Apple patent application suggest iPod nano could become even more of a ‘fashion accessory’

There’s no guarantee that it will show up in the next iPod nano — or any iPod nano at all, for that matter — but a newly published patent application has now offered a few more hints about how Apple might make such a device even more wearable. Titled simply, “Environment Sensitive Display Tags,” the patent application details how a small, wearable device could use a variety of sensors and inputs (including a camera, microphone, accelerometer — even a thermometer) to obtain information about its surroundings and translate that into a visual element that’s displayed on the screen. So, for instance, the camera could be used to create a background that matches your shirt or jacket, or the accelerometer could be used to make a screen saver react to your movements (like the rain drops illustrated above). All of which, the application suggests, could serve to make the device even more “aesthetically pleasing” as a “fashion accessory.”

Incidentally, the patent application also noticeably features “Games” as a menu option in some of the illustrations — which would be new to the current variety of iPod nano — but there’s no mention of it in the actual claims. And, given that it was filed back in November of 2009, the application’s authors could well have simply been working on the assumption that games would simply carry over from the previous generation.

Apple patent application suggest iPod nano could become even more of a ‘fashion accessory’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 13 May 2011 04:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Apple Insider  |  sourceUSPTO  | Email this | Comments

Smithsonian announces titles for Art of Video Games exhibit, snubs Mario Paint

GoldenEye 007 is certainly a fun way to waste your childhood…but is it art? According to the Smithsonian American Art Museum, yes. The game was one of 80 selected for an upcoming exhibit, The Art of Video Games, and the the venerable museum drew on fan expertise, using online voting to winnow the field of 240 nominees. The selections span the last four decades (!) of gaming, from the days of the Atari VCS and ColecoVision all the way to today’s modern time-sinks like Portal and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess. The exhibit won’t open until next spring, but in the meantime check out the source link to argue about who got left out.

Smithsonian announces titles for Art of Video Games exhibit, snubs Mario Paint originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 May 2011 08:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Kotaku  |  sourceSmithsonian American Art Museum  | Email this | Comments

How to Hack Your Kinect [How To]

When the Kinect first launched last November, gamers were (to put it charitably) a bit skeptical. Here was a device with incredible technological potential, and the most impressive game that came out with it was a dance simulator. More »

Remember Google Image Labeler?

This article was written on May 10, 2007 by CyberNet.

Do you remember the Google Image Labeler? It was released last September as a game for people to play, but in reality Google is using it to improve their image search results. Some people criticized Google calling it “free labor” while others thought it was a great way for Google to improve the results that you receive when you do a search on Google Images.

I had forgotten about this little game until today when I noticed an article that the Google Operating System blog had posted titled, “Google Image Labeler is More Exciting.” Apparently this system is still working out for Google, otherwise they wouldn’t continue to use it.

They’ve tweaked the point system just a bit so that users will get more points for a more descriptive answer. The game works by Google randomly (in real time) pairing you up with another user. Both of you will start entering in labels for images, and when you and your partner have matched labels, you’ll get points and move on to a new image.

Previously, each match gave you 100 points and it took no descriptive answers to get those points. Now the points will range from 50 for a simple generic answer to 150 points for a descriptive answer. Obviously those descriptive answers benefit Google more than a non-descriptive one.

FrigatebirdFor example, if you were given the picture to the right, you’d receive the following points:

  • Sky: 50 points
  • Bird: 60 points
  • Soaring: 120 points
  • Frigate bird: 150 points

If you knew that was a Frigate bird, I guess you deserve 150 points!

You don’t have to be logged-in to play, and if you’re really ambitious, you can try and pass up the all-time top contributor who has earned 10 million points! I’d say he’s got some time on his hands, wouldn’t you?

Play Google Image Labeler

 

 

Copyright © 2011 CyberNetNews.com

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Ubisoft founds motion picture division, vows to keep Jake Gyllenhaal working

Quick show of hands: how many of you like playing video games? And how many of you would like to watch movies based on video games you’ve played? No doubt slightly more sophisticated market research went into Ubisoft Motion Pictures, the game maker’s unique approach to adapting games like Assassin’s Creed and Splinter Cell for film and TV, meaning we’ll finally see movies about assassins. Last year’s Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time film grossed $335 million worldwide, surely thanks to Jake Gyllenhaal’s smoldering yet boyish intensity, and the French game publisher clearly wants a bigger slice of Hollywood pie — it also recently bought visual effects studio Hybride Technologies. You might as well get in line now for Battle Tag: The Movie.

