Full-on electric drum kit shoved within a pair of jeans, subway musicians celebrate (video)
April 2, 2011 No Comment
It’s a natural progression, really. Way back in the heyday that was 2008, we saw a fully-functional keyboard worked into a pair of jeans. Three years later, those characters have morphed into something far more raucous. The University of Hull’s own Aseem Mishra has just nabbed an prized engineering award for his recent musical work — specifically, for integrating eight sensors into an otherwise ordinary set of trousers. For now, the wearer has to connect their legs into a speaker-filled backpack in order to be heard, but he’s working on a wireless version that’ll transmit to far larger sound systems. There’s also hope that version 2.0 will include more sensors for more sounds, and if a manufacturer decides to start shoving these into your local Hot Topic, we’re guessing they’ll be available in a rainbow’s worth of hues. Vid’s below for those who’d fancy having a listen themselves. Continue reading Full-on electric drum kit shoved within a pair of jeans, subway musicians celebrate (video) Full-on electric drum kit shoved within a pair of jeans, subway musicians celebrate (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 12:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz dual-core MSM8660 destroys the competition in majestic benchmark run
April 2, 2011 No Comment
Take the 1GHz Scorpion core residing in Qualcomm’s current flagship Snapdragon, the MSM8x55 , duplicate it, overclock the resulting pair by 50 percent, and give them improved graphics in the form of Adreno 220. What do you get? A barnburner by the unsexy name of MSM8x60. Yes, the 1.5GHz Mobile Development Platform Qualcomm loosed on the world at CES earlier this year has found itself prostrate on a test bench, where it has produced some of the finest graphical performance scores yet seen on a mobile device. The taxing OpenGL ES 2.0 test you see above shows the new Snapdragon doubling the frame rates churned out by Motorola’s mighty Atrix 4G (which admittedly has to work harder thanks to its higher-res display) and completely embarrassing older generation hardware like the EVO 4G. That’s a theme carried on throughout AnandTech ‘s benchmarking, which you may explore in full at the source link. If you’re wondering when this world-beating dual-core chip will be coming to market, the answer is that it’s already inside HTC’s imminently upcoming EVO 3D and Pyramid devices, albeit running at a tamer 1.2GHz. Exciting, eh? Continue reading Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz dual-core MSM8660 destroys the competition in majestic benchmark run Qualcomm’s 1.5GHz dual-core MSM8660 destroys the competition in majestic benchmark run originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Apr 2011 06:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s about time the ViewMaster got an upgrade. What’s that? It’s not a ViewMaster? Well, you could have fooled us, but either way, the things finally going on sale exclusively at Target April 3rd, and everywhere else starting in June. As you might have already heard , Hasboro’s intro into the crowded 3D arena , simply titled My3D , does take a card from the old ViewMaster deck, but instead of enlisting cardboard discs, this thing uses your iPhone or iPod touch to bring you 3D entertainment. If your kid’s not already hooked on 3D, the $35 viewer could be a decent starter — then again, for $35 you could take yourself out to a nice lunch, give the rug rat a cardboard box, and call it a day. Full PR after the break. Continue reading Hasboro’s My3D to turn iPhones into glorified ViewMasters starting Sunday Hasboro’s My3D to turn iPhones into glorified ViewMasters starting Sunday originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Apr 2011 04:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Disputes with Fox, Viacom and Discovery caused Time Warner to pull 11 of the 32 original channels from its live TV streaming TWCable TV app yesterday, but as promised it has brought in some new ones to replace them. Among the 17 channels added are several networks from the ABC / Disney group including ABC Family, Disney, Disney XD and ESPNnews, plus NBC Universal selections like MSNBC, Syfy and USA as well as the curious addition of Fox News. We’re still not convinced watching TV on our tablet is a more useful development than using it as a remote / couch companion but until those features arrive or the app gets sued out of existence, that’s what this one does. Check the full list of new channels after the break or on the TWCable Untangled blog. Update : There’s no word from Time Warner, but Multichannel News reports five more new channels have been added this afternoon – Bloomberg TV, PBS Kids Sprout, Hallmark Movie Channel, Current TV and TruTV. Turner also stated TBS will join them once the app supports MLB blackout restrictions, which is also the reason why other ESPN stations aren’t included yet. Continue reading Time Warner Cable’s app adds new live TV channels to watch on your iPad Time Warner Cable’s app adds new live TV channels to watch on your iPad originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 13:34:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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It’s not that you need a hardware-based H.264 live streaming encoder hanging around in your fifth pocket, but if you’re looking to capture more of life’s moments, why not? Scheduled for a proper introduction at NAB Show 2011, the Minicaster is capable of encoding and delivering a number of streams while also recording at the same time, and those settings can be tweaked directly on the unit itself. The company recommends using it with Wowza Media Server, and if you’re looking to become the world’s next Ustream star, investing in one of these may not be such a bad idea. Emphasis on may , given that the asking price is eluding us at the moment. Continue reading Minicaster: the pocket-sized hardware-based H.264 live streaming encoder Minicaster: the pocket-sized hardware-based H.264 live streaming encoder originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 02 Apr 2011 02:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Spiral training Android application turns anyone into Peyton Manning… in theory (video)
