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Saturday, June 25, 2011

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Fujitsu delays TH40/D release, puts slide-out tablet dreams on hold

Posted: 25 Jun 2011 10:33 AM PDT

Fujitsu delays TH40/D release, puts slide-out tablet dreams on hold
If you've been eagerly anticipating the arrival of the latest shape-shifting slate, it looks like you're just going to have to wait. Fujitsu's just announced that it will postpone the release of the convertible TH40/D tablet -- the Windows 7 slide-out was originally slated for a late June debut in Japan. Unfortunately, the outfit's being rather tight-lipped when it comes to details, saying simply that the holdup is due to "development delays." Of course, we'll keep you posted with details if / when Fujitsu decides to open up.

Nokia's Stephen Elop is still over MeeGo, even if the N9 is a hit

Posted: 25 Jun 2011 09:16 AM PDT

An awful lot has been happening in Nokialand over the past week. A few days ago, we spent our first real quality moments with the much discussed N9, and we were pretty blown away by the MeeGo smartphone. Fast forward a mere two days, and we catch wind of a pretty suspicious looking leak of "Sea Ray," the company's first Windows Phone handset where else but sitting firmly in the hand of CEO Stephen Elop. Just in case that brand of corporate subtlety didn't quite drive the point home, the executive gave an interview with Finnish newspaper Helsingin Sanomat this week, confirming the nearly universal suspicion that it will abandon the Linux-based OS. Elop told the paper that, even if the N9 proves a massive hit, Nokia is going to turn its attention to other, more Windows Mobiley things.

[Thanks, Vezance]

Canon 18-55mm lens torn open to expose visuals of Image Stabilization (video)

Posted: 25 Jun 2011 08:06 AM PDT

Canon 18-55mm lens torn open to expose visuals of Image Stabilization
Hey there, snap-shooter. If you've ever used a Canon DSLR with an 18-55mm lens, you may be horrified to know that the image above is its exposed lens elements. Don't worry, though, it's for science! Recently, Preston Scott from Camera Technica used a laser to show how unsteady your hands are when taking a photograph; now he's back to detail how lenses with Image Stabilization compensate to help in achieving crisper images. IS isn't exactly new technology, but seeing how the glass' internal springs, accelerometers, and gyroscopes react to movement is mesmerizing. Not surprisingly, he also found that photos taken with IS deactivated were usually less sharp. You'll find a steady video of the action past the break, as well a detailed breakdown by hitting the source link below.

UrtheCast to stream live HD footage of Earth from ISS, like Stickam for space

Posted: 25 Jun 2011 06:40 AM PDT

International Space Station
Space nerds, get your browsers ready -- UrtheCast will soon be streaming HD video of Earth straight from the ISS. The system will actually consists of a pair of cameras, one still and one video, that will be mounted on the Russian arm of the station. The still shots will be very wide, covering about 30 miles with a resolution of 18-feet per pixel. Much more exciting will be the three feet per-pixel stream of 3.25fps video that will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You probably won't be able to see yourself waving as the ISS passes overhead, but you should be able to spot your cardboard box fort house. The feeds won't be your typical boring NASA fare either -- you'll be able to search, rewind, and tag objects or events, and UrtheCast is providing APIs for developers to build upon the service. The project won't be launching until June 28th, so bide your time by checking out the video and PR after the break.

Show full PR text
UrtheCast Announces New Space Venture

Joint Canadian, Russian and UK Space Venture to Install World's First Ever High Definition Streaming Video Cameras on the International Space Station

TORONTO, June 23, 2011 /CNW/ - UrtheCast is building, launching, and operating the world's first and only high definition streaming video cameras being installed on the International Space Station (ISS).

UrtheCast will supply video data and imagery of Earth collected by two HD cameras on the Russian module of the Space Station. This data and imagery will be down-linked to ground stations around the planet and then displayed in real time on the Internet and distributed directly to UrtheCast's exclusive partners and customers.

