HTML5 Smart Board Attempts To Out-Surface The Surface

Intuilabs is showing off their proof-of-concept HTML5-based multi-touch smartboard in an effort to prove a) that HTML5 is pretty rocking and b) that someday we may all have smart tabletops in our home. To see the big screen in action you can fast forward to about 3 minutes in.It’s obviously a little wonky in terms of applicability in the real world, but these guys aim to add multi-touch interfaces to the entire web, at least in some form. It will definitely be fascinating when web apps can do what native apps can do, especially when it comes to pinching, zooming, et al.ntroducing the Web as a multi-touch application hosting option opens the door to instant availability and universal access, giving retailers, advertisers and the like a powerful new medium for communicating with their prospects and customers. Web designers and their clients will be able to create immersive Web experiences without requiring plug-in downloads or excessive cross-browser scripting to ensure compatibility. Interactive mobile phone experiences could be ported to the Web, establishing a consistent look-and-feel, and then expanded to take advantage of additional screen real estate. Ambitious retailers, hospitality vendors and the like could take things a step further and carry over the phone and Web experience to their stores, lobbies and gathering places through interactive tablets, kiosks, tables and touchscreen walls.
Source:http://techcrunch.com/2011/12/02/html5-smart-board-attempts-to-out-surface-the-surface/

eSleeper combines cats, Arduino and Twitter in an eMac shell (video)

If we had to imagine our dream DIY project chances are it would involve Arduino, Twitter and, of course, cats. How we'd combine those things we're not sure, but we'll admit to being big fans of Samuel Cox's eSleeper, which turns a hollowed-out eMac into a bed for his feline. Inside the shell is an Arduino Ethernet connected to an IR sensor, some LEDs and a sound shield. When the cat breaks the infrared beam it triggers the iconic Mac chime and turns on a series color-shifting LEDs for a little mood lighting. From there the clock starts ticking. When little Fluffy (Captain Whiskers? Matlock? Penny? Greg?) decides she's had enough napping and leaves the white plastic cocoon, tripping the IR sensor again, a random phrase is tweeted, along with the length of the cat's siesta. Check out the video after the break to see the eSleeper in all its adorable DIY glory.

Source:http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/01/esleeper-combines-cats-arduino-and-twitter-in-an-emac-shell-vi/

Crapgadget: iStation woos Apple romantics with the glory of the late '70s, fails

Some people buy tablets for their portability and convenience. Others get sucked into the pitfalls of gadget lust, snatching up the latest tech. But for the dedicated fanboy, there's a whole world ofunnecessary kitsch just waiting to relieve'em of those hard-earned greenbacks. Enter M.I.C.'s iStation: an iOS dock in sorta, kinda Apple I / II clothing (their claim, not ours) that's ready and willing to cash in on your tech industry nostalgia. Alright, so this $85 setup won't exactly ape those Jobs / Woz lovechildren of the late '70s, but it does pack stereo speakers, a subwoofer, Bluetooth keyboard, USB port, microSD card slot and a 3.5mm headphone jack into its wood-paneling. Feeling spendthrifty? Good, then you can fork over the dough at the source below. Or, if you still need convincing, peep the video after the break and soak up the heavenly choral music. 

Source:http://www.engadget.com/2011/12/01/crapgadget-istation-woos-apple-romantics-with-the-glory-of-the/

Harvard-designed 'soft robot' shows you how low it can go (video)

It's the stuff of slow-moving robopocalyptic nightmares: a 'soft robot' designed by a team of Harvard scientists that draws inspiration from invertebrates like worms and starfish. The wired 'bot is made from a flexible elastomer material that allows it to squeeze into spaces that are inaccessible for more traditional robots. Inside are chambers that inflate and deflate, allowing the thing to undulate forward. Definitely check out the robot in action after the break. 

