OmniVision releases OV6930, the 1.8mm square camera sensor, coming to an incision near you
December 6, 2010 No Comment
Usually we like writing about bigger camera sensors — bigger meaning more light, better quality, and more machismo. But, when you’re dealing with a camera that could very well find itself inserted inside your body, we’re just fine with smaller, thanks and, at 1.8 x 1.8mm, OmniVision ‘s new OV6930 is about as small as it gets. No, you won’t be getting 1080p from that like you would from the company’s (relatively) monstrous 3.5mm beast for cellphones , you’ll have to deal with just 400 x 400. No word on whether this model will wind up in a pill like an earlier version from 2006 , but give it a nice sugar coating and we’d take one — for science. OmniVision releases OV6930, the 1.8mm square camera sensor, coming to an incision near you originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 08:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Electronic neural bridge helps paralyzed mice walk again, human application might prove tricky
December 6, 2010 No Comment
It’s only been a week since we heard about age reversal in mice , yet already we’ve got another big advancement in rodent medical care: a solution for ameliorating the devastating effects of spinal cord injuries. A UCLA research team has shown off a new system that can restore walking motion to a mouse’s hind legs, but not only that, it also grants control to the little fella by responding to its front legs’ actions. Electromyography sensors detect when a mouse starts to walk up front, triggering electronic signals to be sent to the functional lower portion of its spine, which in turn starts up the rear muscles for a steady walking gait. It’s only been tested on a treadmill so far, but the result seems to be a seamless restoration of walking capacity in rodents that doesn’t require any outside assistance. The same will be pretty hard to replicate in humans, bipeds that they are, but that’s why it’s called research and not reobvious . Electronic neural bridge helps paralyzed mice walk again, human application might prove tricky originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 07:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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ASUS was definitely one of the early players to get all excited about Windows Phone 7 , yet as the OS release came and went all we were left with was a couple of blurrycam shots and a little video of a four-inch slab from the company. Now we have some further less than flattering pictures, but these come from a very solid source: the FCC . Curiously this filing dates back to April, and the inclusion of a Garmin Asus branding on the AC adapter is another indicator that this phone comes from an earlier time . We’re hearing rumors at this point that this phone may actually never see a retail release, that it’s now just a test bed for future models, but if it does pop up at retail it’ll likely be nestled in at AT&T stores. If you all wish hard enough, maybe it’ll finally find its way. ASUS E600 WP7 smartphone stops by the FCC, possibly destined for AT&T originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 07:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Taking an underwater self-portrait isn’t the easiest thing in the world — even if you’re fond of robot DIY — but this concept camera won a Red Dot award for capturing more than typically meets the eye. The UNDERABOVE floats like a buoy thanks to a pair of watertight ballast compartments, takes images with twin cameras above and below, then stitches the result into a turquoise vertical panorama viewable on the inbuilt LCD screen. If and when this device actually gets produced (and gains some serious image stabilization) the worlds of fish and man will never be the same. Twin camera concept floats in water, unites sea and sky originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 06:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google helps scholars mine 1.7 million Victorian era book titles for clues to our historical attitudes
December 6, 2010 No Comment
Whether we like, loathe, or never even considered the idea of it, quantitative literary analysis seems ready for its moment in the spotlight. Dan Cohen and Fred Gibbs, a pair of historians of science over at George Mason University, have been playing around with the titles of some nearly 1.7 million books — accounting for all the known volumes published in Britain during the 19th century — in a search for enlightenment about the Victorian era’s cultural trends and developments. By looking at how often certain words appear in text titles over time, they can find corroboration or perhaps even refutation for the commonly held theories about that time — although they themselves warn that correlation isn’t always indicative of causation. Their research has been made possible by Google’s Books venture, which is busily digitizing just about every instance of the written word ever , and the next stage will be to try and mine the actual texts themselves for further clues about what our older selves thought about the world. Any bets on when the word “fail” was first used as a noun? Continue reading Google helps scholars mine 1.7 million Victorian era book titles for clues to our historical attitudes Google helps scholars mine 1.7 million Victorian era book titles for clues to our historical attitudes originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 05:52:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s no secret that the Mac App Store is launching soon. Jobs himself said that it would go live ” within 90 days ” back when the iOS-inspired App Store was announced on October 20th — that’s mid January, if the timeframe is carried to its fullest extent. Now we have AppleTell citing an “inside source” claiming that Apple is trying to launch the Mac App Store before Christmas, specifically targeting December 13th while telling developers to have their software ready by Monday, December 6th. Unfortunately, the Mac App Store also requires an OS update to end users to which MacRumors reminds us that the new OS X 10.6.6 has already been seeded to developers. So yeah, that’s a pretty aggressive timeline if true and could possibly be kicked off by a press event that would also birth Apple’s rumored recurring subscription billing model in support of Rupert Murdoch’s The Daily digital newspaper. Mac App Store launching on December 13th? originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 05:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Vizio and OnLive mulling subscription-based video services for next year
