DirecTV shows off its new HD UI with a website and trailer, still no release date

That slick, speedy new interface DirecTV recently pushed out to beta testers is officially getting hyped with a new landing page and (unfortunately not embeddable) video trailer. It advertises all the features we’d heard about, including the facelifted HD graphics, “lightning fast” scrolling, visual browsing experience and personalized recommendations. The HD UI is still without a release date however, and while we’d probably put it it ahead of the DirecTiVo on the company’s current priority list, let’s not forget who we’re dealing with here. Hit the source link for the orientation materials, there will be a quiz later.

Update: You can now view the video here, embedded after the break, thanks to our friend Dave Zatz!

[Thanks, Stuart & cypherstream]

Continue reading DirecTV shows off its new HD UI with a website and trailer, still no release date

DirecTV shows off its new HD UI with a website and trailer, still no release date originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 22 Oct 2011 16:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceDirecTV, YouTube  | Email this | Comments

Kinect hack lets you manage your bank account with gestures, will occupy your living room (video)

You know all those convoluted gestures and hate-infused fist pumps you make every time you look at your bank account? Well, you can now put them to good use, thanks to a new Kinect hack from Lithuania-based Etronika. The company’s software, which made its debut at last week’s CTIA E&A event, effectively brings motion-controlled banking directly to your living room. All you have to do is stand in front of your display, clap your hands to choose an icon, or wave your hand back and forth to navigate across the app’s carousel menu. This means you can pay your bills, check your balance and return to fetal position without even touching a sharp object. “A lot of banking software apps are filled with boring crap,” Etronika CEO Kestutis Gardziulis explained with refreshing candor. “With our software, you could be on the couch at home, having a beer, all while dealing with your bank account and kicking back.” Beer, banking and body language — sounds scandalous! Head past the break to watch a demo video, starring Pam Beesly’s doppelgänger.

Continue reading Kinect hack lets you manage your bank account with gestures, will occupy your living room (video)

Kinect hack lets you manage your bank account with gestures, will occupy your living room (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Oct 2011 12:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Yahoo, Wired  |   | Email this | Comments

Samsung Galaxy Nexus spotted in the wild? (video)

Leaks are flying left and right as Samsung’s Unpacked event approaches, with the latest coming from Romania’s Mobilissimo.ro. Today, the site published new images and video of what could be the Samsung Galaxy Nexus — the long-awaited follow-up to the Nexus S. At this point, it’s difficult to say whether the device (model number “Tuna”) totally jibes with the leaked specs we saw earlier this week, though its spacious display (rumored to be of 4.65-inch HD Super AMOLED stock) does look rather sharp — the screenshots we’ve seen are indeed at 720 x 1280 resolution. Other than that, the handset appears to boast a 1,750mAh battery, along with a five megapixel camera and that rumored Ice Cream Sandwich UI, replete with onscreen buttons.

Compared with the Nexus S, the front-facing camera on this handset is shifted further to the right, with the proximity sensor nestled between the earpiece and the shooter, rather than all the way on the left. Its corners, meanwhile, seem less rounded than what you’ll find on the earlier version, though we noticed that it does have a micro-USB port lurking at the bottom center, much like its ancestor. Of course, we’ll have to wait until October 11th to see whether these shots are as good as advertised, but you can head past the break to see the purportedly authentic video or to gaze at some extra screenshots.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Samsung Galaxy Nexus spotted in the wild? (video)

Samsung Galaxy Nexus spotted in the wild? (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 07 Oct 2011 05:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceMobilissimo.ro  | Email this | Comments

Google launches Flight Search service, Kayak shrugs it off (video)

Google’s DOJ-approved acquisition of ITA has finally borne fruit, in the form of Flight Search — a new tool that aims to streamline the chaos that is online travel booking. The Mountain View contingent unveiled the interface yesterday, with an “early look” at what appears to be a fairly straightforward service. Once you enter your starting point, destination, price range and duration, a list of results will appear in ascending order of fare and duration, below a map displaying each flight’s trajectory. From there, you can filter your results by airline, number of layovers or specific departure times, before booking your itinerary on the carrier’s site (Google was careful to point out that flight selection and results will not be “influenced by any paid relationships”). At the moment, the service is restricted to a select group of US cities and only features round-trip economy class flights, but Google says future updates and expansions are on the way. We’re eager to see how the company dresses up this relatively bare bones platform and, perhaps more importantly, how competing travel sites react to it. Kayak, for one, responded with confident nonchalance to Flight Search, explicitly describing it as an inferior product. “We’re confident in our ability to compete, and we believe our flight search technology is superior,” the company said, in a statement. “We recognize Google is a formidable competitor but they haven’t been successful in every vertical they’ve entered.” Let the games begin. Demo video after the break.

Continue reading Google launches Flight Search service, Kayak shrugs it off (video)

Google launches Flight Search service, Kayak shrugs it off (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 15:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Search Engine Land, TechCrunch  |  sourceGoogle Flight Search, Google Search Blog  | Email this | Comments

Sony shows off PlayStation Vita’s initial setup process and user interface (video)

While we’re still months away from seeing the PlayStation Vita show up in the stores, Sony continues to tease us with more live demonstrations here at the SCEJ press conference — what we saw just now was a quick walkthrough of the initial setup procedure, and our first look at the interface in action. Setup is simple and predictable: select your region, create or log into your PSN account, enter your birthday — pretty standard for today’s handheld gaming devices. The UI itself looks primed to make smartphone users feel right at home, spreading a cloud of large, friendly app icons across the Vita’s five-inch touchscreen.

