Hasta La Gadget!

Acer’s 10.1-inch tablet reportedly uses AMD C-50 APU, Tegra 2-based model said to be on tap originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Nov 2010 19:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hacking the Xbox 360 Kinect is all about baby steps on the way to what could ultimately amount to some pretty useful homebrew. Here’s a good example cooked up by some kids at the MIT Media Lab Fluid Interfaces Group attempting to redefine the human-machine interactive experience. DepthJS is a system that makes Javascript talk to Microsoft’s Kinect in order to navigate web pages, among other things. Remember, it’s not that making wild, arm-waving gestures is the best way to navigate a web site, it’s just a demonstration that you can. Let’s hope that the hacking communinity picks up the work and evolves it into a multitouch remote control plugin for our home theater PCs. Boxee, maybe you can lend a hand?

Update: If you’re willing to step outside of the developer-friendly borders of open-source software then you’ll want to check out Evoluce‘s gesture solution based on the company’s Multitouch Input Management (MIM) driver for Kinect. The most impressive part is its support for simultaneous multitouch and multiuser control of applications (including those using Flash and Java) running on a Windows 7 PC. Evoluce promises to release sofware “soon” to bridge Kinect and Windows 7. Until then be sure to check both of the impressive videos after the break.

[Thanks, Leakcim13]

Continue reading Kinect hacks lets you control a web browser and Windows 7 using only The Force (updated)

Kinect hacks lets you control a web browser and Windows 7 using only The Force (updated) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 25 Nov 2010 03:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Here in New York at Acer’s Global press event, the company’s talking touch. Lots and lots of touch. It’ll be introducing a veritable smorgasbord of equipment as the minutes roll on, but it’s kicking things off with its Windows 7-based Iconia dual-screen laptop / tablet, a device we’ve seen before. For all intents and purposes, this is Acer’s version of the Toshiba Libretto W105 (or that far-flung ASUS concept we saw at CeBIT 2009), boasting a pair of glossy touchscreens and no hard specifications to speak of. Naturally, you won’t find a keyboard here — rather, a virtual one will emerge from the secondary panel. There’s also a fairly slick media management system that’s obviously gesture based — some real potential there. We’ll be digging for details surrounding a price point and release date, but for now, have a gander at the image above and just imagine how it could revolutionize your life.

In related news, the company also teased its new Clear.fi media sharing system. As the story goes, it’s a cloud-based system that’s designed to play multi-format content over multi-platform devices, enabling any number of gadgets to talk to one another in order to make content visible and shareable with any other device. So far, it looks as if that could apply to movies, games, photos and music, but it’s a single-house affair for now. So long as there’s a router and a WiFi connection nearby, any Clear.fi-enabled device should be able to share, search and consume.

Update: The full PR is now after the break, and we’ve gone hands-on with the device right here! We’ve also scored the specifications — she’s running Windows 7 Home Premium (64-bit) and is equipped with an Intel Core i5-480M / 560M / 580M CPU, up to 4GB of DDR3 memory, a pair of 14-inch multitouch displays (1366×768 resolution), integrated Intel HD graphics (128MB RAM), VGA / HDMI outputs, an inbuilt microphone and a S/PDIF interface. There’s also a 320/500/640/750GB hard drive, Acer’s CrystalEye webcam (1280×1024 resolution), 802.11b/g/n WiFi, Bluetooth 3.0+HS, integrated 3G WWAN, gigabit Ethernet, a four-cell battery and a total weight of 6.18 pounds. Closing things out, there are a pair of USB 2.0 ports, a single USB 3.0 jack and a one-year warranty.

Continue reading Acer reveals Iconia dual-screen laptop / tablet, Clear.fi cloud-based media sharing system

Acer reveals Iconia dual-screen laptop / tablet, Clear.fi cloud-based media sharing system originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 23 Nov 2010 11:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In the photo above you see Microsoft’s Steve Ballmer performing a ribbon cutting at the company’s new store in Bellevue, Washington. Shortly after finishing with the ribbon, Ballmer proceeded to rampage the store and patrons, leaving 17 dead, 6 wounded, and a stunned Miley Cyrus wondering if she had made the wisest career decisions. Ballmer was finally subdued by Dave Matthews, who knocked the CEO unconscious with an 8-foot bong.

Josh: “I’m a PC, and I’m going to mess up your insides so bad, you’ll pray for death.”
Ben Bowers: “Anyone else want to claim Windows 7 was their idea?”
Chris: “To the cloud! With Windows 7 and Windows Live, Microsoft can mix and match its CEO’s best faces until it’s able to piece together a photo it’s proud to share.”
Ross: “Using the power of Control-X while mobile is just one of the many superpowers Ballmer has and Windows Phone 7 users don’t.”
Darren: “Moments before this tremendous occasion, Ballmer begrudgingly confirmed a prompt questioning his true intentions to dismantle a red ribbon.”
Nilay: “Touch my junk and I’ll have you arrested.”
Don: “There can only be one!”
Vlad: “I love this company! I love it so much I’m gonna cut it up into little pieces and eat it!”
Joe: “Clearly event organizers hadn’t planned for every possible emergency.”
Thomas: “Baby Ballmer cuts his own cord thankyouverymuch.”
Myriam: “Developers! It’s time to get cut and paste into Windows Phone 7…”

Caption Contest: Steve Ballmer goes on kill-crazy rampage at Microsoft Store originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 19 Nov 2010 13:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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No thanks.

ViewSonic’s trade-in program: send in your laptop for a ViewPad discount originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Nov 2010 06:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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