Source: http://gizmodo.com/3d-printed-steel-structures-are-as-efficient-as-they-ar-1587214335
No matter how many times you hear about a new breakthrough, 3D printing is amazing, transformative technology. Now, a new method for 3D printing steel joints stands to revolutionize the construction industry. It looks pretty badass, too.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/airbnb-will-help-you-grab-a-seat-at-a-strangers-dinner-table-2014-6
Airbnb has made its name finding users inexpensive places to stay, usually in people's homes. Now, the San Francisco startup is not only willing to find you a bed, but also a spot at the dinner table.
"Experience San Francisco like a local," Airbnb.com advises. "Get off the beaten path with the Airbnb community."
Airbnb calls its new feature Experience, and sports a handful of categories: Eat With Locals, Sightseeing, Outdoors, Food And Drinks, and Explore And Learn. Currently, Experience seems to be limited to San Francisco and Paris.
The Eat With Locals category is the one that will snag you a seat at supper for a price.
Some are simple.
Some are educational.
Some are themed.
This isn't the first time Airbnb has tried out a non-house-sharing feature. Earlier this year the startup began testing its cleaning ser! vices for Bay Area users.
SEE ALSO: 12 amazing Airbnb rentals in Brazil
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Source: http://gizmodo.com/folding-oled-displays-could-make-a-bendy-bright-kindle-1587049092
Well, e-ink, you've had a great run. You showed us that reading on electronic displays could be just as enjoyable as paper, and somehow you thrived in a world of color-screen tablets. But with these new OLED displays that can be folded up like a magazine, your days could finally be numbered.
Source: http://gizmodo.com/scientists-invent-a-laser-that-fires-electrical-charge-1586783382
Researchers at the University of Michigan have just stumbled upon the most important development in laser research since the invention of the semiconductor diode in the 1950s. It promises to create a new class of lasers that use 250 times less energy than today's, and that's not even the craziest part.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/06/gigabyte-aorus-x3-plus/
Following the impressive Razer Blade we reviewed last month, Gigabyte also wants a piece of the portable gaming laptop action with its new Aorus X3 line, a sub-14-inch Windows 8.1 device that claims to be the world's "most powerful and lightest" in its class. In terms of weight, it starts from 4.12 pounds (1.87kg) which is more attractive than the new Blade's 4.47 pounds (2.03kg). The smaller X3 has an impressive 13.3-inch QHD (2,560 x 1,440) LCD, whereas the larger 13.9-inch X3 Plus lets you choose between a QHD panel and a sweeter QHD+ (3,200 x 1,800) version.
Both variants of the gaming beast come with Intel's Core i7-4710HQ (2.5-3.5GHz), 8GB of DDR3L-1600 RAM (with a spare slot for another 8GB) and an NVIDIA GeForce GTX 870M with 6GB of GDDR5 memory. You can have a pair of 256GB or 512GB SSDs configured in RAID 0, meaning you get super fast access to a maximum of 1TB space. Together with the macro keys plus Gigabit LAN connection or 802.11ac WiFi, online gamers should have no problem entertaining themselves with these machines -- at least until the 74Wh battery has been drained while gaming on the go.
As you can imagine, these gaming laptops don't come cheap: Both the X3 and the X3 Plus will go from $2,099 when they launch in Q3 this year, with one-year global warranty plus one-year local warranty included.
source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/Bvw3plaoBZ4/apple-iwatch-launch-2014-6
Apple will unveil and release its highly-anticipated smartwatch, which many presume to be called "iWatch," in October, according to a report from Re/code.
Re/code has a stellar track record when it comes to Apple news, so we believe this report to be legitimate.
According to the report, Apple says it is confident enough in its product that it will produce 3 to 5 million for the initial shipment.
The New York Times was one of the first outlets to report on the iWatch, after a February 2013 report from Nick Bilton illuminated Apple's nascent smartwatch efforts, likening its possible "next big thing" to something Dick Tracy or James Bond would use: "A watch that double[s] as a computer, two-way radio, mapping device or television."
