A blizzard has made streets in New York all but impassable, stopping vehicles in their tracks. One New York taxi driver slept in his cab, then woke up, hoping for a tow. (Dec. 27)
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US businesses are starting to recognize the market potential of American Muslim consumers, a large share of whom are wealthy professionals. (Dec. 27)
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Teena Marie, who made history as Motown’s first white act but developed a lasting legacy with her silky soul pipes and with hits like “Lovergirl,” “Square Biz,” and “Fire and Desire” with mentor Rick James, has died. She was 54. (Dec. 26)
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A thick layer of snow has been falling across much of the coast, stranding thousands of airline, train and bus passengers and making motorists think twice about hitting after-Christmas sales. (Dec. 26)
Continue reading …42-inch Nexus S stomps into Best Buy, terrifies shoppers and demos interactive Gingerbread UI (video)
December 27, 2010 No Comment
This isn’t Google TV , though we can see why you’d ask. No, this monster is merely the world’s largest fully-functional Nexus S handset. Presently on display in a Best Buy store in San Carlos, California, the enormous Android is equipped with a 42-inch multitouch screen, rigged to a real Nexus S that does all the processing. There’s a working camera, internet access and the whole Android 2.3 user interface to explore, though it does look a mite difficult to navigate in the video below. Did we mention there’s a video? Stop reading, hit the break, and get on with the show! Continue reading 42-inch Nexus S stomps into Best Buy, terrifies shoppers and demos interactive Gingerbread UI (video) 42-inch Nexus S stomps into Best Buy, terrifies shoppers and demos interactive Gingerbread UI (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 21:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Nokia N900 mixed with Gingerbread, baked at 425 degrees for 16-18 minutes (video)
December 26, 2010 No Comment
Running Android on the Nokia N900 has been an ongoing theme for the better part of the past year — and with hardware designed from the ground up to be both hackable and high-end, we’d expect no less. Indeed, Android 2.3 is the latest victim of an N900 sneak attack, and impressively, core components like messaging already seem to be working — likely thanks to the fact that hackers had already gotten pre-2.3 builds rock solid . What’s even more impressive, though, is how smooth and generally non-janky everything seems to be — smooth enough so that you might be able to do this as your daily driver if Maemo 5 is starting to wear thin for you. Nokia might not approve, but then again, we don’t approve of the N9 still not being announced… so yeah, tit for tat, as it were. Continue reading Nokia N900 mixed with Gingerbread, baked at 425 degrees for 16-18 minutes (video) Nokia N900 mixed with Gingerbread, baked at 425 degrees for 16-18 minutes (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 19:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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There may be plenty of robots out there able to avoid or overcome obstacles, but we can’t say we’ve seen too many that are actually able to use obstacles to their advantage. That’s the claim to fame of this so-called HRP-2 robot built by researchers at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology , however, which is able to detect objects around it and discern how they can be used to help it with a specific task — like leaning on a table to help balance while kicking a ball, for instance. As New Scientist points out, whether intentional or not, the end result is a robot that behaves remarkably like an elderly person — see for yourself in the video after the break. Continue reading HRP-2 humanoid robot learns to use obstacles to its advantage HRP-2 humanoid robot learns to use obstacles to its advantage originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 11:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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President Barack Obama made a surprise Christmas visit to a Marine base in Hawaii on Saturday to thank the troops for their service, including being away from their families during the holidays. (Dec. 26)
Continue reading …Stereoscopic copy-paste finally brings that clone tool into the third dimension (video)
December 26, 2010 No Comment
With the right software anybody can be photo editing guru, eliminating redeye, removing unsightly blemishes, and maybe adding an image of Godzilla lurking in the background just for fun. However, if you’ve been unlucky enough to try to do the same in 3D you know just how distinctly unsatisfying that experience can be. Maybe not for long. Thanks to NewScientist we just caught a glimpse of an October presentation made by Swiss engineers Joren van Baar and Wan-Yen Lo called “Stereoscopic 3D Copy & Paste.” It is, basically, exactly what it sounds like, tools that let you define various objects and planes on a stereoscopic image, similar to how you might grab a shape with the magic wand tool, and then duplicate it and move that shape around on both parts of the 3D photo. The software handles re-creating shadows, automatically tackling occlusion too, and while the results aren’t perfect, particularly if you’re trying to change perspective or partially occlude an object behind something that’s transparent, it certainly trumps trying to do it by hand. Check out the video below and take a moment to be thankful that you didn’t have to buy gifts for all those kids above. Continue reading Stereoscopic copy-paste finally brings that clone tool into the third dimension (video) Stereoscopic copy-paste finally brings that clone tool into the third dimension (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Dec 2010 08:14:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Nikon patent app details lens with manual and electronic zoom, videographers rejoice
December 26, 2010 No Comment
We reckoned it was only a matter of time, and sure enough, it seems as if the engineers at Nikon are already one step ahead of everyone else. For those who’ve attempted to shoot video on a conventional DSLR, they’ve most likely ran into one problem in particular: zooming. It’s fairly difficult to manhandle a D3S under ideal circumstances, but try holding it steady while also keeping a firm grip on the zoom and focus dials. Without a camera rig, it’s essentially impossible to get anything more than novice captures, complete with oodles of blur and more Jellyvision than you could shake a butter knife at. If all goes well, the next Nikkor lens you purchase may make the aforementioned tragedy just another comical part of history. Nikon is apparently dreaming of a single lens that can be zoomed both manually (for still photography) and electronically (for video), and better still, there’s nothing stopping this from also supporting the outfit’s sure-to-be-forthcoming EVIL line of mirrorless cameras. Then again, it’s not like a patent application dictates a near-term release, but if we all cross our fingers in unison and pledge allegiance the Big N, who knows what kind of magic could happen. Nikon patent app details lens with manual and electronic zoom, videographers rejoice originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Dec 2010 23:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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