General Motors may have gone through a teeny tiny bankruptcy problem, but that doesn’t mean it’s behind the times. The American motor maker’s just unveiled its latest crash test dummies — or anthropomorphic testing devices, to give them their highfalutin title — which are capable of beaming out status reports 10,000 times per second. Equipped with 70 to 80 sensors each, the new family of test devices spans a wide range of potential passengers, from fully grown males to toddlers, though it is slightly disappointing to see they all have washboard abs and perfect posture. Come now, GM, we’d hardly call a race of perfectly sculpted drones that can speak fast enough to converse with a hummingbird representative . Video and the full press release can be found after the break. Continue reading GM’s new crash test dummies can say ‘ouch!’ 10,000 times a second GM’s new crash test dummies can say ‘ouch!’ 10,000 times a second originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 06:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Hey, Adobe’s finally figured out how to make Flash secure — have Google do it! The guys behind your favorite search engine have updated their latest Dev channel release of Chrome to include a new sandboxing facility for Flash Player content. It’ll serve to limit access to sensitive system resources and make Flash’s operation a generally less threatening proposition than it currently is. This also marks the fulfillment of a longstanding promise from Google to give Flash the same treatment it’s afforded to JavaScript and HTML rendering for a while, and should be welcome news to Windows users eager to minimize “the potential attack surface” of their browser. Sorry, Mac fans, you’re out in the unsecured cold for now. Of course, the Dev channel itself is one step less refined than beta software, so even if you’re on Windows it might be advisable to wait it out a little bit. Chrome sandboxes Flash Player in latest Dev channel release for Windows originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 05:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Sony ‘Hybrid FPA’ liquid crystal alignment technique sets LCD issues straight
December 2, 2010 No Comment
Sony has announced a new LCD display technology called Hybrid FPA (field-induced photo-reactive alignment), which it claims provides a bevy of improvements for LCDs in the areas of response time, contrast, panel stability, and production speed. For those of you who slept through display science in school (no shame), this boils down to Sony finding a better way to wrangle unruly liquid crystal molecules (LCMs) into more optimal alignments — which is important since this affects how light passes and therefore how images are resolved. The new technique builds on earlier work, which focused on the vertical alignment of LCMs via an alignment layer. As the left diagram shows, through pre-tilt positioning at the substrate layer, LCMs were forced into a more stable vertical state, which made shifting them quicker and more precise while requiring less voltage. In other words, images resolved faster and more evenly, resulting in “cleaner” whites and blacks with less motion blur. Hybrid FPA simply improves the situation by aligning LCMs even more vertically, which produced response times of less than 3ms in tests. That’s great news for 3D lovers and gamers, and should help Sony at least move units off of retailer shelves at some point, particularly if its plans for rapid commercialization of this tech hold true. Continue reading Sony ‘Hybrid FPA’ liquid crystal alignment technique sets LCD issues straight Sony ‘Hybrid FPA’ liquid crystal alignment technique sets LCD issues straight originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 05:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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By now, you’re certainly familiar with the magic that a consumer-branded Casio super-slow-mo camera can do with motion, right? But what happens when you use a two-year old Casio Exilim FH20 to shoot 210fps footage (played back at 30fps) from a moving train? Nothing, at least until the train slows down. High-speed camera in motion can stop a commuter’s heart originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 04:26:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …BBC iPlayer to start international rollout with subscription service on iPad
December 2, 2010 No Comment
