Hasta La Gadget!

Intel has finalized the specs of its Next Unit of Computing (NUC) board, and announced it’ll go on sale in October for less than $400 with a case and power supply. Carrying a 4 x 4-inch form factor between a Raspberry Pi and mini-ITX board, it’ll be equipped with a Core i3 Ivy Bridge processor, HD 4000 graphics, two SoDIMM sockets, an mSATA slot for an SSD drive, three USB ports, one HDMI port and a mini-PCI slot for wireless connectivity. Two different models will be offered by the chip giant, identical except that one will be Thunderbolt equipped and the other will sport an Ethernet port for connectivity. Originally intended for the kiosk and signage markets, enthusiast interest compelled Intel to put the board on general sale, along with a case (pictured above) and power supply option. That’ll pit it against offerings from VIA and others, while offering considerably more oomph in a similar form factor — though a mini-server slaying Core i5 option originally proposed by Intel was dropped.

[Image credit: PC World]

Filed under: Desktops, Misc

Intel’s Core i3 NUC mini-boards set to hit market in October, power up hobbyists and OEMs originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 13 Sep 2012 12:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  PC World  | Email this | Comments

The rumored iPad mini didn’t rear its mythical seven-inch screen today at Yerba Buena, but no matter, as the iPhone 5 brought a potent smack of thunder Lightning. A few mere hours ago, the oft-leaked smartphone was officially been revealed by Apple, along with the next-generation iPod Nano, a redesigned iPod Touch packed with a Retina display and iOS 6 in its final form — and those were just the main announcements. Of course, scrolling through Engadget’s homepage might not be ideal if you’re looking to sift through the day’s news from Cupertino’s favorite tech company in one fell swoop — and that’s why we’ve rounded it all up here, in one convenient spot. You can re-live the event at our archived liveblog here, otherwise you’ll find a full listing of the news from it after the jump.

Continue reading Apple’s September 12th event roundup: iPhone 5, new iPods, iOS 6, Lightning and everything else

Filed under: Cellphones, Misc, Portable Audio/Video, Wireless, Mobile

Apple’s September 12th event roundup: iPhone 5, new iPods, iOS 6, Lightning and everything else originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 20:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Nerf’s doing it, and so is Hasbro, but there’s plenty of room for other folks in the laser tag market, and Hex3 is a startup looking to get in on the action. Called the AppTag Laser Blaster, it combines old school IR-based laser tag with new school augmented reality. Like its aforementioned competition, the gun uses your Android or iPhone (yes, that includes the 5) and a companion app. The app turns your phone into a HUD when playing with friends or an AR window when you’re shooting solo.

Where AppTag differs is in how the pistol communicates with your phone. It uses a proprietary high frequency audio signal that requires no pairing or other similar procedures — you simply load up the app, clamp it to the gun and you’re good to go. Additionally, AppTag’s removable pistol grip is attached to the gun via a rail mount. That means the system can be attached to existing Nerf weapons and even real firearms should you be so inclined, plus there’s a corded pressure switch that you can affix to the trigger of any gun. For now, there are a handful of games included in the app, but Hex3 is releasing an SDK so that developers can get creative building their own using the blaster’s four buttons, trigger and reload switch. Interested? AppTag’s currently up for pre-order at $59 bucks a pop, with shipping slated to start in 4-6 weeks. Before you part with any hard earned cash, however, check out our video after the break to see in action.

Continue reading Hex3 AppTag Laser Blaster turns iPhones and Androids into augmented reality laser tag gun sights (hands-on)

Filed under: Misc

Hex3 AppTag Laser Blaster turns iPhones and Androids into augmented reality laser tag gun sights (hands-on) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 17:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Hex3  | Email this | Comments

And why wouldn’t it be? That’s how the Kraay family of Lacombe, Alberta, Canada gets down, as evidenced by the family’s past 13 years of elaborate corn maze designs — from a logo of the Edmonton Oilers to a 25th anniversary commemoration of Rick Hansen’s “Man in Motion” tour. Said QR code sends adventurous scanners to a website for the Kraay’s family farm website. The code also got the Kraays into the Guinness Book of World Records for “World’s Largest QR Code,” which was really what drove this whole project. At approximately 29,000 meters (1.1 square miles), that’s quite a bit of carefully crafted corn designing. It’s certainly more elaborate than the previously claimed record holder, and a lot more official.

“It was something that we didn’t think would happen. There were a lot of little things we had to do and Guinness is pretty picky with how you collect your evidence. We were a little bit on edge on whether it would come through so we were very relieved and very excited,” Rachel Kraay told CTV News about the project. To verify that the code works, the Kraays had to commission a helicopter to fly them over their own farm, allowing them to scan it while hovering hundreds of feet above. And then, at the end of last week, the Guinness folks sent over a package certifying the bizarre world record. “They didn’t even call. I just went to the door and there was a large package and inside was the certificate and a letter. I guess that’s how they do it.”

[Image credit: Facebook]

Filed under: Misc, Internet, Alt

Visualized: World’s largest QR code is a Canadian maize maze originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 12 Sep 2012 07:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Digital Journal  |  CTV News  | Email this | Comments

It’s great to see Ben Heck focus his efforts of do-gooder projects like that foot-controlled wheelchair, but we’ll always have a soft spot for the modfather’s more nostalgic undertakings, like this BASIC pocket computer. Heck created the device for the latest episode of his web show, and if you’re following along at home, you’ll need the Chatpad from an Xbox 360 controller, an Arduino Uno and a LCD display — a Hitachi HD 44780, in this case. The modder-turned-host is quick to point out that the project’s purpose isn’t solely nostalgic — you can also use it to control real world objects, which in the Heck’s case means a ghost on a pinball playfield. Check out a video of the invention in action after the break.

Continue reading Ben Heck fashions a pocket computer with an Xbox Chatpad and Arduino Uno

Filed under: Misc

Ben Heck fashions a pocket computer with an Xbox Chatpad and Arduino Uno originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 10 Sep 2012 22:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Element 14  | Email this | Comments