When you land at Heathrow Terminal Galaxy S5, you’ll know who to blame
A Samsung-sized marketing budget buys airport-sized publicity stunts, as you may well notice if you fly to or from Heathrow this month. For two weeks, starting May 19th, the owners of the “world’s busiest terminal” have allowed Samsung, in partnership with JCDecaux, to re-brand all Terminal 5 signage at entrances, security points and gates as “Terminal Samsung Galaxy S5.” And who cares if that sounds like an illness?
Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, Mobile, Samsung
Via: Android Central
Google puts Mattel and Disney designer Ivy Ross in charge of Glass
Google has just made a creative choice for its new head of Glass, picking one-time Mattel design lead and noted jewelery artist Ivy Ross. That signals a big shift away from Glass’ geeky developer base while it transitions to a full-fledged consumer product. She would fill the position previously held by Babak Parviz as Google’s Glass lead and work under Google X for Astro Teller and co-founder Sergei Brin. On the Google Glass G+ page, Ross said that she’s spent her career “at the intersection of design and marketing” and that she’ll be looking to answer some of the “audacious questions” around Glass. Though she didn’t say so, some of those will no doubt revolve around privacy and other contentious issues with the upcoming product.
Source: Google Glass (G+)
Bitcoin bank entices mom and pop with insurance, fraud checks and zero fees
If Bitcoin is meant to be an anonymous, decentralized currency that is free of intermediaries and national restrictions, then today’s launch of a new Bitcoin bank, called Circle, might seem deeply antithetical. Circle’s website does its utmost to look like that of an ordinary financial service, using words like “withdrawing,” “depositing” and “digital money,” instead of the usual terms about buying and selling Bitcoins. It follows US anti-money laundering rules, requiring users to identify themselves, and it expects you to connect your Bitcoin account to your normal credit card or bank accounts. Crypto-currency purists just aren’t going to dig it, but then again Circle claims to offer some serious advantages that are missing from other, more direct approaches to Bitcoin banking…
It charges no fees for anything (at least not right now), which makes it a relatively friction-free way of accessing money in a range of local currencies; it insures deposits against Mt. Gox-style calamities; it stores “most” of its holdings offline to safeguard it from hackers, and it even has a customer service phone line. For someone with relatives or business interests in other countries, who has to deal with unstable banks or currencies, Circle could well serve as an enticement to use Bitcoin for the first time, which is exactly its stated objective. But of course it glosses over the fact that “digital money” itself can be highly unstable, and the friendly voice at the other end of that customer service line is bound to sound a little hollow if the underlying worth of your savings suddenly plummets.
Filed under: Internet
Source: Circle
Cuba’s first independent digital news will be sent via cellphones and flash drives
Cubans haven’t had an above-ground, independent digital news outlet in their country so far — not surprising when their government only allowed personal cellphone and computer sales six years ago. However, all that’s set to change when blogger Yoani Sanchez launches her digital newspaper 14ymedio on May 21st. Rather than simply publish news on the web, the team will get the word out through whatever technology Cubans can use: cellphones, email, CDs and even USB flash drives are fair game.
The group is already getting some pushback from the Castro administration, which still treats criticism of the communist party as a criminal offense. However, 14ymedio’s by-any-means-necessary approach to digital distribution could make censorship difficult; officials can’t simply block a website or email address. Whether or not Sanchez’ project lasts, it’s a potentially important experiment in a land where networking tends to be either closely monitored or very unofficial.
[Image credit: AFP/Getty Images]
Filed under: Cellphones, Storage, Internet, Mobile
Source: AFP (Phys.org)
Upcoming Xbox history show will let you ‘play TV’
Microsoft has been teasing a level of interactivity within its slate of original Xbox video programming, but what kind of control will you actually get? The company isn’t revealing everything right now, but it just gave Deadline Hollywood a few small clues. TV producer Stephen David is creating a documentary/drama hybrid for Xbox Entertainment Studios that he says will be “like playing television.” In the inaugural 13 Days of Blood episode, which shows Roman history through the eyes of emperor Commodus (seen in marble here), there will be “new, interactive technology” that should “bring fight scenes to life,” according to Microsoft.
