May 18

Recon Jet AR Headset: Google Glass Sport

Posted in: Today's Chili

Google Glass made the world at large aware of the existence and potential of augmented reality headsets and heads-up displays. Surely we’ll see more and more similar devices appear. In fact, one such device could launch before Glass. It’s called the Recon Jet, a nerdy accessory for jocks.

recon jet

Recon Instruments, the company behind the Recon Jet, clearly designed the headset to augment sports and other outdoor-related activities. It has Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, GPS and all the other sensors and connectivity technology that Glass has. But instead of projecting its monitor through a prism, the Recon Jet’s display is directly situated at the front of the device. This makes it more visible than the resulting transparent display on the Glass. Recon Instruments placed the Recon Jet’s display below the user’s right eye because according to the company’s research it was the least obtrusive location.

Here’s Mashable’s interview with a spokesman from Recon Instruments:

Without knowing the final specs of both devices, it’s hard to say if the Glass can also do everything that the Recon Jet can. It’s also equally important that Recon Instruments get the support of app developers. One thing’s clear: there’s never been a better time to make prescription contact lenses. Except for the time when there weren’t any prescription contacts.

[Recon Instruments via Mashable via Reddit]

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May 18

Bang & Olufsen Unveil “Entry Level” BeoLab 14 Surround Sound System

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When it comes to high-end audio products, Bang & Olufsen make some of the most elegant and expensive devices on the market. Saying “entry-level” for these guys sort of like saying entry-level Ferrari, in that you know just because it’s their cheapest product, it’s still going to be very expensive. Bang & Olufsen have announced a new home theater system called the BeoLab 14.

bang olufsen beolab 14 speakers

The company says that this speaker system uses its high-quality acoustic engineering and components, and while it’s designed specifically to complement Bang & Olufsen televisions, it will work with other TVs as well. The satellite speakers have a distinctive flat, round design, while the subwoofer looks like some sort of fancy vase.

Each of the satellite speakers offers 140 W of power, and the subwoofer has 280 W of dedicated power and an eight-inch downward facing driver. The system can be connected to B&O televisions with a built-in surround sound decoder, or you’ll need to have a receiver that can do the decoding if you don’t have a B&O TV.

bang olufsen beolab 14 speakers 2

You can also select from a variety of colors for the satellite grille cloths, to complement your specific room decor.

bang olufsen beolab 14 speakers 3

Buyers can opt for a 4.1 solution at a price of $3995(USD) or a full 5.1 solution at $4395. The BeoLab 14 will be available in B&O stores around the world this June.

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May 17

Before its time: Consortium pushed for automated driverless cars in the 1990s

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Automated driverless cars have been a popular topic for some months now, brought to the forefront of public attention by Google‘s efforts to develop such vehicles. One would be tempted to believe – science fiction stories and movies aside – that such ambitions are a new reality, the result of our ever-expanding technologies that allow us to pursue this seemingly futuristic mode of transportation. Under such an assumption, the reality is surprising – in the early 1990s, Congress passed a bill devoting $650,000 towards developing technologies for driverless vehicles, a project undertaken by a consortium composed of nine organizations. In fact, one “driverless” vehicle was demonstrated on California’s Interstate 15 for over 7 miles in 1997, and we have a video of it after the jump.

Capture

The automated highway system was undertaken by a group formed in 1994 called the National Automated Highway System Consortium, which was composed of nine primary organizations including General Motors and the California Department of Transportation. The consortium was required by Congress to demonstrate the feasibility of driverless vehicles by 1997, something it did down to the wire in an on-vehicle demonstration showing a driver behind the wheel of a self-driving car, arms sticking out the window and sunroof. You can see it for yourself in the video below.

The technology involved was quite primitive by today’s standards, with – as the Smithsonian pointed out – such seemingly requisite technologies like consumer GPS not even existing at the time the project was undertaken. And yet, with toggle switch boxes and thick laptops offering less power than the smartphone in your pocket, a system was devised that could take a car through a series of obstacles that it successfully avoided, such as traffic barrels placed in a lane.

