There’s also the question of content, something which even Samsung concedes that is significantly lacking unless you’re relying on upscaling. Broadcast UHD shows aren’t expected until 2016 at the earliest – Samsung pointed out that the decoding and tuner standards aren’t settled upon yet, which means they can’t yet build them into the TVs with any confidence – while physical content will probably land in 2015.

Streaming or downloading might be the answer, though it’ll demand a fat internet connection. Again, though, there are issues surrounding that, not least the fact that the HEVC codec likely to be used – the successor to the MPEG4 codec currently prevalent – isn’t yet standardized for UHD 3D at 60fps.

In short, “currently there is no television which is compatible with the upcoming UHD standards” Samsung admitted, its own included. However, the firm is relying on its Evolution Kit to fill that gap down the line, a slot-in box that will add an upgraded processor, graphics chip, connectivity and more, bringing older sets up to speed with technology released after they’ve gone on sale.

So far, though, we’ve only seen Evolution Kit plans for the 2012 range, granting them the same specs as the 2013 line-up; it’s unclear how far back Samsung will retroactively be polishing old products. We’ll be at IFA 2013 in September to find out how the new size Ultra HD sets slot into the new range.

The post Samsung: Bigger and smaller Ultra HD sets incoming at IFA 2013 appeared first on The Gadgets and Gizmos.

Sold alongside the GALAXY S 4 will be a number of official accessories, most interesting of which is the S View Flip Cover. That relies on the ability of AMOLED displays to selectively activate a sub-portion of the screen – with lower power consumption than if the whole display is being used – and shows a status window through a clear gap in the flip cover. Opening the cover will automatically turn on the phone.

The S View Flip Cover will be offered in “black mist” and “white frost” priced at $59.99 alongside matching colors of GALAXY S 4, with the phone coming with either 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage. Samsung will also offer a more traditional Flip Cover, with no status window but a broader array of colors – black, white, light blue, pink, green, orange, and yellow – for $39.99.

Meanwhile, there’s the Samsung Protective Cover+, available in white, navy, green, blue, and pink, and which gives the GALAXY S 4 more protection from knocks and falls. It slips over the chassis, ruggedizing the back and sides, and is priced at $29.99. Finally, a spare battery charger – which includes a 2,600 mAh battery, stand, and wall charger – will be priced at $49.99.

The GALAXY S 4 will also work with Samsung’s existing range of smartphone accessories, including the same Smart Dock  as was previously offered for the Galaxy Note II, priced at $99.99. Samsung’s AllShare Cast Wireless Hub ($99.99) for DLNA streaming to an HDMI display, and Universal Multimedia Desktop Dock ($49.99) which offers an audio-out port while charging your phone, will also work with the new flagship.

Exact pricing for the GALAXY S 4 itself will be decided by individual carriers, though some have already confirmed their on-contract numbers. AT&T, for instance, began taking preorders yesterday at $199.99 for the 16GB model, with a new, two-year agreement, along with US Cellular.

There’s more on the Samsung GALAXY S 4 in our full hands-on.

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The challenge aims to enable America’s youth of today to become tomorrow’s innovation leaders. In so many words, the US government is hoping these kids won’t just go on to create the next big shooter franchise, but, say, the next iPod. Or the next SpaceX, perhaps.

Part of the United States’ Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) initiative, the National STEM Video Game Challenge offers kids from age 9 to 17 (grades five – 12) the chance to interact with a variety of development software to create games, all while learning skills from the aforementioned quartet of disciplines. Game development goes deeper than just those four areas, of course, and that was clear at this past Sunday’s closing event for 2013′s challenge. The 20 or so students who attended this weekend demonstrated not just ability in game creation (employing Gamestar Mechanic, primarily), but also in storytelling and business sense. The day’s workshop focused on game pitching, and a presentation by several Global Kids  reps kicked things off. After the lesson, instructors broke out into groups with participants, followed by a pitching session to a panel of game industry expert judges.
The importance of the first exercise was twofold: to teach kids how to pitch their work, but also to familiarize them with the finer nuances of business. A crew of GK reps demonstrated the difference between right and wrong ways to approach the pitching process, which often employed comedy to get the point across. One member, for instance, played Bad Boys star Will Smith — the rich benefactor to whom students would pitch.

After running the lesson, the workshop broke into groups — game jam-style — where kids either hashed out ideas for games, put them together or both. Participants excitedly spoke about physics systems, enemy AI behavior and conveying a story with limited resources at their disposal. It quickly became clear that the challenge was fulfilling its goal of educating students in game design, resulting in a demonstration of skills that apply beyond the world of game development. Despite the workshop’s video game trappings, it was really a lesson in problem-solving and business sense (not to mention teamwork and leadership).

An astonishing number of games were playable just an hour later (despite pizza and soda being introduced to the equation halfway through the development process), which were then presented in front of a panel of expert judges. A trio of friends and co-workers from NYC-based casual dev studio Large Animal Games made up the panel: Tarl Raney, Eddie Yoo and Andrew Yin. Aside from offering encouragement, the panelists doled out real-life advice to the kids about their pitches. One group made an amazingly detailed game called The Big Puzzle, which tasked the player with avoiding enemies and solving puzzles, while another student detailed her game’s story and its main characters’ motivations with amazing specificity.

The National STEM Video Game Challenge concludes on April 24th, and potential winners in both middle school and high school tracks will be notified at some point in May. Winners will be announced formally in June at a ceremony (which will likely feature pizza and soda, we’d guess).

It was clear the impact games already had on the gathered students, with nary an idle hand seen ahead of the workshop’s opening — iOS devices and Nintendo 3DSes littered the room. What’s not clear just yet is what impact these kids will have on the video games of the future, not to mention the future of the United States.

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Reports are now flowing in from developers that suggest an HDR camera mode, PIN-to-PIN messaging within the BlackBerry Hub and an improved text selector are all likely candidates for inclusion in BlackBerry 10.1 OS. Other smaller tweaks include the ability to paste phone numbers into the dialer, the option to disable alerts for specific applications and the ability to check for app updates more easily.

These reports are based on a pre-release version of BlackBerry 10.1 OS that the company recently shared with its developers, and while the list is by no means comprehensive, it sure beats unsubstantiated rumors.

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This wireless speaker has nice features and a nice price tag. It’s available on Amazon.com right now for $39.99. The device is designed to stream music from any Bluetooth device and is compact enough to take with you just about anywhere. It measures 8 inches wide by 3 inches high and has an integrated class-D amplifier.

The internal rechargeable battery promises up to five hours of continuous use per charge when streaming Bluetooth audio. The device also features a 3.5 mm cable allowing you to plug-in any music device that doesn’t support Bluetooth. The wireless speaker has a passive subwoofer and special suspension cone drivers to provide quality sound without adding the bulk or weight of traditional speakers.

The BTX350 has a full range of controls on top allowing you to control the volume and playlist of your device remotely. There’s also a button on top to control the bass boost feature. One nice feature of this portable speaker is an interchangeable battery pack allowing you to pack spare batteries so you can continue listening past the single battery’s five hour window of operation. It’s unclear at this time exactly how much extra batteries cost.

