DARPA’s XC2V FLYPMode crowd-sourced combat vehicle revealed, now in desert khaki (video)
June 26, 2011 No Comment
Okay, so perhaps the specific color here is up for debate, but one thing is clear: the XC2V FLYPMode is one imposing looking vehicle. Also known as the Experimental Crowd-derived Combat Support Vehicle, DARPA has billed this mean machine as the “first crowd-sourced, militarily relevant vehicle design.” After being selected as the winning entry to DARPA’s design-the-next-Humvee competition, Local Motors tricked out the XC2V FLYPMode in just 14 weeks. For now, it is but a “proof of principle project,” meaning we probably won’t see this thing riding dirty in the desert anytime soon, if ever. You can, however, see at least a portion of the beast’s birth in a time-lapse video after the break. Continue reading DARPA’s XC2V FLYPMode crowd-sourced combat vehicle revealed, now in desert khaki (video) DARPA’s XC2V FLYPMode crowd-sourced combat vehicle revealed, now in desert khaki (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Jun 2011 12:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Well, what do we have here? From the looks of it, we’ve got ourselves launch dates for a slate of new Lenovo tablets. A little note from the outfit’s Affiliate Program, pictured above, shows the Android-packing IdeaPad K1 will, unsurprisingly , debut in late June or July, with a June 28th arrival being pegged for its rumored ThinkPad tablet . What’s more, we could see a refresh of the company’s IdeaCentre all-in-one coming our way August 30th. Looks like this summer could be a hot one for Lenovo, but we’ll just have to wait and see how things pan out. Lenovo ThinkPad, IdeaPad tablets coming later this month? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Jun 2011 11:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Researchers over in the land of the robot-obsessed have found a new, non-invasive way to control your hand while your brain recoils in horror. Reassuringly named the PossessedHand, this belt of electro-stimulation wraps its pad of twenty-eight electrodes around your forearm triggering a range of sixteen bewitched joint actions. Project leader Emi Tamaki claims it feels more like a light massage than say, a full-on Freejack. However, one test subject confessed, “[It was] like my body was hacked” — so that’s comforting. This joint production between the University of Tokyo’s Rekimoto Lab and Sony Computer Science Laboratories was first tested as a musical training aide, but could someday help stroke victims regain mobility. For now, the stimulation isn’t strong enough to turn you into an automated Steve Vai (or secret assassin), but it definitely lends new meaning to ‘hands-off.’ Check the video after the break for a demonstration and some unsettling narration. Continue reading Tokyo researchers hijack your hand, help you play the koto (video) Tokyo researchers hijack your hand, help you play the koto (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Jun 2011 09:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …OnLive Viewer hits HTC Flyer, ripped and posted for other Android gaming voyeurs (video)
June 26, 2011 No Comment
Those of you toting around an HTC Flyer probably just got an update that loaded OnLive Viewer on your 7-inch tablet. Don’t get too excited though, the name of the app says it all — this is a viewer not a player . So, if you’ve got a voyeuristic streak, you can watch others shoot their way through F.E.A.R. 3 , but you won’t slowing down time yourself. If that sounds like a blast but you don’t have a Flyer, fear not, the folks at the XDA forums were kind enough to rip the APK and post it for all the world to enjoy. We successfully tested it on a Droid X, and reports are that it’s up and running on the EVO 4G, Desire HD, and even a hacked Nook Color. Once installed you’ll just need a WiFi connection (the app kicks you back to the homescreen on 3G) and low expectations — the video quality was less than impressive. Hit up the source link to download it for yourself, and check out the video our tipster sent us after the break. [Thanks, Phil] Continue reading OnLive Viewer hits HTC Flyer, ripped and posted for other Android gaming voyeurs (video) OnLive Viewer hits HTC Flyer, ripped and posted for other Android gaming voyeurs (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Jun 2011 06:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …NextComputing wants you to take your desktop for a stroll, preferably a short one
June 26, 2011 No Comment
After watching NextComputing dance around the definition of mobile computing for so long , we’re not all that surprised to see the firm tease its first suitcase-desktop sporting an internal battery. The headlining promise of two to four hours of battery life, however? We’ll take the whole salt shaker, thanks. NextComputing’s half-minute demo shows an unnamed workstation disconnected, unplugged, and lugged off. We’re not really sure where it’s going, or why it needs to be left on for the trip, but hey — a desktop with a battery still beats a laptop without one. NextComputing wants you to take your desktop for a stroll, preferably a short one originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Jun 2011 03:50:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Solar Sinter solar-powered 3D printer turns sand into glass, renews our faith in higher education (video)
