Google Earth Gets a Seamless Upgrade [Google]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5879781/google-earth-gets-a-seamless-upgrade

One drawback from Google Earth has always been that if you pull the view back far enough, the terrain begins to look like a scene from Minecraft. Well, no longer! With the version 6.2 update, Google Earth looks even more like the real thing.

Google Earth's imagery is built from an amalagamation of satellite and aerial shots taken under various conditions and stitched together. This results in the "patchy" long-range view. With version 6.2, Google has introduced a new smoothing algorithm that will normalize the various individual pictures and eliminate the seams. In additon, Google Earth now features a drop-down menu that allows you to share your armchair adventures with people in your Google+ circles. [Google Blog via Electronista]

Of Course the World's Most Expensive Private Yacht Has Its Own Laser Shield [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5879806/of-course-the-worlds-most-expensive-private-yacht-has-its-own-laser-shield

What does one do with an extra $590 million burning a hole in his pocket? Well, if one is Chelsea boss and multi-kagillionaire Roman Abramovich, one commissions the construction of a floating pleasure island replete with early-warning missile detection. The only thing it's missing are those cute mini-giraffes.

The yacht, christened the M/Y Eclipse, is 536 feet long—11 meters longer than the previous record holder, which belonged to Sheikh Mohammed, the ruler of Dubai—and weighs 13,000 gross tons. It was built at at the Blohm + Voss shipyard in Hamburg, Germany but was designed—inside and out—by Terence Disdale Design and engineered by Francis Design.

It boasts 24 guest cabins (each with a six-foot movie screen), two swimming pools, multiple hot tubs, and a discotheque. The ship is serviced by a crew of 70 and requires an estimated $60 million a year in upkeep.

Getting onto the ship—assuming you're invited—is easy. In addition to its dual helipads, the Eclipse also features a mini-submarine dive-rated to 50 meters and three smaller landing boats.

Getting onto the ship when you aren't invited is not advisable. For starters, the ship is outfitted with long-range radar designed to give the crew time to maneuver the floating behemoth in the event of missile attack. And, if the crew can't avoid the missiles, the bridge and Abromovich's cabin are both wrapped in armor plating and bullet proof windows. It even has anti-bugging equipment throughout to prevent spying. And God help you if your one of the paparazzi. The Eclipse is equipped with a laser shield system that sweep around the ship and, upon detecting a CCD, shine directly at the source to spoil any potential photo.

The ship entered service in December 2010 and Abramovich must have bored with it rather quickly—he began chartering it through SuperYachtsMonaco in February 2011. [Wikipedia - Mail Online - The Sydney Morning Herald - Super Yachts - Wired - The Daily Beast]

Here is a video of it being launched in June, 2009:

And here is "I'm on a Boat" by The Lonely Island:

South Korea's Live Park uses RFID and Kinect to bring your Holodeck fantasies one step nearer

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/27/south-koreas-live-park-uses-rfid-and-kinect-to-bring-your-holod/

All those long, long drives to Florida in the family station wagon seemed worth it at the time, but now that we've found out that those lucky South Koreans have another crazy theme-park, we might just change our minds. Located near Seoul, Live Park uses 3D video, holograms and augmented reality, interacting with RFID wrist bands and Kinect sensors to stitch together a continuous immersive story. You (and your avatar!) have 65 attractions, over seven themed zones, and the world's biggest interactive 360 degree stereoscopic theater to wave, jump and shout your way through. Two years and $13 million in the making, Live Park's creator d'strict is now looking to license the concept out internationally, with locations in China and Singapore already earmarked. We're not sure we could handle that long of a family drive just yet, but with a Hollywood entertainment "powerhouse" reportedly nibbling, maybe we won't have to.

Continue reading South Korea's Live Park uses RFID and Kinect to bring your Holodeck fantasies one step nearer

South Korea's Live Park uses RFID and Kinect to bring your Holodeck fantasies one step nearer originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 27 Jan 2012 01:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of fee! ds.< /p>

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SOURCE: Twitter Will Start To Function More Like Facebook On Feb. 1

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/source-twitter-will-start-to-function-more-like-facebook-on-feb-1-2012-1

Twitter is set to roll out enhanced profile pages after Feb. 1, a source tells us, and those pages will give brands the ability to build platforms on their pages that could include iFrame environments, allowing users to play games or shop on a brand's site without actually leaving the Twitter environment.

