Watch filmmakers render realistic CG on the fly using $14k of graphics cards
A new short film teaser has taken digital character rendering to a new level, making real time motion capture a lot easier for animators. While working on “Construct” (see the stunning video after the break) filmmakers captured the movements of real actors in a studio, similar to how James Cameron did for Avatar. Instead of seeing the performer, however, the director saw a ray-traced version of the animated character on his screen. Though heavily pixelated, freezing the scene instantly gave animators a clear idea of the final result, something that can normally take hours in post-production. The system used custom software from ray-tracing outfit V-Ray powered by three top-of-the-line NVIDIA K6000 GPUs — not exactly a home setup. Still, it’s not hard to see how such tech could eventually power ultra-realistic gaming, though at $4,500 a pop or so for the graphics cards, we’re not there yet.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Peripherals, NVIDIA
Via: CNET
Source: Construct Films (Vimeo)
Seven places to sell your old smartphone
So you’re ready to upgrade to a new smartphone and grab one of the new hot devices of the year, eh? Sweet, you’re gonna love that thing! But, what are you going to do with your current one? You’re not going to simply toss it in a drawer, are you?
Whether you bought your phone from a carrier, a retail outlet, or somewhere online, there’s always somebody willing to buy that old model off of you. No, it’s not going to be worth as much as you might hope to get, but it’s worth something.
We’ve gathered up some of the best places to trade in your old devices. Whether it’s a smartphone, tablet, or some other gadget, these are the first places you should check out. Each is a little bit different from the other and all offer their terms and conditions or payout methods, but all of them wouldn’t mind buying your old tech gear.
For the sake of comparison, we plugged in the 16GB Samsung Galaxy S3 (Verizon) and 32GB HTC One (Verizon) (2013). These are two years old and one year old, respectively, and give a decent sense for what you might expect.
| Samsung Galaxy S3 Verizon (SGH-i535) | HTC One (M7) Verizon (6500LVW) | |
| Amazon Trade-In | $95.90 | $154.50 |
| eCycle Best | $185.00 | $250.00 |
| EcoATM | $80.00 | $90.00 |
| Gazelle | $93.00 | $154.00 |
| Glyde | $95.00 | $156.00 |
| Smartphone TradeIn | $98.40 | $168.00 |
| Swappa | $189.00 | $301.00 |
Assuming one of these aren’t your cup of tea you can always try your hand at eBay or Craigslist. Or, perhaps you pass the device on to a family member or friend as a pre-paid option.
The post Seven places to sell your old smartphone appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Best prices and availability for the HTC One (M8)
Although the HTC One (M8) was announced a few weeks ago, some carriers are just now putting the phone up for sale. We’ve gathered a list of where you can buy the new HTC One on all carriers that have it listed so far.
We will update this page to the best of our ability. So if you see anything that needs updating, feel free to get back to us through our contact page!
Please note that the prices may change without notice.
- Contract-free
- Unlocked from HTC for $699.99
- Developer Edition from HTC for $699.99
- Verizon
- Purchase from the wireless provider for $199.99* or $25.22/mo. with Verizon Edge
- Purchase from Amazon Wireless for $149.99*
- Purchase from Best Buy for $149.99*
- Purchase from Radio Shack for $199.99*
- Purchase from Car Toys for $199.99*
- Purchase from HTC for $149.99*
- AT&T
- Purchase from the wireless provider for $199.99*
- Purchase from Amazon Wireless for $199.99*
- Purchase from Best Buy for $199.99*
- Purchase from Radio Shack for $199.99*
- Purchase from HTC for $199.99*
- Sprint
- Purchase from the wireless provider for $199.99*
- Purchase from Amazon Wireless for $149.99*
- Purchase from Best Buy for $199.99*
- Purchase from Radio Shack for $199.99*
- Purchase from Costco for $199.99*
- Purchase from HTC for $199.99*
- T-Mobile
- Purchase from the wireless provider for $636 or $26.50/mo. for 24 months
- HTC official site links back to T-Mobile.com
- Google Play Edition
- Purchase from Google Play for $699.99
*requires two-year service agreement on a qualified rate plan
There are still a hand full of carriers that will eventually get the HTC One (M8). Check back to this post in the coming weeks to see availability for other carriers.
