TourWrist puts a twist on the photo sphere (hands-on video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/12/tourwrist-puts-a-twist-on-the-photo-sphere-hands-on-video/

You've heard of Instagram, right? Are you familiar with Microsoft's Photosynth and Google's Photo Sphere on Nexus phones and tablets? How about Apple's brilliant continuous-scan panorama mode on iOS devices? Well mash all this up and you get TourWrist, an app / social network for sharing photo spheres. The app started life as a social network for virtual tourism and gained one million users since launching in 2010. Here in Las Vegas, the company just launched the latest version of TourWrist with a focus on capturing photos spheres. Unlike Microsoft's and Google's approach, which stitches 360-degree images from discrete pictures, the app uses continuous-scan like Apple's panorama mode. The resulting photo spheres are truly impressive and look significantly better than the competition, especially when captured in tricky lighting conditions. All 360-degree images can be shared with other TourWrist users, Instagram-style, and with other social networks by linking to an HTML5-compatible viewer. Take a look at our gallery below and peek after the break for our hands-on video and sample photo sphere captured on site.

Gallery: TourWrist hands-on

Continue reading TourWrist puts a twist on the photo sphere (hands-on video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple, Microsoft, Google

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Here's What Will Happen If We Don't Raise The Debt Ceiling

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/what-will-happen-if-we-dont-raise-debt-ceiling-2013-1

The United States has already hit its debt ceiling--the legal limit of the amount of money it is allowed to borrow, as established by Congress.

Right now, the U.S. Treasury is resorting to "extraordinary measures" to keep paying the country's bills.

Sometime between February 15th and March 1st, the Bipartisan Policy Center projects, the Treasury's ability to use these "extraordinary measures" will end.

At that point, we will hit the "X-date."

On that date, if the debt ceiling has not been raised, the United States will begin to default on payments that it is legally obligated to make, payments that Congress has already promised that we will make.

The Treasury may have some ability to choose which payments to default on, and when to default on them, but the bottom line will be the same: The Treasury will only be able to pay about 60% of the bills that are owed.

In relatively short order, therefore, the United States will stiff about 40% of the people and companies it owes money to.

Importantly, this default is different from the "government shutdowns" that have happened from time to time (in the 1990s, for example). In those cases, Congress had yet to authorize government spending. This time, the spending has been authorized: Congress has already promised to pay these bills. This time, in other words, we will be choosing not to pay people and companies we have already promised to pay.

This has never happened before in the history of the United States.

That some representatives in our government say they are justified in making this happen now is reckless and scary. And the support that this vocal ! minority is getting suggests that some ordinary Americans don't understand what will happen if we don't raise the debt ceiling.

So, it is time for everyone to understand.

Below are some slides from a presentation prepared by Steve Bell, Loren Adler, Shai Akabas and Brian Collins of the Bipartisan Policy Center.

This game of chicken that one of our political parties is playing is no joke. To not raise the debt ceiling is to say that it is totally okay to stiff people and companies we owe money to--and, more importantly, to actually stiff them. This is astoundingly reckless and irresponsible behavior (not to mention illegal). And it will have a devastating impact on our country and economy.

The Bipartisan Policy Center looked at what will actually happen if Congress doesn't raise the debt ceiling...

Before we get to that, though, some background. We have already hit the debt ceiling. The Treasury is now using "extraordinary measures" to pay our bills.

Here are some of these "extraordinary measures," along with the cash they're freeing up.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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I Watched LG's Incredible 3D Video Wall Too Long, and Now I Can't Enjoy Real LIfe

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5975286/i-watched-lgs-incredible-3d-video-wall-too-long-and-now-i-cant-enjoy-real-life

Over the last few days, I've spent hours churning out posts in front of the "world's largest 3D video wall" at the back of LG's CES booth. Every neuron in my body is exhausted. I may never feel emotion again.

At CES, writers who don't have access to fancy trailers need to find a cozy spot to sit and write after scouring the show floor for new gadgets. I found my spot by the LG wall showing off the company's 3D Cinema technology almost immediately after the show floor opened—it beckoned me with the sound of a booming symphony.

