Hasta La Gadget!

Turning a plain old display into a multi-touch affair isn’t exactly a groundbreaking feat, but we’re still drooling over the Industrial Technology Research Institute’s (ITRI) latest touchscreen enabler. The Taiwan-based outfit recently showed off a new attachment that the folks over at Netbooknews claim can make displays of any size touch-friendly. We’re told that the touchy-feely accessory is still in development, which means it probably won’t hit our living room anytime soon, but our fingers are tingling just thinking of the possibilities. Hop on past the break to see the thing in action.

Continue reading ITRI touchscreen technology lets you pinch-to-zoom boob tubes of any size (video)

ITRI touchscreen technology lets you pinch-to-zoom boob tubes of any size (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 15 Jun 2011 23:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This is sort of strange. People in Korea are looking at masterpieces of Western art on a TV screen — and not from the comfort of their laptops. It’s all part of something called Rêve et Réalité (Dream and Reality), a Samsung-sponsored exhibition that brings some of the world’s most celebrated works to Seoul’s Hangaram Museum via four, 46-inch LEDs. The expo, on display until September, features some of the greatest hits from Claude Monet, Jean F. Millet and, most notably, Van Gogh, whose Starry Night has never been on display in Korea (and, as far as we’re concerned, still hasn’t). Televised docents provide background info on the artists, whose paintings are all transmitted via a giant Smart TV video wall that blurs out all semblance of texture and nuance — much like that bottle of absinthe we’re about to pound.

Samsung brings Van Gogh ‘paintings’ to Korea via Smart TV, makes us reach for the absinthe originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Jun 2011 09:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The words “Facebook” and “Twitter” are now verboten on French TV, because France thought it’d be a good idea to follow its own laws. Last week, the country’s Conseil Supérieur de l’Audiovisuel (CSA) ruled that TV networks and radio stations will no longer be able to explicitly mention Facebook or Twitter during on-air broadcasts, except when discussing a story in which either company is directly involved. The move comes in response to a 1992 governmental decree that prohibits media organizations from promoting brands during newscasts, for fear of diluting competition. Instead of inviting viewers to follow their programs or stories on Twitter, then, broadcast journalists will have to couch their promotions in slightly more generic terms — e.g. “Follow us on your social network of choice.” CSA spokeswoman Christine Kelly explains:

“Why give preference to Facebook, which is worth billions of dollars, when there are many other social networks that are struggling for recognition? This would be a distortion of competition. If we allow Facebook and Twitter to be cited on air, it’s opening a Pandora’s Box – other social networks will complain to us saying, ‘why not us?'”

It didn’t take long for the US media to jump all over the story, with many outlets citing no less objective a source than Matthew Fraser — a Canadian expat blogger who claims, in ostensible sincerity, that the ruling is symptomatic of a “deeply rooted animosity in the French psyche toward Anglo-Saxon cultural domination.” Calling the ruling “ludicrous,” Fraser went on to flamboyantly point out the obvious, stating that such regulatory nonsense would never be tolerated by corporations in the US. But then again, neither would smelly cheese or universal healthcare. Apple, meet orange. Fueling competition via aggressive regulation may strike some free-marketeers as economically depraved, but it certainly won’t kill social media-based commerce. Facebook and Twitter have already become more or less synonymous with “social networks” anyway, so it’s hard to envision such a minor linguistic tweak having any major effect on online engagement. That’s not to say that the new regulation will suddenly create a level playing field — it won’t. But it probably won’t put America’s social media titans at a serious disadvantage, as some would have you believe. Rather, these knee-jerk arguments from Fraser and others seem more rooted in capitalist symbolism and cross-cultural hyperbole than anything else — reality, included.

France bans Twitter, Facebook mentions on TV, in the name of market competition originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 08:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’re not sure how many of you happen to own both a Galaxy S II and a Samsung Smart TV but, if you do, you’ll probably want to download Smart View from the Android market. Like now — don’t worry, we’ll wait. This handy app lets you stream content from your set to your smartphone over WiFi, and can even be used as a controller for games from the Samsung app store. Unfortunately, you’re limited to either mirroring the content shown on the TV or watching an optional second stream from a Sammy-branded Blu-ray player but, hey, at least you won’t have to miss a single second of Game of Thrones just because that box of Cheez-Its keeps whispering your name. Like any good TV-connected app, Smart View can also act as a remote with a program guide and the ability to change channels, and even more functionality is promised for the future. Eventually, it will make its way to Galaxy Player, Galaxy S, and Galaxy Tab owners but, while you wait, check out the gallery and PR below.

Continue reading Samsung Smart View shrinks Smart TV down for your Galaxy S II

Samsung Smart View shrinks Smart TV down for your Galaxy S II originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Jun 2011 18:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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While some of you may be relaxing in hammocks and grilling up burgers, robots will be massacring each other until only one robot is left standing. No, we’re not talking about some hostile robot planet somewhere, the Science Channel will be airing a special show called Killer Robots: RoboGames 2011 this Memorial Day. Hosted by […]