In other words, Twitter's brand pages are going to start to function more like the way Facebook's brand pages do.

Twitter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Enhanced profile pages launched "secretly" in December, with a few invitation-only companies such as Coca-Cola (pictured) and HP being given the opportunity to test them. The pages are splashier and more visually appealing than the one-dimensional column of tweets that the rest of us have.

Enhanced profile pages are part of Twitter's Q2 product rollout plan, according to a person who received a briefing on the topic from a senior Twitter executive.

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See Also:

• The Lady In This Citi Ad Really Did Climb That Dizzying Rock Tower
• 12 'Appalling' Copywriting Tips From David Ogilvy, The Original Mad Man
• George Clooney Says 'F--- You' To His Coffee Commercial Critics

This Simple Wood Contraption Lets the iPhone 4 Film Both Sides of a Story [Video]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5879521/this-simple-wood-contraption-lets-the-iphone-4-film-both-sides-of-a-story

Billed as the "lowest-tech accessory" for the iPhone 4, the limited edition Love Box lets you record both sides of a conversation through the use of a simple sliding mirror. Without the need for a special app or any post-production.

The Love Box was originally conceived in Paris when its creators needed a way to film conversations between two people with just a single iPhone. The fruits of their labors look a lot more like a high school wood shop project than a professional filmmaking tool, but it not only gets the job done, it also allows for some creative effects as you adjust the position of the iPhone and the mirror.

To celebrate its success, and to recoup some of the $12 it looks like it cost to build the original model, The Love Box is now available for sale in a limited edition run of just 100 units. The price? A hard-to-justify $80 given it looks less complicated to build than a birdhouse or spice rack. [The Love Box via Wired]

X-ray laser bakes solid plasma from aluminum foil, brings us closer to nuclear fusion

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/x-ray-laser-bakes-solid-plasma-from-aluminum-foil-brings-us-clo/

Nuclear fusion, like flying cars, is one of those transparent, dangling carrots that've been stymying the scientific community and tickling our collective noses for decades. But recent research out of the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory might help us inch a few baby steps closer to that Jetsonian future. The experiment, conducted by a group of Oxford University scientists, utilized the DOE's Linac Coherent Light Source -- an X-ray laser capable of pulsing "more than a billion times brighter" than current synchrotron sources -- to transmute a piece of aluminum foil heated to 3.6 million degrees Fahrenheit (or 2 million degrees Celsius) into a cube of solid plasma. So, why go to such lengths to fry a tiny piece of metal at that extreme temperature? Simple: to replicate conditions found within stars and planets. Alright, so it's not that easy and we're still a ways off from actually duping celestial bodies, but the findings could help advance theories in the field and eventually unlock the powers of the Sun. Until that fateful day arrives, however, we'll just have to let these pedigreed pyros continue to play with their high-tech toys.

Continue reading X-ray laser bakes solid plasma from aluminum foil, brings us closer to nuclear fusion

X-ray laser bakes solid plasma from aluminum foil, brings us closer to nuclear fusion originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 10:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google adding Public Alerts to Maps, keeps you in the loop in times of worry

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/25/google-adding-public-alerts-to-maps/

You can't deny that Google often hands out marvelous tools for the masses to utilize (yes, some can be a miss), and today the King of Search is launching a fresh virtual apparatus as part of its Crisis Response project. Dubbed "Public Alerts," the feature is accessible from within Google Maps, keeping you in the loop during times of high alert. Your search query will trigger things like weather relevant to your area, public safety and earthquake alerts -- all of which are provided by the NOAA, the National Weather Service and the US Geological Survey. The Crisis Response squad says its goal is "to surface emergency information through the online tools you use everyday," which is a great idea, but we honestly hope that you don't have to use it very often. Those of you stateside can start using Public Alerts now -- as for the rest, let's hope that the search giant brings its alerts to a map near you sooner rather than later...