The UrtheCast web platform will allow Users to constantly track the location of the Space Station, anticipating when it will pass over a particular geographic location. Users will be able to search for videos of a particular location, type, or theme and will have the ability to interact with the HD video feed from the UrtheCast servers. They will be able to zoom in and out, virtually steer the camera from side to side, rewind, and fast forward as they check out areas and things of interest on Earth. UK based Rutherford Appleton Labs is building two high definition cameras. A medium resolution camera will provide a three colour image with a swath of 45 kilometers and a resolution of 5.5 meters. The high-resolution camera will offer a video image with a frame rate of 3.25 frames per second with a resolution that is comparable to much of Google Earth. This will allow Users to see man-made objects and groups of people.

As a result of all this unique functionality, the UrtheCast web platform will spark a great deal of awareness, creativity, and unique user events from around the world. The UrtheCast website will feel like a blend of Google Earth with the video playback and search functionality of YouTube. The UrtheCast web platform will combine a consumer centric website, mobile application for smart phones, and an open Application Program Interface (API). The API enables third party developers to create their own applications and upload them to the UrtheCast web platform.

"Users will be able to view Earth from space. It will operate seamlessly with social media sites like Facebook and Twitter," explains Scott Larson, President of UrtheCast. ISS is a low orbit, human-inhabited satellite. The station travels at 26,000 km/h, orbiting Earth sixteen times per day, at an altitude of approximately 350 km. The ISS is a collaborative project between the Russian, Canadian European, Japanese, and US space agencies. UrtheCast has signed an exclusive agreement with RSC Energia, who maintains operational control of the Russian segment on the ISS. RSC Energia will take UrtheCast's cameras, install them on the outside of the ISS, and provide the necessary maintenance and transfer of the data. The cameras are being built by UK based Rutherford Appleton Laboratories (RAL), who is a world leader in building cameras for aerospace and satellite purposes.

"Being part of a project that not only taps into the recent renewed interest in space, but also provides a connection between people and the rest of the world is what is most intriguing about this project," Richard Holdaway Director, RAL Space.

UrtheCast will officially launch this project in Calgary on June 28th at 12:00pm. Dr. Dave Williams, one of NASA's most accomplished astronauts, will be speaking at the launch at the Calgary Chamber of Commerce.

"The UrtheCast camera will support the ISS and continue to inspire youth to pursue advanced studies in space sciences and spark interest in science, technology, engineering and the environment," says Dr.Williams.

Dr. Williams blasted into space aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia, and again on Shuttle Endeavour where he walked out into the great beyond. He has set records in space walking and has logged more than 687 hours in space. He will be speaking about space flight, space exploration, space science and technology, environmental stewardship and educational awareness as it relates to seeing the Earth from Space. "This unprecedented UrtheCast initiative is helping position Canada as a leading space-faring nation and driving science and innovation while actively inspiring young people across our country to take their place as members of Canada's next space generation," stated Dr. Williams.

New phase-changing alloy turns waste heat into green energy, exhibits spontaneous magnetism (video)

Posted: 25 Jun 2011 05:13 AM PDT

New phase-changing alloy turns waste heat into green energy, exhibits spontaneous magnetism (video)Looks like harvesting waste heat is all the rage in 2011. Yet another team of researchers -- this time at the University of Minnesota -- has found a way to harness energy from our hot castoffs. The group has apparently created a brand spanking new alloy that spontaneously creates energy when its temperature is raised by a small amount. Future uses for the material, known as Ni45Co5Mn40Sn10, include charging a hybrid car's battery with the help of waste heat from its exhaust. So what's the trick? Well, this wonder material is a phase changer, meaning it can go from non-magnetic to magnetic in moments, when the temperature rises. When that happens, the alloy absorbs heat, and bam! You've got electricity. The team is also collaborating with chemical engineers to create a thin film version of the material that could be used to convert waste heat from computers. If phase changing gets you all hot and bothered, check out a video demonstration of the alloy's sudden magnetism after the break.

Updated Time Capsule opened, server-grade hard drive nowhere to be found?

