Month: January 2014

Entertainment Film

James Cameron locks up lead actors for his new ‘Avatar’ trilogy

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As reported on The Verge. By Bryan Bishop We already knew that James Cameron had some big plans for the Avatar franchise by making not just one but three sequels, and now he’s officially signed the stars from the first film to reprise their roles. According to The Hollywood Reporter, both Sam Worthington and Zoe Saldana have signed on for the new trilogy. In case it’s been a while since you’ve seen the 2009 original, Worthington played Jake Sully, the human who ends up…

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Application Photography

Horizon Shoots All Of Your Videos In Landscape, No Matter How You Hold Your Phone

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As reported on TechCrunch. by Greg Kumparak Good news! You just shot what might be the world’s funniest video ever. You’re going to be a friggin’ YouTube sensation. You’re totally going to hang out with Ellen. Bad news: you shot the video in portrait mode. Whoops! Now the entire Internet thinks you’re dumb. Horizon is an iOS app that auto-magically ensures that your videos are shot in landscape (read: widescreen) mode, no matter how you’re actually holding the phone.…

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Automotive

Tesla Surges On Strength Of Fourth-Quarter Car Deliveries

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As reported on TechCrunch. by Alex Wilhelm On news that the company delivered 6,900 Model S cars in the fourth quarter, Tesla’s shares spiked 15.74 percent in regular trading, and another 3.56 percent in after-hours trading. The 6,900 delivery figure was around 20 percent more than the company had expected, according to Reuters, indicating that Tesla’s luxury brand has continued to resonate with the wealthy. The company’s vice president of sales, Jerome Guillen, told the media today that Tesla would continue to grow in 2014.…

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Tech Trends

Vuzix plans to make smart sunglasses you’d actually like to wear

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As reported on Engadget. BY JON FINGAS Although smart sunglasses exist, they’re seldom pretty — you won’t impress many people at the beach. If Vuzix has its way, though, these shades will be as fashionable as the eyewear from your favorite label. It has just reached a deal with an unnamed major electronics company that could lead to smart glasses that look just as good as “designer sunglasses;” see-through waveguide optics would keep the display relatively subtle. Just don’t hold off on buying…

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Security SmartPhone

Back off, NSA: Blackphone promises to be the first privacy-focused smartphone

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As reported on Engadget. BY SHARIF SAKR You may never have heard of Geeksphone, unless you take a particular interest inFirefox OS, but the Spanish manufacturer could be about to garner some global attention. It says it’ll launch a new handset at Mobile World Congress next month that will prioritize privacy and security instead of all the intrusions that smartphone users usually have to put up with from carriers, advertisers and the occasional government agency. We’re looking at an Android-based…

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PC

The PC’s Death Might Also Mean the Web’s Demise

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As reported on Wired. BY MARCUS WOHLSEN Photo: Ariel Zambelich/WIRED   The long, torturous death throes of the PC grew more excruciating than ever last year. Several research firms say PC shipments plunged a record 10 percent last year, the steepest drop ever. But, as smartphones and tablets take over our world, it’s not just laptops and desktops that could wind up on the pile of dead tech. They may drag the web down with them. Keith Rabois thinks…

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Automotive

Street legal: how ‘Gran Turismo’ helped Toyota design its new concept car

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As reported on The Verge. By Andrew Webster The FT-1 is “a design study for a sports car” Some of Toyota’s most iconic vehicles were designed in a small building hidden behind a Baptist church in California. Nestled amongst the beaches and boardwalks of Newport Beach, you’ll find Calty Design Research. First opened in 1973 as the first West Coast facility of its kind from a major automotive manufacturer, it represents one-fifth of the Toyota Design…

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Application Automotive Hardware Dev

Bringrr Is A Car Charger That Shouts When You Forget Your Stuff

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As reported on TechCrunch. by Greg Kumparak I’m a pretty patient person, but there’s one thing that instantly makes me go all ragey: driving away from home only to realize I forgot to put something important in my car. That U-turn? It feels like defeat. If I’m already running late when I notice my mistake, prepare to learn some new swear words. Bringrr is a gadget for people like me. It sits in your car’s cigarette lighter port,…

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Entertainment

YouTube gets a daily highlight reel courtesy of DreamWorks

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As reported on Engadget. BY JON FINGAS YouTube can already recommend related videos, but it doesn’t necessarily show thebest videos; you have to rely on outside help to separate the wheat from the chaff. However, that search for quality clips is about to get a lot easier. The streaming giant is teaming up with DreamWorks to launch YouTube Nation, a five-minute daily show that will highlight its more interesting content, and promises Ultra HD quality for properly-equipped viewers. The…

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Business Space

Virgin Galactic tests new thrusters, further disregards gravity (video)

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As reported on Engadget. BY TIMOTHY J. SEPPALA Last year, Sir Richard Branson promised Virgin Galactic’s first commercial mission would rip through the atmosphere in 2014. That goal has edged ever closer with SpaceShipTwo’s latest trip beyond the sound barrier, where it shot past previous records and hit an altitude of 71,000 feet. This recent dry-run was the maiden voyage for a set of newly designed thrusters (used to keep the vessel on-course in space), and a new coating for the…

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