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28
May

Playdate: We’re livestreaming Watch Dogs for PS4!


Welcome, ladygeeks and gentlenerds, to the new era of gaming. The one where you get to watch, and comment, as other people livestream gameplay from next-gen consoles. Because games! They’re fun!

What would you do if you could control your hometown with nothing more than a smartphone? That’s what the world of Watch Dogs asks. Here, escaping the cops (and Big Brother) takes a little more than fancy driving skills and sheer firepower; it takes brains and creativity. We’ve been itching to get our hands on the game since its show-stealing debut back at E3 2012 and now that wait is over — we’ll be streaming live at 4PM PT/7PM ET! Feel like hacking the planet along with us on PS4 before picking up your copy? All it takes is a press of the button below. If you’ve already grabbed your copy, let us know what you think of Watch Dogs in the forums; we’ve set up a thread and everything!

Watch live video from Engadget on www.twitch.tv

Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD

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28
May

8.4-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab S details revealed


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Further details of one of the tablets we are expecting to see Samsung reveal next month have been leaked on the bench-marking app AnTuTu.

The Samsung Galaxy Tab S 8.4 have emerged on AnTuTu giving an insight into the hardware we can expect to see in the tablet.

According to the leak, the Galaxy Tab S 8.4 will have a Exynos 5 Octa 5420 processor with an ARM Mall-T628 GPU. In addition, the 8.4-inch display is shown to have a 2560 x 1600 resolution, and will feature 3GB of RAM, 32GB of internal storage, and a 2-Megapixel front-facing and 8-Megapixel rear-facing camera.

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Samsung is holding a press event on the 12th June where they are expected to announce their lineup of next generation Galaxy tablets.

The post 8.4-inch Samsung Galaxy Tab S details revealed appeared first on AndroidGuys.

28
May

Apple Tested USB Hard Disk Support for 2012 AirPort Express [Mac Blog]


Apple may have considered including USB hard drive support in the AirPort Express initially released in June of 2012, according to an early support manual unearthed by French site Journal Du Lapin (via iPhone in Canada).

Available in PDF format, the older manual references a section suggesting a USB hard disk or USB hub could be connected to the AirPort Express, allowing all computers on the network to access those devices.

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Connect a self-powered USB hard disk to your AirPort Express. All of the computers on the AirPort network can access the information on the hard disk.

Connect a USB hub to your AirPort Express, and then connect multiple USB devices, such as printers or hard disks. All of the computers on the AirPort network can access those devices.

These references are not found in the final product’s manual [PDF], which only includes a section on connecting a USB printer to the device. USB hard disk compatibility would have potentially allowed the lower-cost AirPort Express to be function in the same way as the more expensive AirPort Extreme, suggesting Apple possibly once considered merging these two products before making the decision to release the AirPort Express without external hard drive compatibility.

While Apple’s AirPort Extreme retails for $199 and includes the ability to connect to a USB hard drive that can be accessed by all computers on the network for sharing and storing files, the AirPort Express, priced $100 less at $99, remains a no-frills entry level WiFi solution for consumers for the time being.



28
May

Controlling fruit-flies with lasers looks fun, not very useful


What with their simple genetics and ultra-brief lifespan, poor fruit flies are the go-to insect for mad scientists. Researchers have discovered a new way to make their lives miserable with a mind-altering project called FlyMAD (not kidding). There’s even an overly-elaborate plan: motion tracking cameras guide a specially-tuned laser to zap the insects like a tiny missile system. That activates light and heat neurons in their brains, triggering singing and dancing that seduces no actual female Drosophila. The scientists, however, were well pleased, and think they can further manipulate their subjects by perfecting the technique — which we’re sure has infinite real-world application.

Filed under: Science

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Via: DVice

Source: IDC

28
May

Improve your skills with Adidas’ miCoach smart ball


In an effort to expand its miCoach line of sporting gear, Adidas has now launched a smart ball for football (aka soccer) players. With an array of motion sensors featured inside, this new intelligent kickable sphere can track a ton of data and send it right to your iOS device — Adidas hopes it will all be useful to help you improve certain skills during training. The freshly announced miCoach smart ball, which has been in development for more than a year, uses your iPhone (or iPod touch and iPad) to show you where and how hard exactly it is being struck. In addition to that, you can use the miCoach system to see the visual trajectory of the ball, as well as the exact impact points.

Adidas is also using the companion iOS app as a hub that can be used as a training planner, allowing you to keep track of your shooting records and offering personal challenges designed to make your overall football skills better. The miCoach smart ball is available now for $299, and you can get it directly from Adidas or through one of Apple’s retail channels.

