Johnny Chung Lee makes DIY telepresence bot out of an iRobot Create and a netbook
February 12, 2011 No Comment
Most of us don’t have $15,000 to drop on an Anybot , even though having one around would be nice in the event we don’t feel like leaving the house to get some coffee . To help those of us with more humble means, our old friend Johnny Chung Lee (of Wiimote hacking and Kinect dev team fame) has utilized his prodigious DIY talents to create a video chat robot for the relatively paltry sum of $500. Using an iRobot Create ($250), a netbook with Skype ($250), a cable to connect the two, and some control software he wrote himself, Mr. Lee built a digital surrogate on the cheap. Johnny isn’t the first person to so leverage iRobot’s hacking platform , but he added a stand on top of the robot to get the PC closer to human height, attached a fish-eye lens to the webcam for better remote viewing, and even did some re-wiring to allow the netbook to charge via the Create’s base station. The code and how-to instructions are up on his blog, so hit the source link if you’re feeling up to making one yourself. Seems like Johnny Lee’s putting that Google 20 percent time to good use thus far — keep ‘em coming. Check the video of this latest creation after the break. Continue reading Johnny Chung Lee makes DIY telepresence bot out of an iRobot Create and a netbook Johnny Chung Lee makes DIY telepresence bot out of an iRobot Create and a netbook originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 23:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Now that you’ve had ample time to get through a few novellas, we’re keenly interested in finding out how you’d change Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color if given the opportunity. For an e-reader, it’s deliciously hackable , giving you a way to blow off steam after a hard day’s night… of soaking up information, that is. We found it to be amongst the top of its class when we reviewed it back in November, but this space is all about you. Would you overhaul the user interface? Ship it with a fancier build of Android? Boost the battery life? Go on and get opinionated in comments below — we promise we won’t judge. How would you change Barnes & Noble’s Nook Color? originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 22:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Tron: Legacy Blu-ray gets a release date, supports Disney’s Second Screen iPad app
February 12, 2011 No Comment
Amazon already revealed the three different Tron: Legacy Blu-ray & Blu-ray 3D combo packs on the way, from the 2-disc standard edition to the two movie, 5-disc Identity Disc-packaged limited edition but now we know the release date (4/5/11) and info about the extras. On the disc, Blu-ray-only exclusives include the Daft Punk music video for their song Derezzed , plus Launching the Legacy, Disc Roars and The Next Day: Flynn Lives Revealed features ( Tron: The Original Classic Special Edition saves a Photo Tronology just for Blu-ray watchers.) If you have an iPad, the Disney Second Screen app that will make its debut alongside Bambi March 1 adds to the action with 360-degree views of the Tron vehicles, interactive progression reels and other information all synced to the movie by the audio track. There’s more details including MSRPs ($40 – $80) and the press release after the break. Continue reading Tron: Legacy Blu-ray gets a release date, supports Disney’s Second Screen iPad app Tron: Legacy Blu-ray gets a release date, supports Disney’s Second Screen iPad app originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 20:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Well, would you look at that. A day after the Verizon iPhone goes on sale to the general public, AT&T is dishing out 1000 free rollover minutes to all of its customers. The catch? None that we know of — the wireless company apparently just wants to thank all of its awesome customers for, you know, not making the switch to some other carrier with Apple’s smartphone. Simply text “yes” to 11113020 to be awarded the talk tokens — which will probably just pile up on top of the thousands you’ve undoubtedly already accumulated. Too bad they can’t prevent dropped calls. [Thanks, Danielle] AT&T handing over 1000 free rollover minutes to all of its customers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 19:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Researchers from Harvard and MITRE announce world’s first programmable nanoprocessor
February 11, 2011 No Comment
We’ve seen plenty of breakthroughs involving nanowires over the years, but none of those have involved an actual programmable processor — until now, that is. That particular “world’s first” was just announced by a team of researchers from Harvard University and the MITRE Corporation this week, and it’s being described as nothing short of a “quantum jump forward in the complexity and function of circuits built from the bottom up.” As for the processor itself, it consists of an array of nearly 500 germanium nanowires that have been criss-crossed with metal wires on a chip that’s just 960 micrometers (or less than 1 millimeter) square. That becomes an actual processor when the researchers run a high voltage through the metal wires and switch the individual intersections off and on at will — we’re simplyfing things a bit, but you get the idea. What’s more, the researchers note that the architecture is fully scalable, and promises to allow for the assembly of “much larger and ever more functional nanoprocessors.” Head on past the break for the official press release. [Thanks, Chris] Continue reading Researchers from Harvard and MITRE announce world’s first programmable nanoprocessor Researchers from Harvard and MITRE announce world’s first programmable nanoprocessor originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 19:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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First it was the PlayStation 3, then it was the Google TV and now it appears Samsung Apps compatible HDTVs feature the new look of Netflix’s Watch Instantly interface. According to our reader Bruce, the new UI popped up after he upgraded the firmware on his UN46C6500 LCD HDTV and, like on the other platforms, it adds the ability to search through Netflix’s catalog right on the device — no adding DVDs to your queue though, that’s still PC or mobile only . Of course, after our experience with the PS3′s multiple UI madness we know how much Netflix likes to test multiple versions of its app at once, so we wouldn’t be surprised if everyone isn’t seeing this immediately, just keep an eye out if your app suddenly asks to be reactivated again and you should be in for the new version. [Thanks, Bruce] Gallery: Samsung Apps new Netflix Watch Instantly UI New Netflix Watch Instantly interface showing up on Samsung HDTVs originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 18:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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Look what we’ve found! This is the first image you’ll see anywhere of the early fruit of Microsoft and Nokia’s budding new partnership . We have it on good authority that the technicolor phones on show are conceptual devices produced by the two companies. You shouldn’t, therefore, go jumping to conclusions about retail hardware just yet, but hearts should be warmed by the familiarity of Nokia’s new design — the shape of these handsets is somewhere between its recent N8 and C7 Symbian devices and there is, as usual for Nokia, a choice of sprightly colors. The trio of keys adorning the new concept’s bottom give away its Windows Phone 7 ties, but also remind us that the N8 and E7 are highly unlikely to receive any WP7 upgrade love. The best part about this whole discovery, however, might be that it confirms Steve Ballmer’s assertion that the engineers of both companies have ” spent a lot of time on this already .” So, who else is excited about owning an Engadget-blue Microkia device? Gallery: Exclusive: Nokia’s Windows Phone 7 concept revealed! Exclusive: Nokia’s Windows Phone 7 concept revealed! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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There’s no question that Honeycomb tablets like the Xoom are powerful pieces of hardware, and it looks like Google will be doing its best to ensure that developers are able to exploit as much of that power as possible. A big piece of that puzzle is the company’s Renderscript API for the OS, which it’s just now starting to detail in full. The big advantage there is that it’s a low-level API designed especially for developers who are “comfortable working closer to the metal,” which will let applications built with it (including games) take full advantage of the high-end GPUs and dual-core processors found in Honeycomb tablets. What’s more, while the API is just now being made public, it’s already been put to use in Honeycomb by Google itself — both the YouTube and Books apps, and the live wallpapers shipping with the first Honeycomb tablets were created with the help of it. Head on past the break for another quick example — a brute force physics simulation that involves 900 particles titling with the tablet — and look for Google to provide some additional technical information and sample code sometime soon. Continue reading Google details low-level Renderscript API for Honeycomb Google details low-level Renderscript API for Honeycomb originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:22:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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The nominations are in, the picks have been sorted, and now it’s time for you, the reader, to help us judge the best in tech from 2010! We’ve put together a long, long list of the top selections below — all we ask is that you cast your vote for the gadgets nearest and dearest to your hearts. Votes will be tallied until Monday February 20th, 11:59PM EDT. You can vote in this post — the nominees are after the break. After we’ve checked for abuse (please don’t make us ban you) we’ll publish the results alongside our own Editors’ Choice picks the following week. May the best gadgets win! Continue reading Vote for the 2010 Engadget Awards! Vote for the 2010 Engadget Awards! originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 15:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
Continue reading …Honda to unveil new EV in Geneva, said to ‘hint strongly’ at what the Fit EV will look like
February 11, 2011 No Comment
Wondering what the electric version of Honda’s Fit will look like? We figure it’ll look an awful lot like the normal Honda Fit, but if that’s not enough for you then gaze upon the concept above. It’s set to be unveiled soon in Geneva, called simply the “Honda EV Concept.” The company Soichiro built promises it “hints strongly at the direction and styling for Honda’s upcoming production battery electric vehicle, the Fit EV,” which is due to hit the US and Japan next year. Honda will also show off a new plug-in hybrid architecture, though based on what you can see in the pictures below there’s a good chance it’ll be making an appearance without a body. Should be a light one, then. Gallery: Honda Geneva EV prototypes Continue reading Honda to unveil new EV in Geneva, said to ‘hint strongly’ at what the Fit EV will look like Honda to unveil new EV in Geneva, said to ‘hint strongly’ at what the Fit EV will look like originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Feb 2011 15:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds . Permalink
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