Monday, February 03, 2014

drag2share: How LED Streetlights Will Change Cinema (And Make Cities Look Awesome)

source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/vip/~3/3gslqzF0leM/led-streetlights-will-change-hollywood-and-make-every-c-1514840416

How LED Streetlights Will Change Cinema (And Make Cities Look Awesome)

The announcement last year that Los Angeles would be replacing its high-pressure sodium streetlights—known for their distinctive yellow hue—with new, blue-tinted LEDs might have a profound effect on at least one local industry. All of those LEDs, with their new urban color scheme, will dramatically change how the city appears on camera, thus giving Los Angeles a brand new look in the age of digital filmmaking. As Dave Kendricken writes for No Film School, "Hollywood will never look the same."

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Google finally opens Chromecast SDK, invites developers to get hackin'

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/03/google-opens-chromecast-sdk/

The Chromecast is already a pretty easy sell: It's $35 and brings most of the biggest names in streaming media to your TV with minimal hassle. So, now that Google has opened the SDK to developers, it's pretty much a no-brainer. While there are no specific apps to announce at the moment, it's safe to assume the Play store will be flooded with updates soon enough. The SDK will allow coders to add a cast button to their app or site, be it on Android, iOS or in Chrome. The obvious use is for video apps, but there are plenty of other potential options here as well. If a developer decides to create a "custom receiver application" (rather than use the pre-built one provided by Google), they can put any standard web technologies on the big screen. So expect at least a few games and productivity apps to make the jump to Chromecast as well. Imagine firing up a presentation from Google Drive, displaying it on your 4K TV and controlling it with your phone. Or maybe Sony will build a version of Jeopardy where the board and clues are shown on the TV and your handset acts as the buzzer. Obviously, we're just speculating right now, but if we see those ! ideas co me to fruition, we'll be expecting a nice royalty check. If you're more technically inclined, check out the video overview of the Chromecast SDK after the break.

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Source: Google Blog, Chromium Blog

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Google Now comes to the desktop in Chrome and Chrome OS betas

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/02/03/google-now-desktop/

Rumblings of Google Now on the desktop first started surfacing back in December of 2012, but it wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that it actually broke cover. If you were a user of the Canary build of the Chrome browser, you could enable the card alerts by ticking an option buried deep within the recesses of chrome://flags. This week though, Google will bring the desktop version of its virtual assistant to the betas of Chrome on Windows and OS X, as well as Chrome OS. You won't need to dig through any advanced options; you'll just need to sign in with the same account you use on your handset -- so long as you have Now enabled on your phone. Unfortunately, it sounds like Linux users are left out in the cold for now. Presumably that has something to do with how Now ties into existing notification systems on those other platforms (we've asked Google to clarify). With Now hitting the beta channel, enabled by default, it's only a matter of time before Mountain View brings the feature to the masses. But if you're anything like us, you're already using the beta build and are maniacally hitting the update button hoping to be among the first customers it rolls out to.

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Source: Google Chrome Blog

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Saturday, February 01, 2014

APPLE'S NEXT MOVE: The iWatch Will Monitor Your Health And Fitness Too

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/apple-exploring-health-tracking-iwatch-2014-1

Apple iWatch concept design

Apple is planning to make a push into health-tracking and medical devices according to two reports in the New York Times and 9to5Mac. It's likely that these efforts will eventually work their way into Apple's so-called iWatch, an wearable wrist-computer that Apple is expected to launch later this year.

Let's start with the New York Times report, which says high-level Apple executives have met with the FDA to talk about bringing medical devices and apps to market. Nick Bilton, who co-bylined the NYT report, was the first person to break the news that Apple was working on the iWatch.

Then there's the 9to5Mac report from Mark Gurman, the best Apple reporter in the world. Gurman says Apple's next version of iOS, the operating system for iPhones and iPads, will have a new app called "Healthbook" that will be used to monitor stuff like calories burned, steps taken, and weight lost. 

It's sounding more and more like Apple's iWatch is going to be a breakthrough product. Right now, smart watches are pretty dull with limited features and clunky designs. Many have compared the current state of smart watches to what smartphones looked like before the iPhone launched. 

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Friday, January 31, 2014

How the Super Bowl Turned the NYC Macy's Building Into a Massive Screen

Source: http://gizmodo.com/how-the-super-bowl-turned-the-nyc-macys-building-into-1512709552

How the Super Bowl Turned the NYC Macy's Building Into a Massive Screen

There's endless Super Bowl hoopla happening in New York right now, what with the big game just days away. But you might miss one of the coolest if you don't look up: The projection-mapping specialists Moment Factory have turned the grand Herald Square facade of Macy's into an orgy of light. It's incredible. Here's how they did it.

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