Google adding Public Alerts to Maps, keeps you in the loop in times of worry originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Insert Coin: 50-Dollar Follow Focus

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/25/50-dollar-follow-focus/

In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.

If you've watched HD video footage captured by a DSLR, you've probably wondered why, despite the fact that you own the exact same model, your clips lack the fluid feel of a professional production. One culprit may be the lack of a steady support system to maintain balance as you shoot, like the rather complex Steadicam. That's just part of the equation, however. What you're also missing is the precision handling of an external follow focus. As its simplistic name implies, the 50-Dollar Follow Focus is a cheap and effective solution.

Made of CNC-machined aircraft-grade aluminum, the 50-Dollar Follow Focus includes two belts and two pulleys to accommodate a variety of lenses, and with the exception of your DSLR and a pair of support rails, everything you need to get started ships in the box. Author Wiley Davis teamed up with The Robot, his in-house CNC mill, to develop some early prototypes, before bringing the project to Kickstarter and launching a campaign to raise $10,000 in order to buy supplies in bulk and invest in a more efficient production system. The result looks very slick, and while it adds some bulk to your DSLR rig, the size tradeoff seems to be worthwhile. Ready to buy your own? Hit up the Kickstarter link below to make your pledge, and keep an eye on that mailbox -- these are expec! ted to s hip in March. You'll find a video demo just past the break.

Continue reading Insert Coin: 50-Dollar Follow Focus

Insert Coin: 50-Dollar Follow Focus originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Eyes-on the innards of Fujitsu's K supercomputer

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/25/eyes-on-the-innards-of-fujitsus-k-supercomputer/

Fujitsu's K supercomputer was on our radar before it was even completed, and naturally, we let you know when it smoked the competition and became the supercomputing speed king. So, when we had the opportunity to see a piece of K at Fujitsu's North America Technology Forum today, we couldn't pass it up. In case you forgot, K is a massive machine powered by 864 racks with 24 boards per rack housing SPARC64 CPUs. We got to see one of those boards, and Yuichiro Ajima -- who designed the inter-connection chips (ICC) on them -- was gracious enough to give us some more info on this most super of supercomputers.

Gallery: Eyes-on the innards of Fujitsu's K supercomputer

As you can see in the gallery above, each board has extensive plumbing to keep the SPARC silicon running at a manageable 32 - 35 degrees Celsius (90 - 95 Fahrenheit) under load. Underneath that copper cooling system lies four processors interspersed between 32 memory modules (with 2GB per module) and four ICCs lined up next to the board's rack interconnect ports. Currently, the system takes 30 megawatts to do its thing, though Ajima informed us that K's theoretical max electricity consumption is about double that -- for perspective, that means K could consume the entire output of some nuclear power plants. When asked if there were plans to add more racks should Fujitsu's supercomputer lose its crown, Ajima-san said that while possible, there are no plans to do so -- we'll see if that changes should a worthy opponent present itself.

Eyes-on the innards of Fujitsu's K supercomputer originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Quantum dots could increase fiber optic bandwidth up to 10 times (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/25/quantum-dots-could-increase-fiber-optic-bandwidth-up-to-10-times/

Nothing screams World of Tomorrow quite like quantum dots. Alongside the possibility of paint-on solar cells, the technology could also multiply optic fiber bandwidth by up to ten times. The Photonic Network Research Institute at NICT has been able to crank up the capacity of the data transmission system by combining a light source and photonic crystal fiber. The quantum dots act as the light source, and via the NICT's new "sandwiched sub-nano separator structure" [above], they can be tweaked to work at 70THz -- far in excess of the 10THz frequencies typically used. Aside from optical communications, the potency of these high frequencies allow it to pass beyond skin, opening up the use of quantum dots to medical scanning and high resolution cell imaging. Is there anything these dots can't do? Catch a slightly more technical explanation in the video right after the break.

