Apple to Live Stream Press Conference ? to Apple Customers Only
Posted by admin in General on Sep 1st, 2010 | 0 comments
Apple late this afternoon announced plans to live stream its Wednesday music event, where many expect the company to introduce upgrades for the iPod and Apple TV. The stream will only be viewable to Apple customers.
In a press bulletin, Apple said it would be streaming its event using ?Apple?s industry-leading HTTP Live Streaming, which is based on open standards,? even though the viewing requires a Mac running Snow Leopard, or an iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad running iOS 3.0 or higher.
Some technology observers speculate the live stream will accompany Apple?s release of a new version of iTunes capable of streaming live video and TV rentals.
Wired.com?s Gadget Lab will be live blogging the event, which commences 10 a.m. PT. Stay tuned for our coverage. Meanwhile, read our predictions of what to expect at the event.
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com
You Can Read Manga On Your Kindle With Mangle
Posted by admin in General on Aug 31st, 2010 | 0 comments
Sure, iPad users may flaunt their many comic-reading apps and vivid color screens. But Kindle users can read comics too. In fact, for black-and-white comics, like The Walking Dead, the Scott Pilgrim series, or most Manga, it looks pretty good once you get the files onto your e-reader. That?s where the open-source software tool Mangle helps out.
Mangle (Manga + Kindle = Mangle, get it?) was designed by FooSoft?s Alex Yatsov for the bad old days, before the Kindle had decent orientation tools. But it?s still really useful for getting your comic images in the right alignment and order. Plus, it?s compiled for Mac and Windows, or you can run it right in Python.
To make it even easier, the iReader Review blog included step-by-step directions and blogged the process. They hit a few snags, but the final product looks very nice indeed.
Story via Chris Biba at TeleRead. Image used by permission of TevK.
See Also:
Photos: Putting Kindle 2 and Kindle 3 Head-to-Head
New iPad Options For Comics Fans
Must-Read Comics, as Picked by Wired.com Readers
Must-Read Comics, as Picked by Wired.com Readers
First Look at Marvel Comics’ iPad App
Japan, Ink: Inside the Manga Industrial Complex
Internet Explorer 9 Image May Have Leaked
Posted by admin in General on Aug 31st, 2010 | 0 commentsAugust 26, 2010 4:54 PM
Swimsense Stroke-Counter is Like a Nike+ for Swimmers
Posted by admin in General on Aug 31st, 2010 | 0 comments
The Swimsense from Finis is like a bike computer for swimmers, only instead of counting wheel-revolutions, it counts strokes. The new wrist-mounted computer is waterproof (of course) and contains a motion detector which detects ?stroke types, records the number of laps swum, total distance, calories burned, lap time, pace and stroke count.? Phew.
The smart part is that motion-sensor, which uses accelerometers to detect what kind of stroke you are swimming based on your arm movements, differentiating between the stately breaststroke, the blind backstroke, the all-conquering freestyle and the flailing, rescue-me-please-I?m-drowning butterfly. Combining this info with settings for the pool-length and your weight, age and gender, the Swimsense then presents a breakdown of what you have done in an online workout viewer. All you do is upload the data via USB.
My swimming is pretty much limited to splashing from the li-lo to the pool-bar, but the more sporting mermaids and mermen out there can add this to their Christmas list: the Swimsense will be $200 when it launches for the 2010 holiday season.
New Product: Swimsense [Finis Blog. Thanks, Jennifer!]
Swimsense product page [Finis]
See Also:
Waterproof MP3 Players Won’t Make You Swim Like Phelps
High-Tech Swimsuits Approved by Olympic Committee Promise to Even ?
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
Windows 95 Marks 15th Anniversary
Posted by admin in General on Aug 31st, 2010 | 0 commentsWindows 95 marks its 15-year anniversary this week. Reading through the online reminiscences, I realized I’d forgotten the sheer size of Microsoft’s marketing blitz behind the operating system: the Empire State Building lit up in company’s colors, the gazillion dollars reportedly shelled out for the Stones’ “Start Me Up,” and even a “cyber sitcom” starring Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry.(I’d embed the YouTube clip for that last one, but I don’t want to be responsible when its sheer mind-numbing awfulness drives you to leap from the nearest roof.)Originally code-named Chicago, Windows 95 introduced the Start menu, taskbar, and limited multimedia support. Its system requirements seem quaint in retrospect: PC with 386DX or higher processor (486 recommended), 4MB of memory, one 3.5-inch high-density floppy disk drive, VGA or higher screen resolution.The operating system also developed into a platform for Microsoft’s push onto the Internet–although Windows 95 didn’t come bundled with Internet Explorer upon its initial release, the company included the browser with its Windows 95 Plus! Pack. The conjoining of Windows with Internet Explorer, of course, would eventually help trigger Microsoft’s antitrust headache.With those elements (and more) in place, Windows 95′s interface was far more user-friendly than the clunkier Windows 3.1x, helping accelerate its adoption even without the $300 million marketing campaign.Microsoft eventually declared Windows 95 obsolete in 2001. Even so, the operating system established the template for later Windows versions–including Windows 7, which Microsoft claims has sold 175 million licenses since its October 2009 release. The question is, having spent 15 years hewing so close to a certain model for its operating systems, where does Microsoft go from here? The cloud, and the attendant paradigm shift, looms ever closer.