The thing is massive—the takes up an entire floor-to-ceiling wall of LG's booth at CES. Maybe a story tall. I don't know, I'm bad at estimating but it was tall and wide. The screen is made up of an endless number of panels, each of which could be a big screen TV in your house. The wall itself, could be the broadside of a suburban mansion.

I put on the 3D glasses LG provided, and I was blown away at how the objects exploded off the screen. For days, I watched thousands of people stare at the screen in disbelief as they'd reach out to grab the objects that seemed to float in front of their faces.

But whereas everyone else walked away, I just stayed there. And now, the drab colors and non-epic sound sound of real life bore me. I just incepted a cooler world into my brain. I will never be free. Thanks a lot, CES.

Samsung's 55-inch OLED 3D HDTV eyes-on: one set, multiple views

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/11/samsungs-55-inch-oled-3d-hdtv-eyes-on-one-set-multiple-views/

Look closely at the image above. See that clear portion depicting a food fight? That's coming through the right lens of dedicated eyewear made specifically for Samsung's 55-inch OLED Multi-View HDTV. The sleek, silver-trimmed 1080p set, recently unveiled at CES 2013, utilizes a quad-core processor and 240Hz refresh rate to send specific "firing patterns" to a user's eyewear that's then filtered out by swapping the input control (A /B) located above the left ear. The actual 3D effect varies from an artificial seeming emphasis on layers of depth, to the more traditional, and quite impressive, "in your face" immersive experience. Multiple input configurations are also possible, allowing users in the same room to watch either two separate 3D images, one 3D plus two 2D images or four 2D images simultaneously. So, basically, you can keep playing your PS3 while a loved one watches Homeland.

The 55-inch set also comes equipped with an inbuilt webcam that's tucked just behind the top front panel and supports Samsung's Smart Hub. Pricing hasn't been made known at this time, but you should see the Multi-View set hit retail sometime mid-July 2013.

Gallery: Samsung 55-inch OLED 3D HDTV eyes-on

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Samsung

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Gorgeous, Bizarre Wooden Speakers Livestream the Sounds of a Japanese Forest

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5975181/gorgeous-bizarre-wooden-speakers-livestream-the-sounds-of-a-japanese-forest

JVC Kenwood has released a set of bewildering wireless wooden speakers in Japan. Looking more like just a speaker frame, the pair vibrate to produce sounds, which unfortunately means their bass performance is non-existent.

It's form over function to the extreme, but JVC Kenwood is ok with that. Because the speakers, priced at $3,400 for the larger twelve-inch model and $700 for the smaller five-inch model, were actually only designed to play one thing: the noise of a forest.

The company will be offering an accompanying monthly subscription service in Japan that streams sounds captured by two forest-based microphones. One is set up on Honshu, in the Japanese Alps near Takayama. The other is near Morotsuka, on the mountainous southernmost island of Kyushu, known for its volcanoes and hot springs.

This like a ridiculously expensive version of one of those white noise machines—minus the "whale song" and "ocean waves" options. Would you pay a premium to know you're listening live to an honest-to-God forest? [The Asahi Shimbun via MoCo Loco]

Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 arrives on AT&T for $200 without contract

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/11/lenovo-ideatab-a2107/

The Lenovo IdeaTab A2107, which was announced at IFA this past fall, has now officially been adopted by AT&T as its newest member of the carrier's tablet lineup. You can grab the 7-inch slate for $200 without worrying about a two-year commitment (if you're okay with a contract, you can grab it for $100). The tablet houses a MTK dual-core Cortex A9 processor, runs Android 4.0 and utilizes a 1,024 x 600 display. Additional specs include WiFi 802.11b/g/n, Bluetooth 4.0 and FM radio. For more info, head to the press release below.

Continue reading Lenovo IdeaTab A2107 arrives on AT&T for $200 without contract

Filed under: Tablets, AT&T

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Source: AT&T

Turn Your iPad Into a DJ Station With Two Turntables and Some Suction Cups

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5975135/turn-your-ipad-into-a-dj-station-with-two-turntables-and-some-suction-cups

iPad docks featuring a set of compact turntables for DJs who like to travel light are nothing new. But ION Audio has come up with a small collection of suction-cuppable accessories that turn the iPad itself into a pair of decks and a mixer on the cheap.