Posted: 25 Jun 2011 03:32 AM PDT

Well, fancy that -- a teardown of last week's refreshed Time Capsule has revealed a regular, non-enterprise drive lurking within. Curious, as Cupertino's website lists a "Serial ATA server-grade hard disk" as standard equipment on the device's official spec sheet. It's generally assumed that for a drive model to be qualified as "enterprise," it must sustain a mean time between failure -- MTBF for short -- in excess of one million hours. So what's the MTBF for the Western Digital's WD20EARS (Caviar Green) in HardMac's Time Capsule? Conveniently, the hard drive maker wouldn't say. Of course, we guess the definition here is up for interpretation, but given past experiences with the wireless backup gizmo, we'd certainly hope this improved revision fares better.

Mountkestrel DuoPod turns your shaky shoulders into a DSLR steadicam (video)

Posted: 25 Jun 2011 01:49 AM PDT

So you've got an expensive new DSLR that can shoot video, and you've seen all of the press about people using the things to make movies and music videos. But really, you're not going to become a DIY Kubrick without the proper accessories. The Mountkestrel DuoPod is a pretty solid looking option if you're looking to do the steadicam thing with your DSLR, slipping over your shoulders for on-the-go shots. It's a little unwieldy compared to a lot of consumer camera stands, but that's pretty par for the course for these sorts of rigs. As its name suggests, the DuoPod also doubles as a two-legged stand for those times when your shoulders need a break. Check out a fittingly shaky video of the stand in action after the jump.

Spectral Layers promises to let you edit audio Photoshop-style (video)

Posted: 24 Jun 2011 11:45 PM PDT

Visually editing audio files isn't exactly a new idea, of course, but Divide Frame's new Spectral Layers application looks to take things to an even more Photoshop-style extreme than other tools. While still in the alpha stage and not available to the public just yet (though both Windows and Mac versions are promised), the software does appear to be fairly complete, including the ability to use multiple layers, work with multi-channel audio, and extract individual voices, instruments, or any other noises. Perhaps just as notably, the actual process of editing seems to be a kind of weird mish-mash of otherworldly visuals and disjointed sounds-- something that we could easily see leading to some unexpected and interesting results. See for yourself in the video after the break.


Verizon Palm Pre 2 gets its webOS 2.1 wings

Posted: 24 Jun 2011 10:23 PM PDT

Good news for Palm Pre 2 owners of the Big Red variety, the endless breath-holding can finally stop -- webOS 2.1 is finally making its way to your handset. Released back in March to the global unlocked masses, this update to HP's platform brings along voice-dialing, email and security fixes, messaging backup (sorry, no MMS), and a Sense 3.0-like charging display that'll float your photos, agenda, or simply keep the time. That should be enough to tide you over until the Pre 3 hits VZW's stores, no? Die-hard Palm OS fanatics, chin up, your Classic emulator's now only ten steps away.

Camera-equipped hexacopter turns summer vacation videos into aerial masterworks (video)

Posted: 24 Jun 2011 08:57 PM PDT

Camera-equipped hexacopter turns summer vacation videos into aerial masterworks (video)
Wakeboarding is so 2005. Wakeboarding with a camera-packing six-rotor MikroKopter tracking your every jump and belly flop? Now that sounds like something we can get behind. The folks over at MikroKopter have renewed our interest in the sport by mounting a FollowMe transmitter (which lets the drone track your every move), along with a GoPro camera to one watersportsman's helmet. They then sent a hexacopter drone, equipped with a Canon T2i, into the air to follow the boarder as he rode across the water. The resulting video definitely puts any and all of our family vacation videos to shame. High-flying video evidence awaits you after the break.

Potential Hulu deal with Disney increases ads, value to prospective buyers

Posted: 24 Jun 2011 08:02 PM PDT

Now that Hulu's owners have apparently decided the best thing to do is sell it to someone else, long arrangements for content are needed to bring the highest price. Bloomberg is reporting that after cutting a deal with Fox a few days ago Hulu has now tentatively reached a deal with another of its owners, Disney. While both arrangements could keep the TV shows flowing, they also reportedly include provisions to increase the number of ads shown on the service. That would also put it in position to reach a similar agreement with Comcast-owned NBCUniversal, because of the media giant's FCC promise to reach similar agreements as its competitors for online content. A change of ownership and including more ad breaks could turn off viewers, but really what else are they going to do, go back to watching Saturday Night Live on TV?

