Nvidia came forward with an exciting announcement earlier today; news which should have gamers everywhere jumping for joy: the graphics card manufacturer has, in essence, eliminated screen tearing from gaming altogether. Ladies and gentlemen, it is my pleasure to introduce you to Nvidia G-Sync.
Wetware takes aim at a specific type of technology — the kind that alters our physical bodies in such a way to bring an improvement. Though often found in small groups and private initiatives, the movement has picked up pace over the years as technology increases and the cost of hardware decreases. Grindhouse Wetware is […]
The judges have selected their favorite innovations from each of the 20
participating nations shooting for the James Dyson Award, and as
brilliant as all of the finalists are, I challenged myself to pick out
the five new goodies that truly deserve the grand prize:
A few days ago Archos showed off its new Android-powered GamePad 2 portable gaming tablet. The company is back to announce an entire new series of reasonably priced Android-powered smartphones called the Titanium line.
The main difference between the four smartphones in the new Titanium line (PDF) is screen size and resolution. The line includes the 40 Titanium, 45 Titanium, 50 Titanium, and 53 Titanium. The 40 Titanium has a four-inch screen with a resolution of 800 x 480. The 45 Titanium has a 4.5-inch screen with a resolution of 854 x 480. The 50 Titanium features a five-inch IPS screen with a resolution of 960 x 540. The last of the phones is the 53 Titanium featuring a 5.3-inch 854 x 480 resolution screen.
The other features are the same including Android 4.2.2 for the operating system and MT 6572 dual-core 1.3 GHz processors. All the phones have 4 GB of integrated storage and 512 MB RAM. They’ll also feature a five-megapixel rear camera and integrated A-GPS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth. Another the difference between the phones is battery size. The Titanium 40 has a 1500 mAh battery, the 45 Titanium has 1680 mAh unit, the 50 Titanium has a 2100 mAh battery, and the 53 Titanium features a 2500 mAh battery. The phones run on 3G networks with HSPA+ support, which has a theoretical top download speed of 21Mbps.
Pricing ranges from €99.99 to €159.99 (~$137 to $219 USD) with no phone contract required. A launch date for the US is unknown at this time.
While these certainly aren’t top-of-the-line phones, they’re pretty well-appointed for the price, given the fact that the phones come fully unlocked.
Home automation technologies have been around for a while, but most systems require additional gadgets to be plugged into each outlet you want to add to the system, and are generally quite costly. bRight Switch wants to replace every switch and outlet in your home so it can truly become a smart home – all without breaking the bank.
At the core of the system, bRight Switch replaces the light switches in your home with smart, wireless-connected switches which can be used to do everything from dim lights to control music playback. The switches can be programmed to turn on and off lights at predetermined times, or when you go on vacation, but what makes them really impressive is that they learn from your routine. So if you have a tendency to get home and enter a particular room at a particular time, the switch can automatically turn on the lights at the right time. With the Android-powered nLine touchscreen switch, you can also use two units as a room-to-room intercom, or use proximity detection to turn on lights when you enter the room. You can also use your Android, iOS or Windows mobile device to control the entire system remotely.
The system is comprised of three main components: 1) nLine touchscreen smart switches – which offer full functionality; 2) eLine switches – which provide dimming functionality and 3) eLine outlets, which provide AC and USB power, and can be turned on and off wirelessly. Both the eLine switch and outlet have a built-in dimmable LED nightlight as well. Also, all dimmers offer selectable modes for incandescent, CFL or LED bulbs.
Each module plugs into an ingenious modular wireless base unit, so you can quickly change any location between any of the three switch or outlet modules, or upgrade to potential future variants. Installing base units is as simple as installing a light switch or outlet, but once it’s done, everything else is plug and play.
Best of all, the system is reasonably priced – even more so during its initial crowdfunding period. For as little as $15, you can buy a single eLine outlet and base unit, while an eLine switch and base goes for $25. The whiz-bang nLine switch and base is going for $75. Of course, outfitting an entire room or house will cost quite a bit more, but they have complete systems starting at $140 for small rooms, ranging all the way up to $990 for a full home system, with 2 nLine switches, 15 eLine switches, 20 eLine outlets and 37 wireless base modules.
Head on over to Indiegogo before October 31 to show your support for the project and to start transforming your home into a truly smart one.
Pyle has been producing audio gear for a number of years. Audio isn’t all the company is about though, it also has a line of ruggedized action cameras. The company has unveiled a new action camera called the Hi-Speed HD is able to record video in full HD resolution.
The Hi-Speed camera can capture video at 30, 60 or 120fps, so I suppose that makes it a “high speed” camera – though just barely. It supports video resolutions up to 1080p, though at only 30fps. Resolution drops to 720p for 60fps video, and 480p for 120fps. The camera has a 12-megapixel sensor and can shoot still photos with a time-lapse mode.
Images are stored to microSD cards up to 32 GB in capacity. The camera also has a 2.4-inch touchscreen on the rear, four times digital zoom, and a mini-HDMI output. Another cool feature of the camera is that it ships with a Wi-Fi remote control. That remote control allows the user to turn the camera on and off remotely.
Power for the camera comes from an internal rechargeable battery good for over two hours of recording per charge. The camera uses CMOS image sensor technology and ships with a USB cable and car charger. The camera also comes with splash proof case and various mounting clips. Des[ote what the Pyle website says, retail price for the camera is a surprisingly low $99.99. Pyle offers the camera in black, blue, gray, red, or silver. This might be the perfect camera for someone who really wants a GoPro, but can’t afford the $300 and up price. Though without one in hand to review, I can’t speak for its image or video quality.