Serious turntablists will probably want to stay well clear of the company's new Scratch 2 Go kit, which uses capacitive-compatible wheels, cross faders, and dials to interact with various DJ apps. But that's also why ION Audio will sell it for only around $40, starting in May. You're never going to see it in use in a real club, but for those who want to try their hand at DJing, it's a cheap way to get started. [Ion Audio via Cnet]

Asus Claims the Title of World's Smallest Wi-Fi Router

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5975159/asus-claims-the-title-of-worlds-smallest-wi+fi-router

Amongst all of its Windows 8 PCs and tablet announcements at CES, Asus also quietly revealed what it's boasting as the world's smallest Wi-Fi router. And with a form factor only slightly larger than a well-equipped flash drive, the WL-330NUL Pocket Router is the perfect accessory for minimalist road warriors.

Weighing in at just 25 grams, the 802.11b/g/n router includes an ethernet port on one end for sharing a wired connection, and a USB cable on the other for stealing power from a computer. It can also be plugged into an outlet if you want to spare your laptop's battery. For ultra-thin notebooks lacking an ethernet port, the WL-330NUL doubles as a USB ethernet adapter too. As for pricing and availability, that's still to be announced.

[Asus via Fareastgizmos]

Verizon says nearly half of data use on its network relies on LTE

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/11/verizon-says-nearly-half-of-data-use-on-its-network-relies-on-lt/

Verizon was the second US carrier to launch an LTE network, giving it ample opportunity to extend its 4G reach in more than two years. And according to network engineering VP Mike Haberman, it has -- he tells FierceWireless that nearly 50 percent of the carrier's data traffic goes through the LTE network, a big jump even over October's 35 percent. It's not hard to understand why when Big Red adds other numbers to the equation. When its LTE coverage potentially addresses 273.5 million Americans, and 85 percent of its subscription customers are picking up LTE devices like the Droid DNA, it's almost inevitable that many will leave 3G in the dust. Not that Verizon will do exactly the same, just yet -- its CDMA and EV-DO networks will hang on until the end of the decade.

Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, Verizon

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Via: AllThingsD

Source: F ierceWireless

Sharp's 32-Inch 4K Igzo Monitor Might Be What Makes All the 4K Hype into a Real Thing

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5975022/sharps-32+inch-4k-igzo-monitor-might-be-what-makes-all-the-4k-hype-into-a-real-thing

Sharp is showing off its Igzo 4K monitor at CES, but so what—everyone's showing off a 4K something or other. Except Sharp's actually getting ready to sell these things.

We've told you about Igzo tech before, and its myriad benefits to phones and tablets due to its thinness and power efficiency. But the Igzo tech is also what lets Sharp mass produce these things, instead of just showing one-off prototypes at tech shows.

So how's it look? So good. Very really extremely good. The viewing angle is absurdly good, the clarity is nuts, and the resolution makes even very small type readable. You can't really go into too much depth with an eyes-on from a show floor, but suffice to say this is what you want your super expensive beauty queen of a monitor to look like. And it's pretty damn exciting that we (or at least the disgustingly wealthy among us) will be able to buy these things. Now all we need is some content.

This Is the Most Badass PC Case

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5974911/this-is-the-most-badass-pc-case

Need to protect your PC from earthquakes and catastrophic clumsiness? Not opposed to ridiculous design? In-Win's D-Frame PC case might be up your alley. This little monster is so ugly it wraps back around to awesome.

The case's pipe-y frame is made from aluminum and the plate that protects the components isn't plastic, but actual glass. It comes in two equally garish colors—orange and red—and the flashy, skeletal sucker is going to cost you a bit. A D-Frame will run you $399, and they're only putting out 500 of them, so if you want one, you'll have to act fast. Or you can just opt for something a little less over-the-top. That'd probably be cheaper anyway.

Achros Titanium Hands-On: For $119 This Tablet Gets the Job Done

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5974953/achros-titanium-hands+on-for-119-this-tablet-gets-the-job-done

You may remember the rumors of a $99 Nexus 7 that were popping up a few months back. That never came to pass, but it looks like Archos is trying its hands at that pricepoint now with the new line of Titanium tablets, including a $119 7-incher. And it feels...OK.