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IRIS will receive final checkouts by NASA employees and will then be placed inside an Orbital Sciences Pegasus rocket. NASA expects to launch the rocket holding the spacecraft no earlier than May 28. The deployment of that rocket from the L-1011 carrier aircraft is targeted for 7:27 PM PDT. The carrier aircraft will climb to 39,000 feet over the Pacific Ocean, about 100 miles northwest of Vandenberg off the central coast of California, south of Big Sur before releasing the Pegasus rocket.

The IRIS spacecraft has a single instrument, which is a multi-channel imaging spectrograph with an ultraviolet telescope. The instrument is designed to give scientists an improved understanding of the physical processes that go on in the sun’s interference region. The spacecraft is capable of taking high-resolution images and information it gathers will be studied intently to help scientists create advanced computer models of how matter, light, and energy move from the suns 6000-degree Kelvin surface to its million-Kelvin Corona.

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Updates arriving today on the iOS and Android platforms are redesigned for more “delightful interactions” throughout the app. That means a shift of focus to the news stream, including conversations, updates from your network and of course, advertisements. Check after the break for a quick video demo of the new features or hit the blog for a description — whether it’s enough to overtake Twitter, Facebook or something else for your social dashboard remains to be decided.

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If Motorola does launch customization options for the Motorola X-Phone, it would indeed be a game-changer. It would be a similar process that many laptop businesses, like Dell, currently have where users can choose what color they want their computer to be. Previously, there was speculation that you could also customize the interior specs of the device as well, including the amount of RAM the phone has, but those speculations were shot down by several other sources.

While having a variety of colors is a nice change of pace for Motorola’s phones, having over 20 color options is a bit overkill. There may be also be a chance that it may reduce the number of colors because the source says the “numbers are still in flux”. Maybe they should take a page out of Windows Phone’s book, and only offer devices in select, popular colors, like Black, White, Red, Blue, and heck, even Yellow.

We’ll have to wait for Motorola to confirm this rumor, but we may have to wait a little while because it really hasn’t confirmed anything for its upcoming, game-changing X-Phone. What we do know for sure is that Motorola is also planning on releasing a series of next-generation phones that will be rid of Motorola’s bloated UI, and will run on Stock Android. These devices will also be sized “just right”, instead of following the current trend of giant-screen phones.

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The system is decked out in a camouflage-like pattern that pays tribute to Mario’s oft-neglected sibling, and it should ship with a preloaded copy of Mario and Luigi: Dream Team just to drive the point home. Local gamers will get the distinctly-patterned 3DS LL on June 18th, but there’s no word on an XL equivalent for the US so far. We’ll just have to make do with Mario-colored devices instead.

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From there, sharing is enabled through the usual social networks and creations can be purchased to hit your doorstep in about a month. Consult the source link below to color your pair of Air Max 90s based on yesterday’s sandwich or iced coffee.

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DDSpy is an invisible malware that disguises itself as Gmail, but is invisible in the apps list. It communicates through SMS, and it features a GPS hook, which activates malware based on specific GPS or cell site location. Lastly, we have DyPusher, which uploads specific device information like FireLeaker, but also downloads apps and files to the device without the user’s permission.

NQ says that there are many factors to why these infections are massively spreading. One has to do with the fragmentation in Android, with 39% of users still running Android 2.3 Gingerbread. Second, there is app sideloading, where users install apps via other methods instead of Google Play. Then, to piggyback off of app sideloading, there are 58% young Android users who download around 41+ apps for their devices, many of which who use App Sideloading to do so.

Lastly, many Android users lack security features on their devices, such as passcodes or antivirus software. Yesterday, Lookout demonstrated just how easy it is to hack into someone’s phone. So the lesson for today is, download anti-virus software for your Android device, and don’t install suspicious apps from 3rd parties.

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The example that Hering demonstrated involved sending a phishing email. He used two phones, one that acted as the hacker, and the other the victim. The phishing email was sent from what appeared to be All Things D’s boss, Walt Mossberg, to the victim’s phone’s inbox. The email looked real, and also had an attachment to a free game app. The email showed just how easy it is to get a recipient to download and install an attachment.

After the victim installed the attachment, which was really a malware-infested app, the hacker phone was able to gain access to the other phone’s sensitive information. Hering demonstrated this by showing that he could see all of the other phone’s SMS text messages. But seeing SMS text messages is just one example of what these hackers can do. They can also acceses private information, reset your passwords, and lock you out of your phone and your accounts.

Hering says that many people, even smart people, can succumb to these hacks. He provides several (common sense) tips that people can use to protect themselves, their mobile devices, and their private information. He says that you should always be cautious about the links people ask you to download/install. He says only download apps from legitimate sources, like Google Play, and he says that you should always check the permissions the app is requesting to access before installing it. He also recommends that you should install security apps, like Lookout, NQ Mobile, Avast, Kaspersky, or other similar services to further protect yourself.

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Engineers and designers at GM developed the electric motor for the Spark EV to provide maximum efficiency and extreme reliability. The motor uses a permanent magnet design to precisely deliver power to the driver. The electric motor used in the Spark EV will produce 130 hp and 400 pound-foot of torque.

The electric motor will not only deliver efficiency to drivers, but it will provide impressive performance as well with the ability to rocket from a standstill to 60 mph in under 8 seconds. The first Spark EVs will go on sale in California and Oregon this summer. Sales will later expand to Canada, Europe, and South Korea.

GM said that all of its employees at the Baltimore assembly plant underwent extensive training to be able to operate the sophisticated machinery required to build the electric motors. The workers were also extensively trained on how to configure portions of the electric motor and drive units. There’s no indication at this time of when the vehicle will be offered for sale outside of California and Oregon within the United States.

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That Ghost Macro Station also has a very interesting OLED monochrome screen integrated into the front. That screen gives the gamer details such as how the battery charging is going, the DPI setting for the mouse, and the current wireless frequency. The screen can also be used for customizing macros on the mouse.

One of the most important aspects of any gaming mouse is the sensitivity. That’s where things get a bit murky, so far we don’t know the exact sensitivity but odds are we’re looking at 5600 at least dpi. The mouse is also expected to feature 10 programmable buttons and multiple onboard profiles. The LED lighting system the mouse will also be color adjustable. The mouse is expected to launch in June with pricing unannounced. I’d wager we’re looking at over $100.

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That slot in the top of the device is designed to allow you to prop your tablet in portrait or landscape mode. The wireless speaker system does not charge any brand or make of tablet. Panasonic equips the music system with Near Field Stereo Sound.

That feature is designed to allow for optimal sound quality even when listening close-up. That means you can place this music system on your desk and still get the best sound clarity possible even if you’re only a few feet away from the speakers. The wireless music system has 21 W of total power and it does feature a USB slot to allow you to charge your tablet or other device using the factory charging cable.