Ubisoft founds motion picture division, vows to keep Jake Gyllenhaal working originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 May 2011 02:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Joystiq  |  sourceVariety  | Email this | Comments

SLG 3000 scanline generator brings grimy gaming to modern displays (video)

As diligent as we are about keeping you abreast of absolutely every awesome new gadget that hits the market, every once in a while even we miss a real gem. Case in point: Arcade Forge’s SLG 3000 scanline generator, which gives your seemingly flawless HD display a throwback makeover. As the name suggests, the rather diminutive board acts as a middle man between your VGA compatible device and your TV, bringing back the sweet imperfections that marked early console gaming. The thing enlists a series of DIP switches and a potentiometer for setting scanlines and resolution to your specifications. You can land one of your own at the source link for €50. In the meantime, though, we suggest you check out the video after the break to see why we couldn’t bear to let this one get away — even if it is a few months old.

Continue reading SLG 3000 scanline generator brings grimy gaming to modern displays (video)

SLG 3000 scanline generator brings grimy gaming to modern displays (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 23 Apr 2011 08:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Retro Thing  |  sourceArcade Forge  | Email this | Comments

ThinkGeek’s iCade Turns iPad into Retro Arcade Cabinet

The iCade cabinet will make you feel like a giant living in the 1970s

Remember the iCade? Sure you do. It was ThinkGeek’s 2010 April Fool gag, a tiny tabletop arcade machine which used the iPad as its screen. Now, just over a year later, the iCade is real, and can be pre-ordered for $100 at ThinkGeek’s store.

Along with the price drop (the joke unit was $150) there have been some changes to the imaginary specs. Now the iCade connects to the iPad by Bluetooth, not through the dock connector. It also has more buttons — eight instead of just two — but it keeps a coin slot so you can feed it with quarters.

But best of all is that ThinkGeek has teamed up with Atari. The legendary game company recently released Atari’s Greatest Hits, which brings 100 classic titles to the iPhone and iPad. These games have built-in support for the iCade’s joystick and buttons. ThinkGeek has also released an API so any developer can bake support into their own games. This rather practical addition raises the iCade from mere novelty to actually pretty awesome.

So popular is the iCade that, despite only being available for pre-order, it is already back ordered. Thus, you’ll have to wait for the second batch. International buyers will have an even longer wait, as worldwide shipping will only start once the iCade is in stock. My $100 is ready.

iCade product page [ThinkGeek]

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Game Boy Gutted, Turned into a Nintendo 3DS Case

GameBoy 3DS Case

If you don’t remember quite how large the original Game Boy really was, this DIY hack will remind you. One proud 3DS owner looking for an unassuming but still geeky case for his shiny new handheld console decided that his old original Nintendo Game Boy would make a perfect carrying case. 
The modder, named “Goteking,” gutted the original Game Boy of all of its components, but kept the shell, the buttons, and the screen intact. He printed some paper cut-outs of the start screens of his favorite games, and affixed them where the Game Boy’s LCD screen used to be. Next, he attached a hinge to the left side of the Game Boy and a clasp to the right side. 
With a little sanding down, it just happens that the interior of a Game Boy – with everything else removed – is just the right size to slip a 3DS inside. He repeated the process with a newer Game Boy model with a translucent plastic body, and got the same results. Once the 3DS is inside, you can’t even tell it’s in there: it just looks like an ordinary Game Boy. 
You can see a video of the case behind the jump.

Where Are This Generation’s Tiger Handhelds? [Video]

Kids today are spoiled with their iPod touches and iPads and PSPs and 3DSes. When I was their age, portable games certainly DID NOT look comparable to their console counterparts. More »

Sony Ericsson sets up its own channel in Android Market, relegates ‘My apps’ link to a menu item

Open up Android Market on your Android device today and (most of) you will see a familiar set of three headings — Apps, Games and My apps — bidding you welcome. Do the same on your Sony Ericsson Android phone, however, and the last item in that list might no longer be there. That’s because SE has decided to introduce its own “channel” to the Market, wherein you’ll find a load of Xperia handset-specific junk software and other specially curated bits that your smartphone is adjudged to be in need of. The change means you’ll need to open up your menu to get at your own apps, but that shouldn’t be an entirely unfamiliar activity for Android users. Sony Ericsson may be the first manufacturer to pull this switcheroo, but it’s following in the well-worn footsteps of Verizon and T-Mobile in the US. And speaking of carriers, Sony Ericsson says this change is operator-dependent, so if you’re nice and lucky, your operator won’t bother to roll this out. Sadly, our Xperia Arc has already been infected.

Sony Ericsson sets up its own channel in Android Market, relegates ‘My apps’ link to a menu item originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 13 Apr 2011 08:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceSony Ericsson Product Blog  | Email this | Comments