Archos has rolled out a metric shit-ton of different varieties of tablets in the line, including the 7-inch ARCHOS 70 ($119), the 8-inch 80 ($169), the 10.1-inch 101 ($200) and the 9.7-inch 97 ($250). All of the tablets share basically the same core specs: dual-core 1.6GHz CPUs with quad-core GPUs, 8GB of storage (upgradable to 64GB by microUSB), lackluster 2MP front-facing cameras, and they all run Jellybean 4.1. The Archos 9.7 boasts a 2048 x 1536 display, but the rest aren't so lucky.

As for how they feel, well, they feel like they cost. The beauty of the Nexus 7 was its low-price point and smooth experience, and in that respect, the Achros 70 is no $99 Nexus 7. While the performance seems serviceable, there's definitely a certain jankiness to the scrolling, even on the home-screen. It's workable, but clearly sub-optimal. The tablets themselves feel well-made, but there are little points of cheapness that stick out. The buttons, for instance, were somewhat loose and plasticy and just felt crappy.

It's hard to make a real judgement with just a few minutes of hands-on time, but I'm not going to let that stop me. It seems like the Archos 70 (and its kin) are pretty damn good considering their low price-point, but you'd get so so so so much more bang for you buck if you pony up the extra 80 for a Nexus 7. But if you can't spare the extra scratch, the Archos Titanium line looks like a promising budget offering. But it's just that: budget.

Geonaute's 360 degree sports camera catches all the action, even our hands on

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/10/geonautes-360-degree-sports-camera/

Sport and action cameras are big business, and even though there are a couple of main players, it doesn't stop other's trying to get a bite of the apple. Geonaute, however, have come at the situation from a different angle. Heck, they're coming at it from every angle, with its 360-degree offering. Equipped with three 8-megapixel wide-angle lenses the camera captures an almost spherical field of view. This might initially sound like a strange idea... after all, who wants all of that in one video, won't it all be warped beyond recognition? The short answer is no, in fact it's much better than you would ever have thought, and we'll explain why shortly. Going back to the camera itself, it looks a little like the innards of those security cameras you find in government buildings etc that peer at you ominously. However, in this case, the three lenses have color detail around them which makes them look anything but sinister, and the circular base section might look a little large, but in fact it's light in the hand -- and actually helps it sit quite comfortably atop a helmet.

In 360 video mode the advertised resolution is up to 2,048 x 1,024. In photo mode you'll get single shot, burst and time-lapse modes with a top resolu! tion of 4,096 x 2,048. The actual FOV is 360 degrees on the horizontal, and 150 degrees vertically, but the end result is a fairly complete viewing sphere. The 3,000 mAh battery should be good for two hours of footage, and the microSD card slot will take cards of up to 32GB. While there is a waterproof housing, the camera itself will take the elements on pretty well thanks to its IPX7 rating. Read on after the break for more impressions.

Gallery: Geonaute's 360 degree sports camera catches all the action, even our hands on

Continue reading Geonaute's 360 degree sports camera catches all the action, even our hands on

Filed under: Cameras

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BenQ unveils two 1080p 3D projectors at CES

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/11/benq-unveils-two-1080p-3d-projectors-at-ces/

BenQ isn't holding any keynotes, but the company does have a presence here at CES. In fact it rolled out a pair of 1080p 3D projectors today for the home theater enthusiast. The W1070 and W1080ST are the latest in the company's consumer line, and they're powered by DLP's Dark Chip 3 which is usually found in high-end models. But at $1,099 and $1,299, respectively, the W1070 and W1080ST certainly aren't priced for the high end. The 1080 can project images up to 100 inches wide from as little as six feet away. It's even ready for proper color calibration right out of the box. Both machines are also compatible with NVIDIA's 3D Play and DLP Link, plus they're sporting dual HDMI ports. Both are available now. For more info check out the PR below.

