LG outs eye recognition tech for Optimus G Pro, other features in April update

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/13/lg-optimus-g-pro-eye-recognition/

Sure, there's been a lot of buzz about possible eye-based scrolling in Samsung's Galaxy S IV, but LG's in the eye-recognition spotlight -- for today, at least. The electronics giant has revealed that a "Value Pack" update for the Optimus G Pro will be served up in Korea next month, and will pack a feature called Smart Video that responds to a user's peepers. With its front-facing camera, the handset will pause a video if the user looks away, and start playing it when their gaze falls back on the display. In addition, the upgrade will pack what's said to be a world's first Dual Camera feature (taking a page from the phone's Dual Recording feature, of course), which creates picture-in-picture shots by using the hardware's two cameras.

Devices will also receive the ability to change the home button's LED to correlate with contacts, pause and resume video recording, color emoticons and refreshed QRemote functionality. According to LG, the update's features will find their way to their other premium smartphones in the future, but there's no word on when the revamped software will arrive on phones in other territories. Hit the break for more details in the press release.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG

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Lomography Smartphone Film Scanner goes on sale for $59

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/13/lomography-smartphone-film-scanner-goes-on-sale-for-59/

Lomography's Smartphone Film Scanner has reached that moment that every crowdfunding project strives for, but often seems elusive: everyday sales. The peripheral is now sitting in stock at an ordinary, post-Kickstarter $59 price. As you'd expect, the functionality remains what we were promised earlier in the year. Slot in an iPhone, or certain Android smartphones, and scanning 35mm film or a slide is just a matter of lining things up and snapping a photo with the phone's camera. Anyone who's sitting on a treasure trove of old photos -- or is just holding on to that film SLR for dear life -- can shop for the scanner at the source link.

Filed under: Cellphones, Peripherals, Mobile

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Via: Gizmodo Australia

Source: Lomography

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See How Turkey's Ancient Cave Dwellings Were Transformed Into A 5-Star Hotel

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/cappadocia-museum-cave-hotel-in-turkey-2013-3

The Museum Hotel, in Cappadocia a historic region in Turkey, was created out of thousand-year-old cave dwellings.

It took four years of excavating and renovating before the hotel was operational.

The visually stunning hotel is now filled with antiques and artifacts, many of which are registered with museums.

It has outstanding accommodations, unique rooms, and views fit for a king.

Click through to see how ancient cave dwellings became a five-star hotel.

The Museum Hotel is a luxury hotel in Cappadocia, Turkey that opened in 2002.

However, the hotel isn't exactly new. It is built into ancient cave and stone dwellings, some that date back thousands of years.

Before the hotel was ready for guests, the site had to be excavated and renovated.

See the rest of the story at Business Insider

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Twitter Is Getting Into The Music Business

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/twitter-music-app-2013-3

Twitter is entering the music business, CNET's Casey Newton reports.

Twitter quietly acquired music-discovery startup We Are Hunted last year, according to CNET.

Since the acquisition, Twitter has been using its technology to develop an app called Twitter Music, a person familiar with the situation told CNET.

The app will suggest artists and songs to listen to based on the music-related accounts users follow on Twitter. Twitter Music will stream songs using SoundCloud. That means users likely won't be limited to only mainstream tracks, as SoundCloud features music from lesser-known artists. If the suggested song isn't available on SoundCloud, the app will direct you to a song preview from iTunes.

Twitter Music will have four main tabs: "Suggested" to discover songs based on the accounts you follow, "#NowPlaying" to recommend songs from the people who tweet with that hashtag, "Popular" for songs trending on We Are Hunted, and "Emerging" to discover songs from up-and-coming artists.

A version of Twitter Music could launch on Apple's iPhones and iPads by the end of the month, according to CNET.

SEE ALSO: Twitter Has A Really Cool New Video App For iPhone

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Hitachi ROPITS transport robot takes you where you choose on your tablet (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/13/hitachi-ropits-transport-robot/

Those who need assisted transport have few options for getting around city sidewalks beyond a wheelchair. Hitachi thinks its ROPITS (Robot for Personal Intelligent Transport System) could provide a slicker approach -- and make those of us on foot rather jealous, quite frankly. Steering the single-seater is just a matter of picking a destination on a smartphone or a tablet and letting the pathfinding system figure out the rest. The robot can even come to the owner, if that's too much of a trek. ROPITS won't be much of a risk to pedestrians at a 3.7MPH traveling speed, but it should be a good citizen with both a stereo camera and laser rangefinders to avoid collisions and gauge its position better than GPS alone. If Hitachi's ongoing testing proves the viability of the concept, we may never have to worry about how we'll get around the neighborhood.

[Image credit: Nikkan Kogyo Shimbun, YouTube]

Filed under: Robots, Transportation

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Via: Asahi Shimbun

Source: Hitachi (PDF, translated)

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