The post Best prices and availability for the HTC One (M8) appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Apple Declines to Invest in Intellectual Ventures’ Patent Buying Fund [Mac Blog]
After collaborating with patent buying company Intellectual Ventures to purchase Kodak patents in 2012, Apple is now rebuffing offers by IV to invest in is latest patent acquisition fund, reports Reuters. Though both Apple and Intel have declined to participate, rivals Microsoft and Sony have been persuaded to contribute to a new round of patent buying.
“Microsoft and Sony’s investments give IV a fresh war chest to buy new patents,” said Kevin Jakel, chief executive of Unified Patents, which advises tech companies on alternatives to patent aggregators like IV.
Intellectual Ventures is one of the top five patent owners in the U.S. and has a portfolio of over 70,000 patents and intellectual property assets. The company has raised $6 billion for patents and is courting investors like Apple to raise an additional $3 billion.
Microsoft, Sony, Apple and Intel have invested in Intellectual Ventures in the past, giving them access to IV’s patent holdings and a portion of the royalties it collects. Apple didn’t comment on its recent decision not to invest in IV, but one intellectual property expert believes it is not related to the company’s recent efforts to influence patent legislation in the U.S.
“Amy Landers, an intellectual property professor at University of the Pacific McGeorge School of Law, said Apple and Intel’s decision on IV’s latest fund was probably unrelated to the political debate on patent reform.
“The companies that are not investing in the fund have probably just found better uses for their money,” Landers said.
Apple recently joined the new Partnership for American Innovation, a patent reform lobbying group that includes DuPont, Ford, General Electric, IBM, Microsoft and Pfizer. The group is opposing recent patent reform legislation that they claim may hurt actual innovations that need patent protection.
US will force Facebook to protect WhatsApp user privacy
When Facebook bought WhatsApp, some were worried that the messenger would go back on its promise not to collect swathes of personal data in the style of its new owner. Luckily for you, the FTC has other plans, and will only give its blessing to the $19 billion deal if both companies swear to respect WhatsApp’s original user agreement. In a letter to the pair, FTC consumer protection chief Jessica L. Rich has said that if WhatsApp pulls a privacy bait-and-switch , then Zuckerberg and co. will be in breach of section five of the FTC act, with harsh penalties to follow.
Filed under: Internet, Facebook
Via: WSJ
Samsung Galaxy S5 Developer Edition coming soon to Verizon
Samsung released Developer Editions of the Galaxy SIII and S4, so it’s not a huge surprise to see a similarly-equipped Galaxy S5 appear on the company’s website. The listing reveals that a CDMA-capable version with Verizon branding will land at some point in the future, but fails to elaborate further. What we do know is that it’ll be available in black with 16GB internal storage, and we’d guess that it won’t be offered under subsidy — but that’s a small price to pay for an unlocked bootloader. There’s no word on if AT&T will get a Developer Edition S5 of its very own, but we wouldn’t be shocked if one popped up in the next few days.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Samsung, Google, Verizon
Via: Android Central
Source: Samsung
Philippe Starck wants you to make 3D-printed custom furniture
Philippe Starck is no longer satisfied with crafting exotic-looking products that don’t change — he wants to give you control over the design process. He tells the Wall Street Journal that his newly opened custom furniture venture, TOG, will eventually become an open source community that lets you create your own 3D-printed furniture and share designs with others. He’d also like to see kiosks that make it easy for anyone to produce their own furniture, even if they can’t justify a 3D printer of their own.
Don’t hold off on furnishing your home in the short term, though. Starck is aware that it will take a few years for 3D printing to scale in cost and size to where you can print your dream chair at home. Those kiosks, meanwhile, may have to wait until on-the-spot 3D printing is more efficient than shipping old-fashioned products. Still, it’s apparent that the days of limited furniture choices are numbered.
[Image credit: Jimmy Baikovicius, Flickr]
Filed under: Household, Peripherals
Source: Wall Street Journal, TOG
Sprint’s cellphone for kids lets parents keep a close watch
Many parents are comfortable with giving cellphones to teens, but young kids are a different story — how do you introduce them to mobile technology without also exposing them to all kinds of dangers? Sprint thinks its new WeGo phone is a good answer to that dilemma. The simple, rugged design not only limits a child’s calling and messaging options to pre-approved contacts, but lets their parents track just about anything through mobile apps or the web. Concerned adults can pinpoint the location of the WeGo whenever they like; they also get alerts when the unexpected happens, such as when the phone shuts off or someone pulls its tether-based panic alarm.
