When we hear the name GAIA, our memory automatically zooms back to the Whoopi Goldberg-voiced Mother Earth from Captain Planet. This isn’t that GAIA, but it does have to do with planets. Back at the turn of the millennium, the European Space Agency devised an ambitious mission to map one billion stars in our Milky Way galaxy — in 3D (insert Joey Lawrence ‘whoa!’). To do this, it enlisted UK-based e2v Technologies and built an immense digital camera comprised of 106 snugly-fit charge coupled devices — the largest ever for a space program. These credit card-shaped, human hair-thick slabs of silicon carbide act like tiny galactic eyes, each storing incoming light as a single pixel. Not sufficiently impressed? Then consider this: the stellar cam is so all-seeing, “it could measure the thumbnails of a person on the Moon” — from Earth. Yeah. Set to launch on the Soyuz-Fregat sometime this year, the celestial surveyor will make its five-year home in the Earth-Sun L2 Lagrange point, beaming its outerspace discoveries to radio dishes in Spain and Australia — and occasionally peeping in your neighbor’s window. European Space Agency creates one billion pixel camera, calls her GAIA originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jul 2011 15:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Google pulls co.cc subdomains from search, brings our global malware nightmare to an end
July 10, 2011 No Comment
Google’s been on a creative tear lately, rolling out new products and revamping older ones . But there’s a reason the phrase “search giant” is synonymous with Big G, and it’s always working to return better results . Sometimes that means tweaking its algorithm to prevent SEO-gaming ; other times it means dropping over 11 million sites from search results, as the company just did in blocking the .co.cc subdomain. Google classifies it as a “freehost” — it belongs to a Korean company that provides free or cheap domains, often bulk-registered — and after automated scanning revealed a high percentage of malware-hosting sites, decided to scrub the entire lot from its results. Of course, this is something like using a nuclear weapon against cockroaches: it causes a lot of collateral damage, while your real target scurries to its next hideout. Still, we wish Google well in its bravely quixotic mission. Google pulls co.cc subdomains from search, brings our global malware nightmare to an end originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jul 2011 14:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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If you’ve been thinking about buying a one piece Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI cable to bring vids from your Macbook to an HDTV, you may want to get it now. According to a report from TechRadar , the group behind HDMI has decided they don’t meet the requirements and cannot be tested or licensed for compatibility. Their sin? Not having a male HDMI plug on each end as required by the spec, which only allows for dongles featuring an all-female pairing of Mini DisplayPort and HDMI to get the job done. We’ve contacted the group to find out exactly what’s going on, but until we hear back it may be prudent to keep an eye on suddenly black-market cable pricing like gasoline before a big holiday. HDMI group reportedly putting a stop to Mini DisplayPort-to-HDMI adapters originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jul 2011 13:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you’d like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with “Insert Coin” as the subject line. Nobody with binocular vision would consider replacing a functional natural eye with a digital camera . But Tanya Vlach’s vision is monocular, after losing one of her eyes in a car accident. A matching ocular prosthesis gives the San Francisco native a normal appearance, but it’s unable to provide vision — in its current state, at least. Vlach turned to Kickstarter for donations that would allow her to install a unique, waterproof in-eye camera, theoretically capable of transmitting 720p HD video wirelessly to a mobile app, and zooming and capturing still images using a blink-activated sensor. Features also on the wish list: facial recognition, a dilating pupil that changes based on light, infrared / UV capture, and geotagging , just to name a few. The embedded camera obviously can’t replace a natural eye, but it certainly brings more life to an otherwise useless cosmetic shell. Vlach needs to raise $15,000 by August 3rd in order to achieve her funding goal and commission an engineer to design the new optic. Donations of less than $5,000 will be rewarded with a variety of small-ticket items, while a pledge greater than that amount will net the donor their very own “souvenir eye camera” — whatever that means. You can jump past the break for a video explanation from Tanya, who may very well be on her way to being the first human to use a digital pseudo-bionic eye. Continue reading Insert Coin: Prosthetic eye digital camera (video) Insert Coin: Prosthetic eye digital camera (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jul 2011 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Pokemon headed to iOS, Android, Nintendo still doesn’t give a Jigglypuff about casual gaming
July 10, 2011 No Comment
