Hasta La Gadget!

So, it works as such. You dig up ancient photos — a few generations prior, or even a few decades ago — scan ’em in, and tag them to their rightful place on Google Maps. Then, folks who visit the ‘What Was Here’ project website or download the iOS app (all linked below) will be able to see what kind of world they’d be living in if Uncle Rico’s time machine actually worked. ‘Course, the initiative needs you, you and you to participate if it’s to be dubbed a success, so we’d recommend using whatever’s left of your weekend to contribute. And then send your mum a “thinking of you” letter using the very map you’re improving. Who said retro had to be retro, anyway?

‘What Was There’ project adds a pinch of history to augmented reality originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Sep 2011 16:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ve seen flavors of Android on our tablets, smartphones — even a microwave oven — but Parrot’s Asteroid receiver is finally ready to park in your car’s dash, bringing a tricked out version of Google’s mobile OS to yet another innovative platform. In addition to an FM radio and a line-in connection (duh), the Asteroid also includes USB connectivity, an SD card slot, music on demand, and voice activated music search. There’s also hands-free calling over Bluetooth, contact voice recognition, and automatic phonebook sync — all controlled using a built-in jog wheel or your voice, and displayed on a 3.2-inch LCD. The device connects to the web using your smartphone’s WiFi hotspot feature, or by attaching a USB 3G dongle. Asteroid’s built-in Maps app and external GPS antenna will be ready to help you navigate the highway for $349 beginning in October, but jump past the break for a peek at the receiver’s red-light-cam-spotting iCoyote app in the meantime.

Continue reading Parrot Asteroid to drive music, Android from your dash this October (video)

Parrot Asteroid to drive music, Android from your dash this October (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 12:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The rugged AW100 welcomes your abuse, master

Today is shaping up to be a big day for new camera announcements. First we had the new P7100 from Nikon, and next up will be some news from Sony. Now, though, we look at Nikon’s first ruggedized point-and-shoot, the Coolpix AW100.

As you’d expect of a rugged camera, it can be used underwater (to 33 feet), survive drops from five feet and keep working down to a chilly 14˚F (-10˚C). It also comes in a hard-to-lose orange (as well as black and boring blue), and weighs in at just 6.3 ounces (179 grams).

But that’s just the entry fee to this game, and Nikon ups the ante with some very smart outdoorsy extras. First is GPS, which not only geotags your images but tracks you as you trek. There’s also a digital compass which can be displayed on the rear screen, and built-in maps.

Also very clever is the shaky-cam feature (a name I just made up). You can assign one of several functions to be switched when you shake the camera, letting you keep your gloves on.

As to the camera functions, the sensor is 16MP, the LCD three inches, the top ISO is 3200, the 5x zoom goes from 28-140mm (35mm equivalent) and the movies are 1080p (with a slo-mo option up to 240fps).

In short, it has pretty much everything you need, and is tough enough to come with you. The AW100 will cost $380 when it goes on sale in September.

Nikon Coolpix AW100 product page [Nikon. thanks, Geoff!]

See Also:

• Pentax Launches Everything-Proof Rugged Cam
• Ruggedized Ricoh Camera Shrugs Off Water, Concrete
• New Shock-proof Video Camera Likes Rough Adventures, POV-Style …

If being able to see the Colosseum of Rome or trek around Stonehenge from the comfort of your La-Z-boy is your cup of tea, Google has another living room adventure for you. Pretty soon, you’ll be able to keep dry on the sofa while floating down Brazil’s Amazon and Rio Negro Rivers via Street View. That’s right, folks… an expedition to one of the most remote, yet biologically diverse locales on the globe will become a reality for many who feared it’d remain elusive forever — if you don’t mind exploring remotely using your favorite web-enabled device, of course. Teams are currently gathering images from the adjacent forests and local villages using the trike, floating cameras down the river by boat and even training locals to use the equipment. The project is a joint effort between Brazil and U.S. Street View teams alongside the Foundation for a Sustainable Amazon (FAS). Check out the full rundown by hitting the source link below and begin planning your trip — to the couch, that is.

Google Street View heads to the Amazon, enables virtual river excursions originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Aug 2011 09:19:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If we could find a browser Mapnificient worked in without problems we’d probably call it the greatest thing to happen to Google Maps since turn-by-turn navigation. Even with it’s painfully slow performance (Firefox) and tendency to crash (Chrome), we’re still in love. Basically, it lets you filter and search maps based on travel time using public transportation. Its great for finding apartments with the shortest commute or a fair meeting place that you and a friend can reach at the same time. It’s pretty impressive and, if its creator Stefan Wehrmeyer ever whips up a mobile app, it could become an indispensable part of our smartphone arsenal. For a much better and more thorough explanation by the developer himself, check out the video after the break.

Continue reading Mapnificent visualizes public transportation travel time, is more exciting than it sounds (video)

Mapnificent visualizes public transportation travel time, is more exciting than it sounds (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 05 Aug 2011 00:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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