Sprint's 2011 Q3 roadmap leaks, gives a glimpse of our smartphone future?

Posted: 24 Jun 2011 06:41 PM PDT

Sprint finally released its much-anticipated Evo 3D into the wild today, but it turns out that's not the only good news for fans of the Now Network. Courtesy of This is my next, we've got some tasty tidbits regarding Sprint's forthcoming phone lineup for Q3 of this year. Apparently, we can expect to see the successor to Samsung's Epic 4G, the Epic 2, sporting a 4-inch display, a single-core 1.2GHz Hummingbird processor, and an 8-megapixel shooter. There's also an unnamed 4G device from Sammy in the works, which our gadget senses tell us may be Sprint's version of the Galaxy S II, the Within. Not a fan of little green bots? Not to worry, because RIM is bringing its Bold Touch and Monaco handsets to the carrier, plus a push-to-talk BlackBerry, too. Well played, Mr. Hesse -- with all these fancy new phones in the works, might this be the summer of Sprint?

Samsung's Galaxy Tab 10.1 now syncs with your Mac, updated Kies software to thank

Posted: 24 Jun 2011 06:09 PM PDT

You heard right -- Samsung's slimmest slate yet is now on speaking terms with OS X, well over a month after the first ones slipped out to developers at Google I/O. Oddly enough, it looks as if Android File Transfer is still stuck in yesteryear, with Samsung itself pushing out a revised build of Kies to enable Tab-to-Mac relations. If this discussion is relevant to your interests, the source links below will be as well.

BioBolt brain implant could help the paralyzed walk again

Posted: 24 Jun 2011 04:55 PM PDT

BioBoltControlling a cursor with your brain? Yawn. Restoring movement to paralyzed mice? Color us unimpressed. Help a wheelchair-bound man walk again using only his thoughts? Now we're talking. That's the goal of researchers at the University of Michigan who have developed BioBolt, a (comparatively) noninvasive implant that rests on top of the cortex rather than penetrate it. The device is inserted through an easily-covered, dime-sized hole in the skull and feeds patterns from firing neurons to a computer using your epidermis (which is showing, by the way) as a conductor. The ultimate goal of helping the paralyzed walk again is still years away but, in the meantime, it could be used to suppress seizures or diagnose diseases like Parkinson's. Everyday this mind over matter thing sounds a little less like a load of bullpuckey.

Google 'retires' Health and PowerMeter, lets you save your vitals through 2012

Posted: 24 Jun 2011 04:00 PM PDT


Remember that Withings blood pressure monitor for iOS that we went hands-on with last week? It integrated with Google Health. The search giant's health management portal also paired with dozens of other services (a heaping handful can be seen in the image above) to aggregate and track all of your data, and share it with family members, friends, and doctors. The service didn't have the widespread impact that Google expected, however, so it's taking Health offline after the clock strikes midnight on January 1, 2012. You'll have another year to download your info, or send it directly to competing services.

Also on the chopping block is PowerMeter, a free energy monitoring tool that pairs with smart power meters and other energy monitoring devices to help users better understand consumption habits and ultimately reduce costs. That project will get the boot from Mountain View on September 16th, but you'll be able to log in to your account to download a CSV file. We imagine Health and PowerMeter are already plotting their trip down south, to get in a few thousand rounds of golf with Video Store at Pebble Beach. Perhaps to be joined by Buzz and Wave, in the not-so-distant future?

iOS 5 beta 2 now available for developers

Posted: 24 Jun 2011 03:36 PM PDT

iOS 5 beta 2 now available for developers
Hey iOS developers, guess what? iOS 5 beta 2 is now available for your downloading pleasure, and from what we understand, it ushers in wireless syncing for Macs running iTunes 10.5 beta 2. So hop on over and download it already, and don't hesitate to tell us how it's treating you in the comments below. We'll return the favor if we find anything remarkable -- we promise.