Renewable energy is getting better all the time, but no-one's yet worked out a good way to store the juice for those cloudy, windless days. Batteries do work, but given the high cost of swapping out the cells for your EV, we doubt that Duracell will start making a five-megawatt version any time soon. That's why British company Isentropic is developing a system that could store energy in cells that are filled with gravel. Using Argon gas and a heat-exchange pump, the electrical energy from solar panels or wind turbines is used to warm the gravel. When the energy is required, the process is reversed, and the heat is used to drive an engine that creates power ready for the grid. It's nowhere near as efficient as other power storage systems, since you'll only get out about 75 percent of what you put in, but the low cost and ease of installation means that it's not so outrageous as you think. It's a shame that the gravel has to be stored in a tank full of Argon -- we quite liked the idea of filling the boot of an EV with rocks, or even just parking it on an energy-storing driveway, before driving away.
When Apple unveiled the Touch ID API during its WWDC keynote earlier this week, users and developers alike immediately started considering possible uses. It seems PayPal was also quite interested in putting the fingerprint technology to work in its mobile app. According to Business Insider, sever...
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Limited offline functionality has long been an issue that critics of Chromebooks have used to shoot down the concept. Just ask Microsoft, who enlisted reality TV stars to dis Chromebooks …
http://www.androidauthority.com/offline-movies-chromebook-390358/
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Google has unleashed a Chrome add-on for the video on-demand arm of its Play store, a move that also to combat the notion that Chromebooks die and wither away from internet connections. Just as promised, the add-on lets the ChromeOS devices store movies for offline playback -- you know, those long flights or camping trips in places where Netflix doesn't reach, like anywhere with Verizon FiOS. Unfortunately the trick doesn't extend to Chrome browsers on other platforms, although you can still use the extension to view your library of content or purchase new stuff to watch. The Google Play Movies & TV extension also promises a better Chromecast experience, and the info cards about actors in a scene that rolled out on Android last year. Those are now available in all countries with Google Play Movies, so head to the Chrome store to try it out for yourself.
[Image credit: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg via Getty Images]
Filed under: Desktops, Home Entertainment, Laptops, HD, Google
Source: Google Play (G+)
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/05/kinect-windows-preorder/
If you've been jonesing to snag the new Kinect sensor for Windows, you can now get one -- well, almost. Microsoft has just made its latest Kinect for Windows available for pre-order for only $199.99 with the promise of shipment by July 2014 if you do so while supplies last. The idea behind the early release is to give developers a head start on building applications for the latest v2 technology, though there's nothing stopping regular consumers from getting in on the action as well. As a reminder, the new Kinect for Windows promises improved depth sensing, a wider field of view, 1080p resolution and more. So if you're tired of the Xbox One getting all the Kinect love, feel free to see what the Windows version has to offer at the source link below.
Filed under: Gaming, Microsoft
Source: Microsoft
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/05/verizon-issues-netflix-with-cease-and-desist/
In this digital age, it can be nice to receive a letter. Not so much if you're Netflix, and the letter is a cease and desist from an angry Verizon. The contents of said letter are in relation to claims from Netflix (as published on Quartz) that error messages some customers on Verizon were receiving were due to their ISP, and not its own infrastructure. The actual error read "The Verizon network is crowded right now." Verizon on the other hand claims there's "no basis" for the movie streaming service to assert that the errors are coming from its end, but stops short of suggesting it's actually Netflix that's at fault. Barely a month after that deal for direct access, and already the relationship seems to be turning sour.
Update: Netflix has fired back, explaining that "This is about consumers not getting what they paid for from their broadband provider. We are trying to provide more transparency, just like we do with the ISP Speed Index, and Verizon is trying to shut down that discussion."Filed under: Internet
Source: CNBC
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/41-most-nutritious-fruits-and-vegetables-2014-6
Nutritional guidelines encourage Americans to consume more "powerhouse" fruits and vegetables — those foods that are most strongly associated with reduced risks of chronic disease. But there's been no clear directive on how exactly "powerhouse" foods should be defined.