Nintendo president Satoru Iwata made no bones about his disdain for casual mobile gaming during his keynote at GDC earlier this year. According to the executive, Nintendo will sustain itself with the sort of value absent from the current app explosion. Rovio naturally took issue with the statement and fired back, like so many disgruntled feathered animals. With all of that in mind, it was a bit surprising to hear that a Pokemon card game is headed for the iPhone and Android devices in Japan this summer — after all, Nintendo does own a share of the popular monster-based franchise. Before you get too attached to the concept of Mario on your iOS device, however, keep two things in mind — first, Nintendo only owns about a third of the franchise. Second, the company quickly shot down the suggestion of further expansion into the world of phone apps. Those 3DS games aren’t going to buy themselves, after all. Pokemon headed to iOS, Android, Nintendo still doesn’t give a Jigglypuff about casual gaming originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jul 2011 09:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Element5′s Mini L Solarbag brings eco-friendly energy, protection to your iPad
July 10, 2011 No Comment
Modern day solar bags are more about looks than utility — the energy conversion rates on those things aren’t exactly jaw-dropping — but if it comes between a generic satchel and one that’s Ma Earth-approved, well… you know what to do. Element5′s Swiss Made Mini L Solarbag is tailored to fit your iDevice of choice, but it’s fairly obvious that the iPad line will be most at home here. We’re guessing that the company’s taking a few liberties with that “mini miracle” tagline, and we aren’t exactly thrilled with the lack of information surrounding charging time, but those who value form over function can get their order in now for 348 Swiss Franc (or $412 in actual money). Continue reading Element5′s Mini L Solarbag brings eco-friendly energy, protection to your iPad Element5′s Mini L Solarbag brings eco-friendly energy, protection to your iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jul 2011 06:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Waiting for a 3D printer you can actually — you know — afford? Well, unfortunately the wait isn’t over, but we’re certainly getting closer with Objet’s 260 Connex. The latest offering can still print two materials simultaneously like its more expensive brethren , but is more compact and apparently more “attractively priced.” Exactly how frugal, the firm didn’t say, but can one really put a price on something that can churn out chunks of Iron Man armor ? Yeah, we didn’t think so. No word on when it’ll ship, but with more than sixty materials to print with, you had better start brainstorming those prototypes now. Video after the break. Continue reading Objet260 Connex makes 3D printing cheaper, feasible for cramped offices Objet260 Connex makes 3D printing cheaper, feasible for cramped offices originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Jul 2011 03:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Fukushima plant operator uses modded robot vacuum to suck up radioactive dirt (video)
July 9, 2011 No Comment
A few months ago, back when Japan was freshly reeling from that devastating earthquake and tsunami, it became obvious that robots could help survey radiation levels in Fukushima, even if they were powerless to lower them. Now, Tokyo Power Electric Co., the company that operates the damaged nuclear plant, is experimenting with an ad hoc system designed to clean at least some of the radioactive dirt from the reactors. What you see in that clip below is an industrial-grade vacuum cleaner attached to a Warrior, the most heavy-duty of iRobot’s mobile bots. The idea is that workers can control the system from a safe distance, and let the robot handle the dirty work of removing toxic sand and debris. Head past the break to see it in action, combing the floor of the (eerily) empty plant. Continue reading Fukushima plant operator uses modded robot vacuum to suck up radioactive dirt (video) Fukushima plant operator uses modded robot vacuum to suck up radioactive dirt (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jul 2011 23:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is coming to us from Patrick, who needs to help his brother, and also, prove his brother wrong. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com . “My brother is shopping for a laptop and wants long battery life, but also the ability to play games such as Minecraft on a reasonable graphics setting. His current laptop gets about two hours of battery life and he plays Minecraft at about 15 frames-per-second. The definition of ‘long battery life’ is vague, but obviously the longer, the better.” Well, Patrick — here’s hoping the collective readership in comments can “provide” you with “some advice” for “your brother.” We’re guessing they will. Ask Engadget: does any gaming laptop have decent battery life? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jul 2011 22:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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This certainly isn’t the first music video we’ve seen shot with a smartphone. And whether or not it’s the first one shot entirely on a Windows Phone device is almost beside the point. What really makes the whole thing remarkable is that, unlike a lot of these fairly gimmicky videos, this one’s for a truly terrific artist, Kurt Vile, whose awesome Smoke Ring for My Halo dropped on Matador back in March. The Todd Cole-directed video for the first track off that LP follows a day in the life of an East LA-based couple. Check out the video and an obligatory making of after the break. Continue reading New Kurt Vile video shot with Windows Phone handset (video) New Kurt Vile video shot with Windows Phone handset (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 09 Jul 2011 20:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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