Filed under: Misc

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Source: Adidas

28
May

Minnesota man building a 3D printer to construct houses


It’s the dream of many to build their own home, but financial, temporal and technical limitations mean that few of us ever do. At least, that’s the situation right now. An inventor from Minnesota is currently trying to build an enormous 3D printer that’d do for housebuilding what the technology has already done for small colored plastic widgets. Andrey Rudenko is currently working on hardware that’ll help him build his next home, but that could also be sold to contractors for “the cost of a car.” Admittedly, we don’t know what sort of whip is in Rudenko’s driveway, but presumably that’s a small price to pay for the control on offer.

Despite the fact that the hardware is so much larger than desktop 3D printers, it uses the same Arduino Mega 2560 hardware that you’ll find in other homemade projects. In order to make it affordable to more than just a select few, the creator is using a cheap cement-and-sand mix, which is layered out 20mm at a time, holding its shape long enough for an operator to add-in some steel reinforcement before it hardens. Rudeno is planning to make a splash with the tech later in the summer, as he’s working on building both a small playhouse to test out the concept, before finding a plot of land upon which we can cook up a full two-story house.

Filed under: Misc

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Source: 3D Printing Industry

27
May

Apple Appears Set to Lose Bid for iPhone Display Chip Maker to Synaptics [iOS Blog]


Back in April, rumors indicated Apple was in talks with chipmaker Renesas Electronics over the potential acquisition of its Renesas SP Drivers division, which produces chips for smartphone displays including for the iPhone.

As it turns out, Renesas Electronics appears set to sell its stake in Renesas SP Drivers to Synaptics, another chip manufacturer, instead of Apple. According to Reuters, the talks between Apple and Renesas “failed to make progress”, leading Renesas to move forward with Synaptics. Apple was originally offering 50 billion yen or $479 million for Renasas’ 55 percent stake in the company, which is also partially owned by Sharp and Powerchip.

Apple Inc had also been in talks about a possible purchase of the stake in Renesas SP Driver in what was seen as a potential move to shore up its global supply chain, but the sources said those talks failed to make progress and Renesas had narrowed its consideration to Synaptics.

Apple currently uses chips from Renesas Electronics in its iPhone displays, improving both image sharpness and battery life. It is unclear how a failed acquisition would affect the ongoing relationship between the two companies.

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While Reuters suggests that the deal between Renesas and Synaptics is all but certain, Nikkei claims that Apple is still interested but that pricing was a major obstacle.

Apple still seems interested in acquiring the unit. Renesas “hopes to reach an agreement with Synaptics on the sale and will continue to try to persuade Apple to give in,” a person familiar with Renesas’ plans said.

Renesas was also reportedly convinced by some of its non-Apple customers that their access to the company’s components could be cut off if Apple were to acquire the division, driving Renesas to give an edge to Synaptics.

Despite the possible failure to purchase Renesas SP Drivers, Apple’s effort is part of a trend that has seen the company take a keen interest in controlling its own production supplies and core technologies in recent years. Apple recently signed a deal with sapphire producer GT Advanced Technologies and has also purchased several chip firms in the past, including P.A. Semi and Passif Semiconductor.



27
May

WWDC Banners Begin Going Up at Moscone Center Ahead of Monday’s Keynote


Ahead of next Monday’s keynote kicking off its annual Worldwide Developers Conference, Apple has begun preparations at the Moscone Center in San Francisco. As part of the preparations, banners are beginning to go up in the lobby of Moscone West, including one with the event’s tagline of “Write the Code. Change the World.”

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More banners will undoubtedly continue to appear inside the lobby, some of which may tease hints of Apple’s announcement plans. Banners advertising specific details on keynote announcements will remain covered until after the keynote.

Apple’s WWDC keynote kicks off on Monday at 10:00 AM Pacific Time, and the company will be providing a live video stream of the event.

Thanks @KielO



27
May

WWDC 2014: What to Expect


WWDC 2014 will kick off on June 2nd with a keynote address from Apple CEO Tim Cook, which Apple will broadcast live. OS X 10.10 and iOS 8 will likely be the focus of the event, but there are a number of other possible topics that may be discussed, including a home automation platform and news on the Beats Electronics acquisition.

Read full article for more details.



27
May

Get the LG G3 look with these 10 wallpapers


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LG’s hot new flagship smartphone, the G3, might not be available in your neck of the woods for a few more weeks but that doesn’t mean you can’t copy its look on your Android. Somehow, some way, the G3 wallpapers have already been extracted and posted online. These 10 images should be the pre-loaded wallpapers for the upcoming G3. See anything you like?

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XDA

The post Get the LG G3 look with these 10 wallpapers appeared first on AndroidGuys.