Continue reading BenQ unveils two 1080p 3D projectors at CES

Filed under: HD

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Plextor trots out M5M series mSATA drives at CES

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/11/plextor-m5m-msata/

Plextor just unearthed a new lineup of mSATA drives that will be targeted at enthusiasts looking to give their ultraportables an additional shot of adrenaline. Known as the M5M series, the diminutive chips will come in 64GB, 128GB and 256GB sizes, each which boast a highly respectable sequential read speed of 540 MB/s. Meanwhile, sequential write speed for the three models is rated at 160 MB/s, 320 MB/s and 430 MB/s, respectively. The M5M series carries a mean time before failure (MTBF) of 2.4 million hours, and is said to become available this quarter. No word yet about pricing, however. To learn about the security features of the Plextor M5M series, feel free to hit up the PR after the break.

[Image credit: AnandTech]

Continue reading Plextor trots out M5M series mSATA drives at CES

Filed under: Peripherals

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BenQ's RL2455HM gaming monitor cranks up response time to 1ms

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/01/10/benqs-rl2455hm-gaming-monitor-cranks-up-response-time-to-1ms/

CES rolls on, and BenQ's got a new monitor to vie for your gaming dollars. The new RL2455HM "professional gaming monitor" is based off last year's RL2450HT but with increased GTG response time, 2-watt stereo speakers as well as a pair of HDMI ports. BenQ's Black eQualizer, Display Mode and Smart Scaling custom settings will also be in attendance, but the company is pitching its new monitor at console gamers, with that zippy response time and 60Hz refresh rate hopefully making all the difference in high-tempo FPS' and fighting games. It'll arrive inside gaming dens this March, priced at $229.

Continue reading BenQ's RL2455HM gaming monitor cranks up response time to 1ms

Filed under: Displays, Gaming

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The Most Awesomest Televisions at CES 2013

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5974654/the-most-awesomest-televisions-at-ces-2013

2013 is shaping up to be a huge year for huge televisions. Almost every major brand is rolling out gigantic sets and packing them with four times the resolution of current TVs. One curved display is even redefining what constitutes a "flat screen" TV, period. Here's what to watch in 2013.

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Westinghouse's 110-Inch 4K TV

It's 110 inches of 4K glory. It's also $300,000. This is the only television at the show that requires a second mortgage.

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Samsung's 85-Inch Ultra-HD TV

Samsung builds a gorgeous UHD display. Then, for reasons we may never fully understand, decides to mount it permanently into an easel like it's a dry erase board. Still, the monitor itself is stunning.

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Sony's 56-Inch 4K OLED TV

A brand new technology like OLED is good. A not-yet-on-the-market technology like 4K is even better. Putting the two together must be even better, right? Right.

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Hisense's 110-inch XT900

Hisense is a bit of a dark horse brand here in the states but with incredible displays like the six it rolled out at CES—especially like this 110-inch stunner—it'll be a household name in no time.

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LG's Curved 3D OLED TV

Why would you build a curved 3D OLED display? Wait a second. Why wouldn't you build a curved 3D OLED display?

REDRAY Hands-On: A Giant Black Death Star Full of Beauty

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5974990/redray-hands+on-a-giant-black-death-star-full-of-beauty

The only problem with 4K TV, other than being too expensive for anyone who isn't a Prince William, is that there's no good way to get 4K stuff to watch. Right? RED is selling a super-HD streaming box that says otherwise.

The Redray—and I'm not going to spell it in all-caps anymore because I hate that—is a dedicated deck for 4K movies. It's packing a 1 TB hard drive inside, plus an SD port and USB 2.0 (ugh) for loading up video on that big sucker. You'll also be able to download films from a cloud service called Odemax, which I've never heard of, and won't tell us what movies will be available.

So, on paper it's not that great. But on a Toshiba 4K display, the box beats its paper rep: even compressed way down in file size, the movies look phenomenal. And that compression bit is crucial: native 4K video is enormously, ludicrously giant. Nobody will be able to download them for a long time, and they won't fit on any disc. So knowing that shrinking them to 2.5 MB/sec doesn't ruin the footage—far from it!—is terrific news. Every single scene looked phenomenal, without any noticeable artifacting or video blemishes. So, if RED can solidify a less ambiguous means of buying (or renting!) 4K files, this thing could make owning a 4K set, someday, less painful. At least when (or if) it ever comes down from a pro-only price of $1,450. [Redray]