As with today, the idea of driverless cars and automated highways drew quite a bit of criticism at the time, with, for example, Marcia Lowe of the Worldwatch Institute saying in 1993, “Smart cars and highways have quietly emerged as the latest and most-expensive proposal to solve the nation’s traffic problems. Government spending on the little known Intelligent Vehicle and Highway Systems program is expected to exceed $40 billion over the next 20 years … despite evidence that smart cars and highways may well exacerbate the very problems they are supposed to solve.”

Why did the progress stall (again, pun intended)? According to the Smithsonian, it was due to the very legislation that provided funding to develop such technologies. The lack of direction was one issue, as well as no solid definition having ever been provided over what the Congressional legislation meant by “automated highways.” As such, while the consortium had an idea and the motivation to take it as far as it did, it lacked a solid singular goal to pursue and dissolved as funding ran out.

Still, one must admire the future mindset of those who undertook the project, and wonder where we would be today had efforts to develop such vehicles continued rather than falling back into the “idea box” – we could very well have had driverless cars in place today, or be much farther along in the process than is reality. If nothing else, this shows that automated cars are more than a novelty idea, and that it is only a matter of time before we’re all kicking back while the car does the work for us.

SOURCE: Smithsonian


Before its time: Consortium pushed for automated driverless cars in the 1990s is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

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May 17

Technology in new $100 US note aims to foil counterfeiters

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The United States will be rolling out a new greenback this fall, in this case a new $100 note that, while visually similar to the current offering, utilizes new technology (and a slight splash of color) to make it harder for counterfeiters to replicate the bills. Among the changes are such things as a duplicating Benjamin Franklin, who has been enlarged and filled out, microprinting, and more.

Bill

According to the Federal Reserve, the new bill will go into circulation on October 8, will all new bills in that denomination ordered after that date being issued with the new technology. This follows the current design, which was issued back in March 1996, and is aimed at making it more difficult for counterfeiters to replicate the notes. As such, the new design implements a variety of technologies.

As part of the changes, Benjamin Franklin is now larger and slightly raised, with more detailed eyes and with a microprinted “United States of America” in the collar. The combination of these two things will make it harder for counterfeiters to print the bills and easier for those receiving fake bills to notice if something is off, such as missing details or incorrectly rendered aspects of the portrait.

In addition, changes have been made to the watermark so that it duplicates slightly when held up to the light. The gold inkwell visible in the image above has a slightly darker image of the Liberty Bell inside of it, which turns green when the bill is shifted. This is achieved using color-shifting ink, and is designed to be easier to spot due to the contrast between the green and gold colors.

One of the biggest changes is found on the back, with the new note featuring a giant golden “100″ numeral vertically aligned on the left side, with the outside of the numbers being lined with blue ink, and the inside being filled with a striated golden gradient, something that makes it especially hard for counterfeiters to replicate, partly because of the color difficulties and partly because of the large size, which require more attention to detail and makes it easier for someone to notice a mistake. There’s the added bonus of being easier on the eyes for those with visual impairments.

Rear Image

Independence Hall is now pictured from the rear, and the clock on the building has had its time changed from 4:10 to 10:30. And finally, there is a blue woven ribbon near the center of the note composed of 650,000 microlenses that generate $100 signs and 3D Liberty Bells. All commonly used counterfeiting methods are incapable of generating this.

SOURCE: Business Week


Technology in new $100 US note aims to foil counterfeiters is written by Brittany Hillen & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

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May 17

Space Driving Record Broken by Robot

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A new record was broken recently by a robot. In addition to being able to beat the worlds champions in chess it turns out that robots may be better at distance driving, at least in the endless void of space. The 1972, human set, record for the most distance driven in space was broken by a 2004 launced rover.

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May 17

Switchboard Mixes Multiple Internet Connections: With Your Powers Combined, I Am Faster Bandwidth!

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I’ve often wished that I could combine the speed of my cable Internet connection with my phone’s data connection to form one supercharged slightly above average connection. If you’ve been wishing for the same thing my wish buddy, take a look at Switchboard. It’s a subscription-based cloud service that will let you tap into multiple Internet connections at once.

connectify switchboard cloud service

The Switchboard service is currently being developed by a company called Connectify. The company claims that its servers can spread the packets that you upload or download across multiple Internet connections. All you have to do is link your computer to these connections; the Switchboard software and Connectify’s servers will do the rest.

