Arduino-powered lighting system infuses your LED with some Ambilight-like pizazz (video)
October 5, 2011 No Comment
Why spend your hard-earned money on one of Philips’ Ambilight displays when you can just make your own, using some Arduino-based wizardry and a little bit of elbow grease? Fortunately, Minty Boost creator ladyada is here to help. All you’ll need is a strand of digital RGB LED pixels, a five-volt DC power supply (along with a female power adapter), any USB-equipped Arduino micro-controller and, of course, the appropriate Processing programming environment. You can find the full how-to at the source link below, but the results are pretty impressive — a capture-based sketch system that’s compatible with just about any media player. See it for yourself in the video after the break. [Thanks, Phil] Continue reading Arduino-powered lighting system infuses your LED with some Ambilight-like pizazz (video) Arduino-powered lighting system infuses your LED with some Ambilight-like pizazz (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 06:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Garmin’s Forerunner 910XT sport watch begs to become your new swimming buddy
October 5, 2011 No Comment
After introducing the Forerunner 610 alongside its lineup of runner-friendly watches , Garmin has introduced a new high tech gadget that’s targeted to hardcore swimmers: enter the Forerunner 910XT. With a price tag of $400, it’s certainly intended for the most dedicated (or affluent) athletes, but for the outlay of cash, you’ll find it provides detailed metrics such as swim distance, pool lengths, along with stroke identification and count. It even goes so far as to report one’s SWOLF score, which is a measure of a swimmer’s efficiency (calculated as the number of strokes to swim a lap, plus the time to travel said distance). The Forerunner 910XT is water resistant to 50 meters, but it’s certainly apt for use on dry land, too. For instance, it provides stats about one’s elevation, heart rate and speed, and offers built-in GPS. The battery life is limited to 20 hours, although we’d imagine your endurance will give out long before that time. If you’ve found your new obsession, you’ll find the full PR after the break. Continue reading Garmin’s Forerunner 910XT sport watch begs to become your new swimming buddy Garmin’s Forerunner 910XT sport watch begs to become your new swimming buddy originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 05:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The Boogie Board Rip is now available to pre-order for all your digital sketching needs. The latest stylus-friendly writing tablet from Improv Electronics adds the ability to save notes and sketches, then port them across to your computer as PDFs. Its reflex LCD only uses power when it’s wiping the screen, meaning it should squeeze out a week of typical use between charges. You can reserve yours now from the maker in the US and Canada, but at $130, it’s pricier than previous storage-free Boogie Boards. Europeans longing for a digital sketch pad can lay a claim to one next week, with the scribbling slate set to ship on November 1st. Continue reading Boogie Board Rip goes on pre-order, no more tearing through notepads Boogie Board Rip goes on pre-order, no more tearing through notepads originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 20:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have come up with a way to produce electricity from just about the most renewable source known to man — his own breath. It’s all thanks to a plastic microbelt developed by engineers Xudong Wang, Chengliang Sun and Jian Shi. Made of a material known as polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF), this belt produces an electric charge whenever low-speed airflow passes over it and causes it to vibrate — a result of that vaunted piezoelectric effect . Eventually, Wang and his team were able to tinker with their system to the point where it could produce enough current to charge small electronic devices. “The airflow of normal human respiration is typically below about two meters per second,” Wang explained. “We calculated that if we could make this material thin enough, small vibrations could produce a microwatt of electrical energy that could be useful for sensors or other devices implanted in the face.” The researchers say their technology could be used to power smaller biomedical devices like blood monitors and pacemaker batteries, which typically don’t demand vast amounts of energy. No word yet on when this system could make its way to the mainstream, but we’ll be waiting with bated breath. Piezoelectric system turns your balmy breath into pungent power originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 04:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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This curiously shaped fellow, with its long-barreled lens attached to a svelte body, might look familiar . It’s JVC ‘s GC-PX10, the camcorder that’s also a camera. Or the camera that’s also a camcorder. We’re not quite sure, but here’s what we do know: