This robotic prosthesis gives drummers a third arm
For many drummers, losing part of an arm could represent a career-ending tragedy. Not Jason Barnes, however. Georgia Tech professor Gil Weinberg has built a robotic prosthesis that not only restores much of Barnes’ musical prowess, but effectively gives him a third arm. The wearable offers direct control of one drumstick using bicep muscles; a second, automated drumstick monitors Barnes’ timing and plays in sync at a customizable pace, creating a sound that ordinary humans can’t match.
As you might imagine, the robotic arm has advantages for metal and other musical styles where complex drumming is essential. However, Weinberg also sees uses for the technology in other fields — astronauts and surgeons could perform complicated tasks in harmony with robots, for example. You can catch a brief demo of Barnes’ augmented skills in the video below, and you can check it out in person at Kennesaw State University’s Robotic Musicianship Demonstration on March 22nd.
[Image credit: Rob Felt/Georgia Tech, Flickr]
Source: Georgia Tech (YouTube)
New HTC One dual-lens camera shown off in detailed leak
Leaked images and videos of the HTC One‘s successor are a dime a dozen, so we’ve already seen every possible nook and cranny of the device. Why, then, are we reporting on the latest find by @evleaks? It gives us the closest and clearest look of HTC’s rumored dual-lens camera setup so far, which is shaping up to be one of the most intriguing features on the phone. It features a smaller lens just above HTC’s standard lens and dual-LED flash, but the purpose of is still a complete mystery. Plenty of theories exist, and we reported on the most likely possibilities demoed at Mobile World Congress last week. Ideas include the ability to cleanly magnify distant subjects without using digital zoom, enhancing low-light performance (which was an area HTC focused on with the One), quicker autofocus and the ability to change a picture’s depth of field. Whether or not these particular benefits show up, it’s hard to dispute that a parallel-lens setup is indeed coming to HTC’s new flagship smartphone.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile, HTC
Via: TechnoBuffalo
Source: @evleaks
Getty Images opens up its stock photo vaults for free, legal use with new embed tools
Whether it’s @HistoryinPics or just an Imgur-hosted picture posted to Reddit, professional photos are being used everywhere on the internet — and usually without payment or credit to the original owner. Getty Images licenses out stock photos (including coverage of sports, news and fashion events) for use by the media (cough), businesses and artists, and now it’s hoping to get some control back, by letting anyone use them for free. Free that is, as long as they’re posted with Getty’s new embed feature which, like the ones we’ve gotten used to on Flickr, YouTube and other internet sites, produces the appropriate HTML to pop the picture in a blog or social media post.
At launch, it’s specifically designed to tie in with sites like WordPress and Tumblr, and on Twitter, links produce a card with the image and information. The pictures won’t be watermarked, but it also links back to Gettyimages.com and includes attribution for the photographer. It seems like a win-win for everyone, and an admission by Getty that simply trying to paywall access to high quality pics won’t keep them from being posted everywhere anyway. Meanwhile, everyone from casual tweeters to those starting great websites for the next ten years just getting their start can access high quality photos without worrying about scary legal letters or getting their account shut down.
Filed under: Internet
Source: Getty Images
Dell charging EU customers for Firefox installation, Mozilla’s not having it
Installing a web browser is not a challenging task. In fact, you probably installed the one you’re using today all by yourself. Nevertheless, Dell is offering to take the burden off the hands of customers in Europe. The cost of avoiding a few lazy double clicks? Only £16 in the UK or €19.60 (about $26.74) the EU. The bizarre service can be found on the accessories page when ordering select workstations, specifically the OptiPlex 7010. It’s a strange and unnecessary option, harkening back to Best Buy’s silly PS3 Firmware upgrade surcharge. It’s also a blatant violation of Mozilla’s trademark policy, which states that companies may not charge for the company’s software in its unaltered, Mozilla-branded form. According to The Register, Mozilla is already looking into the matter. That said, there’s no reason for anybody to buy this absurd add-on: installing Firefox is ridiculously easy. We promise.
Via: TheNextWeb
Source: The Register
Easily send and receive money with Square Cash [App of the Day]
Today in our “App of the Day” feature, we bring you an application known as Square Cash. This one lets users send and receive money at no cost. All you have to do is to link your debit card with it, and then you can send money to anyone by just using their debit card information. No need to have sign up for an account or anything else. Send your money via email by CC’ing cash@square.com and putting the dollar amount in the subject line.
Everything is safe and secure; users can confirm or reject any transfers and even require security code verification. Money deposited into your account can take 1-2 business days to process and is automatically done!
Users can request money from up to 25 people at once; collecting money for a graduation gift or birthday present can be done all at once. Unlike services like PayPal, where after receiving the payment, you have to withdraw it to your bank account, Square Cash puts the money directly to your existing bank account.
We really liked this application the reviews thus far a quite positive.
The post Easily send and receive money with Square Cash [App of the Day] appeared first on AndroidGuys.
T-Mobile updates Samsung Galaxy Note 3 to Android 4.4.2
Back in January, Samsung released Android 4.4.2 for the international version of the Galaxy Note 3. And today, T-Mobile decided to release the update for their variant of the Galaxy Note 3. If you are using a Note 3, then you will receive the notification soon. Or else you can also check your settings and update your phone manually.
