Turn the lights off, crank up your Music for Airports LP, and clear your appointments for the rest of the afternoon — it’s time to get your relaxation on with Flottille, tiny paper snowflakes that unfold as they’re exposed to water. French artist
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Screen Grabs chronicles the uses (and misuses) of real-world gadgets in today’s movies and TV. Send in your sightings (with screen grab!) to screengrabs at engadget dot com. Well, it sure looks like The Mentalist went all out for its season finale, stacking not one, not two, but five iPads on top of each other in some sort of makeshift surveillance system (with an extra one the desk for good measure). Apparently, the show had a shocking twist ending when it was revealed that the surveillance cameras being monitored were actually in the Big Brother house. [Thanks, Tim] Screen Grabs: The Mentalist takes the iPad to new heights originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 17:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …MeeGo 1.2 lands for netbooks and tablets, leaves handsets hanging on the telephone
May 20, 2011 No Comment
Just because Nokia has done everything short of taping a “Dear John” letter to MeeGo’s mirror doesn’t mean the OS is dead. In fact, Intel’s Linux-based baby just got a refresh to version 1.2. So what’s new this go around? Well, primarily it’s under the hood stuff, like improved Atom support and bug fixes out the ying yang. New audio and networking stacks have also been added for A2DP streaming and HSPA+ support. The tablet UI that Intel was showing off in February is has arrived, to complement the standard netbook version and the in-car interface. Sadly, the handset edition was left out of this update. Those eager to dip their toes in the MeeGo water can download the latest version at the source link. [Thanks, Khan] MeeGo 1.2 lands for netbooks and tablets, leaves handsets hanging on the telephone originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 15:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Comcast’s next generation Xfinity Spectrum DVR shows off quad tuners, new menu and apps
May 20, 2011 No Comment
It’s been about six months since we heard Comcast was running tests of a brand new set-top box platform but now thanks to one of our tipsters we’re able to see it in action and find out what’s on the way. From the remote to the box to the menus it’s all new, and appears to be a major step forward for the company and already includes familiar apps like Facebook and Pandora. The look of the new guide mirrors what we’d seen in the manual received by the FCC in December and demonstrated on Samsung HDTVs at CES earlier this year, intended for 16×9 displays and moving the main navigation elements to the top. The redesigned remote has a few new buttons and while it hasn’t gone the QWERTY route, the software and hardware are designed around T9-style access for searching and messaging, with a button and microphone icon suggesting voice control is a possibility as well. The DVR itself is the Pace box we’d seen previously , although there was differing information on the number of tuners and hard drive space available, suggesting these details may still be up in the air. Check after the break for more details and our tipster’s first hand account of the new TV experience. Gallery: Comcast Xfinity Spectrum DVR hands-on [Thanks, Mark van der Linden] Continue reading Comcast’s next generation Xfinity Spectrum DVR shows off quad tuners, new menu and apps Comcast’s next generation Xfinity Spectrum DVR shows off quad tuners, new menu and apps originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 16:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Comcast’s next generation Xfinity Spectrum DVR shows off quad tuners, new menu and apps
May 20, 2011 No CommentIt’s been about six months since we heard Comcast was running tests of a brand new set-top box platform but now thanks to one of our tipsters we’re able to see it in action and find out what’s on the way. From the remote to the box to the menus it’s all new, and appears to be a major step forward for the company and already includes familiar apps like Facebook and Pandora. The look of the new guide mirrors what we’d seen in the manual received by the FCC in December and demonstrated on Samsung HDTVs at CES earlier this year, intended for 16×9 displays and moving the main navigation elements to the top. The redesigned remote has a few new buttons and while it hasn’t gone the QWERTY route, the software and hardware are designed around T9-style access for searching and messaging, with a button and microphone icon suggesting voice control is a possibility as well. The DVR itself is the Pace box we’d seen previously , although there was differing information on the number of tuners and hard drive space available, suggesting these details may still be up in the air. Check after the break for more details and our tipster’s first hand account of the new TV experience. Gallery: Comcast Xfinity Spectrum DVR hands-on [Thanks, Mark van der Linden] Continue reading Comcast’s next generation Xfinity Spectrum DVR shows off quad tuners, new menu and apps Comcast’s next generation Xfinity Spectrum DVR shows off quad tuners, new menu and apps originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 16:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …MVS California’s Volumetric Head Up Display is a 3D laser show for your car’s windshield (video)
May 20, 2011 No Comment