One of the biggest challenges in rolling out a electric vehicle charging system in cities around the world is where to place the chargers and how to wire them into the electric grid. Some interesting wireless electric charging devices are expected to land in New York City in early 2014 from a company called Hevo Power. The coolest part about these wireless charging systems isn’t the fact that they don’t need wires, but rather that they hide in plain sight looking like manhole covers.
Hevo CEO and Founder Jeremy McCool says that the idea to hide his wireless EV charges as manhole covers came to him while walking down the streets of NYC. He said:
I was walking down the street, pondering how wireless charging could be deployed. I was standing at 116th and Broadway, and I was looking down and saw a manhole cover. And thought, that’s the ticket. There are no cords, no hazards. Everything can be underneath the manhole cover.
That realization is where the idea of the company’s wireless charging systems came from. Hevo plans to roll out the charging systems in Washington Square Park in early 2014. The initial wireless chargers will be usable by a pair of Smart ForTwo EVs operated by NYU. The wireless charging technology from Hevo uses resonance charging rather than inductive charging used by other EV charging systems.
Hevo Power says that inductive charging is inefficient, but it’s resonance system uses coils in the vehicle and the charging plate connected with capacitors that resonate a specific frequency. That resonance technology minimizes energy losses, and allows energy to transfer at a faster rate and across a wider gap. The Hevo wireless charging system has three components including the power station that can be bolted to the street or embedded in the pavement. The receiver has to be connected to the EV battery system and a smartphone app is used to help drivers line the vehicle up on the charger to start charging.
Hevo’s current system is classified as a Level 2 charging station providing 220 V and up to 10 kW of energy. The system can produce more than 10 kW of energy depending on the application. Hevo is talking with major companies that operate large vehicle fleets including Pepsi, Walgreens, and City Harvest to potentially use the system for larger fleets of electric vehicles.
[via Wired]
Scotty won’t be beaming you up anytime soon. According to the U of L’s Journal of Special Physics, even if it were possible, the amount of time it would take to download and re-upload a human brain would be equivalent to over four quadrillion years. Looks like we’ll have to invent time travel first.
While there are tons of Bluetooth speakers for your smartphone, there are two big disadvantages to this kind of technology: 1) sometimes the audio cuts out, especially if you walk too far away from the speaker with your phone in your pocket, and 2) Bluetooth burns extra battery on both your phone and the speaker. So if you’re looking for a mobile speaker that does away with both of these concerns, check out the GoalZero RockOut2.
This portable speaker connects to your mobile phone or media player the old fashioned way – using a 3.5mm stereo plug. This ensures a high quality audio signal without interruption, and you can leave Bluetooth turned off on your phone too. The RockOut2 acts as both a speaker and a carrying case for your phone, with a hidden interior compartment for you to keep your phone in.
The case of the RockOut2 is made from the same sort of durable nylon you’d find on a rugged backpack. This material does a fine job keeping your phone safe from occasional splashes or even a bit of rain. Keep in mind that the case is specified as “water resistant”, so you probably don’t want to bring it in the swimming pool. Measuring in at 7″ wide x 3.75″ high x 2.5″ deep, it’s portable enough to keep in your backpack or suitcase for easy travel. It’s also got a hookable elastic cord on the back that makes it easy to lash it to the outside of a bag or other objects.
Inside the zippered case, you’ll find a 3.5mm plug for connecting your phone and a USB port for recharging the RockOut2′s internal battery pack. There’s also a jack for chaining multiple speakers together to a single input device. Just plug your phone in, slip it into the netting and zip it back up. The phone compartment is big enough to hold most phones with screens up to about 5 inches. My iPhone 5 and HTC One fit just fine, but I tried to fit my Optimus G Pro 5.5″ phablet inside and it was just a little too big with the audio connector attached.
On the face of the speaker, you’ll find controls for skipping back or forth between tracks, pause/play and volume. This comes in handy of course, because your phone’s screen will be hidden inside of the RockOut2′s case most of the time.
The RockOut2 features stereo full-range drivers, each kicking out up to 3 watts of sound. Frequency response is 100Hz to 20KHz, but I found that bass response was plentiful for a device of its size. In my experience with the RockOut2, I found the sound quality to be quite pleasant, without any noticeable distortion through the highest volume levels. It’s not going to fill a large room, but it’s clean and plenty for listening with a couple of friends sitting on the beach or around the campfire.
Battery life is exceptional – providing up to 20 hours of playback on a 3 hour charge. I actually left mine sitting on a shelf for about two weeks without any use and it worked just fine without any noticeable loss of power. GoalZero claims that you can juice it up in just two hours using their Nomad 7 solar panel, assuming you have enough sun, but I wasn’t able to test this claim.
Overall, I’m impressed with this little speaker. It offers rugged styling, above average sound quality, good portability, and excellent battery life. If you’re looking for an alternative to battery-draining wireless devices, then you’ll definitely want to consider the RockOut2. GoalZero sells the RockOut2 for $59.99(USD) and it’s available now in a variety of colors.
In July, Apple bought mobile security firm AuthenTec, which has shown off an early prototype of the technology that is now refined and used in Apple’s iPhone 5s Touch ID. The information and prototype was made public by the newly-acquired company’s co-founder F. Scott Moody, who spoke to North Carolina State University engineering students yesterday […]
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