Google Announces Project Tango – Prototype Smartphone with 3D Mapping Technology [Video]
From the team that told us about Project Ara, comes Project Tango; another project Google is working on to further revolutionize the smartphone. This technology allows your device to track movement, then while tracking, it will create a 3D map of the environment around you. Think in the terms of virtual reality.
The video below demonstrates how this technology works, and when they go over it in detail, the first thought is this will wear on the battery greatly. Luckily, with Movidius’ Myriad 1 vision processor, this technology will not consume as much power as you might think, and they have already slapped this into a 5-inch prototype. Project Tango is pretty fancy looking, so check out the video below, and give us your thoughts about.
IQTELL marries ‘inbox zero’ and GTD in new app [App of the Day]
If you’re like me then you’ve likely got an email inbox full of unread messages and a to-do list that gets longer every day. For all the labels and rules we’ve set up in our lives the truth is that we can do better. IQTELL’s new Android app is here to help.
Employing a combination of David Allen’s Getting Things Done principles and some secret ingredients, IQTELL promises to deliver a consistent “inbox zero”. You’ll find it merges an assortment of tools and services such as Gmail, calendars, Evernote, projects, and more.
Users can log into the system through a variety of account types but we’re pretty sure you’re most focused about Gmail. With that in mind, you can also start from scratch with an IQTELL account.
To keep things moving along at all times, the app works even in times when you have no data connectivity. Push reminders, snoozing, batch processing, and stars are some of the components that help users stay organized. For those who need a bit of guidance and direction, IQTELL also delivers a weekly review to see where things can be improved.
The app is new to the Google Play Store but thus far the reviews are quite positive.
The post IQTELL marries ‘inbox zero’ and GTD in new app [App of the Day] appeared first on AndroidGuys.
MLB, NBA, NHL and NASCAR team up on 120 Sports, a 24-hour streaming video channel
Not to be outdone by the NFL, other major sports leagues in the US are combining efforts to launch a digital network of their own. Dubbed 120 Sports, the newly announced channel is a collaboration between the MLB, NBA, NHL, NASCAR and Time Inc., with the general goal being to deliver video content to fans in a speedy manner and all day long. Unlike the NFL’s Now network, 120 Sports’ bread and butter will be two-minute segments, which it plans to use for news, highlights, analysis as well as original stories — sorry, no live games (one day!). Along with being able to stream from the desktop site, there will also be apps for smartphones, tablets and more “connected devices.” But here’s the best news: Once 120 Sports launches this spring, you won’t need a pay-TV subscription to access it.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Via: Capital
Source: 120 Sports
Xbox One Media Remote arrives in early March for $25
That didn’t take long. Scarcely a week after the Xbox One Media Remote briefly surfaced at a Canadian retailer, Microsoft has made it official. As expected, the peripheral lets you navigate videos more elegantly than with the bundled gamepad. However, it’s not just a cheap substitute for a mobile device using Smartglass. If you have your Kinect plugged in, the remote will also steer the power and volume of your TV or receiver. That consolidated control may help justify buying the peripheral for $25 when it ships in March — especially if you’re the sort who’s more likely to watch Netflix than play Forza.
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, Peripherals, HD, Microsoft
Source: Xbox Wire
5TB hard drives are here, shipping now in LaCie’s five-bay NAS
25 terabytes of storage in a single standalone cube? That’s now possible, thanks to Seagate’s new 5TB hard drive. You can pair the LaCie 5big Network 2 five-bay NAS with up to five individual 5-terabyte drives for a maximum of 25TB of storage for less than two grand. Based on the $300 price difference between the 15TB kit ($1,299) and the 10TB version ($999), we imagine you’ll be able to max out the RAID device about $1,900, once these gigantic drives become available for purchase individually. For now, you’ll need to settle for one of the two above configurations, available directly from LaCie beginning today.
Filed under: Storage
Source: LaCie
Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana reportedly borrows the best of Siri and Google Now
At this point it’s a forgone conclusion that Microsoft is going to enter the digital assistant space in order to keep pace with Android and iOS. Its offering, code named Cortana (after a Halo character), is reportedly set to debut as part of Windows Phone 8.1, which we’re expecting to get a glimpse of at Build. While the final shape of the app has yet to be confirmed, recent leaks hint that it will borrow heavily from Siri and Google Now, blending what many see as the best features of each. According to the Verge, Cortana will replace the standard Bing search and feature a circular animated icon as its primary UI element. The icon will use the highlight color you’ve chosen and bounce around the screen or frown when you ask it a question. In addition to offering visual indications of its “emotional” state, Cortana will feature a Siri-like personality that can greet you by name.