If you’re willing to ease Junior into cellphones, you can buy the WeGo today by paying $5 per month for two years ($120 total). The childproof handset also has its own $10 monthly service plan that offers 1,000 minutes of talk time and 1,000 messages. At those rates, the WeGo makes considerably more fiscal sense than a full-featured cellphone. Just don’t expect it to prevent your little ones from envying the smartphone-toting older kids down the street.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Sprint
Source: Sprint (1), (2)
Best prices and availability for Samsung Galaxy S5
Today sees the arrival of the Samsung Galaxy S5, likely the smartphone that will outsell all others this year. You’ll be able to pick one of these up from just about any carrier you want, post-paid, prepaid, and more.
We’ve gathered up a list of various carriers, retailers, and sources for purchasing the Samsung Galaxy S5. We’ll do our best to return to this list with updates as needed. If you see some place that could be added, feel free to reach out to us via the contact page!
Note that prices may change without notification.
- Verizon
- Purchase from the wireless provider for $199.99 (BUY ONE GET ONE FREE)* (Equipment installment option available)
- Purchase from Radio Shack
- Purchase from Target for $199.99*
- Purchase from Sam’s Club for $164.88*
- Purchase from Walmart $168*
- Purchase from Samsung
- AT&T
- Purchase from the wireless provider for $199.99* (Equipment installment option available)
- Purchase from Amazon Wireless for $189.99*
- Purchase from Best Buy for $199.99*
- Purchase from Radio Shack
- Purchase from Target for $199.99*
- Purchase from Sam’s Club for $164.88*
- Purchase from Walmart for $168*
- Purchase from Samsung
- Sprint
- Purchase from the wireless provider for $199.99* (Equipment installment option available)
- Purchase from Amazon Wireless for $189.99*
- Purchase from Best Buy for $199.99*
- Purchase from Radio Shack for
- Purchase from Target for $199.99*
- Purchase from Sam’s Club for $164.88*
- Purchase from Samsung
- T-Mobile
- Purchase from the wireless provider for $660 (Equipment installment option available)
- Purchase from Samsung
- U.S. Cellular
- Purchase from the wireless provider for $199.99* (Equipment installment option available)
- Purchase from Walmart for $168*
- Purchase from Samsung
- MetroPCS
- Not yet available from the wireless provider
- Purchase from Best Buy for $649.99
- Boost Mobile
- Virgin Mobile
- Developer Edition (not yet available from Samsung)
*requires two-year service agreement on a qualified rate plan
The post Best prices and availability for Samsung Galaxy S5 appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Alleged iPhone 6 Cases Surface, Apparently Based on Recent Design Drawings
A photo reportedly showing cases designed for the larger iPhone 6 has been posted by Mobile Fun (via Nowhereelse.fr [Google Translate]. While exact sizes are not apparent from the photo and no comparison with existing iPhone cases sizes is shown, the cases are said to be for 4.7-inch and 5.7-inch iPhone 6 models, consistent with design drawings published by Japanese magazine MacFan late last month.
Most sources have been reporting that the larger iPhone 6 will carry a 5.5-inch display, although the MacFan drawings and a few other sources have continued to point to a 5.7-inch display.
It is not entirely clear whether these cases are based on the same design drawings or come from another source, but they do appear to be very consistent with the drawings. Like the drawings and our renderings based on them, the cases include a hole for a button on the left side of the top edge of the device. This has been presumed to be the power button for the iPhone 6, which would be a change from its current location on the right side of the top edge.
Side (1) and top (2) button cutouts (Annotated by Nowhereelse.fr)
The cases also include a cutout along the right side of the case, a feature that is also shown in the design drawings. The purpose of the cutout is unknown, but it is possible that this could in fact be the power button given that analyst Ming-Chi Kuo claimed earlier this week that the power button would move to the side of the device. If this is indeed the case, then the function of the top button on the iPhone 6 drawings becomes unknown.
AIVAnet 