drag2share: Kinect and Unreal Engine 4 power Alzheimer's and dementia care project (video)

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/17/unreal-engine-4-alzheimers-dementia-therapy/

Sure, virtual reality and browser-based games are impressive, but Unreal Engine 4's latest use is a bit more noble: improving the lives of Alzheimer's and dementia patients. The Forest Project uses the game engine, smart TVs and Microsoft's Kinect 2 tech in an attempt to create a temporary reprieve for those suffering from the cognitive diseases via an interactive, virtual woodland. There's also a virtual dementia simulation that aims to help caregivers understand first-hand how their patients see the world, possibly improving care as a result. Should the dev team reach its crowdfunding goal, the arboreal environment could be just the beginning, with beach or Christmas-themed environments hinted as possible expansions.

Opaque Multimedia and Alzheimer's Australia Vic need a fraction of what many modern game budgets command to bring The Forest Project to multiple platforms in early 2015 -- $82,000 (AU$90,000). Other details are scarce, but seeing that the team is in San Francisco for this week's Game Developer's Conference, we may hear more as the show progresses.

Filed under: Gaming, Science, HD

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Source: The Forest Project (Pozible)

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drag2share: New Payments Startups Face An Uphill Battle To Disrupt The Credit Card Processing Industry

source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/businessinsider/~3/azLAOrda9Jw/credit-card-payments-market-competition-2-2014-1

The credit card industry processes a massive volume of transactions — about $4 trillion this year in the U.S., according to BI Intelligence estimates. With so much money in play, it's no wonder that a host of startups are trying to carve out a niche for themselves and offer services to merchants and consumers that will rewrite the value they get from every credit card payment.

But the credit card processing industry isn't going to change over night. These startups are entering into an extremely complex and entrenched space. 

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drag2share: LG Lucid 3 leaks with updated design, no doubts on the carrier

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/15/lg-lucid-3-leaks/

We'll admit, we're getting mixed messages here. According to @evleaks' latest reveal there is very likely a new LG Lucid (number 3 to be specific) incoming for Verizon. Nothing unusual there, as it's been about a year since the last one. But if the images are accurate (and history predicts they will be) LG has taken some design cues from its G-series -- rounded corners, and a curved back etc -- along with a very Samsung-esque physical home key (the last edition had capacitive buttons). Of course, this isn't the first LG phone with such a button, or even to share this design. The new F-series we saw at MWC bears more than a casual resemblance to the pic we see above. There's little else to glean from the image other than the obvious, but expect a mid-range specification (with model number VS876) to hit the Verizon web store in the coming weeks.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, LG

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Source: @evleaks (Twitter)

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drag2share: Here Are The Google Drive Add-Ons That Will Actually Make Your Life Easier

Source: http://www.businessinsider.com/best-add-ons-for-google-drive-2014-3

Google just launched add-ons for Docs and Sheets, meaning that there's now an app store dedicated to tools and features that will help you increase your productivity and do more within your docs.

To browse through all the add-on options, select Get add-ons in the Add-ons menu of any open document or spreadsheet

There isn't a huge selection of extensions yet, but Google lets anyone create their own, so more will definitely start cropping up soon.

Until then, here are our favorites, and the ones you should consider adding right now:

1. Messenger

Google Docs just became even more of a killer collaboration tool. Messenger lets you keep track of changes made in a Doc, while also letting you chat with fellow collaborators. If you want something that works almost exactly like Word's track changes, the same company also makes a version of the add-on without the messaging feature.

2. EasyBib

College kids, rejoice! The greatest site on the Internet for anyone who has to source a paper just got integrated with Google Docs so now it's simpler than ever to make a perfectly formatted bibliography. Using the EasyBib add-on, you can search for sources by title, ISBN, or keywords, and boom: You've got a works-cited entry you can paste right into the end of your document.

3. Merge

Thanks to Merge, you can now design a fancy looking party invitation (or any other kind of message) in Google Docs and seamlessly send it in a personalized email to any contact you have saved in a Google Sheet. You can even use the Reporting tab to see how many people have actually opened your email.

4. PandaDocs

Next time you have an important document that needs to get signed and sent, skip the annoying process of printing and scanning. PandaDoc lets you add legally binding electronic signatures to your Google Docs, so you'll never have to jump through hoops to get something signed again.

Runner up: Maps

Maps is a great concept and would be perfect for anyone who wants to use Docs to create a trip itinerary. However, in the current version, you can't zoom in or out on a map, and if you're mapping on two points, you can see them both, but won't get directions for moving between them.

SEE ALSO: You Can Fix A MacBook By Baking It In An Oven Like A Pie

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drag2share: Nokia's Refocus camera app is now available to all Lumia owners on WP8

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2014/03/14/nokia-refocus-camera-app-lumia-update/

You'd be forgiven for thinking that Nokia's "shoot now, focus later" photography app, Refocus, required PureView hardware to run, because until now it's only been available on PureView-branded phones. As it turns out though, the app has just been made compatible with all Lumia phones running Windows Phone 8, including ones with down-to-earth camera modules. It works by means of a "focus sweep" -- you hold your phone steady for a couple of seconds while the camera scans the scene ahead at a range of different focal lengths and then combines these into a single dynamic image (like the one below) that lets anyone adjust the focus and background/foreground blur later, after the file has been saved and shared. If you're reading this on a Lumia, the source link below should take you where you need to go.

Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Mobile, Nokia

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Source: Nokia Conversations

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