Continue reading Quantum dots could increase fiber optic bandwidth up to 10 times (video)

Quantum dots could increase fiber optic bandwidth up to 10 times (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 ! 21:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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New York planetarium to host 200-player space game tonight (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/new-york-planetarium-to-host-200-player-space-game-tonight-vide/

Got plans for this evening? Cancel them now, and do everything you can to sneak into New York's Museum of Natural History. Because tonight, the museum's planetarium will play host to a 200-person space game, courtesy of Brooklyn's Babycastles arcade. It's all part of the museum's "Cosmic Cocktails and Space Arcade" evening -- an event that seems tailor made for anyone interested in cosmology, humans, and/or hallucinogens. The showcase of the soiree is the Space Cruiser game, which promises to turn the ceiling of the Rose Center for Earth and Space into a "living, breathing, space ship where participants navigate around a beautiful fictitious universe." With the Magnetic Fields' Stephin Merritt assuming the tripartite role of ship captain-navigator-narrator, the game apparently begins with the birth of the universe, before transporting visitors across new galaxies and through time-bending wormholes. The ship launches at 6:30 PM tonight, but unfortunately, tickets are already sold out. Head past the break, though, for a rather "duuuude"-inducing video.

Continue reading New York planetarium to host 200-player space game tonight (video)

New York planetarium to host 200-player space game tonight (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 04:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pentax Optio VS20: hold it any way you want, as long as you love it

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/26/pentax-optio-vs20/

Standing on the Hoover Dam, you're trying to encapsulate the majesty of the engineering feat before you. Turning the camera on its side, you try and get a perfect portrait shot, but find the vagaries of evolution mean your fingers won't stretch to the buttons anymore. If you've ever experienced such horrors, Pentax has the solution with its new Optio VS20 digital compact camera. The 16-megapixel camera packs an accelerometer (like Samsung's QF20) which will flip your image to the correct orientation and a second shutter release and zoom lever on the topmost side of the body for easier snapping. The company also thoughtfully included a second tripod mount, so there's no futzing with your stand required. Less exceptional features include a 3-inch LCD, automatic picture modes including fish-eye that'll appeal to the young skaters and hipsters you see littering the streets. It'll capture 1280 x 720 movies with its independent video button (also recording in fish-eye) and variable aspect ratio. It's arriving next month for $250, so if you want to become a superstar of the board, you'd better get practicing your Ollies.

Continue reading Pentax Optio VS20: hold it any way you want, as long as you love it

Pentax Optio VS20: hold it any way you want, as long as you love it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 26 Jan 2012 07:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google adding Public Alerts to Maps, keeps you in the loop in times of worry

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/25/google-adding-public-alerts-to-maps/

You can't deny that Google often hands out marvelous tools for the masses to utilize (yes, some can be a miss), and today the King of Search is launching a fresh virtual apparatus as part of its Crisis Response project. Dubbed "Public Alerts," the feature is accessible from within Google Maps, keeping you in the loop during times of high alert. Your search query will trigger things like weather relevant to your area, public safety and earthquake alerts -- all of which are provided by the NOAA, the National Weather Service and the US Geological Survey. The Crisis Response squad says its goal is "to surface emergency information through the online tools you use everyday," which is a great idea, but we honestly hope that you don't have to use it very often. Those of you stateside can start using Public Alerts now -- as for the rest, let's hope that the search giant brings its alerts to a map near you sooner rather than later...

Google adding Public Alerts to Maps, keeps you in the loop in times of worry originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The Next Xbox Could Be Six Times As Powerful [Gaming]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5879128/the-next-xbox-could-be-six-times-as-powerful

According to IGN, sources close to the next Xbox project have told them the new console will have six times the graphics processing power of the Xbox 360, and will have 20 percent more performance than Nintendo's Will U.

Sounds pretty awesome right? Too bad it's not expected to ship until October or November of 2013. Le sigh. IGN's sources have also confirmed that the Xbox 720's—or whatever it ends up being called—GPU will begin production by the end of this year, and will be based on AMD's 6000 series instead of the newer 7000 series. More specifically, it will most likely be not that far off from the current $80 Radeon HD 6670.

