Atooma Automates Almost Anything In a Few Taps, Is Like IFTTT for Your Android Phone [Android Downloads]

Source: http://lifehacker.com/5948760/atooma-is-like-ifttt-for-your-android-phone

Android: Atooma offers complete control over your Android phone's sensors and components, and gives you a remarkably easy to master interface to program activities that you may be doing manually, like switching to Wi-Fi when you get home, silencing notifications when you get to the office, or even read incoming SMS messages aloud when you're driving, for starters.

We've covered a few apps that let you build triggered events for your Android device, most notably Tasker and Llama, but the learning curve for both of those tools can be a little steep. Atooma aims to give you the same level of control over your device without the struggle to learn and master dozens of operations and triggers, and it really comes through. When we say it's like IFTTT, we mean it: creating activities is as simple as filling out "IF [X], DO [Y]," where X and Y correspond to triggers and activities you choose, whether they're system activities, or involve external apps like your music players and social networks.

Filling in those triggers and activities is as simple as selecting from a icon-based menu of options, each of which asks you for more information if it's required. For example, if you select "location" and "GPS," you'll be prompted to select the map area you want to trigger the event. The UI is simple to master, and if you've been intimidated by or just don't need the extreme detail that apps like Tasker offer, it's worth checking out. Best of all, it's completely free and available to download now at Google Play.

Atooma | via GigaOM

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Googlerola buys Viewdle, ups Android's augmented reality and face recognition game

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/03/googlerola-buys-viewdle-ups-androids-augmented-reality-and-fac/

From existing tech like Face Unlock and Google Goggles to patent filings and Project Glass, it's clear that Google sees augmented reality and image recognition playing a big part in our computing future. It makes sense, then, that Big G subsidiary Motorola has bought Viewdle -- a Silicon Valley company that builds face, object, and gesture recognition technology for mobile devices. We don't know how much MMI paid for Viewdle, but we do know, thanks to a statement obtained by the good folks at TechCrunch, that the two firms "have been collaborating for some time." So, hopefully Android will reap the benefits (and fix those Face Unlock flaws) in the not-so-distant future.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile

Googlerola buys Viewdle, ups Android's augmented reality and face recognition game originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 21:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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LG Optimus L9 for T-Mobile emerges from the magenta mist

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/03/lg-optimus-l9-for-t-mobile/

Looks like the Optimus G isn't the only smartphone from LG that'll soon hit US carriers, as its similarly sized (yet slower) sibling has just been outed for T-Mobile. True to form, the price and release date of the Optimus L9 are wholly absent from the equation, but outside of any substantial tweaks, shoppers may rightfully expect an Android 4.0.4 smartphone with a 4.7-inch qHD display that's powered by a dual-core 1GHz CPU. In its global iteration, the device also sports a 5-megapixel camera, 4GB of built-in storage and a 2,150mAh battery, which provides a rough guideline of what's on the horizon at T-Mobile. Naturally, there are more powerful smartphones to be found, but if the price is right, the Optimus L9 may hit a sweet spot for many.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG, T-Mobile

LG Optimus L9 for T-Mobile emerges from the magenta mist originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 03 Oct 2012 22:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Panasonic's 75mm-thick, 100-lumen laser projector module claims world's thinnest title

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2012/10/04/panasonics-75mm-laser-projector/

While scanning through Panasonic's booth at CEATEC 2012, we couldn't help but notice a prototype of its world's slimmest 100-lumen laser projector module (or OIU aka optical imaging unit, as the company prefers), which can beam out an 800 x 480 picture. It's not clear when exactly we'll see this 75mm-thick device getting into consumers' hands, but there's certainly room for improvement for the image quality. Likewise, the scan-type OIU (resolution at about 400 x 300) next to the slim projector is far from ready for mass consumption, as the company is hoping to actually shrink it down and integrate it into mobile phones. That said, the fact that this technology doesn't require focusing makes it worth the wait -- the light doesn't go through an LCD filter like ordinary projectors do, and instead, it's a single laser beam scanning out the picture, hence the name.

Also shown along side were the optical bay drive pico projector that's already being offered by Fujitsu, as well as the PJ-SJ25U 854 × 480 DLP pico projector which was released in August this year. While the latter's image quality was rather impressive even under the strong ambient lighting, we struggle to appreciate the ¥56,800 or $730 price tag. Anyhow, pricing is just a matter time, as always.

Gallery: Panasonic's range of pico projectors at CEATEC 2012

Filed under: Displays

Panasonic's 75mm-thick, 100-lumen laser projector module claims world's thinnest title originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 04 Oct 2012 02:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Researchers Discover Bacteria That Produces Pure Gold [Science]

Source: http://gizmodo.com/5948739/researchers-discover-bacteria-that-can-produce-pure-gold

The gold you see in the photo above was not found in a river or a mine. It was produced by a bacteria that, according to researchers at Michigan State University, can survive in extreme toxic environments and create 24-karat gold nuggets. Pure gold.

Maybe this critter can save us all from the global economic crisis.

Or at least make Kazem Kashefi—assistant professor of microbiology and molecular genetics—and Adam Brown—associate professor of electronic art and intermedia—rich. They are the ones who have created a compact laboratory that uses the bacteria Cupriavidus metallidurans to turn gold chlroride—a toxic chemical liquid you can find in nature—into 99.9% pure gold.

Accoding to Kashefi, they are doing "microbial alchemy" by "something that has no value into a solid, precious metal that's valuable."

The bacteria is incredibly resistant to this toxic element. In fact, it's 25 times stronger than previously thought. The researchers' compact factory—which they named The Great Work of the Metal Lover—holds the bacteria as they feed it the gold chloride. In about a week, the bacteria does its job, processing all that junk into the precious metal—a process they believe happens regularly in nature.

So yes, basically, Cupriavidus metallidurans can eat toxins and poop out gold nuggets.

It seems that medieval alchemists were looking for the Philosopher's Stone—the magic element that could turn lead to gold—in the wrong place. It's not a mineral. It's a bug. [Michigan State University]

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The gold laboratory created by Kashefi and Brown. It contains the bacteria and the toxic crap they feed it.

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This is Cupriavidus metallidurans in action, eating away the toxins and producing the gold.

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