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You’ll have in-vehicle navigation with Scout for Cars like you’ve ever before thought possible as this next-level system comes through on not just your car’s display, but your phone and your desktop computer as well. With the webpage Scout.me, you’ll have management of your favorite locations, early looking up of places you’ll want to go, and more! With a built-in system in your vehicle you’ll have instant connectivity.

Key features of the Scout for Cars interface include the following:

• Personalized Information: Favorites, recent trips, and commute times automatically sync between the computer, phone, and car

• Fresh Maps & POIs: Access to up-to-date maps and millions of POIs

• Local Weather: Real-time weather and forecasts

• Local Search: Integrated one-box search with automatic suggestions makes it fast and easy to enter addresses & POIs

• Real-time Traffic: Drivers save time with live traffic overlays and updates that automatically reroute them around traffic jams or road congestion

• Voice Control: Safety is increased as drivers are able to keep their hands on the wheel with voice-activated commands

• Flexible Branding: OEMs can offer embedded navigation in their vehicles under their own brand, look, and feel

• Companion App: OEMs can use Scout for Phones or their own branded smartphone app to bring connectivity and services into the car

From our long history with Telenav – the folks behind Scount and this ever-expanding high-powered GPS navigation environment and experience – you’ll find that this group of workers is second to none when it comes to creating a top-notched program. This isn’t just a system that leads you to the places you need directions to: it’s a companion for you both in and out of your vehicle. With Scout in its many iterations you’ve got your own personal guide wherever you’re going!

Have a peek at a timeline of Scout and Telenav bits and pieces below to see how far the system has come! Also be sure to hit up our Car Hub to see the many different ways the automotive industry is getting technologically powerful and makes forward thinking a must-have for your next-generation vehicle!

The post Scout for Cars: Built In brings Telenav’s newest built-in GPS system bid appeared first on The Gadgets and Gizmos.

A few details of the smartphone turned up in the Chinese TENAA database and shows a smartphone that reminds me a lot of the Thunderbolt. The device is said to feature many design cues from the Chinese only One SU smartphone, particularly in the silver area around the camera. The front of the camera shows what looks like a pair of front facing speakers hiding above and below the screen.

The 606w also appears to have the same dual soft key implementation as the One. Other features tipped for the device include Android 4.1.2 for the operating system. The device is also said to feature a 4.5-inch display with a resolution of 960 x 540.

The processor under the hood is believed to be a quad-core 1.2 GHz unit along with 1 GB of RAM. The main camera promises eight-megapixel resolution with a 1.6-megapixel front camera. The device is tipped to feature a WCDMA radio and a microSD card slot for storage expansion. There’s no indication of how much internal storage the device has. There’s also no indication of pricing or availability.

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Korg isn’t saying exactly how long the KROSS will last on those batteries, but at least it offers a little more potential for creating songs on the go. The black and red chassis is studded with the usual array of knobs and buttons, including a sixteen-key sequencer control board for rhythms.

In addition to the piano, electric piano, and drum sounds which come from Korg’s more expensive models, the KROSS has twice the amount of sound sample data as previous affordable workstations. The company has also thrown in new EDM dance and electronic sounds, while effects – up to seven of which can be active at any one time – include delay, reverb, chorus, flanger, rotary speaker, amp modeling, and a vocoder.

A memory card slot can be used to swap data with a computer, and there’s a stereo audio recorder (including support for over-dubbing), arpeggiator, and one-touch drum backing. The 61-key version has an integrated carry-handle and tips the scales at 9.5lb, while the larger, 88-key version is 27.3lbs.

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Both measures may be a shade optimistic. No doubt the projector is small, at about 4 by 4 by ¾ of an inch and just over three ounces, but you would still need a pretty big pocket. And while it can project a focused image at up to 200 inches, you wouldn’t want to do that unless you had a completely darkened room and a nicely reflective projection screen.

It was easy enough to watch an image enlarged to around 50 inches on a white wall on an overcast day. Considering the size of the projector, the quality was quite good. The Sight uses a DLP chip, which is covered with minuscule mirrors to reflect LED light to the screen. It is the same technology that has long been used in many full-scale, high-end projectors.

The Sight’s lamp kicks out 85 lumens, which is brighter than most similarly sized projectors, and it has resolution of 854 by 480 pixels, which qualifies as high definition, but you will not want this to replace your 1080p plasma TV. Unlike your TV, the Sight can run about two hours on battery power, or plugged in for a movie marathon.

The videos I projected from YouTube looked good. Noise didn’t distract me from Psy’s horsie dance, but I could find it if I looked for it.

The projector’s built-in speaker is as anemic as the one you would find on your phone or tablet. If you want to add some quality sound, you will need to connect to a separate speaker dock.

If what you’re looking for is a decent picture from a small package, perhaps for presentations, entertaining the kids on a trip or making video games wall-size in a dorm room, the iPower Sight is far, far superior to huddling around your phone.

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Latest version of Sound Forge Audio Studio is available for a free download from digzip.

Now you will be able to easily and fast record about anything and latter edit it and restore if it is needed. After you finish with everything you will be able to easily burn all your audio files to CD’s and similar. This program will allow you to convert files but also to create streaming media. One of the things that can significantly improve the speed and your performances is the drag and drop function.

With high possibilities to customize interface and many settings in this program you will be getting full control over interface and you will be able to set everything to suit your needs. Most common tasks will be simple to do and we are sure that this app will significantly simplify everything you need when it comes to audio editing.

There is no doubt that you will be getting powerful application that is created according to the needs of professionals all over the world. Everything will be accessible directly on your computer and you will be getting all the needed features for a high quality audio production.

Plug a microphone or instrument into your computer’s sound card and start recording directly into Sound Forge Audio Studio software – capture instruments, vocals, keyboards, and more. You can also import music from your own CDs and MP3s for immediate mixing and editing.

Everything that you are getting in Sound Forge Audio Studio is on pro level and you can use it on your computer. You will be getting access to EQ, effects, audio editing, sound levels balance, audio tracks mix and much more.

Have in mind that since this program is doing real time editing of audio files it will need a decent amount of system resources. It will not significantly affect your system but still it will be noticeable but that is the process we need to pay for professional and high quality tool like this.

Free download Sound Forge Audio Studio 10.0 Build 245

Size: ~ 154 MB

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Certainly one of the most important advantages that we are getting from this application is the possibility to access any remote computer without any preparation. All this can be done with a large number of powerful tools included in this program for remote management and audit.

Tools like this are very useful and all the operations that can be done on the remote system will allow you to fine tune it just to your needs. Atelier Web Remote Commander Professional will allow you to do everything that you need on an remote computer.

Key features of Atelier Web Remote Commander Professional:

- Access to the remote computer desktop enabling the launch of software with the mouse or keyboard.

- Simulates all keystrokes on the remote keyboard computer.

- Wakes-up from screen-savers with a mouse-click or keystroke. Deals with password protected screen-savers.

- Simulates the security attention sequence (Ctrl+Alt+Del) on the remote to enable logon and on the default desktop. The default hotkey is Ctr+Alt+D.

- Provides access to disks, partitions, folders and files. The partitions or folders are not required to be open shares.

