TweetDeck Now Available On The iPhone [Apps]
TweetDeck Now Available On The iPhone [Apps]
UPDATE: The app has been released—and it's free. [iTunes and Kevin Rose via Digg]
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
You Too Can Wear the Head of Optimus Prime (in Augmented Reality, Of Course) [Transformers]
You Too Can Wear the Head of Optimus Prime (in Augmented Reality, Of Course) [Transformers]
So here's how this works: the Active X applet hijacks your webcam and uses face/eye detection to figure out where to plaster Prime's face. Once it figures that out, it renders a 3D head around your own mug, allowing you live vicariously through the leader of the autobots. But if you get too zealous in trying to save the world, the helmet will disappear—vigorous head movement angers the Autobot gods, and they will steal the head of Prime from you (along with the Matrix of Leadership).
The best part about this taking place in augmented reality is that you don't have to figure out a way to behead a 30-foot robot. Plus, you won't get motor oil (not to mention any other fluids and lubricants he has running through his system) all over your shit. [We Are Autobots]
Cortex A9: ARM's Multi-Core Mobile CPUs [CPUs]
Cortex A9: ARM's Multi-Core Mobile CPUs [CPUs]
Multicore processors in mobile devices are only a matter of time, and that time appears to be coming closer for ARM, as their Cortex A9 chips will ship in phones in 2010. Arm chips are found in various handsets, including all three generations of the iPhone. [CNET]
Hands On Samsung's Galaxy i7500 Android Haptic Smartphone [First Look]
Hands On Samsung's Galaxy i7500 Android Haptic Smartphone [First Look]
Samsung's Galaxy is a 11.9 millimeter-slim handset that features a 3.2-inch AMOLED touchscreen and 5-megapixel camera, and also comes equipped with GPS, Wi-Fi and and WCDMA support. Even more, the phone calls attention to the haptic feedback on its virtual keyboard, which is a first for a major touchscreen smartphone.
Because the AMOLED screen reportedly draws less power than the iPhone's TFT-LCD screens do, the Galaxy apparently has a longer battery life, making this—coupled with the haptic feedback—more mainstream-consumer friendly for those who have yet to purchase a smartphone. Although pricing and release dates are not finalized, the Galaxy will supposedly be available in Europe by the end of this month, and the rest of the world in the second half of 2009. [PC World via Talk Android]
RF Cochlea Is a Super-Powered Signal Processor Modeled After the Inner Ear [Future Tech]
RF Cochlea Is a Super-Powered Signal Processor Modeled After the Inner Ear [Future Tech]
The inner ear is able to take in all the noise in a surrounding area, and adapt how it processes the sound accordingly. Gizmag says that in a similar fashion, the RF Cochlea is able to analyze a wide range of frequencies, and maximize how it routes data for maximum bandwidth and minimal power consumption. In testing, these designs have been faster than anything they've ever seen before.
What this means for the rest of us is the development of faster, smarter radios for signals such as television channels, cellphones, wi-fi, etc... These "smart radios" could not only take unused bandwidth from one application and put it to work in another, but they could also learn to avoid certain frequencies based on the radio waves in their current location. The end result would be stronger, clearer wireless signals.
The researchers also think it would be possible to commercialize this technology within a couple of years, if someone was so motivated. I like that. [Gizmag]
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