On one hand it's nice to see the rumors of the next-gen Xbox starting to solidify, but on the other hand, waiting until 2013 to get our hands on one is going to be arduous. [IGN]

Acer Iconia Tab A510 to hit European retailers this April?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/25/acer-iconia-tab-a510-to-hit-european-retailers-this-april/

Amidst the madness that was CES, Acer quietly snuck its Iconia Tab A510 onto the showroom floor, tucking the tablet into the folds of NVIDIA's booth. While the company was more than willing to fess up to the slate's specs -- quad-core Tegra 3 processor, skinned Ice Cream Sandwich UX, 1280 x 800 display -- little in the way of pricing and availability were revealed. If a report out of Germany is to be believed, however, Europeans (sorry, statesiders) might very well see the 10.1-incher hit retail as early as this April, with a €500 price tag in tow. That's all the rumor mill's wrought for now, folks, but we'll keep you posted should the news go official at CeBIT 2012.

Acer Iconia Tab A510 to hit European retailers this April? originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 25 Jan 2012 08:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Your Brain Will Melt After You See This Negative Image [Illusions]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5879004/your-brain-will-melt-after-you-see-this-negative-image

Want to add more wrinkles to that ol' brain of yours? Stare at the colored dots on the girl's nose in the photo above for 30 seconds. Then look at a white surface (blank browser, mayhaps) and start blinking. You should see a non-negative image of the girl. WHAT. BRAIN. MELTING. WHAT. OHMYGOD. Yep, that jiggly stuff in your head just processed a negative image. Sweet. [PetaPixel]

Next Xbox console to be six times more powerful, headed for fall 2013 release?

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/24/next-xbox-console-to-be-six-times-more-powerful-headed-for-fall/

Xbox 720, Xbox Loop -- whatever Microsoft ends up calling it, that hot rod of a console looks to be on deck for a late fall 2013 release. According to IGN's sources, this successor to the Redmond gaming throne is purported to pack a GPU based on AMD's 6000 series of chips and will boast silicon circuitry that catapults its performance past Nintendo's upcoming Wii U by 20 percent. If you're looking for a more apples to green X's comparison, this next-gen console's graphical capabilities are also reportedly six times greater than its 360 progenitor. While MS is likely holding back its monstrous new platform for a big E3 reveal, it appears the company's still whittling down its spec list, with dev kits to be issued later this August. No mention was made of its rumored Kinect 2 integration, but we're more than certain that famous hacking tech will be front and center.

[Image credit: Joseph Dumary]

Next Xbox console to be six times more powerful, headed for fall 2013 release? originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Google updates ToS, shares your data across its services (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/24/google-new-privacy-policy/

You're you, right? Of course you are. If you have an Account, Google knows that too and now, with an updated and streamlined Google Terms of Service, you're even more you than ever before. The company is consolidating most of its more than 70 separate privacy documents into a single Privacy Policy that is so important it gets capitalized. The biggest change? If you have a Google Account, your information will now be shared across the company's many services. Scary? Don't fear -- the company is taking this time to re-iterate its pledge to never sell your personal information, never share it externally and to continue to support the Data Liberation Front. Viva transparency.

Continue reading Google updates ToS, shares your data across its services (video)

Google updates ToS, shares your data across its services (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers develop 'wireless optical brain router' to manipulate brain cells

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/24/researchers-develop-wireless-optical-brain-router-to-manipulat/

Optogenetics might be a relatively unknown area of neuroscience, but it's one that, thanks to some new research, could soon find itself (and its rodental subjects) in the spotlight. For the uninitiated, it's the practice of manipulating animal cells using light (with a little help from gene therapy). Until now, optogenetic equipment has been large and unwieldy, making testing on subjects (read: rats) painstaking. Startup, Kendall Research, has changed all this, creating wireless prototypes that weigh just three grams (0.11 ounces). By eschewing bulky Lasers for LEDs and Laser diodes, the equipment is small enough that it can be attached to the rodents. At that point, their brain function can be manipulated with the touch of a button, and different parts can be stimulated without breeding mutant variants -- a controversial practice that doesn't even yield results in real time. The "router" is powered wirelessly by super capacitors below test area, and researchers can conduct experiments remotely, even automatically. Human applications for this are still some way off, but we're sure our future overlords will make good use of it.