- Remote files can be downloaded or launched in the remote system. Files can be launched as another user (equivalent to RunAs).

- Local files can be uploaded to the remote system.

- Files can be remotely zipped or unzipped.

- New directories can be made and files and directories can be renamed.

- Remote files and directories can be deleted, copied or moved.

- Allows sending or receiving the Clipboard contents: text, pictures and other standard Windows Clipboard formats.

- Provides partition information, namely File System, Type, Serial Number, Volume Label, Capacity and Free space.

- Allows visualization of shares.

- Allows visualization of users list and account details as well as Local and Global groups.

- Allows instant retrieval of password hashes, for audit of strong password policy enforcement across the organization.

- Allows visualization and management of services. Services can be started, stopped, paused, resumed and even unloaded.

- Allows visualization of processes. Processes can be killed.

- Allows remote Shutdown, Power-Off and Reboot.

- System Information (Operating System, Processor, BIOS, Memory, Display Adapter and Logical printers).

- Complete and detailed Hardware Devices list.

- Physical memory viewer.

- Port Finder, which maps applications to open ports.

- Connections and Listening Ports, TCP statistics, UDP statistics, ICMP statistics, Routing Table, DNS Servers, Persistent Routes, IP Statistics/Settings, Installed Protocols/Protocol Details, Addressing Information Table, Net to Media Table, Interface Statistics/Settings.

Free download Atelier Web Remote Commander Professional 9.5.0 Build 263

Size: ~ 8 MB

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In essence, the SL1 shares almost all of its guts with the Rebel T4i (and the T5i, which is also being announced tonight, but changes very little from its predecessor). However, they managed to make it 25% smaller and 28% lighter than the T4i. That means it weighs less than a pound, checking in at 14.36-ounces with battery.

In order to achieve that smaller body, they rearranged things a little. The 3-inch display still uses multi-touch, but doesn’t rotate like it does on the T4i.

 The sensor keeps the same 18-megapixel resolution, only it’s now the new Hybrid CMOS AF II sensor, which spreads the integrated phase-detection focus points out around the sensor. That works in conjunction with a 9-point AF system, the middle point being cross-type.

Like the T4i before it, the SL1 uses the Digic 5 image processor, not the Digic 6 chip found in the new Powershot SX280 HS compact camera. It has a max ISO of 12,800 (HI) and a top burst rate of 4 FPS.

We got a bit of hands-on time with the Rebel SL1 before the launch and we have to admit that it is pretty small. It actually feels pretty similar to Panasonic’s Micro Four-Thirds powered GH3. The angle on the grip will likely take a little getting used to for some who are used to a full-sized DSLR, but it’s not uncomfortable hold.

We’re not expecting any huge surprises in image quality, but we’ll still be getting one in to test as soon as possible.

Also announced tonight is the Canon EOS Rebel T5i. This is an even more minor upgrade, consisting of little more than a new coating on the outside of the camera body itself. It will flat out replace the T4i, though, so it won’t be confusing where it stands in the line. The Rebel T3i and T3 will live on.

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Audi was the first to use full LED headlights and have since made them more distinctive looking. Drive towards a current Audi model at night and you can’t mistake their headlights with that sort of ‘angel wing’ look. This year they will launch their Matrix LED headlights – which sub-divide each LED beam enabling more lighting or dimming per situation and also incorporate a camera. Imagine the car sensing an oncoming car and automatically dimming the headlights. The Matrix LED lights will make it happen.

 With continued advancements in LED technology and even OLEDs you know Audi has some things on the drawing board too. Shown at CES was the concept car above. Not only do the lights look cool but more importantly can provide more safety. Audi is working more and more to enable lights to react to surroundings and be controlled electronically. By enabling lights to react to circumstances theoretically they will be seen further away and through elements the and safety will be increased. See the video below for an example: an OLED-Laser beam tail light. Another OLED technology shown incorporates a thin film of them on the surface which could light up under various circumstances.

Maybe as the driver gets near it lights your way to the door. The Swarm (right) will also offer a ‘uni-light’ concept on the rear lights where the lighting sort of swims based on the cars action. Left turn means the Swarm piles to the left for example. Quite a concept for sure.  Face it, right now the lights just look cool, but if safety and practicality come into play they may be onto something. Stay tuned to see where Audi takes their creative automotive lighting.

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There are a few interesting titles being released at launch on Thursday, but an experimental console with a dearth of brand power will need more than just a few good titles to draw people in. On its forum, Ouya recently announced that developers will be able to bring emulators to the console. Emulators are software that can be used to play games on hardware they weren’t intended for. Want to relive the glory days of Super Mario on your phone? Play a round of Street Fighter II through Ouya? No problem.

 The problem is, even though it’s easy enough to find emulators, downloading the game files, called ROMS, wanders into some tricky legal territory. Nintendo would much rather you shop and download (and pay for) Zelda on the Wii U than do it through a shady website on your PC.

Ouya told Kotaku that they will only accept emulation software, not ROMs, through the Ouya store. To submit games, developers need to show proof of intellectual property rights. But the emulations coming to the console are definitely intended to play games for IPs they don’t have: EMUya, a popular NES emulator, should be available Thursday, and SuperGNES, a Super Nintendo emulator, is coming, too.

That doesn’t put Ouya in any legal trouble beyond what Google Play, which is full of emulators, would presumably be in already: they might be providing a platform and the software, but going beyond the law and downloading the copyrighted games themselves? That, at least technically, is a decision Ouya users would make on their own.

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1) Initiate

The RoboReel’s 12-gauge power cord contains four wires, only three of which transmit current. The fourth runs between the circuit board and a button on the outlet head, which the user presses to initiate retraction.

2) Retract

Once the circuit board receives the signal, it starts the motor, which revs at 4,500 rpms. A combo gear transfers the motion to the 8.8-inch-diameter spool, rotating it at about five feet per second.

3) Wrap

Opposite the motor, a worm and helical gear move a cam arm in an elliptical pattern. The cam swings the spool from side to side on rotors. That ensures that the cord winds in the same pattern every time it retracts.

 4) Slow and Finish

To keep track of how much cord the spool has reeled in, an encoder counts the number of times a magnet on one side of the spool passes it. For the last two feet, the spool slows to about two feet per second, which prevents snapback.

5) Monitor

The circuit board also contains a pair of thermostats. When the internal temperature surpasses 122 degrees, an internal fan cools the wound portion of the cord. If the temperature exceeds 176 degrees, which could cause the system to catch fire, the circuit board cuts the power.

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The average smartphone today has as much processing power as a 1970s supercomputer—enough (as luck would have it) to act as the hub of a streaming home-audio network, serve as a mobile medical lab, or even run a robot. So now, instead of building robots from scratch, companies can construct models around smartphones.

THE BENEFIT

In the past, developing the central processing computer and software to get a robot to do even a simple task cost tens of thousands of dollars. By outsourcing brainpower, companies can cut the final price to hundreds. And since apps, not specialty code, determine how a robot acts, software developers can easily update a robot with new capabilities and behaviors. Eventually, companies may even open up their software so users can create custom robotic personalities.