Now, a Jun. 5 study in the CDC journal Preventing Chronic Disease puts forth a method for defining and ranking powerhouse foods.
Lead author Jennifer Di Noia, a sociologist at William Paterson University who specializes in public health and food choice, came up with a preliminary list of 47 "powerhouse" foods based on consumer guidelines and scientific literature. For example, berries and vegetables in the onion/garlic family were included "in light of their associations with reduced risks for cardiovascular and neurodegenerative diseases and some cancers."
Di Noia then ranked the foods based on their nutritional density. She focused on 17 nutrients "of public health importance per the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and Institute of Medicine." These are potassium, fiber, protein, calcium, iron, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, folate, zinc, and vitamins A, B6, B12, C, D, E, and K.
Each food had to provide at least 10% of the daily value of a particular nutrient to be considered a good source. Providing more than 100% of the daily value of one nutrient conferred no extra benefit. The scores were calculated in favor of lower-calorie foods and weighted based on how "bioavailable" each nutrient is (i.e., how much the body can make use of a nutrient once it's! been in gested in food form).
Six foods (raspberry, tangerine, cranberry, garlic, onion, and blueberry) on the original list of 47 did not satisfy the "powerhouse" criteria. Here are the remaining 41, ranked in order of nutrient density. Foods that are high in nutrients without also being high in calories will be at the top.
Everyone has different dietary needs, and no one should make drastic dietary changes without consulting a dietitian or a doctor. But adding more "powerhouse" fruits and vegetables to your diet is a good first step on the way to a healthier lifestyle.
SEE ALSO: 15 Terrible Things That Happen If You Eat Too Much Sugar
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It's no secret that Barnes & Noble has been trying to save money by offloading its tablet development to someone else, but more than a few people expected that "someone" to be Microsoft. Mmm, not quite. The bookseller revealed today that its (first) tablet partner is none other than Samsung, and that the 7-inch Galaxy Tab 4 Nook they've been working on will launch in August.
We're not just looking at a version of Samsung's existing tablet that ships with the Nook app preinstalled, either. BN's statement makes mention of "customized" Nook software, but we're digging further to see what exactly sets this thing apart from the rest of Samsung's wares. What is clear is that this is a savvy move for all parties: Samsung gets yet another avenue through which it can push for global electronics domination, and BN gets a solid (if perhaps unremarkable) tablet that it didn't have to sink gobs of money into. Will it be enough to unseat Amazon's Kindle Fire series, or any other claimants to the reading tablet throne? It seems unlikely, but hell, kudos to Barnes & Noble for taking the shot anyway.
As a reminder, BN hasn't completely given up on selling its own Nook devices -- the existing Nook with GlowLight will still be on offer, though we have to wonder how that might change if this mashup with Samsung takes off. After all, the last time the scrappy bookseller posted its quarterly earnings, it pointed to a nearly 60 percent drop in Nook and Nook accessory sales.
Source: Barnes & Noble
Source: http://gizmodo.com/control-vr-gloves-are-like-the-powerglove-you-always-wa-1586540228
So let's say you've got your Oculus Rift headset on and it's pretty awesome
Source: http://gizmodo.com/internet-vulnerability-left-encrypted-data-exposed-for-1586558051
It's been just a few months since the Heartbleed
Source: http://gizmodo.com/berkeley-labs-2d-transistor-could-supercharge-tomorrows-1584558279
Graphene is regularly touted as a "super material" in electronics manufacturing—one able to do everything that silicon does, except better. But that isn't good enough for one team at Berkeley Labs. They've combined graphene with two other cutting-edge materials to create the world's first 2D field effects transistor. Your gadgets are about to get much, much faster.
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/bitcoin-jumps-after-ecb-2014-6
This is interesting. Maybe it's nothing. Maybe it's not. But Simon de la Rouviere points out that it looks like Bitcoin just had its first ever reaction to a central bank announcement.
Specifically, at 7:45, the ECB made the historic decision to cut rates to negative. In other words, one of their interest rates will literally make it so that it costs people to save money.