Although, you might not notice anything new in the interface, but the performance is improved. Anyway, are you using Note 3 from T-Mobile? Is it on 4.4.2 yet? Let us know in the comment box below.
Source: TmoNews
The post T-Mobile updates Samsung Galaxy Note 3 to Android 4.4.2 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Wake up and smell the bacon with Oscar Mayer’s new iOS app
There’s nothing quite like the smell of freshly cooked bacon to help you get out of bed in the morning. Unless of course, that smell is a clever r(o)use by an iPhone app and there is no bacon. A new alarm app by Oscar Mayer deceives you out of bed every morning to not only the sweet sound of frying bacon, but to the smell as well. A small gadget attached to your iPhone’s headphone jack sends a bacon fragrance your way as the alarm sizzles. But, there is no bacon. It’s similar to what we saw last year with Scentee, except this bacon device isn’t being sold – you’ll have to win it through a sweepstakes on Oscar Mayer’s website. The bacon alarm clock also isn’t for everyone – Android and Windows Phone users will have to opt for a more vegan, but perhaps slightly less heartbreaking, wake up call. Did we mention there’s no bacon?
Filed under: Cellphones, Wireless, Mobile
Via: TUAW
Source: Oscar Mayer
Engadget HD Podcast 388 – 3.5.14
It’s the week of HD content news in its many various guises: streaming, video, award shows and service cancellations, all wedged in amidst a couple of physical devices. Actually, the hardware is content-enabling as well, with the new Roku Streaming Stick and an N64 mod that gives your classic gear an HDMI upgrade. Ben and Richard get their wish with Netflix’s experiments in sleep tracking (courtesy of a FitBit) and Microsoft continues to fine tune the Xbox One with updates in audio, Kinect options and a UK glitch fix. Just hop on down to the streaming links to enjoy this episode of the Engadget HD Podcast in all its informational glory.
Hosts: Richard Lawler, Ben Drawbaugh
Producer: Jon Turi
Hear the podcast:
00:09:01 – Roku’s new Streaming Stick works with most TVs, drops price to $50
00:17:34 – Netflix engineers experiment with bump-based video sharing and sleep tracking
00:20:01 – Dish Explorer for iPad can now recommend shows and turn on your TV
00:23:52 – Harmony’s $150 Smart Keyboard remote comes to living rooms this month
00:27:34 – MHL 3.0 does 4K video output, 10W charging and data transfer over a single cable
00:39:54 – Xbox One update preview adds new audio, Kinect options and a fix for UK TV
00:45:02 – Pretend it’s 1994: music videos now available on Xbox One
00:46:24 – HBO Go arrives on PlayStation 3 today
00:48:21 – Dish and Disney’s new deal cuts into ad skipping, allows for internet-only video service
00:54:32 – HTC shutting down its Watch movie service in the UK
00:55:52 – Nintendo 64 mod promises HDMI output, soldering burns
00:57:50 – ABC to stream the Oscars for the first time, but only for select viewers
01:01:51 – Pieces might be falling into place for a Minecraft movie from Warner Bros.
01:06:50 – Must See HDTV for the week of March 3rd: True Detective, Almost Human and Clone Wars
Get the podcast:
[iTunes] Subscribe to the Podcast directly in iTunes (MP3).
[RSS – AAC] Enhanced feed, subscribe to this with iTunes.
[RSS – MP3] Add the Engadget HD Podcast feed to your RSS aggregator.
Contact the podcast:
Yahoo’s latest purchase brings pretty graphs to Tumblr
Marissa Mayer’s been in full-on spending mode since taking over the reins at Yahoo. As such, we’re not surprised to find out that the company has made yet another acquisition: Vizify. Yahoo’s new purchase, a startup based in Portland, Ore., focuses on turning social data into interactive media. Most recently, Vizify’s tech could be found powering Twitter tool #FollowMe, which mashes up pics, tweets and Vines to make a short highlight reel for users. The idea being that, at a glance, other people could see what they would gain by following you on the microblogging network.
Naturally, with social sites like Tumblr and Qwiki already a part of Yahoo, it’s easy to see why there was interest in Vizify — and chances are Mayer isn’t quite done yet. Neither outfit disclosed financial terms of the acquisition, but Vizify did send out an email to its users about what to expect going forward, which you can find after the break.
As part of our transition to Yahoo, we will no longer be allowing new signups or purchases of paid plans. We will also be sunsetting the Vizify service.
What does this mean for me?
As an existing Vizify account holder, look for an email in the coming weeks with more details. But for now, to make the transition process easier on you, we’re taking a few extra steps:
For all bioholders, free and paid, we’ll be providing a way for you to opt-in to “archive” a snapshot of your current bio that will remain live at the same URL through September 4, 2014.
For those of you with a current paid plan, we’ll be issuing a full refund for everything you’ve paid Vizify.
For Premium customers who registered a domain through Vizify (like your-name.com), we’ll be providing instructions so you can assume ownership of your domain, free of charge.What do I need to do?
You’ll be getting an additional email from us next week with steps you’ll need to take. In the meantime, see our FAQ.
– Team Vizify
Filed under: Internet
Via: The Next Web
Source: Vizify
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