Tuesday, May 03, 2011

Microsoft's home of the future lulls teens to sleep with Tweets (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/03/microsofts-home-of-the-future-lulls-teens-to-sleep-with-tweets/

Microsoft Home
Microsoft Home is a sort of "world of tomorrow" for the computer nerd set where Surface takes the place of video phones and dinner pills. The only difference is that, unlike those World's Fair staples, Redmond's vision of the not-so-distant future isn't open to the public. This is a private testing ground where researchers can try out concepts, like a watch that records health data and syncs it with your home network or a media center that can analyze video and identify products and locations featured on screen. You might not be able to swing by the campus and visit, but you can catch a glimpse of suburban life in 2025 -- populated by touchscreen wireless charging trays and interactive walls -- in the video after the break. We'll take it all, except the wallpaper -- we don't need #winning Tweets floating overhead while we try to get some shut-eye.

[Thanks, Vygantas]

Continue reading Microsoft's home of the future lulls teens to sleep with Tweets (video)

Microsoft's home of the future lulls teens to sleep with Tweets (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 May 2011 11:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Videolicious For The iPhone Helps You Edit Quality Videos, Fast

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/05/02/videolicious-helps-you-edit-good-videos-fast/

Videolicious for the iPhone and iPad is a free app designed for those of us who aren’t professional video editors but still want to have our important moments preserved in quality video. By walking people through the step by step combining of video footage, photos and music, Videolicious lets users create their own documentary style clips and share them to Twitter, Facebook and email.

Users who want to create a video simply choose the already existing shots or footage they want to include, in the order they want them to appear. Then the app records the user telling the story behind the photos or video, then asking them to select accompanying music from either within the app itself or iPhone playlists. Once all elements are selected, the Videolicious technology analyzes and fits together the components,  taking less than a minute to process. The quality of the finished product is definitely greater than the sum of its parts.

While the format definitely doesn’t have the versatility of customizing and editing something with Final Cut Pro and can get cookie cutter after awhile, the system is meant to provide discrete units of video for users who want to create something good, quickly. Founder Matt Singer tells me that the app is designed specifically for those that want to “get the best possible result in the least amount of time.”

On launch Videolicious has partnered up with Martha Stewart, SELF magazine, Lucky Magazine and ReadyMade who are using the app to further engage with readers by letting them upload custom Videolicious video content. Stewart, for example, will be asking viewers a question every month and culling some of the best Videolicious responses for MarthaStewart.com.

“A lot of media companies are looking for a way to get their audiences involved with editorial,” says Singer “This empowers readers to participate.”

We shot a Videolicious video in the TechCrunch offices (below), and head of TechCrunch TV Jon Orlin was into it. “It’s impressive. It’s not going to put professional video editors out of business. But, for videos you shoot with your phone and don’t want to spend time to bring into iMovie or Final Cut, this software is great. By the time you imported all the clips into a separate editing program, Videolicious would have a finished video,” he said.

The Videolicious app is an outgrowth of Talk Market, a company that built custom automatic video editing systems for Fortune 500 retailers and media companies. Talk Market has $2 million in seed funding from former Bloomingdales CEO Marvin Traub and Amazon.



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Apple iMac refresh official: Thunderbolt and next gen quad-core processors

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/03/apple-imac-refresh-official/

The last time Apple updated its iMac line we were treated to Intel Core 2010 processors. So it's no surprise -- really, no surprise at all -- to see Apple refreshing the lineup today. Prices start at $1,199 (as usual) for the 21.5-inch (1,920 x 1,080 pixel IPS) model with new 2.5GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 processor and 512MB of AMD Radeon HD 6750M graphics. Prices soon jump to $1,999 for a 27-inch (2,560 x 1,440 IPS panel) model with 3.1GHz quad-core Intel Core i5 CPU and 1GB of AMD Radeon HD 6970M graphics, or optional 3.4GHz quad-core Core i7 proc and 2GB of HD 6970M graphics if you so desire. We're talking Intel Sandy Bridge, of course, but Apple never goes into specifics. New owners will also be treated to a Thunderbolt jack (one on the 21.5-inch model and two on the 27-incher) and FaceTime HD camera with 24 hours shipping. Yeah, it looks the same, but it's the insides that count.

Continue reading Apple iMac refresh official: Thunderbolt and next gen quad-core processors

Apple iMac refresh official: Thunderbolt and next gen quad-core processors originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 03 May 2011 08:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Peugeot EX1 sets new lap record for electric cars at Germany's Nürburgring circuit

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/02/peugeot-ex1-sets-new-lap-record-for-electric-cars-at-germanys-n/

Some concept cars may just be for show, but not Peugeot's all-electric EX1. It made its debut at the 2010 Paris Motor Show and has continued to be fine-tuned by the automaker ever since -- work that has now paid off in the form of a new lap record for electric vehicles at Germany's Nürburgring circuit. Despite "unfavorable" weather conditions, the car managed to post a lap time of 9 minutes and 1.338 seconds (with an average speed of 85.9 miles per hour), which handily beat the previous record of 9:51 set by a modified Mini E last year. Unfortunately, that record doesn't mean Peugeot is any closer to actually selling one of these -- the car was primarily created to celebrate the automaker's 200th anniversary.

Peugeot EX1 sets new lap record for electric cars at Germany's Nürburgring circuit originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 May 2011 16:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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AMD debuts first embedded GPU with support for OpenCL and six displays

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/02/amd-debuts-first-embedded-gpu-with-support-for-opencl-and-six-di/

Disappointed by the lack of support for multiple displays and OpenCL in embedded GPUs these days? Then AMD may have just made your day. It's just debuted its new "desktop level" Radeon E6760 discrete GPU, which packs both OpenCL support and Eyefinity-enhanced support for no less than six independent displays. AMD also notes that the GPU can be paired with its upcoming Llano APU for some additional graphics and parallel computing power and, while it might not wind up in many consumer devices, the company says it's ideal for everything from casino games to medical imaging. Head on past the break for the complete press release.

Continue reading AMD debuts first embedded GPU with support for OpenCL and six displays

AMD debuts first embedded GPU with support for OpenCL and six displays originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 May 2011 17:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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