Project Tango 3D Mapping Gets Shown Off in New Video

Project Tango came out of Google HQ the other day, and us tech nerds drooled about its potential. To create a 3D map of your environment using your phone, has many advantages in the life of a normal everyday Joe, or those who are within the tech world.

Tech Crunch uploaded a video on how this Project Tango technology works, and it works pretty well considering it is still in its fairly early stages. To have the ability to have a 3D map of say your house, you can actually be furniture shopping and take an image of a piece of furniture and place within your map just to see if it fits right with your set up. That is only one of the ideas behind Project Tango, but check out the video below to see it in action.

Influx Icon Pack Review, by Alex Miller: an invasion of very detailed, great-looking Icons

There are almost too many fantastic icon packs available on the Play Store, with something seemingly appropriate for people of any and all tastes. Influx is an icon pack that I think appeals to people who like very detailed and precise icons; created by Alex Miller, the pack features icons that look like have been painstakingly created, each with their own attention to detail, making for something that is incredibly impressive to see in its entirety. The Influx icon pack utilizes square icons with very rounded corners and an artistic shadow to really bring all the logos off the background. Let’s take a closer look:

As you can see, it’s all very artistic and detailed, and the included app makes the whole pack a very complete package. As I mentioned in the video, my only issue with the pack is the masking of unthemed icons which could possibly use another colour besides teal, but in general you might not notice that much as there does appear to be quite a big emphasis on teal in the pack as a whole.

The Influx icon pack is currently on sale for $0.99 and is compatible with all the usual custom launcher support that you’d expect. The pack started with 630 icons, but that number is likely to be much higher as Alex continues to update the pack on a regular basis. Ifyou want to pick up the Influx icon pack, Play Store links will be below, or if you want to follow Alex on Google+ where he is extremely active, you can visit his page here.

Icons: Influx Icon Pack

Play Store Link

Price: $0.99

[LEAK] Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and Galaxy Gear 2 Neo featured side-by-side in a family Portrait

In recent weeks, there has been increased talk of Samsung’s expected follow-up to last year’s Samsung Galaxy Gear smartwatch. We’ve heard that the new smartwatch will bear almost no resemblance to the original Gear, and there have been rumours that the device won’t be running Android, instead making use of Samsung’s other software project, the Tizen OS. If the latest leak from evleaks is anything to go by, that might not just be a device, but devices; a tweet from evleaks today has shown a picture of two very similar smartwatch devices accompanied by the label “Samsung Galaxy Gear 2 and Galaxy Gear 2 Neo”.

Probably more intriguing is the fact that only a few hours later, evleaks redacted part of his tweet saying:

I misspoke. Those watches are not Galaxy-branded.

— @evleaks (@evleaks) February 22, 2014

This might just be the strongest evidence that Samsung’s smartwatches are in fact running Tizen and not Android as the ‘Galaxy’ nomenclature is typically reserved for its Android products. We can only assume that Samsung is offer two tiers of wearable devices, probably along the lines of the Note 3 and Note 3 Neo with the Neo providing slightly less performance, though if they aren’t Galaxy branded, this might suggest Samsung will be making this a completely new line of smartwatches. And if these photos are the real deal, it does look like Samsung has completely revamped their watch design, even bringing their almost patented ‘Home’ button to the device. There haven’t been any specifics leaked about the device yet, but then again we only have a few days to wait before we get the official word at the Samsung Unpacked event at MWC 2014.

What do you think of the design of these Samsung smartwatches? Would you be interested in one if they were running Tizen instead of Android? Let us know your opinion in the comments.

Source: Twitter (1), (2), (3) via Phone Arena

IRL: Singtrix karaoke machine

When the Singtrix karaoke machine made its debut at Engadget’s Expand NY event, its creators boldly claimed the diminutive device could make “bad singers sound great.” So what can it do for absolutely terrible singers like yours truly? I spent a few days with the volume set high and the shades drawn low to find out.

The company behind Singtrix is initially offering the vocal processor module as part of a $300 “Party Bundle.” Inside a 27-pound box, you’ll find the processor module, a 40-watt floor speaker, a mic stand, microphone, a collection of cables and a smartphone tray. A second microphone (for backing vocals), a tablet holder and additional pre-installed voice effects are also included as part of a first-run, limited edition bundle.

The front face of the Singtrix sports a backlit display and large controls, which should prove handy in places like bars where visibility and coordination may not be plentiful. A center-mounted knob lets users scroll through the hundreds of presets and adjust volume. While the module can be mounted to the mic stand via an adjustable clamp, access to the rear bank of cords can be a bit tricky when attached. Both the effects unit and mics feature a prominent “Hit” button that triggers an additional, usually more dramatic variant of whatever preset is in use. In several songs, the option proved useful during choruses or especially epic bridges.

Out of the box, Singtrix is loaded with 350-plus vocal presets (including spots for favorites), many of which are tailored and named after specific songs. Song-based names vary from immediately obvious (No. 156: “TGIF”) to riddle-like (No. 313: “9×11 Problemz”). Despite the song-specific titles, singers are encouraged to mix and match effects and songs to find settings they like. Only a small handful of presets are hard-coded to a specific key signature, limiting their usefulness outside their intended songs.

The effects themselves range from subtle to dramatic. Depending on the preset, Singtrix can add a simple delay or reverb to your voice or crank things up with pitch correction or “Bohemian Rhapsody”-esque harmonies. I found comfort in many of the presets that added some stability and improved timbre to my shaky crooning. Many of the more pronounced presets are a great fit for modern pop songs that feature heavily processed vocals, giving live performances a more authentic feel.

As for song support, Singtrix works with basically any device with YouTube access and a headphone jack. An optional app (available on Android and iOS) boasts access to 13,000-plus songs, though most require a $12 monthly subscription and/or the use of in-app credits to stream or download songs. While some might balk at paying for karaoke content that could be found elsewhere, businesses in particular might value the consistency of the app’s library over the hit-and-miss nature of manually searching YouTube.

Overall, the Singtrix makes good on its promise to improve bad singing. It’s a digital security blanket for those of us not blessed with golden pipes. I’d personally be far more inclined to sing in public with the Singtrix on hand than without. At $300, though, you’d likely need to be more than just a casual karaoke fan to justify the cost. While other pricing tiers haven’t been announced yet, offering the effects processor as a standalone product seems like a no-brainer, enabling those with existing karaoke rigs to incorporate the module into their setups. For early adopters, bars/restaurants or, perhaps, small businesses looking to spruce up company parties, the Singtrix will likely be a worthy investment.

– Philip Palermo

Filed under: Misc

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