Source:http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/30/harvard-designed-soft-robot-shows-you-how-low-it-can-go-video/

Google offers its own brief history of search (video)

Wondering how we got from there to here? It's not the most exhaustive or objective history, but Google has released a new video today that it describes as the "evolution of search in six minutes." It includes contributions from the likes of Google's Ben Gomes, Amit Singhal and Marissa Mayer, and it traces the company's search history from its beginnings as a research project in 1996 to its current technologies like instant results and search by image or voice. While specifics are expectedly light, it does also offer a few hints of what Google sees as the future of search, including Amit Singhal's dream to build a "Star Trek computer." See the whole thing for yourself after the break.

Source:http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/28/google-offers-its-own-brief-history-of-search-video/

Sky Sports dedicated F1 HD channel coming next season

he 2011 Formula 1 racing season just wrapped up in Brazil, but Sky is already breaking down what it will bring to the series as it takes over UK coverage next year. Launching in March, Sky Sports F1 HD will be a channel dedicated to round the clock coverage of the world's most technologically advanced racing series including every race, practice, and qualifying session. Sky customers with the Sports and HD packages will see the HD channel appear at number 408 on the dial, although there's no word yet whether or not it will be available on BT Vision or Virgin Media. Other tidbits include a promise of Sky Go access, and that despite the broadcaster's big 3D push, there's no such coverage planned for 2012. Seeing how long it took for true HD broadcasts from F1 we're thinking that could take a while, but here in the US we'd simply settle for a promise of no more tape delayed broadcasts on Fox (and some competent challengers for the Red Bull team while we're asking) for next season. Until then, check out this brief video trailer, plus a press release with all the details after the break.

Source:http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/28/sky-sports-dedicated-f1-hd-channel-coming-next-season/

Eee Pad Transformer Prime gets handled, fawned over

We've seen the Eee Pad Transformer Prime work out its camera, take a bite out of Ice Cream Sandwichand slide through a Portuguese hands-on, but we're more than happy to take a peek at Ritchie's Room's"first look" as well. Their impressions? Pretty positive -- Ritchie had nary a negative thing to say about the ASUS slate, optimistically noting that folks screaming for ice cream will eventually be able to sooth their throats with an update. The outfit confirmed a handful of details we'd already deduced -- the prime's svelte 8.33mm (0.33 inches) and 586 gram (1.29 pound) measurements leave it just a hair thinner than the iPad 2, and as we suspected, make it incompatible with the original Transformer'skeyboard dock. Hit the source link below for a mess of photos and a glowing write-up.Source:http://www.engadget.com/2011/11/28/eee-pad-transformer-prime-gets-handled-fawned-over/

How To Enable Panorama Mode On Your iPhone – No Jailbreak Required

By now you probably know there’s a hidden camera feature that people can enable on iOS 5 devices, allowing users to snap photos in panorama mode (see video).

Step 1: Open iFile and Navigate to /var/mobile/Library/Preferences
Step 2: Tap on com.apple.mobileslideshow.plist and select Property List Viewer
Step 3: Tap the ‘+’ button in the bottom right-hand corner
Step 4: In the name field type: EnableFirebreak. In the Type field select: Boolean
Step 5: Tap Create in the upper right-hand corner and turn the switch to “on for EnableFirebreak, then tap done.
Step 6: Exit iFile, and respring your device
Step 7: Open the Camera app, tap options, and tap Panorama
Again, you will need a jailbroken device running iOS 5 to do this. You will also need a device with a built in gyroscope (iPhone 4, etc).


However, to enable the hidden feature your device needed to be jailbroken. But as it turns out, you can actually get panorama mode working on your iOS 5 device without jailbreaking it.
As the folks over at 360cities found out, there’s a way to do this by fiddling with your iPhone’s backup file and then restoring it. As the video below shows, you will need to install the iBackupBot application (needless to say, you need to proceed with caution).
The 360cities guys also show the feature in action, in case you hadn’t seen it yet. They’re using the camera app with panorama mode on an iPhone 4S, but it should work on an iPhone 4 and iPad 2 as well (feel free to let us know if it does or doesn’t in the comments).
Also note that the panorama feature is apparently quite clunky in its current form, which is probably why it hasn’t been publicly released or touted by Apple yet.

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/11/23/how-to-enable-panorama-mode-on-your-iphone-no-jailbreak-required/