it’ll shoot 1080p video at 60 fps, writing to SDXC or 32GB of internal memory. And it can also capture 8.3-megapixel stills at 60 fps without dropping out of video mode. If you’ve got the time and the inclination, you can switch into still-shooting mode, giving you full 12-megapixel pictures at 30 fps for two seconds. Exhausted by the possibilities yet? But wait, there’s more. If slow motion’s your game, you can fire away in 640 x 360 resolution — at 300 fps — for up to 2 hours. Now how much would you pay for such a plethora of pictorial options? Well, JVC’s asking $900 when this ships later in October, so you’ve got some time to think about it. Camera or camcorder? JVC’s hybrid GC-PX10 wants to be both originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 03:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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LG wants to bring the world of Adobe Flash to your living room. Yes, 2012′s lineup of Smart TVs , theater systems and Blu-ray players are all set to arrive with support for both Flash Player and AIR 3, and the Korean manufacturer is keen to get developers signed up for its next-generation Smart TV SDK. The new software development kit will include a simplified dashboard, the ability to render 2D apps in 3D and even “console-quality gaming.” Throw in Adobe’s new Game Input API, and we could see tablets, joysticks and even LG-made smartphones used to control on-screen action. LG has informed us that these upgrades will be limited to next year’s catalogue — your 2011 purchases won’t support the new software, and will have to make do with the slightly weedier Adobe Flash Lite. New Smart TVs will also be compatible with the Wiimote -esque Magic Motion Remote , bringing gesture-based awkwardness to menu selection. Continue reading LG Smart TV goes on the charm offensive, appeals to Adobe developers LG Smart TV goes on the charm offensive, appeals to Adobe developers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 23:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Nokia’s development community just got its first taste of near field lovin’ with the first Qt SDK to support NFC. While you’ll be forgiven if you’re not up in arms over the latest revelation, owners of the company’s latest handsets can soon expect a greater number of useful apps that take advantage of this newfangled technology . The developer tools enable the creation of applications for both Symbian and MeeGo, and allows software authors to simulate NFC tags and create events based around them — all within the virtual environment. Programmers looking to dip their toes into the water will find a couple of experimental apps from Espoo’s pride that highlight near field communication, along with the complete source code for each. Sounds like it’s time for some to make a pot of coffee and let the coding madness ensue. Qt developers gain NFC support with Nokia’s latest SDK update originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 01:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Invisibility cloak made of carbon nanotubes uses ‘mirage effect’ to disappear
October 4, 2011 No Comment
If the phrase “I solemnly swear I’m up to no good” means anything to you, you’ll be happy to know that scientists have come one step closer to a Potter-style ” invisibility cloak ” so you can use your Marauder’s Map to the fullest. With the help of carbon nanotubes , researchers have been able to make objects seem to magically vanish by using the same principle that causes mirages. As anyone who’s been especially parched along Route 66 knows, optical illusions occur when heat changes the air’s temperature and density, something that forces light to “bend,” making us see all sorts of crazy things. Apply the same theory under water using nanotubes — one molecule carbon coils with super high heat conductivity — and scientists can make a sheet of the stuff “disappear.” Remember, it only works underwater, so get your gillyweed ready and check out the video after the break. Continue reading Invisibility cloak made of carbon nanotubes uses ‘mirage effect’ to disappear Invisibility cloak made of carbon nanotubes uses ‘mirage effect’ to disappear originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 05 Oct 2011 00:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If you’re all hot and bothered by today’s announcement from Apple, there’ll be a new way for AT&T customers to snatch up the iPhone 4S. Later this evening, Ma Bell expects to introduce a gem into the App Store that lets users check their upgrade eligibility, and beginning Friday, October 7th, customers will be able to pre-order the A5-wielding beauty from the comfort of their current iPhone. Of course, we’ll be sure to provide an update as the final details become available. Who’d have thought your current handset would play such an active role in its own demise? AT&T goes meta: your iPhone 4S upgrade is just an app away originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Oct 2011 22:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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