And look what Bitcoin did right then. It's hard to believe there would be any direct link between monetary policy and the digital currency. But still, the timing is notable.
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TAIPEI, Taiwan -- Intel first revealed its RealSense 3D camera back at CES at the start of the year. Calling it the first of its "perceptual computing" products, Intel's Mooly Eden talked about how the RealSense camera could use technologies such as facial and voice recognition along with gesture...
http://www.cnet.com/news/intel-issues-1m-challenge-for-devs-to-make-realsense-apps/#ftag=CADf328eec
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From colour theory to cultural awareness, psychologist Dr Simon Moore explains the compulsion secrets hidden in mobile games like Candy Crush Saga Casual games like Candy Crush Saga and Angry Birds may look simple, but underneath those bright colours, calming sounds and flashing messages, there's...
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/jun/04/candy-crush-angry-birds-mobile-games
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If you're like me and love technology but hate the rats nest of cables it requires, we could be in for some good news. Intel has demonstrated a system that could be incorporated into future computers that allows wireless connectivity for power, displays, and connection to accessories like externa...
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Spansion says it can eliminate the need to put a battery in the tiny sensors that will deliver the measurements from the Internet of things." That should make it much more affordable to deploy billions of such sensors. The new solution uses chips that can harvest their own energy from the sun, vi...
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What has six cameras, a large screen and tracks your head? Amazon's new phone, probably. The company's first handset has been long rumored and occasionally leaked, but now the company seems ready to make it official: Jeff Bezos is hosting a hitherto unannounced "launch event" later this month. The company's page for the event is little more than a invitation request form, but an attached teaser video meshes well with the purported phone's rumored head-tracking capabilities. "It moved with me!" exclaims an unnamed tester, staring at an object just out of frame. Sounds neat.
While the video itself doesn't show anything specific, the reactions it shows are consistent with the prototype BGR uncovered back in April. That handset had a 4.7-inch screen and a staggering five front-facing camera, which were said to be used for tracking the user's face as they combed their way through an interactive 3D interface. It was also said to be running a Qualcomm Snapdragon CPU and 2GB of RAM, but what Amazon's going to show on June 18th is still anybody's guess. Still, the teaser page revealed one more thing: the product will have a sleek black bevel and an Amazon logo (pictured above). Well, we can't say we're surprised. We'll let you know all the details when Bezos makes this thing official later this month.
Update: Amazon's teaser betrayed a little more than we thought. At 0:41, the unnamed device peeks out from behind the video's bottom edge, revealing what appears to be a blurry power button and a headphone jack. It's definitely a phone. You can thank Aaron Kasten's sharp eyes (and Google+ post) for the peek.
Let's flash back to the heady days of CES 2014, shall we? Sony embraced the wearable bandwagon (again) with the "tiniest gadget" it's ever made, and now the Americans reading this can go out and nab one of their own.
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/05/japanese-phone-company-softbank-shows-off-its-new-robot-customer/
Japanese telecom Softbank and its CEO Masayoshi Son have never been afraid to push the envelope, and now the exec is presenting a new development: robots. Presented at a press conference earlier today in Japan (take a peek at the live video stream embedded after the break) it's called Pepper, and uses technology acquired from the French robotics company Aldebaran. Those are the folks behind the Nao humanoid robots we've been covering for years, from their first steps to the inevitable dance-offs that followed. Aldebaran CEO Bruno Maisonnier credited Son for believing in its vision, saying robots that can recognize human emotion will change the way we live and communicate -- and this is a big step towards getting bots into daily lives, at least if you live in Japan. The robots will debut at two stores tomorrow in their customer service capacity, but Softbank is planning to put them on sale to the public next year, priced just shy of $2,000.
Pepper can communicate through emotion, speech or body language and it's equipped with both mics and proximity sensors. Inside, it will be possible to install apps and upgrade the unit's functionality, the plan being to make Pepper far more smarter than when you first bought it. It already understands 4,500 Japanese words, but perhaps more impressively, Pepper can apparently read into the tone used to understand its master's disposition. Maisonnier claims this will be the start of a robot revolution that rivals the rollout of the PC and smartphone. According to him "With Pepper, the future begins today."
