Hasta La Gadget!

The Korean Cable Television and Telecommunications Association went live yesterday with a pilot run of new channels. Composed of five content providers, the group is now hopefully filling the airwaves with crisp 4K footage of something beyond water, flowers and night-time city vistas. (There’s no word on what is currently being shown — Korean readers, please let us know in the comments if you catch a glimpse.)

Apparently launching six months earlier than planned (and ahead of the rival scheme in neighboring Japan), the UHD service is likely to arrive in commercialized form even faster. We’d recommend wannabe viewers start saving for that compatible TV set immediately, as it could take a while to get there.

Filed under: Misc, Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: ETNews (Korean)

Apple’s gone shopping again, this time picking up Locationary, a small Canada-based company that deals in local business data and locations. The deal’s been confirmed by Cupertino, although as is often the case, it told AllThingsD that it doesn’t discuss the purpose or plans behind its buys. You’d imagine, however, that the small startup will most likely be involving itself in Apple’s very own mapping software, which continues to make up for its messy launch on iOS. Locationary uses a large data exchange platform and crowdsourcing to constantly gather, merge and verify data and geographic points for local businesses — hopefully meaning the next time you pop out to your nearest Best Buy, it’ll still be there.

Filed under: Misc, Internet, Apple

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Source: AllThingsD

In the spirit of San Diego Comic Con, the White House is set to host a special geek-themed Google+ Hangout tomorrow, July 19th, at 12:00 PM ET to celebrate the geniuses pioneering real-life superhero-style technology. The event, part of its “We the Geeks” series, will cover recent innovations in materials science that could potentially take us to infinity and beyond, like impenetrable liquid armor, self-healing and touch-sensitive synthetic skin. Joining the Hangout are notable experts including (but certainly not limited to) James Kakalios, author of The Physics of Superheroes, Nathan Landy, a Duke University graduate student working on an invisibility cloak and Nate Ball, host of PBS’s Design Squad Nation and inventor of the Batman-like Ascender. Got a question for these real world Tony Starks? Share it via Twitter or Google+ using the hashtag #WeTheGeeks.

Filed under: Misc, Science

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Source: White House

Diabetics might appreciate high-tech glucose sensors when they’re available, but the option for other advanced treatments is certainly intriguing. Take, for example, this new method developed by North Carolina State University researchers that uses injectable sponge to control blood sugar levels. No, it’s not the same sponge you use to clean at home — the material is made out of a substance taken from crab and shrimp shells called chitosan. This spongy material forms a matrix that’s approximately 250 micrometers in diameter, where a rise in blood sugar causes a reaction in the pores that leads to the drug’s release.

Fighting diabetes is but one of the things this miraculous sponge can be used for; developed further, it could even “intelligently” release anticancer drugs whenever the chitosan reacts to tumors or cancer cells in close proximity. Seems like medical technology is getting smarter with each passing day.

Filed under: Misc, Alt

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Source: North Carolina State University

A simple, virtual stroll through the internet would easily convey that Bluetooth speakers aren’t the hot item they once were. Still, who would complain about having a vast amount of options to choose from? The latest set comes by way of Logitech with the Z600, a pair of Bluetooth 2.0 sound blasters capable of being connected to up to three devices simultaneously — the company says it’s as easy as pressing pause on one and play on another to switch between them. The Z600’s sleek looks are complemented by three undisclosed drivers in each speaker and touch volume controls; there are also a couple of alternatives to Bluetooth as well, including a 3.5mm audio jack and USB transceiver. Logitech will be putting these on shelves across the US and Europe next month for $149.99, but if you’re interested you can pre-order them now from the source below.

Filed under: Misc, Peripherals

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Source: Logitech