1) Double Robotics Double

Double is a wheeled robot avatar that stands up to five feet tall. It holds an iPad where its head should be, while a human driver—whether across the office or across the country—uses a custom video-chat app to see what the iPad sees and steer the robot. Double has a gyroscope-balanced stand, which allows it to roll at speeds up to 1.5 mph without tipping over. $2,499

2) Romotive Romo

Romo, a robotic toy pet, interacts with its playmates autonomously. Engineers developed computer-vision software that picks out people and shapes, which the robot can track, follow, or avoid. Facial-detection software allows Romo to see people, take pictures of them, recoil if they get too close, or cry if they leave it alone for too long.

3) Tovbot Shimi

The Shimi speaker dock is a personal DJ and dance partner. Speech recognition in Shimi’s app lets the robot respond to requests for specific artists or genres—even cue up tunes that match the user’s mood. The app also registers the tempo of the music, so it can send commands to Shimi to tap its free foot and bob its head to the beat.

The post Meet The Next Generation Of Smartphone-Based Robot Companions appeared first on The Gadgets and Gizmos.

As expected, T-Mobile updated their support forums to address the software update, and it lists a roll-out date of April 5, so unlocked GSM iPhone 5 users should be receiving the OTA update at some point today. On top of the previously-mentioned updates, other features like improved Personal Hotspot settings, improved MMS settings, and HD Voice are also included.

It seems that T-Mobile is anticipating a lot of iPhone 5 users to switch over to the carrier after announcing new plans that start at only $50 per month. This gives customers unlimited minutes and text messages, as well as 500MB of data, which is usually enough for just the everyday user, while 2GB more will cost only $10 per month.

Of course, LTE is a hot topic, but T-Mobile users will only have it a select number of areas around the country. However, T-Mobile plans to cover 200 million people with LTE by the end of the year. And while the T-Mobile iPhone 5 will support HD Voice, it won’t support WiFi calling, something that could be a major blow for some users.

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As there is indeed a speaker above the logo on the front of this device and yes, there is a microphone down near the bottom, you can use this “Note” device as a phone if you have some web-capable call service in mind. In the future, carrier editions of this device will be revealed on 3G networks internationally – sorry USA, you’re out of luck. This device works with an 8.0-inch WVGA display at 1280 x 800 pixel resolution – that being 189PPI for those of you wondering.

You’ve got a 5 megapixel camera on the back, a 1.3 megapixel camera on the front, and a brand new S-Pen for artistry galore. This S-Pen device fits in to the smart device itself, allowing you to keep it with you without a second through – much like each of the Galaxy Note devices revealed before today. This device also works with 2GB of RAM backing up a cool 1.6GHz quad-core A9 processor (Exynos) and a selection of custom apps made for Samsung devices exclusively.

One example is Flipboard, this version of the app allowing your Samsung Galaxy Note 8.0 (and the GALAXY S 4, mind you) to preview stories while you hover above them – here with your S-Pen, there on the GALAXY S 4 with your finger! This device is just as thin as your Samsung Galaxy Note II, comes in every color you can imagine – just so long as it’s white, and will fit in perfectly with your Nature-themed Galaxy devices into the future.

This release of the device comes with the following as a bit of a bonus collection:

• A £20 voucher to spend in the Samsung Learning Hub

• A Two Month Free trial subscription to The Times newspaper worth £32.00

• AVG Anti-Virus Pro

• Access to the Samsung Music Hub for free for 1 month

• Need for Speed Hot Pursuit

• Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode 2

• 50GB DropBox free for 2 years

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Several builds are ready for gaming action with the Alienware X51 this week, the least expensive of these starting at a cool $599 USD. You’ll be able to ramp up to $1,049 with the largest of the collection – it’s still tiny, it’s just got a 3rd Gen Ivy Bridge Intel Core i7 processor under the hood instead of the smallest model’s Core i3. These systems also come with NVIDIA GeForce GTX graphics processing architecture for top-notch graphics delivery.

Alienware X51

Front-Height: 13.504″ (343mm)

Rear-Height: 12.54″ (318.5mm)

Depth: 12.52″ (318mm)

Width: 3.74″ (95mm)

Have a peek at the Alienware X51 right this minute and consider Ubuntu for your next-generation gaming beast. Let us know if you’re planning on buying one of these builds now, and be sure to note if you’ll be jumping in with Ubuntu Linux or if you’ll stick with Windows for the foreseeable future.

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Information is also fuelling the expectation of the customers. It is being said that

the console will have the power of an 8GB RAM, including a processor of quad-core. This would certainly help in making the gaming console more powerful than all its earlier versions.

While people are certainly hyped up about the PS4, Microsoft, one of Sony’s biggest competitors in the video game market, can capitalize on this when they unveil the rumored Xbox 720. Here are two other ways Microsoft’s Xbox 720 can outshine Sony’s PS4.

Features of Xbox 720

Actually Bring The Console To The Launch

It doesn’t sound that complicated, but Sony opted not to bring the PS4 to its Wednesday event, and some fans were not pleased. The PS4 is rumored to be released around the 2013 holiday season, so Sony has 10 months before the product actually goes on sale. But the problem is everyone is waiting to see what the console looks like. Shareholders, as the ones financing the company, have a right to see what Sony has been building for the past few years and make investments based on what they see. Since Wednesday, Sony’s stock (NYSE: SNE) has been falling precipitously.

Microsoft can assuage Wall Street’s concerns about its next-gen console by actually unveiling it. Shareholders and potential customers alike will be relieved to see a (hopefully) sleek and modern update to the Xbox 360 during Microsoft’s presentation.

Keep The Price Low

Sony didn’t announce any pricing terms during its event Wednesday, but rumors indicate the PS4 will be priced between $300 to $500 for all models. It seems like Sony learned from its mistake when the PS3 came out in 2006, where they charged a staggering $600 for the console and initial sales were poor and didn’t pick up until the company lowered the price for the PS3.

Unlike Sony, Microsoft had a perfect strategy in 2006, pricing the Xbox 360 high enough to make a decent profit but lower than Sony’s PS3. And it worked, as Microsoft’s Xbox 360 became one of the best-selling video game consoles ever. Analysts hypothesize  the alleged Xbox 720 will come in two different models and be priced at $300 and $400, respectively. With these prices, the Xbox 720 could still be competitive with Wii U, undercut the PS4′s prices and potentially make a profit for Microsoft.

Release An Amazing Controller/Kinect 2.0

Sony has drastically updated its DualShock controller, and the fourth version might be its best: a touchpad, motion sensors installed into the controller and a share button. Analysts feel that with the DualShock 4 controller, Sony has gotten ahead of the competition. However, Microsoft can easily win back critics by introducing a new controller with as many features as the PlayStation 4 or working on Kinect to turn it into the “next-gen controller.”

Microsoft and the Xbox team has an opportunity to build off competitors like Sony and Nintendo and make an even better product. Back in 2005, the Xbox 360 was released before the PlayStation 3, and Sony managed to add some features like a Blu-Ray drive and Wi-Fi connectivity to the PS3. Hopefully, Microsoft can manage to add some features to the rumored Xbox 720 after Sony’s event Wednesday that can separate the 720 from other next-gen devices.