December 6, 2010 No Comment
As if we didn’t already know that video on demand was the hot new ticket, the Wall Street Journal is today reporting that a couple more companies are ready to throw their hats into the ring. OnLive, the cloud gaming upstart , has confirmed its intention to offer up a subscription-based movie streaming service at some point next year, while HDTV vendor Vizio is said to also be looking at its options. What makes these new guys intriguing (aside from the fact that Vizio sells a lot of TVs in the US) is the general feeling among media companies that Netflix is growing uncomfortably big and should be diversified away from. Well, whatever happens, neither we nor content distributors should be strapped for VOD choice come 2011. Hit the source link for a more expansive look at the current situation. Vizio and OnLive mulling subscription-based video services for next year originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 04:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Looxcie outs iOS-compatible lifecasting camera, early adopters get the boot
December 6, 2010 No Comment
Thinking of grabbing Looxcie’s remarkable Bluetooth-based Borg-cam as a $200 stocking stuffer this year? Hold on a twirl, and make sure you’re paying for the one that actually plays nice with your mark’s favorite smartphone. You see, the company had to make a hardware modification this week to the original Looxcie to make it compatible with iOS devices, and while that’s complete now, you’ll want to buy the new Looxcie LX1 if your giftee owns an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. Otherwise, you’ll be buying an device that’s Android-exclusive for the very same price. Got an Android phone to begin with? We expect the seething anger of Looxcie early adopters will soon afford you some deep discounts on the now-inferior original. PR after the break. Continue reading Looxcie outs iOS-compatible lifecasting camera, early adopters get the boot Looxcie outs iOS-compatible lifecasting camera, early adopters get the boot originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 03:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …NFC certification program announced just in time for Android 2.3 Gingerbread launch
December 6, 2010 No Comment
Call it coincidence if you want, but a December 7th press conference to launch the NFC Forum’s new Certification Program likely has something to do with NFC read / write support built into Google’s new Android 2.3 “Gingerbread.” An OS that could be officially unveiled as early as today according to a cheeky blog post by Notion Ink that includes this bullet: “6th December is another big day for Android and you will find out how fast Notion Ink can work. (Eden is extremely compatible with 2.3).” Recall how gung-ho Eric Schmidt was on the topic of Near Field Communication while demonstrating it using a still unannounced Nexus S with an embedded NFC chip at the Web 2.0 Summit. That was way back on November 16th when Schmidt promised a Gingerbread release “in like the next few weeks.” According to the NFC Forum, a device must be certified in order to display the official “N-Mark” (pictured) — a symbol for NFC that tells you where to touch in order to initiate NFC services on your device. So, Google… anything you’d like to announce before Tuesday? Continue reading NFC certification program announced just in time for Android 2.3 Gingerbread launch NFC certification program announced just in time for Android 2.3 Gingerbread launch originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Inhabitat’s Week in Green: pencil-tip generators, the Nissan Leaf, and the world’s largest wind turbine
December 6, 2010 No Comment
Each week our friends at Inhabitat recap the week’s most interesting green developments and clean tech news for us — it’s the Week in Green. This week we saw renewable energy take the world by storm as Spain announced plans to construct the world’s largest wind turbine and a team of engineers made waves with plans for an underwater turbine modeled after whale flippers . We also saw Boeing shine light on plans to produce a new breed of ultra-efficient solar panels that are suited for space, while researchers in Japan developed a potent new kinetic generator that’s as tiny as a pencil tip . Innovative eco transportation also picked up the pace as China rolled out plans to produce the first fuel cell powered light rail train and the world’s largest solar-powered boat made its successful maiden voyage across the Atlantic . We also applauded the Nissan Leaf as it took first place as the European Car of the Year and we were wowed by Mercedes’ next-generation concept car , which may one day be grown in a lab. We also showcased several new ways that technology stands to wire our lives — starting with an electronic smart wallet that curbs spending by clamping shut like a clam . We also looked at Harvard’s plans for a laptop computer powered by biogas and we were impressed by Nike’s next-gen design tools for producing environmentally efficient clothes . Finally, we wrapped up the week with two exciting advances in tablet tech – India is testing a solar-powered I-Slate tablet geared at children in need and Substrata rolled out a gorgeous wooden iPad case that goes light on the earth . Inhabitat’s Week in Green: pencil-tip generators, the Nissan Leaf, and the world’s largest wind turbine originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Dec 2010 02:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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