Cortana’s central repository of information is called called Notebook, which will store your location, personal info, calendar and contact data, as well as track your behaviors. Over time it will adapt to individual users, but it will also include robust privacy features that will require you to specifically allow Cortana to store data and will even allow you to edit or delete that information after the fact. For example, if you allow it to access your email, Cortana can watch for phrases that about meetings or appointments and automatically add reminders.
In addition to your locally stored data and Bing, the virtual assistant will also be able to tap third-party sources of data like Foursquare. If Microsoft is aggressive in opening up Cortana to third-party apps and services that could give it a leg up on Siri and Now. Especially if it moves quickly to bring the new tool to its other platforms: namely Windows and Xbox.
Filed under: Software, Mobile, Microsoft
Source: The Verge
Google’s Project Tango is a smartphone with sensors to map the world around you
Google’s just announced Project Tango, a 5-inch Android smartphone prototype equipped with Kinect-like 3D sensors and other components to track motion and map your surroundings. Unlike other 3D-sensing devices including Kinect, Project Tango includes the Myriad 1 vision processor from Movidius, which allows for advanced motion and depth tracking without sucking a ton of power. Available to a limited group of developers today, the handset could enable enhanced indoor navigation and immersive gaming, among other things.
Google’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) group is the brains behind Tango, and ATAP head Johnny Lee (formerly of the Microsoft Kinect team) said that the prototype “strives to give mobile devices a human-like understanding of space and motion…enabling new and enhanced types of user experiences.” Gaming and navigation applications are two prime examples, but overall the goal seems to be harnessing precise location and mapping information to enhance your mobile experience. Google also mentions the possibility of navigation assistance for the visually impaired, and it’s not a leap to guess that Mountain View could integrate ads with this sophisticated mapping technology as well.
ATAP, one important holdover of Google’s acquisition (and subsequent selling off) of Motorola, hadn’t revealed any hardware prior to today’s announcement, so we’ll be following this project with interest. Head past the break for a video demo of Project Tango.
Via: TechCrunch (1), TechCrunch (2)
Source: Google ATAP, Google Project Tango
Dell to be the first PC maker to adopt a wireless charging standard
The Alliance for Wireless Power (A4WP) has just added a major player to its membership roster: Dell. This marks the first time a big PC maker has come forward to support a wireless charging standard, which A4WP has branded as Rezence. As a part of this announcement, A4WP is also introducing a new high power specification that would be able to charge devices from 20 to 50 watts, such as, of course, Ultrabooks. In fact, a A4WP spokesperson told us that ideally, a laptop charging with Rezence could also be used to give power to a smaller device, say a smartphone, simply by putting it on top of the former. While such products don’t exist just yet, the alliance is hopeful for the first few consumer products with Rezence — perhaps even a laptop or two — to debut some time this year.
Filed under: Misc, Laptops, Dell
Source: Rezence
New HTC One 2014 Shows Up in Silver and Gray Press Render
The HTC M8, or All New HTC One, shows up in silver and gray today brought to you by evleaks. Now as you can see, it looks like all the other renders, but I find that the gray looks more black than gray. I guess it is a dark gray, and if I had to choose between the three colors it is going to come in, I would definitely choose gray.
The New HTC One will be unveiled on March 25th, with a double event hosted by HTC in New York and London. Let us know which color you plan on choosing when the New One comes out.
Source: evleaks
Android 4.4 Rolling Out to the Sprint Galaxy Note 3
Sprint Galaxy Note 3 users will start receiving that delicious Android 4.4 KitKat. The kernel source was posted the other day, which usually leads to a roll out, and that indeed is happening. Here is what you get with the update:
- Android 4.4
- Music album art on the lock screen
- Launcher selection in settings
- Camera shortcut on lock screen
- Improved user interface and stability
- Prevention pop-up removal
The Android 4.4 update is a hefty 503.6 MB file, so make sure you’re on a wifi connection as always. Let us know if you received it.
Source: Android Police
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