Our hosts skipped through a few media applications, showing off a pair of movie trailers and concurrently running the device’s music player and photo viewer. We didn’t see it live today, but Sony suggested that cross-app multitasking is compatible with games as well, stating that a player could hop out of a game session, pop-into a Twitter app, and then jump right back into the game. We’ll give you a more detailed account once we’ve hit the TGS show-floor. Can’t wait? Peek our gallery below, or see Sony’s live demo above.

Filed under:

Sony shows off PlayStation Vita’s initial setup process and user interface (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Sep 2011 03:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Volvo unveils Concept You luxury sedan, dripping with touchscreens (video)

The Frankfurt Motor Show is underway in Germany, where Volvo has just taken the wraps off the Concept You — a new luxury sedan that features some pretty nifty, touch-based controls. Directly behind the car’s steering wheel lies a monitor that digitally displays your basic driving information, including speed and a map of your trajectory. The wheel also features some sensor enhanced panels, which you can use to adjust your radio or cruise control settings. A touch interface on the center console, meanwhile, uses an infrared sensor to pick up on any hand or eye movements before activating to bring up the system’s infotainment control mode, which boasts an unreleased FreshAir subwoofer from Alpine. From here, you can surf the web, swipe through radio stations, check for safety alerts or control your air conditioning, using only your fingers or customized gestures. Plus, there’s an extra touchscreen placed between the two rear seats, meaning your kids won’t be left out of the action, either. Cruise past the break for an exclusive video of the Concept You’s so-called smart pad technology, along with the full PR.

Continue reading Volvo unveils Concept You luxury sedan, dripping with touchscreens (video)

Volvo unveils Concept You luxury sedan, dripping with touchscreens (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 13 Sep 2011 04:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

Chumby NeTV unfurls its web-connected tentacles for the FCC

FCC appearances are usually a good indication of a product’s imminent arrival. And with Chumby’s NeTV already headed to developers’ hands later this month, this Commission filing isn’t exactly catching us off guard. Now, a firm retail date is all that’s missing to complete the once huggable platform’s official outing. Those unfamiliar with the Flash-based, WiFi-enabled device can look forward to a webified HDTV experience that’ll stream online content, as well as texts and photos from your Android phone, to a flat panel display. Sure, there are plenty of other options to bring the net to your livingroom, but how many of them can claim an octopus as their mascot? Check out the source link below if emissions testing and user manuals tickle your fancy.

Chumby NeTV unfurls its web-connected tentacles for the FCC originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 12 Sep 2011 21:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceFCC  | Email this | Comments

Chumby NeTV turns any HDTV into a Chumby that’s hard to hug (video)

Existing HDTV owners cursing because they don’t have a Smart TV will soon catch a break from Chumby. It’s developing the NeTV, turning any TV (geddit?) into a giant, unhuggable Chumby that connects in-line between source and TV, overlaying the interface on top of your picture. It ships with a seven button remote, but most people should consider using their Android phones to get the most out of the on-board WebKit browser, seamless photo sharing and notifications that put your SMS messages and emails onto the big screen. Developers are gonna get their mitts on the device later this month, but you can catch a sneak peek after the break

[Thanks, Torin]

Continue reading Chumby NeTV turns any HDTV into a Chumby that’s hard to hug (video)

Chumby NeTV turns any HDTV into a Chumby that’s hard to hug (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 08 Sep 2011 08:42:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceChumby Wiki  | Email this | Comments

Microsoft patent application details pico projected shared workspace, sounds vaguely familiar

“Combined Surface User Interface” is a cool little patent application filed by Microsoft back in 2010, detailing the creation of a shared workspace stitched together by pico projectors attached to mobile devices. Users can interface with the projected area through motion captured on a camera. If the whole thing sounds a bit familiar, don’t worry, you’re not crazy. Earlier in the month, a patent application from Apple surfaced carrying the “Projected Display Shared Workspaces” title, detailed a fairly similar scenario. Interestingly, the two applications were filed a week apart, Microsoft’s on February 3rd, 2010, and Apple’s on February 11th of that year. It’s important to note, before jumping to any conclusions, of course, that the granting of patents in a case like this doesn’t hinge on the filing date.

Microsoft patent application details pico projected shared workspace, sounds vaguely familiar originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 27 Aug 2011 07:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink About Projectors  |  sourceUSPTO  | Email this | Comments

Wrist sensor turns the back of your hand into a meaty haptic interface (video)

We’re all intimately familiar with the backs of our hands, so why not use them as a haptic interface to control our gadgets? That’s the idea behind the device pictured above — a nifty little wrist sensor that turns your paw into a flesh-toned trackpad. Designed by Kei Nakatsuma, a PhD student at the University of Tokyo, this contraption employs infrared sensors to track a user’s finger as it moves across the back of a hand. These movements are mirrored on a wristwatch-like display, thanks to seven IR detectors and a set of piezoelectric sensors, effectively turning any digit into an organic stylus or mouse. Nakatsuma, who unveiled his work at this week’s SIGGRAPH, says his creation can’t handle the more complicated, pinching or rotating gestures you could manipulate on most smartphone touchscreens and acknowledges that the screen can be difficult to read in direct sunlight. But the underlying technology could pave the way for similarly handy designs, while allowing users to interact with their gadgets without having to constantly glance at their screens, or go fishing in their pockets. Feel your way past the break to see a video of the device in action.

Continue reading Wrist sensor turns the back of your hand into a meaty haptic interface (video)

Wrist sensor turns the back of your hand into a meaty haptic interface (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 12 Aug 2011 04:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceInnovation Daily  | Email this | Comments