April 1, 2011 No Comment
Ah, ingenuity. We’ve seen Google’s Android platform used for a host of unorthodox applications over the years, but Ben Kokes’ concoction deserves a round of golf claps to call its own. The so-called Replay Football system employs a Bluetooth-enabled Nerf football with a 9-axis inertial sensing motion processing module (MPU-6000 by InvenSense), and when linked to a visualization / throw analysis application, you’re able to analyze the rotation of a football in real-time as it’s thrown. From there, the app breaks down the nuts and bolts of the toss, and while it’s not able to blurt out pointers on correcting things just yet, we’re seeing endless potential for the next revision. Don’t believe us? There’s a video just below that’ll make a believer out of you, yet. Continue reading Spiral training Android application turns anyone into Peyton Manning… in theory (video) Spiral training Android application turns anyone into Peyton Manning… in theory (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:01:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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$399.99 for a WiFi-only Galaxy Tab not low enough to pique your interest? Then perhaps $349.99 will be a bit more to your liking. While there’s still no indication of a release date, Frys.com is now accepting pre-orders for the device at that price, which is presumably not a mistake. Of course, the device itself is identical to the regular Galaxy Tab apart from that “wifi-only” bit, including the same 7-inch display, 16GB of storage, and Android 2.2 with Flash 10.1 support. Those willing to sign a contract will soon be able to get a 3G model for even less, however, with Sprint now set to offer the Tab for a mere $200 on a two-year contract. [Thanks, Andy] Frys lists WiFi-only Galaxy Tab at $350, now accepting pre-orders originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 15:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …World’s first GLONASS-enabled smartphone ships in Russia, GPS ponders a recalculation
April 1, 2011 No Comment
Well, would you look at that? The planet’s first GLONASS phone is now available, but it looks as if you’ll need to soar over to Russia in order to use it. Of course, if you’ve followed the GLONASS story at all you wouldn’t find that shocking in the least, and if you choose to pick up the ZTE-built MTS GLONASS 945 on your next trip, you’ll be treated to full-on GPS support back in the States. It’s a Froyo-based device with a 3.2-inch capacitive touchpanel, 2 megapixel camera, 130MB of memory, Bluetooth / WiFi and a price tag of just under 11,000 Rubles. That’s around $400 in real money, which you’ll probably find suits you best in your wallet if you’ve already picked up the all-too-similar Vodafone 945. Here’s hoping the world’s second GLONASS phone is a bit more compelling in the design and feature standpoint, yeah? [Thanks to everyone who sent this in] World’s first GLONASS-enabled smartphone ships in Russia, GPS ponders a recalculation originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 23:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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HTC hasn’t said much on the subject of Honeycomb for its Flyer tablet since its big announcement back at Mobile World Congress, where it said it chose not to use the OS for the tablet because it didn’t have enough time to customize it with its Sense UI . It’s now finally chimed in on the matter again, however, and replied to a question on Twitter by saying that it “will be offering a Honeycomb upgrade when it’s made available.” Of course, that statement’s noticeably lacking a specific date (or even a hint of one), and it may well be wise to not hold your breath for an upgrade anytime soon given Google’s recent talk of a tighter grip on Honeycomb. Still, it looks like it’s definitely still on the table as far as HTC is concerned. [Thanks, Lewis] HTC confirms Flyer tablet will get Honeycomb… sometime originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 22:02:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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We know you — you’re that guy (or gal!) who simply can’t resist dipping your toes into whatever’s next, and in the case of AMD’s Fusion , you almost certainly went out and grabbed up an HP Pavilion dm1z as soon as it hit the market. Nah, we aren’t clairvoyant, just rational guessers. At any rate, now that you’ve had a solid two or three months with your Zacate-backed ultraportable, we’re eager to know how you’d change things if given the golden key. Are you satisfied with the build quality? How’s that heat? Feeling any jealousy for those who opted for Atom-based rigs? Are the keyboard and trackpad things you actually look forward to using? Go ahead and vent in comments below; it’s Friday, it’s your birthday, and HP’s got an awfully thick coat of skin. How would you change HP’s Fusion-powered Pavilion dm1z? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 22:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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