Researchers develop 'wireless optical brain router' to manipulate brain cells originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 18:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Cisco unveils Linksys HomePlug AV Powerline solutions, converts outlets into network connection points

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/24/cisco-unveils-linksys-homeplug-av-powerline-solutions/

Looking to boost network range in remote areas of your humble abode? Cisco is now offering an option that turns your electrical outlets into wired network connections with speeds up to 200Mbps. Each Linksys HomePlug AV Powerline option includes an Ethernet adapter that connects to your router and a second adapter for your wired devices elsewhere -- both of which are plugged into sockets of your choosing to get things started. The Powerline then uses your home's electrical wiring for the system, saving the headache of hiding cables for that home office. The company says that the kit will play nice with most household appliances and 1-port and 4-port adapters are available now for $100 each. Want to connect sans wires? A Powerline 1-port Wireless Extender is coming in March that will create a WiFi signal for the HomePlug system. Hopefully wandering peepers won't be able to monitor activity remotely. Fingers crossed.

Continue reading Cisco unveils Linksys HomePlug AV Powerline solutions, converts outlets into network connection points

Cisco unveils Linksys HomePlug AV Powerline solutions, converts outlets into network connection points originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 20:12:00 ! EDT. Pl ease see our terms for use of feeds.

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Delawareans rejoice as DuPont builds OLED TV testing plant in Newark

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/24/delawareans-rejoice-as-dupont-builds-oled-tv-testing-plant-in-ne/

The State of Delaware has bust out a grant of $920,000 for DuPont's obsessed project to bring OLED TVs to the masses. It's building a facility at the Stine-Haskell Research Center in Newark with the chemicals-giant stumping $30 million out of its own back pocket. The new unit will employ 35 people to investigate the possibility of producing Organic Light Emitting Diodes for use in televisions for a fraction of the current cost. In comparison, the OLED TVs we saw at CES could retail for as much as $10,000, enough to make sure you don't ask Grandma for one next Christmas. The line will be used to test the "spray printing" methods that can print a 50-inch TV in under two minutes we saw in 2010. DuPont's obliged to keep the facility open for five years, or it'll expect angry civil servants to storm the building looking for a million dollars worth of stationery in return.

Delawareans rejoice as DuPont builds OLED TV testing plant ! in Newar k originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 21:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share: eye3 hexicopter helps your DSLR take flight for $999

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/24/eye3-hexicopter-helps-your-dslr-take-flight-for-999/

Your camera wants to take flight -- trust us, it does -- and an ambitious new project aims to make your DSLR's aeronautic ambitions a reality. The eye3 hexacopter is a six-armed carbon-fiber unmanned arial vehicle (UAV) that hopes to make aerial photography accessible to the masses. Designed by a couple with a hankering for robotics, the flying machine is modular (for easy repair) and navigates using a combination of Google Maps and open-source code. Those without a pilot license need not worry: the eye3 utilizes the oft-improving APM2 software for a "compact yet powerful" autopilot experience. The UAV can carry a payload of five to ten pounds, boasts three CPUs and has a 350-watt motor strapped to each tentacle. Fly past the break to watch a video from eye3's creators... get to the choppa'!

Continue reading eye3 hexicopter helps your DSLR take flight for $999

eye3 hexicopter helps your DSLR take flight for $999 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 24 Jan 2012 16:49:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share - drag and drop RSS news items on your email contacts to share (click SEE DEMO)

drag2share: Google Is Betraying Itself [Blockquote]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5878799/google-is-betraying-itself

From a 2004 Playboy interview with Larry Page, in which the Google co-founder describes a very different company from the one we use now:

PLAYBOY: Portals attempt to create what they call sticky content to keep a user as long as possible.

PAGE: That's the problem. Most portals show their own content above content elsewhere on the web. We feel that's a conflict of interest, analogous to taking money for search results. Their search engine doesn't necessarily provide the best results; it provides the portal's results. Google conscientiously tries to stay away from that. We want to get you out of Google and to the right place as fast as possible. It's a very different model.

A lot changes in eight years. [PandoDaily via Gruber]

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