Switchboard is actually similar to one of Connectify’s other apps called Dispatch. Dispatch can also send data to and from your computer through multiple Internet connections. The upside to Dispatch is that it doesn’t need to pass through a server. That means you only pay once – just for the client software. But Connectify says that Dispatch is only good for applications or processes that use multiple sockets at once, such as web browsing or peer-to-peer connections. Programs that use single sockets like Netflix and Hulu will gain nothing from Dispatch. Also Dispatch doesn’t have a Mac client, whereas Switchboard will have one.

Pledge at least $60 (USD) on Kickstarter to be one of the first to try out Switchboard. But with great speed comes great expense. Not only is Switchboard a subscription service, its plans also have data caps. The limits range from 10GB to 2TB per month depending on your plan. I’m not saying that’s unreasonable, but now I have another wish: I wish that future computers had this functionality baked in.

[via Tom’s Hardware]

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May 17

Archos 80 Xenon Android Tablet: Unlocked 3G Wireless & GPS on the Cheap

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Archos has been making Android tablets for almost as long as Android has been around. The company has unveiled a new tablet called the Archos 80 Xenon that promises some nice features in a very portable form factor.

archos 80 xenon 1

Archos says the $200 tablet was specifically designed for on-the-go access and experience and offers integrated Wi-Fi and 3G mobile network support. The tablet is designed to accept any 3G SIM card with no provider restrictions. That should mean you can pop your SIM card out of your existing device and plug it right into this tablet to get online while traveling.

archos 80 xenon 2

The Android 4.1-based tablet features a 1.2GHz quad-core Snapdragon CPU and and 1GB system memory. Its eight-inch multitouch IPS screen has a resolution of 1024 x 768. The tablet also comes preloaded with media center applications and can run most of the popular Android applications out there. Internal storage is 4 GB and a MicroSD memory card slot is available for expansion up to 64GB. The tablet also has integrated GPS/A-GPS capability with full support for Google Maps.

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May 17

Tech Deals of the Day: 5/17/2013

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Our friends at TechBargains.com compile a list of daily deals to help you save money. Keep in mind that as with any good deal, products are limited in quantity and can sell out quickly – so don’t hesitate to check them out now.

If you’re looking to buy a product from a specific store, save money with updated and verified coupon codes here.


Computers & Peripherals:

Home Entertainment:

Personal Electronics:

Apps:

eBooks:

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May 16

$16,000 Up For Grabs Via The 2013 Mobile Dev Challenge For Best Mobile App!

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Develop mobile app, win cash prizes!Are you a stellar mobile app innovator who needs a good excuse to show off your work? Any sort of mobile app can be thrown into the running, as long as it’s excellent!

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May 16

Mercedes S-Class Is the First Car without any Incandescent Light Bulbs

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These days, it’s not uncommon for automotive manufacturers to use LEDs to replace light bulbs for some of the lights on vehicles. This is particularly common with taillights. However, until now, all of the vehicles out there still use incandescent light bulbs for some needs, particularly in the headlights and interior. Mercedes-Benz has announced that its new S-Class is the first car to use not one single traditional light bulb.

sclass

Everything from the tail lights to the headlights and every light on the interior of the high-end S-Class will use LEDs. Each headlight has 56 individual LEDs, each taillight uses 25 LEDs, and there are about 300 LEDs on the interior of the vehicle.

Another very impressive bit of tech is a suspension system that is able to scan the road ahead and prepare for any coming road imperfections for a smoother ride. The car also has a pair of 12.3-inch displays on the dash giving the vehicle one of the largest dashboard video displays of any car on the road. The left video screen is for vehicle instruments and the right is for the infotainment system.

One detail Mercedes didn’t offer was exactly how much the S-Class will cost. Considering that the vehicle is aiming at people who previously purchased incredibly expensive Maybach luxury cars, the new S-Class will undoubtedly be exceptionally expensive.

[via USA Today]

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