Why Wristwatches Are Still Worth Watching
Posted by admin in General on Aug 28th, 2010 | 0 comments
The kids may be ditching wristwatches for time-telling smartphones, but manufacturers and designers still have some tricks just-barely-up-their-long-sleeves. The trick seems to be making watches more like smartphones by packing in extra functions or forgoing utility altogether for pure aesthetics or prestige.
Now, I can?t really read the spiral watch in the video above, but I appreciate the beauty and concept of the thing. The designer, Denis Guidone, says ?I don?t like to design watches, what I really like is to design time.? This really puts us on another plane. If Marcel Duchamp were alive today, I?m sure he?d be making timepieces. (Dali, definitely.)
The ?architecture you can wear? web magazine/design store Yanko Design has been highlighting clever takes on the wristwatch like this all summer, including design firm o.d.m.?s digital watch that puts the screen on the sides and the buttons in the middle, and a really gorgeous and surprisingly affordable piece by Daniel Will-Harris that lights up the numbers showing hours and minutes in color:
Image from Yanko Design
Let?s suppose, though, that you want your watch to DO stuff. Computerworld reports on watch manufacturers who are stoked about using the new Bluetooth spec, which makes it easier to hold connections on low-power devices, to pair your wristwatch with a computer the same way you would a mouse, keyboard or phone:
That means a watch or other device with a standard coin-cell or ?button? battery that is worn on a wrist, kept in a pocket or worn on a necklace could communicate with a person?s smartphone or laptop. Using the wireless connection, the watch could display data received from the larger device, Bluetooth Special Interest Group Executive Director Michael Foley said Wednesday?
?The specification opens up new categories of Bluetooth devices,? he said. ?You could replicate your phone on your watch for caller ID information or [to activate] a music player.?
These watches are probably still over a year away, though, as nobody?s made an announcement just yet. The ones with virus-templated nanobatteries that last forever are a long ways off.
Image from Rolex
Finally, there?s the classic non-timekeeping function of a wristwatch ? showing neither utility nor idiosyncratic taste but socially recognized status and power. Luckily for high-end watchmakers, the psychosocial cachet of their products doesn?t seem to be trailing off.
In ?Why Do We Care About Luxury Brands?? Jonah Lehrer writes about what our continued desire for genuine Rolex watches, Hermes Bags and real (not sure ?nuff) iPhones has in common with our childhood objects of affection:
Although we outgrow stuffed animals, we never get beyond the irrational logic of authenticity and essentialism. There are certain things whose value depends largely on their legitimacy. While I might listen to bootleg music on my iPhone, I want the phone to be genuine. I want that Apple logo to be real. Why? Because the brand has effectively woven itself into my emotional brain. Because when I see that logo, I don?t see a functional object. Instead, I?ve learned to respond to everything that isn?t functional, all those subtle connotations conveyed in the glossy ads. There are many blankets in the world. But there is only one blankie. The best brands are blankies.
Sometimes it?s nice to look at your watch, not even to check the time, but just to remind yourself that it?s there.
See Also:
Gallery: Sexy, Strange New Timepieces Debut at Basel Watch Fair
Tokyo Flash E-Ink Watch
It?s Beer O?Clock! Watch Has Built-In Bottle Opener
Void?s Slab-Like Retro Watch Is Impossible to Read
LED Nerd Watch Tells Time in Hex, Binary, Octal
Tiny Clip-On Timepieces Turn Anything Into a Watch
New Watch Takes Electronic Ink Beyond Books
World?s ?Most Feature-Packed Watch? is Also its Ugliest
Gadget Lab Podcast: iPods, Tablets and Wireless Remedies
Posted by admin in General on Aug 28th, 2010 | 0 comments
The Gadget Lab crew kicks off this week?s podcast with a look at Dylan Tweney?s ugly new kicks, a pair of surf shoes made of recycled soda bottles. They cost $70. Seriously.