[Thanks, Haseeb]

UK students' 1,980 MPG car scores first place in marathon race, by a 1,000 MPG margin

Posted: 24 Jun 2011 02:58 PM PDT

A car that looks like the one above and gets the "equivalent" of 1,980 miles to the gallon (and one gallon only) is certainly impressive enough on its own, but it's all the more so when you consider that it's driven by a 14-year-old and built by his classmates (with a little assistance, of course). This particular vehicle hails from Kingdown School in Wiltshire, England, and it won the recent Mallory Park Mileage Marathon by a margin of more than 1,000 MPG over its next closest competitor. Not surprisingly, however, the students are already looking to improve things for next years' race, and say they're planning on upgrading the engine for starters. No word if they're considering an X-Prize challenge after that.

TiVo's retail plans for quad-tuner Premiere DVR revealed in FCC filing

Posted: 24 Jun 2011 01:54 PM PDT

If your TiVo-loving heart was crushed last week when we found out the new Premiere Q DVR was only for cable companies with no plans for retail sales, allow us to put the pieces back together. Zatz Not Funny has dug up an FCC filing, dated June 7th, indicating TiVo will bring the quad tuner Premiere Elite DVR with 2TB of hard drive space to retail. The purpose of the filing? To get the FCC to waive requirements that the Elite -- which is designed for digital cable reception only -- contain an analog tuner that it claims would increase costs by $80 - $100. There's no word on price or timing but it's clearly intended as a high end product that TiVo plans to offer online, through custom installers or specialty outlets like Best Buy's Magnolia stores. If it gets approved we could still see the Elite set-top box this year, assuming the FCC has its approval stamp ready and inked.

Skype for iPad leaked in promo video (video)

Posted: 24 Jun 2011 01:12 PM PDT

Skype lets iPad app out of the bag in leaked ad (video)
If you've lost sleep over the lack of a dedicated Skype app for your iPad, you can rest easy tonight knowing somewhere out there it does exist -- or at least a promo video does. Earlier today, someone over at Skype unintentionally (we assume) posted what looks like an ad for a real-deal app for the iOS slab. Of course, the evidence has since been pulled, but you can check out a ripped version (sans audio) after the break. It looks like the days of blowing up ye ole iPhone Skype are numbered.

Update: The folks over at TUAW had a chat with Skype's Rick Osterloh about the iPad app, and he says you can expect most of the functionality to carry over from the iPhone. There are, unfortunately, a few desktop features, like file sharing, that won't make an appearance. Sadly, Osterloh didn't spill the release-date beans.

Conan's editors really love Final Cut Pro X... or maybe they don't (video)

Posted: 24 Jun 2011 12:59 PM PDT


The web is abuzz with talk of Apple's new slimmed-down, low-cost Final Cut Pro X, but Cupertino's beloved video editing platform has also caused quite a stir among professionals, who note its lack of features and glaring absence of backwards compatibility. Conan O'Brien's editors have already downloaded the new app, and threw together a segment for last night's show highlighting some of its new features. Jump past the break for a clip of Final Cut Pro's 90 seconds of fame, or warm up that credit card and head over to the Mac App Store to give it a spin for yourself. Just don't dump Final Cut Pro 7 yet -- you'll need to have it around to open legacy projects, output to tape, utilize multiple editing sequences, and access Photoshop layers, along with one or two other tiny omissions.

NASA lander prototype ditches the manpower for an autonomous flight (video)

Posted: 24 Jun 2011 12:18 PM PDT


Hear that? Those were the giddy giggles of some very happy scientists down at NASA's Alabama-based Marshall Space Flight Center. Besting its previous June record for autonomous flight, this prototype robotic lander hovered for nearly half a minute at a height of seven feet before parking itself safely on the ground. Conceived as a joint project between NASA, Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, and the Von Braun Center for Science and Innovation, the intelligent bot is slated to go where its parachuting, aero-braking cousins can't -- like the Moon, or an asteroid. Future tests are on deck for the self-propelled lander to hover up to one hundred feet over the short span of a minute -- no doubt its current feat is pretty neat, but we wouldn't want to be the unsuspecting dolt who walked under it without his infrared goggles on.
at 11:57 AM

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