Filed under: Cellphones, Robots, Mobile
Source: Engadget Japanese
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/05/art-projector-dancing-shadows/
You know how to turn crooked vases into an interesting art installation that remind us of Beauty and the Beast's singing pots and candlesticks? We'd like to say magic, but since we don't live in a Disney movie, the right answer is motion tracking and real-time 3D rendering. The installation's creators, artist Laurent Craste and digital agency Dpt., used a hidden projector to make the vases' shadows dance whenever a viewer swings the lamp above them. Their movements even depend on the lamp's swing, so side-to-side swinging triggers the same animation, while a more circular one also shows the lamp's shadows going in circles. Sadly, you can't see this in person anymore (it was displayed at a festival in Montreal in May), but you can watch the video after the break.
Filed under: Misc
Via: Laughing Squad, Colossal
Source: dpt, Laurent Craste
Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/06/05/control-vr-motion-tracking-gloves/
With the sale of Oculus Rift to Facebook for $2 billion, virtual reality has officially become very interesting for developers. One of the companies trying to ride that wave is Control VR, which is ready to launch its gesture control gloves on Kickstarter. Though VR gloves have been around for a long time, so far they've been prototypes, DIY projects or very pricey devices used for surgery, robotics and other specialized fields. Control VR is aiming wider, however, with an early backer price of $350. It believes it can hit that number using DARPA-designed microsensors which detect small inertial changes in order to finely track your arms, hands and fingers. That'll let you control virtual objects like game characters and 3D animations, or even physical devices like robots or military hardware.
The development kit will come with 20 free demo apps, and support Windows, Android and Mac operating systems. In addition, the team will supply an open-source SDK to create software for the Oculus Rift, Google Glass and even the Parrot AR drone. As with Oculus, Control VR is targeting consumers as much as it's targeting businesses. Potential uses include 3D motion capture (including the difficult-to-animate fingers), music composition, design, a control interface for Google Glass and Oculus Rift, a controller for games and apps like Google Earth, and even a drone control interface.
While all of this sounds pretty ambitious, the company believes there's no similar tech that's close to the same state of readiness. As such, they're seeking $250,000 when Control VR launches today on Kickstarter at 12:30 PM ET (that's the same sum Oculus originally sought, by the way). A $350 pledge will get you on the early backer's list and net you a one-arm system with a 7-sensor glove, a one-sensor chest piece, an arm sensor, 20 app demos and the SDK. $699 will get you a two-arm system. If you're among the first 1,000 backers of either package, Control VR says you'll receive it sometime in December of this year, while later backers will receive theirs in January 2015. You can make your pledge when the Kickstarter page goes live at 12:30 PM ET -- at which point you'll get all the info and a more detailed video.
Filed under: Wearables
Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/asus-padfone-x-for-att-2014-6
If you've been on the fence about buying a tablet, Asus thinks it's solved your problem.
The PadFone X, which will be available on AT&T in the coming weeks, is an Android smartphone that comes with its own accompanying tablet.
The catch, however, is that you can't use the tablet without plugging the smartphone into its back.
The tablet portion is essentially a shell for the smartphone.
As its name implies, the PadFone X is meant to be a smartphone and tablet in one device — not separate. The result is a somewhat bulky combination that provides a generally mediocre overall experience.
That being said, the PadFone does have its benefits. You pay one price — $199.99 on a two-year contract with AT&T — and get the benefits of a phone when you need it and a tablet when you want it.
You also don't have to worry about scouting out a Wi-Fi network to use the tablet if you're already using AT&T's data.
Here's a quick look at what it's like using the PadFone X.
The smartphone slides into a slot in the back of the tablet.
Once you slide it in, the tablet powers on.
The phone is literally being used to power the tablet, which means you can make phone calls with it.
Or send text messages.
The PadFone X is slated to hit AT&T stores later this month. Stay tuned for our full review.
SEE ALSO: Now Windows tablets will be just as thin as the iPad thanks to Intel's new chip
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