BBC.com managing director Luke Bradley-Jones has dropped some knowledge on the TV-loving world by revealing that the iPlayer’s global launch will be on a “pure paid subscription model,” to be followed thereafter by partnerships with advertisers on “free” areas of the British TV catchup service. The US is specifically named as one of the first new markets for the venture, which is expected to go live in the middle of next year. In addition to knowing you’ll have to shell out to get your fix of Top Gear , Doctor Who and, erm, The Foods that Make Billions , you’ll also be wanting to know that the first platform for the iPlayer outside the UK will be none other than Apple’s iPad. What is it with Brits and the iPad ? BBC iPlayer to start international rollout with subscription service on iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 03:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’re not totally sure that Android 2.1 users will be happy to be bundled in with 2.2 consumers — after all, there’s plenty in Froyo that’s not available on Eclair — but the fact remains that a cool 83 percent of actively used Android phones right now run one of the two latest iterations. A reminder is merited to say that by “active” we mean those that accessed the Android Market over the foregoing two weeks — which might have a slight bias toward over-representing the newer phones with folks either abandoning their Cupcake and Donut handsets or simply not searching for new apps for them. Either way, we reckon it’s good to see such nice big slices taken up by Android’s most advanced versions, it seems almost a shame that Gingerbread’s arrival will soon disrupt things all over again. For now, we’re off to our delicatessen, all this food talk’s given us the munchies. [Thanks, Dan] Android 2.x now accounts for 83 percent of all active Googlephones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 02:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Canon will now add locking mode dial to your EOS 5D Mark II or 7D… for $100
December 2, 2010 No Comment
Oh, sure — Pentax may have thrown one in gratis on its K-7 , and Nikon has done the same on its D3S , but none of that really matters if you’re the proud owner of a Canon, now does it? For those fed up with accidentally moving their mode dial during a critical shoot, Canon is now offering a chargeable service for the EOS 5D Mark II and EOS 7D cameras. For the tidy sum of $100, the outfit will install a Mode Dial with a center-located lock button — the goal here is to prevent the wheel from moving during “normal camera operation,” while simultaneously milking an extra Benjamin out of the outfit’s loyal customer base. ‘Course, there’s a glass half-full / half-empty way to look at this. You could bang on Canon for not including this from day one, or you could be grateful to have the option at all. Your move, cynic. Canon will now add locking mode dial to your EOS 5D Mark II or 7D… for $100 originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 02:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Kinect theremin is just too late for the ‘Day the Earth Stood Still’ remake soundtrack (video)
December 2, 2010 No Comment
The sound of the original theremin frightened audiences of spooky and science fictiony movies in the ’50s and ’60s, and while this digital replication is perhaps a little less chilling it’s also a lot less physical. It’s the so-called Therenect from Martin Kaltenbrunner, created using the Open Frameworks and OpenKinect libraries. To play just hold your hands up, allow the software to detect them, and then let the digital falsetto flow, as Martin kindly demonstrates for you below. Continue reading Kinect theremin is just too late for the ‘Day the Earth Stood Still’ remake soundtrack (video) Kinect theremin is just too late for the ‘Day the Earth Stood Still’ remake soundtrack (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 01:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Logitech, Google TV enlist Kevin Bacon (and his biggest fan) for a new ad
December 2, 2010 No Comment
They keep pulling us back in — Logitech’s latest Google TV ad takes a different, and yet still stalker related tack to sell users on the viability of search and web in their living room, focusing on the Kevin Bacon obsessed (and incredibly familiar looking) Ivan Cobenk. The main gist is that the Google TV is the key to easily finding your favorite video content, wherever it is… along with the slight danger of turning into Kevin Bacon. Give it a watch, while we’re still not totally sure the Revue belongs in every living room this bit is far more convincing than the old screaming anthromophized HDTV . Logitech, Google TV enlist Kevin Bacon (and his biggest fan) for a new ad originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 23:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Okay, maybe not everybody , but the vast majority of the Android offerings from Archos are receiving some guilt-free sweet treats. Models 23 , 32 , 43 , 70 , and 101 (you know, these guys ) are all on the lucky receiving end of firmware updates that bring Android 2.2.1 to the table. That comes with improved performance, better battery life estimation, and support for external GPS adapters. All yours for the low, low price of free — well, assuming you’ve already bought the tablet, of course. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] Archos Internet Tablets get firmware updates, everybody gets a Froyo originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Dec 2010 22:15:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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