Most Popular Android Keyboard: SwiftKey [Video]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5923106/most-popular-android-keyboard-swiftkey

Typing on your Android phone shouldn't feel like a hassle or a chore. If it does, it means you haven't found the right alternative keyboard for you yet. Thankfully there are dozens of great options, for all types of typists, with features like word prediction, multi-language support, special keys and characters, and voice input. Last week, we asked you which ones you thought were the best of breed. Then we took a look at the five best Android keyboards based on your nominations, and put them to an overall vote. Now we're back to crown the winner.

Predictive text pioneer SwiftKey picked up a lot of early momentum in the voting, and carried it through to take the top spot with over 45% of the votes cast.

Right behind it in second place was the gesture-based powerhouse Swype, bringing in close to 32% of the overall vote. In third place was the Android Stock Keyboard with 16% of the overall vote, cast by those of you who said that the stock keyboard works just fine for you, thanks. In fourth place, the Hacker's Keyboard picked up close to 4% of the votes cast, and bringing up the rear in fifth was Smart Keyboard Pro, which brought in 3% of the overall vote.

The Hive Five is based on reader nominations. As with most Hive Five posts, if your favorite was left out, it's not because we hate it—it's because it didn't get the nominations required in the call for contenders post to make the top five. We understand it's a bit of a popularity contest, but if you have a favorite, we want to hear about it. Have a suggestion for the Hive Five? Send us an email at tips+hivefive@lifehacker.com!

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Carnegie Mellon smart headlight prototype blacks out raindrops for clearer view of the road

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/04/carnegie-mellon-smart-headlight-prototype/

Researchers from Carnegie Mellon have developed a prototype smart headlight which blots out individual drops of rain or snow -- improving vision by up to 90 percent. Made with an off-the-shelf Viewsonic DLP projector, a quad-core Intel Core-i7 PC and a GigE Point Grey Flea3 camera, the Rube Goldberg-esque process starts by first imaging raindrops arriving at the top of its view. After this, the signal goes to a processing unit, which uses a predictive theory developed by the team to guess the drops' path to the road. Finally, the projector -- found in the same place as the camera -- uses a beamsplitter like modern digital 3D rigs. Used in tandem with calculations, it transmits a beam with light voids matching the predicted path. The result? It all stops light from hitting the falling particles, with the cumulative process resulting in the illusion of a nearly precipitation-free road view -- at least in the lab. So far, the whole process takes about a hundredth of a second (13 ms) but scientists said that in an actual car and with many more drops, the speed would have to be about ten times quicker. That would allow 90 percent of the light located 13 feet in front of the headlights to pass through, but even at just triple the speed, it would give drivers a 70 percent better view. To see if this tech might have a snowflake's chance of making it out of the lab, go past the break for all! the vid eos.

Continue reading Carnegie Mellon smart headlight prototype blacks out raindrops for clearer view of the road

Carnegie Mellon smart headlight prototype blacks out raindrops for clearer view of the road originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 13:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Belkin WeMo Switch and Motion home automation system for iOS hands-on (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/04/belkin-wemo-hands-on/

Proper home automation systems can cost upwards of $10,000, and while budget alternatives can't touch the level of integration you'll enjoy with a behemoth rig, all but the most sophisticated of homeowners can squeak by with a simple timer setup -- or the modern equivalent. Belkin's WeMo duo utilizes two types of plug-in modules paired with an iOS 5+ app, which you'll use to set macros, control lights and schedule on/off times. A Switch module can turn on and off a lamp, fan, coffee maker, television or heating appliance from a connected iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. You can also set a seemingly unlimited number of detailed schedules for each device, all from the comfort of your WiFi-equipped touchscreen handheld. You can integrate the optional Motion device with a set of macros as well, configuring your lights to turn on once you step through the foyer, or your coffee maker to launch a brew as you walk through your bedroom door.

We wired up a lamp in a New York City apartment to give WeMo a go, and things generally worked as advertised. Setup is fairly straightforward -- simply plug in a module, select its corresponding SSID broadcast from iOS then launch the free app to force the device onto your home WiFi network. You'll need to repeat the process to add each gadget or sensor, but once you do, you'll be able to config and control any connected gadget from anywhere on the network, or beyond. The system theoretically supports remote access without any additional setup (modules are registered to the app) but we weren't able to power up the ! lamp whi le on 3G during multiple attempts. That detail aside, we'd be happy to welcome WeMo into our home, though the absent Android app throws in a speed bump for sure. You have two options for adding WeMo -- there's a Switch + Motion kit available for $100, which includes a power control and motion sensor, or you can opt for the Switch solo for $50. Then, simply add as many outlet controllers as you wish, at 50 bucks a pop. You can see that first combo in action in our hands-on video after the break.

Gallery: Belkin WeMo for iOS hands-on

Continue reading Belkin WeMo Switch and Motion home automation system for iOS hands-on (video)

Belkin WeMo Switch and Motion home automation system for iOS hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 04 Jul 2012 15:26:! 00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Samsung Galaxy S III LTE with quad-core Exynos comes to three Korean carriers July 9th

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/05/samsung-galaxy-s-iii-lte-korea-launch-date-july-9th/

While in the US our LTE-equipped Galaxy S IIIs are packing dual-core Snapdragon S4 processors, the (so far) Korean-only Galaxy S III LTE that combines the quad-core Exynos processor of the international model with high speed data finally has a release date -- July 9th. Samsung's post indicates three carriers (SK Telecom, KT and LG U+) are lined up for the launch and confirms that the battery will remain at 2,100 mAH along with 2GB of RAM and DMB TV tuning. Having everything will likely come at a price of battery life since the quad-core CPUs are not as well integrated with LTE so far, but those willing to compromise for more cores (despite the dual-core Krait's not-at-all shabby performance) will likely look on with envy.

Samsung Galaxy S III LTE with quad-core Exynos comes to three Korean carriers July 9th originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 01:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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University of Calgary's Fat Thumb trick allows one-handed phone use, jugglers are thankful (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/07/05/university-of-calgary-researchers-devise-fat-thumb-one-handed-phone-use/

Everyone's let it happen at some point -- that moment where we're desperately trying to use our smartphones in one hand while juggling groceries or coffee in the other. There'll be no way to recover those social graces, but six researchers at the University of Calgary have developed a software technique, Fat Thumb, that should at least keep the contortions and dropped phones to a minimum. As the name implies, it's all based around pressure: a light touch performs the usual commands, while squishing the thumb's wider surface area against the screen allows the equivalent of a multi-touch gesture, such as a pinch to zoom. The advantages for comfort and grip virtually speak for themselves; what's surprising is that Fat Thumb may well be faster than other one-handed gestures. Work on the project is so far confined to a research paper stemming from experiments with an iPhone, although it's easy to see this spreading to other platforms and real products before too long. Catch a glimpse of the cleverness in action after the break.

Continue reading University of Calgary's Fat Thumb trick allows one-handed phone use, jugglers are thankful (video)

University of Calgary's Fat Thumb trick allows one-handed phone use, jugglers are t! hankful (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 05 Jul 2012 04:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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