The post Xbox 720 Review appeared first on The Gadgets and Gizmos.

The device will be helpful in providing pleasure of gaming experience on a 50-inch screen, making the genre almost six times larger that any other virtual 3D gaming console has been able to offer.

With all these futuristic new gadgets of 2013, this will certainly be an exciting period for both the developers and the customers throughout the world. Everyone is eager to unfold the mysteries that technology is yet to reveal.

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Technical Configurations

While home thermostats aren’t exactly the most exciting area of technology, the Nest made a splash last year with its good looks and intuitive interface. Now there’s a new Nest with a few design tweaks and new features.

Thermostats, unlike smart phones and other personal gadgets, don’t really need to be replaced all the time, so the point isn’t to make people update their old device, but to make it possible for more people to buy their first one.

The new Nest is 20 percent thinner and has a snazzy new mirror-finish steel border, which should help picky interior designers square themselves with the idea of a big gadget sticking out of the wall. Nest also claims its device is now compatible with 95 percent of low-voltage heating and cooling systems.

It also ships with a few new features, which existing Nest owners will be happy to learn will also be coming to their original Nests shortly in a software update. They’ve improved the scheduling function, allowing the device to learn when it should be hitting the heat or A/C early, and when it should be shutting them off as soon as you’re out the door. It should also work better with some less conventional heating systems and those of you with radiators.

You can now set it to use Spanish or French as the display language, and the app has been upgraded to support Android tablets. You can use the app to adjust schedules and temperatures, or to track your household’s energy usage.

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Google just released a new video for Project Glass that shows the augmented reality glasses being used in real-world situations. Until now the device was tested only by Google employees, but the company has unveiled that they are ready to hand out the glasses to a select group of consumers who will aid in the product’s development and identify first-gen bugs. Those who want to get their hands on the prototype and become Google’s “Glass Explorers” have until February 27th to submit their applications.

Compared to the original concept video released last April, the new interface shows radical improvements, with all the information displayed through a single pane in the top right corner and a fully integrated voice command system. These Web-connected high-tech specs will feature a number of functions, including a translator, calendar reminders weather alerts, Google image search and Google Now integration.

Google is yet to announce when general consumers will be able to buy Google Glass. The company will be accepting applications for an elite set of users who will get early access to Google Glass and offer feedback for how to better develop the hardware, its features and the overall experience.

In order to enter, Google is asking people to say on Twitter and Google+ how they would use the glasses if they were given a set. The entries must be no longer than 50 words, with the hash tag if Ihadglass. Entrants are also allowed to use up to five photos and a video up to 15 seconds in length. The competition is open anyone over the age of 18 living in the US.

Competition winners will have to pay the Glass Explorer Edition’s $1,500 price tag and personally attend a “special pick-up experience” in New York, San Francisco or Los Angeles to collect their prize.

Technical and Internal information of Google Project Glass

Google has filed a patent that hints at how users will control their Project Glass device. The patent for ‘Methods and Systems for a Virtual Input Device‘ features images and details about users inputting commands onto the palm of their hand or their arm from a laser projector that turns it into a virtual touchpad.

The small projector, mounted on the arm of the glasses, could beam out a laser pattern of objects like buttons onto any surface, based on where the user is looking. Engorged notes that a built-in camera and processor would then interpret finger movements to work out what was being selected.

The projection could include any number of objects and their content could be configured as desired. In one example, the laser pattern of objects shown on a person’s arm includes four numbered buttons and the second button changes color after it is selected by the user. The patent abstract states:

The present application discloses systems and methods for a virtual input device. In one example, the virtual input device includes a projector and a camera. The projector projects a pattern onto a surface. The camera captures images that can be interpreted by a processor to determine actions. The projector may be mounted on an arm of a pair of eyeglasses and the camera may be mounted on an opposite arm of the eyeglasses. A pattern for a virtual input device can be projected onto a “display hand” of a user, and the camera may be able to detect when the user uses an opposite hand to select items of the virtual input device. In another example, the camera may detect when the display hand is moving and interpret display hand movements as inputs to the virtual input device, and/or realign the projection onto the moving display hand.

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The Pivot Power Mini has two traditional grounded outlets and two USB ports. The design folds for easy travel. The price: $24.99 through Quirky’s online store.

Designed by 23-year-old Jake Zien, the Pivot Power Mini is an after-market version of built-in USB wall outlets now being installed in some homes.

With early online reviews for the outlet mixed, we asked a Quirky spokeswoman to clarify the device’s capabilities.

The spokeswoman said that the Mini’s ability to charge devices simultaneously will depend on the specific models in use and their individual power needs. In other words, if your mobile tools for living are big energy drains — say an iPad and an iPhone — they may not want to share those USB ports with anything else.

Do you have a favorite charger that has changed your life? Share it with us here via comments.

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Eyeo, the owner of AdBlock Plus, will launch a version of its popular software for Android phones on Tuesday in a move that will cause a headache for the fast-growing but still embryonic mobile advertising industry.

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Till Faida, co-founder of Eyeo, said: “This will be the first app to remove all adverts on your phone. There is a great need for it.”

The mobile version of AdBlock Plus will block adverts both on the mobile’s browser and in other apps, whether Facebook or Angry Birds. Its launch will heap further pressure on social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, who have struggled to gain revenues as their users shift to mobile.

More than 50m people have downloaded the PC-version of AdBlock Plus, which blocks pop-up and display adverts on websites, as well as the unskippable adverts that precede videos on websites such as YouTube.

While only 2 and 3 per cent of internet users have the software installed in the UK and US respectively, the program has proved extremely popular in Germany, where more than one in 10 use it. Across the world, AdBlock Plus is downloaded about 100,000 times per day.

At its current usage levels, the software is not a problem for the advertising industry, according to Ian Maude, analyst at Enders Analysis. “If 5 to 10 per cent of the audience adopted a tool like it, that would cause some problems,” he said.

While worldwide revenues from mobile advertising alone hit $5.3bn in 2011, according to the Interactive Advertising Bureau, AdBlock Plus has been criticised for reducing the revenues of websites that provide content for free.

Nick Stringer, director of regulatory affairs at the Internet Advertising Bureau in the UK, said: “We need to recognise the economic role of advertising in funding services and content [online]. That is absolutely critical. Products like AdBlock undermine that business model.”

Mr Faida, who has a background in online marketing, insists he is not against adverts per se. “There should be a sustainable middle ground that users can accept,” he said. “Ads should provide value. There’s a great threat to online advertising in general – people have negative views of it.”

Almost half of adult users ignore retargeted adverts – which follow users around the web based on their browsing activity – while a fifth claim they would stop using a product if it had an annoying advert, according to a recent survey by YouGov for Mediasyndicator.

Spyro Korsanos, chief executive of Mediasyndicator, argues that the advertising industry should focus on providing users with relevant ads to combat ad-blocking software. “We don’t want to deliver ads to people who don’t want to see them, but we don’t want our customers to miss out,” said Mr Korsanos.