Your windshield is good for more than just keeping bugs out of your mouth. It’s also a big blank canvas waiting to display helpful info like directions, traffic notifications, and safety information. A number big name manufacturers like GM and Pioneer have offered up heads-up display concepts over the past few years, but what makes MVS California’s Volumetric Head Up Display really neat is its impressive implementation of the volumetric aspect, using lasers to project images on the windshield in a such a way that gives the illusion of depth. So, if the system is being used to give driving direction via GPS — its main application, at present — it can make a turn arrow appear lined up with an exit half a mile down the road. The prototype showcased at this week’s Augmented Reality Event 2011 projected in red only, though the company says it’s capable of full color. How long do we have to wait for the future? MVS is hoping to get the thing into cars as a premium option in the next few years for around the same price of current high-end navigation systems. Surprisingly dull video of reality augmenting 3D lasers after the break. Continue reading MVS California’s Volumetric Head Up Display is a 3D laser show for your car’s windshield (video) MVS California’s Volumetric Head Up Display is a 3D laser show for your car’s windshield (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 14:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Look closely at that photo above. Those, friends, are digital cameras from Samsung. That’s right, even that boxy one that looks quite a bit like an old-school medium format film shooter. This photo was quietly inserted into a blog post from Sammy about lens design, without so much as a caption to clarify what our curious eyes were seeing. Might this be a future model meant to compete in the highest-ends of the digital camera market? Or is it something cooked up in the lab and abandoned for a more practical and mainstream design? There was a rumor kicking around last summer that Samsung was working on a medium format CMOS sensor and this could be a test rig for just such a slice of silicon. Whatever it is, we’re intrigued and we’ll be keeping an ear out for more info on what the Korean company has brewing. Is this Samsung’s first medium format digital camera? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 15:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …iRiver’s T9 is the affectionate, all-purpose MP3 player your inner schoolgirl always wanted (video)
May 20, 2011 No Comment
Been searching for an MP3 player that can do it all, including whisper sweet nothings in your ear? Behold the iRiver T9, a slim, Barbie pink number with screen savers that say, “I love you” and “enjoy your life.” For such a gimmicky device, it actually offers a healthy feature set, including an FM radio, voice recorder, step and calorie counters, a built-in USB connector, and the ability to shake to skip. Too bad the storage taps out at a puny 4GB. No word on pricing, but for now you can peep a less patronizing color palette in the gallery below and head past the break to play a game sweeping the Engadget staff: “spot the MP3 player in the video of dancing schoolgirls.” Gallery: iRiver T9 Continue reading iRiver’s T9 is the affectionate, all-purpose MP3 player your inner schoolgirl always wanted (video) iRiver’s T9 is the affectionate, all-purpose MP3 player your inner schoolgirl always wanted (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 14:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Windows Phone 7-style music player for Android arrives from the developer of LauncherPro
May 20, 2011 No Comment
Any Android fans that envied Windows Phone 7′s Metro UI style can have it for their media player (the launcher has been done before , try Launcher 7 in the Market), thanks to this app released by the developer of the popular LauncherPro homescreen replacement. As seen in the video above next to a real WP7 device, the look and functionality of the Zune player is present in a remarkably full featured interface despite its early alpha status, complete with features like scrobbling and playlists. The only thing it’s really lacking so far is a name, and obviously any Zune software integration; while we wait to see if Microsoft has any reaction to this homage you can sideload the APK yourself from the source link. Update : If you want to see the same app running on Honeycomb (and looking amazing) check out a screenshot after the break. [Thanks @Basil_Knows !] Continue reading Windows Phone 7-style music player for Android arrives from the developer of LauncherPro Windows Phone 7-style music player for Android arrives from the developer of LauncherPro originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 13:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Windows Phone 7-style music player for Android arrives from the developer of LauncherPro
May 20, 2011 No Comment
Any Android fans that envied Windows Phone 7′s Metro UI style can have it for their media player (the launcher has been done before , try Launcher 7 in the Market), thanks to this app released by the developer of the popular LauncherPro homescreen replacement. As seen in the video above next to a real WP7 device, the look and functionality of the Zune player is present in a remarkably full featured interface despite its early alpha status, complete with features like scrobbling and playlists. The only thing it’s really lacking so far is a name, and obviously any Zune software integration; while we wait to see if Microsoft has any reaction to this homage you can sideload the APK yourself from the source link. Update : If you want to see the same app running on Honeycomb (and looking amazing) check out a screenshot after the break. [Thanks @Basil_Knows !] Continue reading Windows Phone 7-style music player for Android arrives from the developer of LauncherPro Windows Phone 7-style music player for Android arrives from the developer of LauncherPro originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 May 2011 13:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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