Kinect turned into a quadrocopter radar (video)

Every night we go to bed thinking that we've finally seen the best Kinect hack done and every morning we wake up to see something even crazier concocted with Microsoft's motion controller. Today, it's been mounted atop a quadrocopter -- yes, man's future worst enemy -- and utilized essentially as a 3D radar, facilitating the bot's autonomous maneuvering around a predetermined track. The random introduction of obstacles is also handled in stride, leaving us equal parts impressed, apprehensive, and eager for more. See the video after the break.

[Thanks, Glen]

Continue reading Kinect turned into a quadrocopter radar (video)

Kinect turned into a quadrocopter radar (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 01:47:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looxcie outs iOS-compatible lifecasting camera, early adopters get the boot

Thinking of grabbing Looxcie's remarkable Bluetooth-based Borg-cam as a $200 stocking stuffer this year? Hold on a twirl, and make sure you're paying for the one that actually plays nice with your mark's favorite smartphone. You see, the company had to make a hardware modification this week to the original Looxcie to make it compatible with iOS devices, and while that's complete now, you'll want to buy the new Looxcie LX1 if your giftee owns an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Otherwise, you'll be buying a device that's Android-exclusive for the very same price. Got an Android phone to begin with? We expect the seething anger of Looxcie early adopters will soon afford you some deep discounts on the now-inferior original. PR after the break.

Continue reading Looxcie outs iOS-compatible lifecasting camera, early adopters get the boot

Looxcie outs iOS-compatible lifecasting camera, early adopters get the boot originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 03:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Twin camera concept floats in water, unites sea and sky

Taking an underwater self-portrait isn't the easiest thing in the world -- even if you're fond of robot DIY -- but this concept camera won a Red Dot award for capturing more than typically meets the eye. The UNDERABOVE floats like a buoy thanks to a pair of watertight ballast compartments, takes images with twin cameras above and below, then stitches the result into a turquoise vertical panorama viewable on the inbuilt LCD screen. If and when this device actually gets produced (and gains some serious image stabilization) the worlds of fish and man will never be the same.

Twin camera concept floats in water, unites sea and sky originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 06:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Apple iOS, Android Most Desired Smartphone Platforms

The Apple iOS and Android smartphone operating systems are the most desired upgrades, with their first and second place rankings varying by mobile phone user demographic, according to new data from The Nielsen Company. 1/3 of Likely Smartphone Upgraders Desire Apple iOS Among all likely US smartphone upgraders from August-October 2010, nearly one-third (30%) desire to upgrade [...]<img src="http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/marketingcharts/~4/etImmtbfqZI" height="1" width="1"/>

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Why Google Maps Doesn't Make You Want to Tear Your Eyes Out [Google Maps]

If you've never been able to put your finger on why Google Maps seems so much easier to read than other mapping services, here's why.

Justin O'Beirne lays out (and handily illustrates) the three major reasons Google Maps is more readable than the competition: White outlines, "a greater number/diversity of label classes" (more labels that are different sizes), and different label shadings. In other words, it's a lot of little things that add up to make it a nicer experience (hey look, Google can do design).

Once you see everything laid out, it makes total sense, so do check out all of the illustrations: [41Latitude via Techmeme]

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