Hasta La Gadget!

Okay, so maybe the whole brainpower thing is a distant second to the iPad itself, but still — being a rocket scientist probably doesn’t hurt when manipulating microscopic objects via a multitouch display. That’s the kind of setup that students and boffins alike have going at England’s University of Bristol, where iTweezers are being used to control a tiny rod about 300 nanometers wide, amongst other things. Essentially, the iPad is able to display what’s under a microscope via a wireless display transfer, and then, touch points are converted into laser movements that are used to handle objects that are far smaller than those visible particles clogging up your left ear right now. All told, a user can select up to 11 different objects, and in theory, the iPad could enable scientists to do this remotely. Hey, we’re all about new and improved ways to telework. Vid’s below, kiddos.

Continue reading Optical tweezers manipulate microscopic objects using an iPad, raw brainpower (video)

Optical tweezers manipulate microscopic objects using an iPad, raw brainpower (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 06:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Just shy of a month after it launched on the PlayStation 3 and days after debuting on Boxee’s Box, the new Vudu 2.0 interface is live on most TVs and Blu-ray players with access to the service. Check out our earlier gallery if you’re not familiar with the new look, it should be identical across the lineup (sans-Move support of course) with recommendations, enhanced sharing options and optimized for HD. For now it looks like the Yahoo! Widgets based Samsung and Vizio versions are the only ones still lagging but they’re on deck for an update “soon.”

Vudu 2.0 interface moves beyond PS3 & Boxee Box, now available on most TVs, Blu-ray players originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 Jan 2011 12:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We don’t have any hard details yet, but Computerworld reports that Nokia’s planning a busy 2011, with four to five updates to the Symbian UI on tap, as well as dual-core phones. The information comes courtesy of Nokia senior manager Gunther Kottzieper, who gave a presentation at the 2010 Internation Mobile Internet Conference in Beijing earlier today — a slide labeled “Nokia Symbian 2011 focus areas” indicated that a Q1 Symbian update will include over 50 features, including a more intuitive browser, while second- and third-quarter updates will add “a new look and feel for the user interface, a more flexible home screen, an updatable HTML5 browser and an easier software update experience.” A hardware-related slide tipped upcoming 1GHz phones with more graphics memory in the second or third quarter, as well as dual-core phones and something called a “true zoom camera” in late 2011 or early 2012. (We’re guessing that means an optical zoom, which would be just wild on a mobile phone.) Ignore this morning’s E7 delay and all of that sounds like evidence of renewed focus at Nokia under new management — and it also sounds like Nokia taking over Symbian development might have lit some serious fires. We’re dying to look at these slides ourselves — we’ll keep digging and let you know.

Nokia to revamp Symbian UI, ship dual-core phones in 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 14 Dec 2010 09:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, it might not make for as good of an R&B album title as Nilay Patel’s “Beautiful Handcuffs,” but Interactive Fabrication’s “Beautiful Modeler” iPad app is probably a bit more useful (though not as useful with the ladies). The concept is to use the iPad’s multitouch screen as an input for multi-finger 3D modeling on a computer, while the tablet’s tilt sense lets you navigate around the object. Sure, it’s not as slick or precise as, say, the Axsotic 3D mouse, but it also looks a whole lot more “tangible.” Unfortunately, the app is currently unavailable on the App Store, and we have no idea if it’s ever headed for a computer near you — Interactive Fabrication is all about the high concept stuff, leaving the execution to individuals — but there’s some freely available GPL-licensed source code if you want to take a crack at compiling and making a real product out of this. Check out a video of the sculpting in action after the break.

[Thanks, Danil]

Continue reading ‘Beautiful Modeler’ app turns iPad into multitouch 3D sculpting device

‘Beautiful Modeler’ app turns iPad into multitouch 3D sculpting device originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 09 Nov 2010 13:48:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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See Also:

• Meet the World’s First Undulating Cellphone
• Nokia’s Snazzy New Smartphones Stick with Symbian OS
• 7 Reasons Nokia Phones Get No Love in U.S.
• Future Phones to Read Your Voice, Gestures
• Water Flute Gives a Glimpse of Future Interfaces