Month: February 2013

Games

Controllers for your smartphone: testing the best gamepads for Android and iOS

By admin | by admin

As reported on The Verge. By Evan Rodgers Handheld gaming has come a long way since the days of the Game Boy and Game Gear. Many of us moved from plastic cartridges and link cables to smartphones with console-level graphics and five-point multi-touch. But even with games like Angry Birds and Fruit Ninja that make excellent use of the ever-expanding real estate of today’s HD smartphones, it’s hard not to feel like we’ve taken a step backward as we strain…

Continue reading

Android

CyanogenMod 10.1 stock camera app now sports HDR shooting Mobile

By admin | by admin

As reported on Engadget. By Alexis Santos CyanogenMod 10.1-toting photography fans are in for a treat: the latest version of the modified Android OS now packs an HDR mode, which was in development for three months, within its stock camera app. When a user snaps a photo with the function, a total of three pictures (one at minimal, neutral and maximum exposures) are taken and combined into a single HDR image with the help of an algorithm. Differences…

Continue reading

Google

How you can get your hands on Google Glass early (update)

By admin | by admin

As reported on Engadget. By Mat Smith So when can you get your very own slice of Google future? Perhaps sooner than you thought. The company’s just outlined a competition that will put its Glass device in the hands of non-developer types. Using Twitter or Google+, you’ll need to outline what you would do if you had the device — we’re guessing they want to see some big ideas. Applications need to be less than 50 words and tagged…

Continue reading

Mobile

The ‘One’ Is a Huge Step Forward for HTC

By admin | by admin

As reported on Wired. BY NATHAN OLIVAREZ-GILES HTC’s latest flagship phone, the One, features dual, front-facing speakers position above and below the handset’s touchscreen. Photo: Alex Washburn/Wired   HTC’s new flagship smartphone, the One, is an impressive bit of hardware and a big step forward for the company in three significant ways. The One is a top-notch, beautifully designed handset packed with the best specs and a ton of compelling features. It also runs a unique, fresh…

Continue reading

Culture Games

Halo Creator Unveils Its Next Masterpiece, a Persistent Online World

By admin | by admin

As reported on Wired. BY BRAD GALLAWAY “Citadel”: Concept art from Bungie’s Destiny. “Vex”: Concept art from Bungie’s Destiny. “Dark Patrol”: Concept art from Bungie’s Destiny. “Travelers’ Rest”: Concept art from Bungie’s Destiny. “Cassini Derelict”: Concept art from Bungie’s Destiny. “Exclusion Zone”: Concept art from Bungie’s Destiny. “Fallen”: Concept art from Bungie’s Destiny. “Fireteam”: Concept art from Bungie’s Destiny. “Garden”: Concept art from Bungie’s Destiny. “Guardians”: Concept art from Bungie’s Destiny. “Hellmouth”: Concept art from Bungie’s Destiny. “Ocean of Storms”: Concept art from Bungie’s Destiny. “Pike”: Concept…

Continue reading

Science Story

Scientists find weird new property of matter that breaks all the rules

By admin | by admin

As reported on The Verge. By Arikia Millikan Similar eureka moments have brought us maglev trains — what’s next? When physicists discover new properties of matter, it usually means better technologies for the rest of us. Superconductors, liquid crystal displays like the ones found in most TVs now, medical imaging technologies that allow doctors to peer inside the human body, and magnetic levitation — which was used to create the Shanghai Maglev train — are all examples of…

Continue reading

Story

How To Sell A Car To The Mobile-First Generation

By admin | by admin

As reported on TechCrunch. by DARRELL ETHERINGTON I’m shopping for a car right now. Just something that can handle a little city driving and frequent trips to the cottage in the warmer months, with the ability to haul a decent amount of cargo. I’m weighing factors like size, fuel economy, engine power, cargo space and FWD vs. AWD, but for my purposes most of those points are relatively moot; I really just need something to get…

Continue reading

Story VOIP TECH

2600hz, A New Way To Make The Data Center The New Telco And Replace Our Decomposing 19th-Century Phone System

By admin | by admin

As reported on TechCrunch. by ALEX WILLIAMS 2600hz is part of a new movement to turn the data center into the new telco. That’s one way to put it. Another is to realize that our 100-year old phone system is decomposing. And companies like 2600 are providing feature-rich capabilities that make mainstream mechanical offerings seem as antiquated as picking up your mobile and expecting to hear a dial tone. The company develops open-source software for developers to…

Continue reading

Apple

Apple Patents Extremely Accurate, Localized Haptic Feedback For Multitouch Devices

By admin | by admin

As reported on TechCrunch. by DARRELL ETHERINGTON When haptic feedback first became a buzzword of the mobile phone industry nearly half a decade ago, many imagined keyboards that would rise up out of the glass on smartphones to meet our fingertips. What we got instead were devices that faintly shook in a general sort of way whenever you tapped their software keys, but a new patent secured by Apple today (and spotted by AppleInsider) looks to improve…

Continue reading