Hasta La Gadget!

For most of us, cellphones are for texting, calling and maybe the occasional tweet, but what happens when you hand them over to some of the world’s most creative minds? Giving hackers, artists and intellectuals free reign to mess with the various Xperia phones, Sony found out just how capable its handsets really are. Using a few tweaks and hacks, artists were able to create an installation that breathes fire when you snap a photo, a remote-controlled boat with GPS and a bike that uses colored lights to spell out secret words only visible when captured on camera. When Sony asked astrophysicist Joshua Peek to give it a go, he took full sky maps and telescope image data to build an app with an up-close view of electromagnetic patterns in the sky. To round out the project, musician Annabel Lindquist composed a song based on the sounds of Paris she recorded with an Arc. Now, if they could just mod one to avoid dropped calls, we’d be all set. Videos of their ingenuity in action after the break.

Continue reading Artists hack Sony Ericsson’s Xperia phones to see the unseen universe, use fire as a flash

Artists hack Sony Ericsson’s Xperia phones to see the unseen universe, use fire as a flash originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 11 Sep 2011 04:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We all remember kicking it in anonymous chat rooms masked behind the safety of a screen name, but today Fring announced a new way to engage with randoms — this time with video. Playground lets users start their own video chat or join an existing room based on topic, with friends or complete strangers. We’ve seen four-way video from the app before, but the new feature takes it a step further — similar to joining a Hangout in Google+, only on a mobile phone. Although it does sound creepily Chatroulette-ish, it’s free (unlike Skype’s group video calling) and works on iOS and Android Phones — so go ahead, take a peek and see what’s actually going on in “Voldemort’s Death Eater” channel. Check out the demo and full PR after the break.

Continue reading Fring launches Playgrounds for group video chat with friends or randoms (video)

Fring launches Playgrounds for group video chat with friends or randoms (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 09 Sep 2011 08:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Opera has some guts going up against the likes of Samsung in the emerging realm of Smart TV apps. Then again, its new storefront brings something different to the table: namely a dashboard that strictly adheres to HTML5 and other web standards so that apps can work across any platform. Content providers like Vimeo and DriveCast have already signed up and TV manufacturers shouldn’t be far behind — not least because the underlying browser engine is claimed to run smoothly even on crappier cheaper processors. Opera has even released an emulator to make life easy for smaller app developers who, for one reason or another, can’t afford a whole testbed of TVs. Opera still has a way to go, but pleasing everyone all the time is surely a smart strategy for any underdog. PR after the break.

Continue reading Opera promises cross-platform apps for Smart TVs, gives us little to complain about

Opera promises cross-platform apps for Smart TVs, gives us little to complain about originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 07 Sep 2011 15:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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What may seem like technology thought up for insert-some-Bond-flick-here, the File Expert Android app has added NFC functionality to its latest build — making single-tap transfers a new reality. Like the previous rendition, it uses Bluetooth to send data, but a friendly bump replaces the traditional pairing process, speeding up the exchange dramatically (like we said, perfect for overworked spies). We’ve seen magic like this before, and we’ll certainly see more like it as NFC becomes more ubiquitous, but what’s next? NFC-to-NFC file transfers, no middleman required. Fist bump to that.

[Thanks, Binoy]

File Expert Android app taps NFC to hasten your Bluetooth data transfers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 17:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Better late than never, ey? RIM finally got with the program and rolled out their official version 3.0 upgrade to BlackBerry App World. The updated application portal had already been available to Beta Zone members early last month and was slated for an August 22nd debut, but apparently missed that release window. We’ve already seen the cosmetic improvements the Waterloo-based company’s brought to the app hub, with a redesigned home screen, refreshed icons, MyWorld downloads folder and the ability to share apps via your choice of social messaging service. The service still lacks the compelling selection of rival OS app markets, but hopefully the company’s renewed focus’ll bring more devs to its OS club. If you’re rocking a BB handset, drop us a line below and let us know your take on RIM’s refresh.

RIM officially trots out BlackBerry App World 3.0 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 06 Sep 2011 12:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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