AdBlock Plus has a so-called “whitelist” of websites with unintrusive adverts, such as Amazon, whose adverts are not blocked. It is not possible to buy access to the “whitelist”, according to Mr Faida. “The main goal is to make sure that the small publishers and bloggers are not harmed by ad-blocking, so they can continue to provide their content for free,” he said.

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Government scientists at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory in Porton Down, Wiltshire, are behind the breakthrough. Ion-Mask is a protective layer that bonds to the device using a plasma, or electronically charged gas, and its chemical properties allow oil and water to be repelled easily. Originally developed for treating soldiers’ uniforms to repel toxic vapors and liquids in chemical or biological attacks, the technology will be used to protect devices thought to be too small to be fitted with waterproof seals, such as mobiles and MP3 players.

As well as covering the devices, Ion-Mask is versatile enough to be able to coat individual components, in order to up the level of protection. Having an Ion-Mask device might help lower insurance rates for cellphones too, as more than 1.2 mobiles were lost in 2006 to toilets, drinks and washing machines.

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Anywhere. Seriously. Where there’s an outlet, you can charge. The type of outlet or charging station will determine how fast you can charge.

The most convenient time to charge is often at night, when your car is parked in your garage. Simply plug in when you arrive home. Model s will charge right away or at the time you’ve scheduled using the touchscreen or a smart phone. Long before morning, your car will be charged and ready for the next adventure.

• using your

Mobile connector

31 miles of range per hour of charge

When your model s arrives, your delivery experience specialist will explain how to use the mobile connector. You’ll find that charging your car is a lot like plugging in your cell phone.

One end of the mobile connector plugs into the charge port and the other end plugs into an outlet. Two outlet adapters are included: one for a standard household outlet and a second adapter for a 240 volt outlet. Many additional adapters are available for purchase.

We recommend charging from a 240 volt outlet rather than a 110 volt outlet. A 240 volt outlet provides a lot more power than a standard outlet and will charge your car faster.

The fastest way to
charge at home

62 miles range per hour of charge

A high power wall connector is installed on a 240 volt circuit and can be supplied with up to twice the amperage as an outlet. At maximum amperage it supplies two times more power than the single charger can process. This is where twin chargers come into play, doubling the charging capacity to 20 kw to match the output of the high power wall connector.

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Wireless Electricity is an emerging technology, so you may not achieve “Wireless Nirvana” right away. There is already a good number of electronic devices that can be charged without using an electrical wire. Wireless power cord is now available for mobile phones, iPod, iPhone, and other MP3 devices. Wireless chargers are not yet available for  laptop and TV, but you won’t have to wait long before they arrive.

Wireless power supply concept is similar to electric toothbrush chargers, which transfer the power to the brush handle through magnetic induction. However, the new wireless devices are much more powerful and use magnetic resonance to increase power transmission speed and quality.

There are two kinds of wireless electricity transmissions. The first method uses magnetic induction technology and requires some kind of charging pad on which you place your devices. You can charge your cell phone, camera and iPod etc. all in one charger. The second kind of cordless power technology uses wireless antenna to transmit power in your house and requires no charging pads or wires. However this long-range wireless power supply technology is still in the works and it may take an year or so before you see truly wireless devices in the market.

The long-range transmission of wireless electricity could in principle do away with the need for a charging pad altogether. This technique uses the energy in radio waves, broadcast from a transmitter and harnessed by an antenna, to generate electricity. Using the passive-power principle found in crystal radios, the method has proved successful over short distances in places where it is difficult to replace batteries or carry out maintenance. The problem is that the intensity of the radio waves needed to charge mobile phones and laptop computers over long distances might be hazardous to human health, and regulators would be unlikely to approve.

There are several wireless charger based products already available in the market and also some new concepts still worked in the labs.

Leading Wireless Power Technology Providers

1. Powermat – They have recently released wireless charging mat, now available in stores. Costs about 100 to 200 dollars depending on how many devices you want to charge.
2. WildCharge – Wire free chargers available for sale. Supports iPhone, BalckBerry and other phones. Costs about 80 to 100 dollars including charing skins.
3. WiTricity – Designed for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) to embed directly in their products and systems. Expected to be available in early 2010.
4. Fulton Innovation – eCoupled – Designed for Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) to embed directly in their products and systems
5. Powercast
6. WiPower – Charging Pad based technology available to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s) only
7. SplashPower
8. Mojo Mobility
9. PowerBeam

Wireless Power Consortium provides international standard for compatible wireless charging stations. Compatible products will be recognized by a logo. Phones, cameras, remote controls, and all mobile electronics carrying the logo will work with all charging stations that carry the logo.

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Virtual-holographic 3D company Infinite Z is teaming up with video game engine-maker Unity to make it easier for developers to create holographic games.

Infinite Z’s zSpace platform creates holographic images that you can interact with as if they were real objects. It’s tough to envision, but think of it as a natural precursor to the sort of technology seen in Iron Man — except with a stylus and a pair of 3D glasses. (The video below should give you a better idea of how it works.)

By working alongside Unity, sSpace aims to become the ideal destination for developers looking to make 3D versions of so-called “serious games” — such as those that combine gaming with learning.

When we spoke last week,  zSpace marketing vice president Mike Harper said that zSpace’s technology will one day be ideal for a wide range of disciplines, including medicine, education, and engineering.

“This technology is only going to get better,” he said.

Of course, as with most things involving 3D, it’s hard to get a sense for just how cool zSpace is without seeing it person. “That’s one of our main challenges,” Harper told me.

3D hasn’t been especially successful in video games. Sony made a significant push for 3D gaming with the PlayStation 3, but few games make use of it. Sony even rolled out a PlayStation 3D display in 2010, but it’s no longer in stock on its online store.

The other challenge? Getting developers interested in what Infinite Z is working on. That’s why working with Unity is so important. After all, every new technology has to develop a developer community around it before it can really take off.

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This technology produces displays that are flexible and bendable.  Samsung claims that the displays will be nearly unbreakable.

At the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Samsung showed a prototype device incorporating Youm.  The screen on the device extended to the edge of the device so that if the device was put flat on a table with the cover on it, the edge would still display an incoming text or email. Samsung also brought in Microsoft (MSFT) to display a Windows Phone prototype incorporating Youm. One inference is that the first phone Samsung introduces using Youm will be a Windows Phone and not a phone based on Google (GOOG) Android.  It is conceivable that Nokia (NOK) may be close behind Samsung in incorporating similar technology.

Samsung is not the only one with OLED technology, but Samsung is believed to be the most advanced and closest to bringing flexible, bendable and unbreakable OLED screens in mass produced phones and tablets. There is even a rumor that Galaxy SIV, the upcoming successor to the popular Galaxy SIII, will include an OLED display.  We have no independent confirmation of this rumor.

Apple (AAPL) is believed to be far behind Samsung in OLED technology.

