catch up.

Continue reading Butlers, lunar rovers, snakes and airboats: the best of Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute

Butlers, lunar rovers, snakes and airboats: the best of Carnegie Mellon’s Robotics Institute originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Oct 2012 12:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We just had the opportunity to get some hands-on time with MSI’s latest creation, the S20 Slidebook. This ultra light (2.3 pounds / 1kg) and thin (0.78-inches / 19.8mm) convertible Ultrabook runs Windows 8 (of course) and packs by an Intel Core i5 processor (Ivy Bridge) paired with 4GB RAM and a 128GB mSATA SSD. It’s made of white plastic and a silver magnesium allow with plastic antenna covers for the built-in WiFi a/b/g/n, Bluetooh and WiDi radios.

Take a look at the gallery below and stay tuned for our first impressions and video.

Developing…

Continue reading Hands-on with MSI’s S20 Slidebook Windows 8 convertible Ultrabook (update: video)

Filed under: Laptops, Tablets

Hands-on with MSI’s S20 Slidebook Windows 8 convertible Ultrabook (update: video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 19:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In addition to the massive takeover of a fabulous 39 digital boards with one massive Windows 8 Start Screen later tonight, Microsoft has made it’s play for the very center of Times Square with a hands-on experience for the public. Each of Microsoft’s major manufacturing partners was invited to bring their own wares to what’s essentially the most highly-visible showroom floor in the world, with anyone and everyone invited in to take a peek at the wares starting here at the launch of Windows 8. This presentation adds to the already unique display the company (and companies, as it were) has made for the press and the public in an effort to create a winning atmosphere for the birth of the newly released operating system.

You’ll see many of the devices on tables here that were given final details over the past few weeks. These devices come from Acer, ASUS, HP, Dell, Toshiba, Samsung, Sony, and Lenovo, and can be found in run-downs galore throughout our Windows 8 portal. Microsoft is making an effort also to differentiate between the coverage and attention they give to their 3rd party partners and their own Surface tablets, giving them both their own space and a completely separate presentation at the main Windows 8 release event for the press.

The actual launch of Windows 8 takes place on October 26th, with the switchover from the advertisements you see above and below on boards galore to Microsoft’s own Start Screen, one by one, right as the operating system is available for the world to purchase at midnight. Of course global availability doesn’t chime at the same moment around the planet, but in New York City, there is but one moment when Microsoft jumps head-first into the future.

Also included in the Microsoft bid for attention in New York City is an art-like presentation on Pier 57, it being a city of Windows 8 products in a color-splashed white city, each of them able to be viewed and in some cases available for hands-on action as well. This public display is advertised throughout the city and on the web for the public to head over and see for several weeks.

If these presentations are any indication, Microsoft is not about to let this release go unnoticed. With their very future in the balance with this very major release of their next-generation operating system, they’re not going to risk that the entire universe doesn’t at least know that Windows 8 exists – and with hands-on experiences here and there and everywhere, they’re going to make sure you can get every chance possible to touch it too – then buy it, of course.

Microsoft creates massive Windows 8 showroom in center of Times Square is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
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Late last week, Moog outed its LEV-96 sensoriactuator prototype and offered a glimpse at its latest R&D unit. Even though it’s still in the early phases of beta-testing, we were able to stop by the Moog Music factory for a closer look and a brief glimpse of the gear in action ahead of its appearance at Moogfest. While the unit is installed on acoustic guitars for the time being, the company says that similar tech can be used on other acoustic instruments and eventually to other surfaces — this is just the current manifestation. Since the tech modifies the guitar’s natural harmonics and string vibrations, the LEV-96 is getting cozy on both traditional acoustic guitars and those outfitted with pickups in its present state.

As far as controls go, the entire unit is capacitive touch-enabled from the moment a finger swipe powers it on. Sliders allow for adjusting the intensity, harmonics and note duration while the other buttons enable arpeggio presets and modulation that includes tremolo and random harmonic tweaks. Those sliders remain in play when a preset is activated, serving to enable further adjustments on selected There is a lock button, too, so that you don’t accidentally make a switch mid-strum. All of these finger-friendly surfaces work alongside two pairs of electromagnetic pickup channels per string to wrangle the 96 simultaneous harmonics. Magnets work to either increase of decrease the string’s motion, bringing out vibrational modes that have always been in-play on acoustic instruments, but have never been offered the power needed to make ’em sing. The folks at Moog are quick to remind us that the LEV-96 is still in its infancy, but you can rest assured we’ll be keeping an eye our for what develops. For a peek at the tech in action, head on past the break for a really quick demo that we kept brief due to that fact that this is an early prototype.

Continue reading Moog’s LEV-96 sensoriactuator prototype wields touch control of 96 simultaneous harmonics, we go eyes-on (video)

Filed under: Misc

Moog’s LEV-96 sensoriactuator prototype wields touch control of 96 simultaneous harmonics, we go eyes-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 15:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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