Moving on from cheesy hippy apparel, Brian X. Chen shares the news of an upcoming Apple press conference, where we can expect new iPods, a major iTunes upgrade (streaming!) and maybe a do-over of the Apple TV.
Apple?s competitors haven?t been so quiet, either. A ?leaked? video emerged this week demonstrating Samsung?s Galaxy Tab, a 7-inch, Android-powered touchscreen tablet that looks to be a worthy rival to Apple?s iPad.
Speaking of the iPad ? Tweney shares a hack for his iPad to gain 3G service at no additional cost with the help of his iPhone. If you jailbreak your iPhone at the site JailbreakMe.com, you can download an app called MyWi to turn the iPhone into a wireless hot spot. Select the hot spot on your iPad et voila ? 3G-surfing privileges on the tablet without any monthly bills. That?s sweet.
Still, it?s too bad 3G coverage in general is spotty at best (especially here in San Francisco). Dissatisfied customers are in luck: We?ve heard Sprint may give you a free femtocell to boost your service if it?s proving unreliable. Also, an unhappy AT&T customer on Wired.com staff complained loudly enough to score a free femtocell to fix the crappy reception on his iPhone. Who said whining doesn?t pay off?
Like the show? You can also get the Gadget Lab video podcast via iTunes, or if you don?t want to be distracted by our smiling faces, check out the Gadget Lab audio podcast. Prefer RSS? You can subscribe to the Gadget Lab video or audio podcast feeds
Or listen to the audio here:
Gadget Lab audio podcast #86
Internet Explorer 9 Image May Have Leaked
Posted by admin in General on Aug 27th, 2010 | 0 commentsAugust 26, 2010 4:54 PM
iPhone app: NinJump ? Review (Freeware app)
Posted by admin in General on Aug 27th, 2010 | 0 comments
In this fast paced ninja climbing game, your goal is to rise as high as you can while avoiding killer squirrels, angry birds, enemy ninjas, throwing stars and exploding bombs. With a simple tap you can jump from one wall to the other, knocking obstacles from the air as you do. Take down three enemies of the same kind to trigger mega-jump bonuses. Collect shields to plow through your opponents with. Just watch out for ledges and other ninjas because they will knock you off and send you to your doom!
You will be amazed by the gorgeous graphics, rich gameplay, immersive music and the insanely addictive quality of this game.
Features include:
-Simple single-tap gameplay
-Ninjas
-Killer squirrels
-More ninjas
-Beautiful graphics
-Awesome bonuses
-Original sound and music
-OpenFeint Leaderboards
-Optimized for iPhone 4 retina display
-Challenge a friend via email
-Fast app switching
-Post scores on Facebook or Twitter
Name: NinJump | Download from: App Store | Price: Free
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New Biomega ?LDN? Bike is an ?Urban Tool?
Posted by admin in General on Aug 27th, 2010 | 0 comments
Today we point and laugh at yet another ill-conceived bike design, only this one will actually make it into stores and is the spawn of big-name Brit designer Ross Lovegrove, not just some dude with a CAD app.
The first thing I though when I saw the LDN (for ?London?) was ?How the hell do I lock it?? You could run your D-Lock through that hole in the frame (there to lighten the bike and let you hang it on the wall) but then you?re left with two unsecured wheels. And because the carbon-fiber frame lacks a down-tube, the front-wheel can?t be locked to it. The only answer is three D-Locks, inferior cables or heavy chains, hardly practical on a ?London? bike. And that?s before we even get to securing the saddle.
Lovegrove designed the LDN for Biomega, and it is clearly billed for city use. It has a couple of saving features: hub-gears and a shaft-drive keep things clean (both in looks and non-dirtiness) and, well, that?s it. The Lady thinks that it would be hard to ride in a skirt, and I wonder why the rear-wheel mounts on track-ends, especially as the shaft-drive means no chain pulling on the wheel, and no real need to move the wheel back and forth for perfect tension.
One more thing: The press release somewhat naively states that ?LDN [is] a true urban tool.? Indeed.
Cüratorial Biomega: LDN & NYC (Press release) [Cyclelicious via Bicycle Design]
See Also:
Peugeot Concept Bike Channels Tron
City Concept Commuter Bike for Non-Cyclists
Cannondale Concept Cross-Breeds Bike and Shopping-Cart
Taurus Concept Is Like Hot Segway Bike From the Future
Bendy Bike Wraps Around Poles
Scary-Looking Concept Bike is All Corners
Cannondale Concept Updates The Dutch Bike
Follow us for real-time tech news: Charlie Sorrel and Gadget Lab on Twitter.