Ordinary LEDs were introduced in 1962.  The work that forms the basis of OLEDs was done in 1960, but widespread commercial applications of OLED technology have come to fruition only within the last two years.  DuPont (DD) has played a key role in the development of OLED technology.

Traditionally it has been difficult to mass produce OLEDs.  Further OLEDs structures are inherently unstable.  OLEDs were also limited by the life span of organic materials that transferred light.  For example historically materials used in blue OLEDs had a life span of 14,000 hours to half original brightness, compared to 40,000 hours for traditional LEDs.

Traditional OLEDs also suffered from color balance deficiencies.  Materials used for the blue color deteriorated more rapidly than the materials used for other colors.  Since most displays of today use only three colors red, green, and blue, this color imbalance issue has been a serious problem.  OLEDs have also suffered from screen burn in issues, not dissimilar to plasma displays.  Certain OLED materials also are damaged by prolonged exposure to sunlight.

Samsung appears to have overcome the foregoing problems.

Apple’s lag in this technology goes back to the days of Steve Jobs.  In 2010 at the Apple World Wide Developers Conference, Jobs touted Retina Display, which relies on traditional silicon LED technology.  Jobs said, “You can’t make an OLED display with this resolution, we think it is quite superior.”

Samsung’s advances in this technology have the potential to seriously hurt Apple as Samsung is believed to control up to 90% of the supply of OLED displays.  Samsung may choose not to supply Youm displays to Apple or in the alternate supply such displays to Apple at inflated prices.  Either way this is potentially a very negative development for Apple.

The post Samsung’s Bendable Phone Could Break Apple’s Innovation Hegemony appeared first on The Gadgets and Gizmos.

Seriously small, but packed with cutting-edge innovations, the Haier P7 Pen Phone is the cell phone to have in today’s tech savvy world. Advanced technologies fuse seamlessly in the sleek pen-style design. The phone multitasks as a 90-minute voice recorder and a powerful digital camera; plus, the colour High Resolution LCD supports Multimedia Messaging Service so you can share photos instantly, play games, and more.

The Haier P7 has been featured in the ‘Hello Magazine’, The Sunday Times and Stuff Magazine. This unique handset was given out to celebrities at the prestigious golden globe awards. Use you Haier P7 to stand out from the crowd and turn heads with it’s elegant sophistication and style.

Specification:

GSM 900/1800/1900 MHz Tri Band

GPRS Class 10

Dimensions: 150 x 27 x 18.2 mm

Weight: 65 g

Antenna: Integrated

Battery: 600 mAh Li-Ion

Stand-by time: up to 130

Talk time: up to 4 h

LCD Main display:  65535 colours

WAP 2.0

MMS

Integrated camera: VGA 640 X 480

USB cable connection (cable not included)

90 Minute Dictaphone

Predictive text input

Polyphonic ringtones

Games

The post Pen Phone Review appeared first on The Gadgets and Gizmos.

• Sync with any iOS device simply by placing it upon the desk.
• You won’t need a mouse when any area of your touch-sensitive desk can be designated as a trackpad.
• Making calls, scheduling appointments, and much more could be done from the surface of a clean, clutter-free workspace.

Imagine an entirely adaptable workspace that doesn’t just hold your equipment, but enhances and interacts with it. As with Microsoft’s Surface technology, the entire desk would be a touch-sensitive display capable of running several simultaneous apps, some of which–such as a calendar, phone, and digital Post-It notes—would replace their physical counterparts entirely. Notifications, to-do lists, video conferencing, Adobe tool palettes, and countless widgets such as calculators and weather reports would all appear right on the surface of your desk, literally putting your entire working world at your fingertips.

The desk could sync with your Mac or potentially have a Mac built in, perhaps with a portion of the desk’s surface angled upward to serve as a display. Tactile keyboards could likewise be replaced by a digital touch-sensitive version (endlessly configurable to your preferences for individual apps), and any part of the desk’s surface could be cordoned off as a trackpad area. Files could be transferred easily between Macs, iPhones, iPads, and so on by sitting the devices on the desk and swiping file icons across its surface from one device to the other. Shared files could be passed between coworkers via digital inboxes, designated digital “trays” that collect documents sent from other iDesks. And of course, the desk would wirelessly sync to your iCloud account to keep calendars, contacts, and other data updated across all your gizmos.

Desktop skins could give your workspace a stately mahogany look, float your desk upon the ocean, or make you appear to hover above the clouds as if directing the corporate world from Mount Olympus.

Productivity might take a hit from all the tweets, Facebook status updates, and YouTube links that we would inevitably configure to pop up all over our workspace, but the iDesk’s endless array of work-boosting benefits would surely make us more efficient overall, while making the execution of even the most mundane tasks as cool as commanding the Enterprise.

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In an alternative scheme, the machine writes a symbol to the tape *and* moves at each step. This can be encoded as a write state followed by a move state for the write-or-move machine. If the write-and-move machine is also given a distance to move then it can emulate an write-or-move program by using states with a distance of zero. A further variation is whether halting is an action like writing or moving or whether it is a special state.

Without loss of generality, the symbol set can be limited to just “0″ and “1″ and the machine can be restricted to start on the leftmost 1 of the leftmost string of 1s with strings of 1s being separated by a single 0. The tape may be infinite in one direction only, with the understanding that the machine will halt if it tries to move off the other end.

All computer instruction sets, high level languages and computer architectures, including parallel processors, can be shown to be equivalent to a Turing Machine and thus equivalent to each other in the sense that any problem that one can solve, any other can solve given sufficient time and memory.

Turing generalised the idea of the Turing Machine to a “Universal Turing Machine” which was programmed to read instructions, as well as data, off the tape, thus giving rise to the idea of a general-purpose programmable computing device. This idea still exists in modern computer design with low level microcode which directs the reading and decoding of higher level machine code instructions.

A busy beaver is one kind of Turing Machine program.

Dr. Hava Siegelmann of Technion reported in Science of 28 Apr 1995 that she has found a mathematically rigorous class of machines, based on ideas from chaos theory and neural networks, that are more powerful than Turing Machines. Sir Roger Penrose of Oxford University has argued that the brain can compute things that a Turing Machine cannot, which would mean that it would be impossible to create artificial intelligence. Dr. Siegelmann’s work suggests that this is true only for conventional computers and may not cover neural networks.

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The fine folks over at Lomography are at it again, but this time, they’re out for something more than just quirky. In fact, this may be useful for many more people than those obsessed with retrofied / distorted photography. As so many established outfits are doing these days, Lomography has turned to Kickstarter in hopes of funding its latest endeavor. The Smartphone Film Scanner is a (comparatively) portable device that straps onto any iPhone and “most” Android phones. From there, you simply slide any old 35mm film you have laying around into the back, flip on the embedded backlight, and capture a photo of the negative using the included app. Once it’s digitized, you can flip it into a positive, stitch together a panorama, or even create a multi-frame animation. Naturally, it can be shared around the globe from there using your social media program of choice.

Head on past the break for a few demo vids, and tap the source link to hand over your credit card details — early birds can snag one for $40 + shipping, while those coming on late will be asked to fork over a bit more.

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