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Sunday, January 22, 2012

drag2share: Researchers turn your smartphone into a virtual projector

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/22/researchers-turn-your-smartphone-into-a-virtual-projector/

Pico projectors are an easy way to increase the screen real estate of your mobile phone, but what if you'd rather not carry one around in your pocket or bulk up your phone's slim profile with a slip on solution? Well, a team of intrepid researchers may have come up with an elegant solution to your problem that can work with any smartphone and external display: virtual projection. The system works by using a central server that constantly takes screenshots of the external display and compares them with the images from the phone's camera to track its location. It then replicates what's on the handset's screen, while allowing you to add multiple image windows and position and rotate them as you see fit. Additionally, multiple users can collaborate and virtually project pictures or videos onscreen at the same time. Intrigued? See it in action for yourself in the video after the break.

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Researchers turn your smartphone into a virtual projector originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 12:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share - drag and drop RSS news items on your email contacts to share (click SEE DEMO)

drag2share: CHART OF THE DAY: Apple Is Now Twice As Valuable As Google (GOOG, AAPL)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/chart-of-the-day-apple-is-now-twice-as-valuable-as-google-2012-1

With Apple's stock surging, and Google's fading, Apple is now twice as valuable as Google, when measured by market cap.

In February 2009, Google was bigger than Apple, but since then, the two companies have diverged. No wonder Larry Page bought Motorola. He's drooling over Apple's business.

chart of the day, apple and google market cap, jan 20 2012

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drag2share: Here Are The 10 Best Free Apps For Your iPhone (AAPL)

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/best-free-iphone-apps-2012-1

evernote app iphone

We've become pretty accustomed to shelling out a dollar or two for the best iPhone apps, but many of the best apps are free.

Here are our favorite iPhone apps that won't cost you a penny, and don't include any ads.

Evernote keeps track of notes, receipts, pictures, to-do's, and more.

Evernote, Inc's "Company Of The Year 2011", is an incredible app for staying organized and "never losing anything again" (the company's slogan).

We like to keep receipts, to-do lists, voice memos, notes, websites to visit, and more inside Evernote. You can even email things straight to your Evernote account.

Download

Photosynth is our favorite panoramic photo app, and it's free!

Photosynth is a super smart panoramic photo app from Microsoft that lets you stitch together 360 degree photos of your surroundings.

The app is a no-brainer to use, and is dollars less than its competitors.

Download

LinkedIn's CardMunch app is essential for businesspeople.

LinkedIn's CardMunch app employs an army of real people to decipher business cards you've collected and input them into your phone.

All you need to do is take pictures of cards you've picked up from people you've met, wait 5-10 minutes, and the app spits back a contact card for your iPhone.

Download

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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drag2share: Another one bites the dust as Google closes Picnik

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/21/google-closes-picnik/

Given the spate of closures, abandonments and wound-up projects, we can't help but suspect Google's mantra switching from "don't be evil" to "sic transit gloria mundi." Mountain View's winding up online-image editing site Picnik in preparation for integration with Google+, joining Wave, Knol, Friend Connect, Gears, Health, Powermeter and at least ten other services that have been shuttered as part of Larry Page's "spring clean." In a statement on the site, the guys are moving over to the Google+ team to "focus on even awesomer things," so expect to see live-editing of your photos appear there before the end of summer. In the meantime, you can enjoy Picnik's premium service until the doors close on April 19th and those who previously stumped up (with, you know, cash) for the added features will receive a full refund.

[Thanks, Henry]

Another one bites the dust as Google closes Picnik originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 21 Jan 2012 12:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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drag2share - drag and drop RSS news items on your email contacts to share (click SEE DEMO)

drag2share: OrcaM sphere constructs detailed, digital 3D models of wares while you wait (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/22/orcam-sphere-constructs-detailed-digital-3d-models-of-wares-whi/

Ever wanted a 3D digital copy of all those Little League trophies? Well, the NEK has whipped up something to lend a hand that's a bit larger than another recent scanner. Enter the OrcaM, an Orbital Camera System capable of producing an accurate, digital 3D model of objects up to 80cm (about 31.5 inches) wide and weighing up to 100kg (around 220lbs). Making use of seven shooters simultaneously, the system photographs the object while projecting various light and shadow combinations in order to determine the ware's geometry. The OrcaM is able to reproduce high-quality digital reproductions with a geometric accuracy less than millimeter (nearly .04 inches). As if that wasn't enough, it produces complete color, texture and reflectivity maps so that every minute detail is accounted for. Once your to-be-copied object has been loaded, the OrcaM takes over and is automatic, churning out the completed rendering shortly after the requisite photos are taken. Hit the video up top for a look at the beast in action.

OrcaM sphere constructs detailed, digital 3D models of wares while you wait (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Jan 2012 05:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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