Tired of ripping off those old luggage tags after a trip? Well, those could be a thing of the past if all goes according to plan — at least when flying British Airways. The airline cooked up an electronic bag tag that looks to discard the paper version with the help of the folks at Designworks. Once passengers have checked in, they simply need to hover a smartphone over the tag to beam (via NFC, we’d surmise) both flight info and the requisite barcode to the tag’s display. The idea behind the whole thing isn’t only to keep the paper-changing to a minimum, but to also save precious time at the check-in counter. A live trial of the tagging gadget is planned, so we’ll soon be able to see if the concept stands up to baggage handlers.
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
NVIDIA’s Shield won’t arrive on its previously announced date of June 27th, instead moving its launch date to an undetermined point in July. A statement issued by NVIDIA explains the delay ambiguously, citing “a mechanical issue that relates to a third-party component” — the company confirmed to Engadget it’s an internal component, but wouldn’t go into any more detail.
“We want Shield to be perfect, so we have elected to shift the launch date to July,” the statement reads. We pushed the company for a specific date but were rebuffed — “We’ll update you as soon as we have an exact date,” was all we were told. We’ll have a full review of the Shield just ahead of its July launch; for now, we’ve got a hands-on with the final version from mid-May to tide you over. Head below the break for that video.
Kyary Pamyu Pamyu, who is a Japanese female model/singer and represents Japan’s kawaii subculture, has been very popular both in Japan and overseas. Currently, she appears on a TV commercial of au by KDDI and sings a special song for the TV commercial.
Today, au by KDDI announced that they will offer presale tickets of the Kyary Pamyu Pamyu’s Autumn concert exclusively for “au Smart Pass” members. In addition, the luckiest 10 pairs (20 people) will win backstage pass and see Kyary in person.
au by KDDI will start accepting the presale order from July 5, 12:00 to July 9, 23:59.
Hitachi Power Solutions has developed an item management system, which helps to improve traceability in manufacturing facilities.
This system uses item IDs printed in stealth ink, which is hard to see with the naked eye. The ink is made visible and read using UV light, and each ID is associated with production data. Even in lots with thousands or tens of thousands of items, this system enables every single product to be managed individually.
“Usually, manufacturer’s codes don’t need to be seen by everyone. So, we’ve decided to use stealth codes. A feature of these is, they can be printed anywhere. So, they don’t affect product design.”
“The scanning speed is currently 78 meters per minute, but that could be increased to 160 meters per minute. The codes can be read anywhere, but what we want to do is to make it possible to read the codes, and associate them with data during manufacturing, at speeds that have so far been considered impossible on production lines.”
“Until now, products have been managed as lots, so if customers make a complaint, manufacturers have only been able to tell them the results of tests within a lot. But now, each item on a production line can be scanned, and data can be associated with its code, so manufacturers have evidence regarding complaints. For example, items can be given serial numbers, like with consumer electronics. So, if there’s a complaint, the manufacturer can immediately check where the item was made and what the problem was.”
The stealth codes are printed using ink-jet printers from Hitachi IES. This system offers lower costs than labels and RFID tags.
From now on, as well as food items, Hitachi will consider using the system for electronic and automotive components.
“We think this system could be utilized for lots of purposes. For example, you could use these codes to make small electronic components traceable, or to improve the speed of production lines. Stealth codes could also be used to prevent counterfeiting or unauthorized distribution.”
Event: FOOMA JAPAN 2013
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You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
We’d love to tell you that the researchers at North Carolina State University aren’t monsters who implant circuits on living things so that those living things do their bidding, but we’d be lying. They totally do that, roaches are their primary victim, and now they’re using Microsoft’s Kinect to help them control the insects. Sure, why not!
As Dr. Alper Bozkurt of NCSU says in today’s new release, “Our goal is to be able to guide these roaches as efficiently as possible, and our work with Kinect is helping us do that.” Apparently the researchers are employing Kinect for data collection as well, determining how effectively the cyborg survivors respond to electrical impulse-motivated control. They say the end goal is to use the partially mechanized arthropods to, “explore and map disaster sites.” For now, there’s some very weird stuff happening in North Carolina. Head below for a video of the roaches in action.
When Google announced it was pulling Reader’s plug (which will happen next week), the outcry was loud and viral. If I may speak for those who were most wounded by the knife in Reader’s back, the announcement shock was mixed with betrayal, anger and loss. Those who built RSS reading into their lives generally placed it at the epicenter of their online activity. Anticipating life without Reader was a black-hole view — the web with a void punched into the center.
As the wailing turned practical, exporting and migrating recommendations proliferated. The commotion died down for a while, and has now resumed for Reader’s final week. Major and minor brands are jumping into the feed-reading game, seeking to sway a vocal population looking for new homes. But is a loud community of users also a large community of users? Feed-based web consumption hasn’t had this much publicity in years. Does all this product development and media attention signal a rebirth of RSS’s geeky convenience? Or are money and effort being thrown at an ephemeral market?
The International Trade Commission has become increasingly tired of all the patent mischief it’s forced to deal with, just as we’ve become tired of reporting on it. That’s why its latest defense against time-wasters could potentially be a very good idea. According to Reuters, the ITC will soon demand upfront proof that the complainant in a patent case has a “significant presence in the United States” and isn’t merely a fly-by-night outfit created for the purpose of pursuing litigation. The new rule has already been trialed in a pilot program, and Google, Intel, HP and others have voiced their support. It can’t fix everything, of course, since major companies will still be able to game the system to hamper their rivals, but with the FTC and the White House also takingsteps to subject “patent-assertion entities” to greater scrutiny, it feels like the wheels of government may be starting to catch up with the trolls.
OUYA has unlocked a major achievement today: the teensy crowdfunded gaming console is now available at retail, after a slight delay from the June 4th date it promised earlier. That’s good news for everybody, except perhaps some of the original Kickstarter backers who’ve still not received their consoles — though founder Julie Uhrman said the firm is “working overtime” to resolve that issue. As for the retail OUYA package (which has had most of its flaws ironed out since we first saw it), it’ll come with the game console, controller, an HDMI cable and batteries for $100, with extra controllers running $50. It’s already sold out at Amazon, but you can also seek it out online or in person at Best Buy, GameStop, Target or GAME. If you’re still undecided, make sure to read about our hands-on experience with the device.
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