drag2share: Alienware's 'Alpha' is a half-step toward Steam Machines

source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/12/alienware-alpha-software/?utm_source=Feed_Classic_Full&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget&?ncid=rss_full

When PC gaming juggernaut Valve announced its Steam Machines initiative in Fall 2013, it was unveiled as such:

"Entertainment is not a one-size-fits-all world. We want you to be able to choose the hardware that makes sense for you, so we are working with multiple partners to bring a variety of Steam gaming machines to market during 2014, all of them running SteamOS."

Not long after, at CES 2014, Valve revealed a full line of Steam Machines from 14 different companies. Chief among them was Alienware, Dell's gaming PC arm, which showed a teensy $550 box called the "Alpha." Alienware was a standout not just due to name recognition, but because the company proposed a launch window for its "game console". The Alpha won't ship with any of the promises of the Steam Machines initiative: no Steam OS and no Steam Controller. Valve's delayed both, but Alienware's pushing on nonetheless with a fall launch.

That's all to say one thing: While the Alpha is still a "Steam Machine" in size and horsepower, it isn't a Steam Machine. The Alienware Alpha is a weird gaming PC.

Alienware held an event last week in New York City to show off the Alpha. We were given time to play games on the system, sure, but the focus of the event was on the custom operating system that Alienware's built to get around the fact that Valve's initiative isn't ready.

According to Alienware, Valve president Gabe Newell sees the Alpha as the "ideal Steam Machine." It's hard to see how, at least at the moment: It runs Windows 8.1, it ships with an Xbox 360 wireless gamepad, and it requires a USB-based wireless dongle to make that gamepad function. Alpha is $550 -- $50 more than the most expensive new game console -- and it's lacking in the horsepower department. Which GPU is inside? A "custom" NVIDIA Maxwell GTX. How about processing? Handled by an Intel i3.

In so many words, the Alpha is roughly as powerful as the Xbox One and PlayStation 4, only it costs more and is nowhere near as accessible.

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OM Audio's levitating Bluetooth speaker can be yours for $179

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/12/levitating-bluetooth-speaker/

We've seen levitating pens, levitating lamps, levitating loungers and even levitating fish -- now there's a Bluetooth speaker to add to the mix. OM Audio, maker of such respectable audio accessories as the Inearpeace earphones and Mantra speakers, has taken a bold leap into the world of novelty products with the OM/One. The compact sphere can be used with or without its magnetic base (which requires an AC adapter), and includes an integrated battery with up to 15 hours of continuous play. There's also a microphone on board, so you can use the OM/One as a speakerphone as well.

We had a chance to check out an early prototype, which you can see in action after the break. Sound quality was fine -- not fantastic, but on par with other compact Bluetooth speakers. You can improve the experience by adding a second OM/One, which pairs with the first to produce stereo audio. The levitating effect is interesting to look at, but it also reportedly helps produce better audio with a lower-power driver, since nearby objects won't absorb sound. You can pre-order it today in black, white or "disco ball" on OM's site for $179. OM reps expect to ship the first batch in December.

Filed under: Home Entertainment

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Source: OM Audio

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Microsoft Research project turns a smartphone camera into a cheap Kinect

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/11/microsoft-research-project-turns-a-smartphone-camera-into-a-chea/

Microsoft's been awfully busy at this year's SIGGRAPH conference: <embers of the company's research division have already illustrated how they can interpret speech based on the vibrations of a potato chip bag and turn shaky camera footage into an experience that feels like flying. Look at the list of projects Microsofties have been working on long enough, though, and something of a theme appears: These folks are really into capturing motion, depth and object deformation with the help of some slightly specialized hardware.

Consider the work of researchers from Microsoft Research's Redmond and Cambridge outposts -- they figured out a way to turn a run-of-the-mill 2D camera like the one embedded in your phone or perched atop your monitor into an infrared camera usable for capturing depth data, sort of like a Kinect. The team made working depth sensors out of a tweaked Android smartphone and a Microsoft webcam, and both were able to track a user's hands and face with aplomb, making them awfully interesting (and relatively cheap) hacks for tinkerers who want to create and test gesture-centric projects without much hassle.

Yet another project saw a team of researchers develop their own RGB-depth camera out of off-the-shelf parts. Why? So they could figure out a way to meld it with software to capture 3D models of people and objects that deform, shift and shimmy in real-time. Imagine holding an inflatable ball in the palm of your hand -- it'd be a piece of cake for an RGBd camera to capture it and for modeling software to render it as a sphere. Now imagine squeezing that ball; imagine the bulges and depressions that take shape as your grip tightens. Between their camera and their software, these researchers have managed to create deformable models much faster than before; it might not be long before such objects wind up in your next frag session.

Filed under: Software, Microsoft

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Source: Microsoft Research

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Watch How Open-Source OpenStreetMap Mapped the Globe In Just 7 Years

Source: http://gizmodo.com/watch-how-open-source-openstreetmap-mapped-the-globe-in-1619401706

A decade ago, OpenStreetMaps launched as a free, open-source alternative to the other mapping tools you may encounter on the internet. Turns out that the collaborative experiment worked exceptionally well, and thanks to a new site, you can see for yourself how the Wikipedia of mapping has covered the whole planet.

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LG's $3,500 OLED TV is the first one you might be able to afford

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/08/11/lg-3500-oled-tv/

Now that plasma TVs are really on their way out, it's the perfect time for a true alternative to LCD, and LG is ready with its cheapest OLED TV yet. The 55EC9300 is the third generation of curved 1080p OLED TVs to roll out and with a price tag of $3,500, the price has dropped 75 percent since the first one debuted a year ago for $15,000. It's still pricey for its size, but you won't have to choose between tuition and a TV this time around. Inside is the webOS Smart TV platform we loved at CES, and of course, the new display technology that is supposed to bring better colors and deeper blacks than have ever been possible before.

The question now, is if the improved colors of OLED are a better option than the high-res 4K screens currently flooding shelves. If the rumors are right, we'll see a 65-inch 4K version soon that cuts out the compromises, but costs twice as much. You'll be able to get your own eyes on the screens soon -- pre-orders are available through Best Buy and Amazon, and Best Buy will sell the set starting on the 24th.

Filed under: Displays, Home Entertainment, HD

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Source: Amazon, Best Buy

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