June 25, 2011 No Comment
Where would we be without the world’s graduate art projects? In the case of Markus Kayser’s Solar Sinter, we might never have seen the day when a solar-powered 3D printer would turn Saharan sand into a perfectly suitable glass bowl. Well, lucky for us (we suppose) we live in a world overflowing with MA students, and awash in their often confusing, sometimes inspiring projects. Solar Sinter, now on display at the Royal College of Art, falls into the latter category, taking the Earth’s natural elements, and turning them into functioning pieces of a burgeoning technology. Solar Sinter uses the sun’s rays in place of a laser and sand in place of resin, in a process that is perhaps more visually stunning than the results. See for yourself in the video after the break. Continue reading Solar Sinter solar-powered 3D printer turns sand into glass, renews our faith in higher education (video) Solar Sinter solar-powered 3D printer turns sand into glass, renews our faith in higher education (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Jun 2011 00:48:00 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 Alex, who seems to be sick and tired (but mostly sick) of doing poorly in deathmatches due to a troublesome mouse. If you’re looking to send in an inquiry of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com . “I’m thinking about getting an Alienware M14x. What’s the best gaming mouse for first person shooters?” That’s about as brief as they come, folks. We’re guessing he wants something on the portable side given his machine of choice, and while we’d personally recommend the Orochi , we’re sure the hivemind has a few answers, too. Spill ‘em in comments below! Ask Engadget: best gaming mouse for first-person shooters? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Jun 2011 22:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We’ve already seen cameras that let you pretend you live in a radioactive apocalypse shoot HDR video, combining overexposed and underexposed images into one surreal composite. But so far, that kind of dystopian trippiness has been relegated to experiments and rigs using two lenses. But here we have AMP, a portable-enough five-pound camera that splits the light into three sensors, giving it a range of 17.5 stops to “reveal reality” in our drab, incomplete lives. The single-lens camera shoots 1080p video at 24fps or 30fps, records raw, uncompressed data to an SSD, and works with Nikon F-Mount-compatible lenses. To give you some perspective on the amount of sheer storage required, AMP promises a 256GB SSD can hold 30-plus minutes of footage, with 24fps video consuming less space than the 30 fps variety. It’ll be available later this summer for some unknown sum, but not as a mass-produced product. Rather, it’ll end up in the hands of a select few prosumers who add themselves to a waiting list. Assuming you won’t be one of the chosen, you can get your fill of reality in a pair of demo videos after the break. Continue reading AMP camera records 1080p HDR video, you probably can’t have one AMP camera records 1080p HDR video, you probably can’t have one originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Jun 2011 21:04:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Ross Rubin contributes Reserve Power , a column focused on personal perspectives and products. Last week’s Reserve Power took you behind the scenes of technology and infomercials, and this week we’re bringing it to its natural conclusion. Catch up by reading last week’s installment here , and catch the rest just below. Continue reading Reserve Power: When inventor meets informercial, Part 2 Reserve Power: When inventor meets informercial, Part 2 originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Jun 2011 20:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We haven’t heard much about Sony’s ultra slim VAIO Z in months, but when we have, we’ve always been left with more questions than answers. We’ve seen its specs (but not handsome face) splashed on various European websites, while Sony, for its part, has only made the coy promise that its newly redesigned S series thin-and-lights are not meant to replace the more premium Z line. Lo and behold, we’re now seeing photos of what purports to be the next-gen Z series and, as always, we’re left wanting more. In these pics, you’ve supposedly got the Z — sometimes with a black lid, sometimes gold — sitting next to an external dock housing what appears to be an optical drive. If you drop in on the gossip circles in NotebookReview ‘s forum, you’ll read some speculation that there’s an external GPU baked in there, too — a compelling idea, though even “Eddie,” the guy who leaked these photos, doesn’t seem completely confident as to what that peripheral actually does. Given that the Z series has been MIA from Sony’s site for months now, we hope the company gets a move on and outs this thing — if this is, indeed, what it is. Until then, amuse yourselves with photos and crowd-sourced specs at the source links. Continue reading Is this the next Sony VAIO Z? Is this the next Sony VAIO Z? originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Jun 2011 18:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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