This sounds tantalizing, but it’s clear that the company is keeping its cards close to the vest. While the interaction could involve a full-fledged game component, it could equally be a simple matter of choosing camera angles as you watch gladiators and retiarii slug it out. The docudrama also isn’t due until 2015, so the odds aren’t great that you’ll hear much more about it this year. Nonetheless, these early tidbits give us a better idea of what to expect from Microsoft’s first experiments with self-branded shows.
[Image credit: Cmgramse, Flickr]
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
Source: Deadline Hollywood
A red HTC One M8 spotted in photos from Taiwan
We’ve seen the HTC One M8 in quite a few colours now including blue, gold, platinum and even pink. The latest variation of the device spotted in the wild is a red HTC One M8 which was seen in HTC‘s home country of Taiwan. In the fairly extensive run-down, the source takes pictures of the packaging of the red M8 as well as the device from multiple angles (clearly the source liked red devices since the HP laptop featured in the photos was also red).
HTC apparently officially announced the red M8 yesterday and is being sold in multiple retail stores in Taiwan already. Whether this coloured variant will be seen in other countries around the world isn’t clear yet, but if it is, you can bet certain carriers are going to be all over it (read: Verizon and Vodafone).
What do you think about the red HTC One M8? Which is your favourite coloured variant of the ones we’ve seen so far, or which colour would you like to see? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
Source: mobile01 via Phones Review
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This bloke’s air-powered Wolverine claws could probably kill you
For some of us, the closest we’ll ever get to becoming Wolverine is making a pair of cardboard claws, growing a bitchin’ set of sideburns and developing a cigar-chewing habit. The more industrially inclined, however, make sets of air-powered, razor-sharp talons that can cut through a watermelon like… Well, how an adamantium knuckle-knife might slice through watermelon. YouTube user ColinFurze fabricated a set of 12-inch stainless steel claws that extend and retract thanks to a set of palm-mounted toggle switches that connect to compressed-air tank on his back — no bicep-flexes required here, folks. If you’re feeling particularly inspired and/or have a welder and some plate-stock handy, bub, Furze has posted a how-to video in addition to the clip where he joyously hacks apart cardboard and what looks like a Mystique blow-up doll (seriously). Even better, he’s promised more X-Men-themed videos come next Thursday. Try not to go berserk before then, would-be Weapon X.
Via: TechCrunch
Source: ColinFurze (YouTube) (1), (2)
Meet Sony’s RX100 III, a refined edition of its excellent point-and-shoot
Even though Sony has been suffering from financial woes of late, the Japanese company did find some form of success recently thanks to new Xperia smartphones and the PlayStation 4. And let’s not forget another meaningful part of its electronics business: cameras. With the introduction of the Cyber-shot RX100 back in 2012, Sony made a point-and-shoot that most any photography buff could proudly carry around, to use not only as a backup to, say, a DSLR, but even as a main camera. Now, looking to build on the success of the first and second generations, Sony is announcing the RX100 III, bringing with it more bells and whistles than you could ever hope for out of a compact shooter.
On the outside, the new RX100 is quite similar to its predecessors, sporting a sleek, slightly glossy black finish and that 180-degree tilting LCD on the back. It is the inside where most changes have taken place, however. For instance, it now features Sony’s Bionz X image processor (also found on the recently unveiled Alpha A77 II), which is paired alongside the same 20.1-megapixel Exmor R CMOS sensor that’s found on the previous version of the RX100. But while Sony didn’t make any upgrades to the sensor here, the RX100 III does welcome brand new Zeiss glass in the Vario-Sonnar T*, a 24-70mm, f/1.8-f/2.8 lens — Sony says this is perfect for keeping a wide-angle view and should help you take some solid, bokeh-filled pictures.
One of the many things the RX100 does well is video, and Sony wanted that trend to continue with its third-gen model. The pocket-sized shooter now processes video in XAVC S format, which, according to Sony, lets you record 1080p videos at a much faster data rate and with very little compression — in other words, this will make your movies look a lot better and crisper. To go with that, Sony also added a built-in, retractable OLED electronic viewfinder (which wasn’t present on either of the older editions), WiFi/NFC for wireless sharing and the ability to capture 4K still images, making the newest RX100 an even more powerful little camera.
So just how much will you have to pay for all these features? Well, Sony’s pricing the Cyber-shot RX100 III at a reasonable $800 when it arrives next month, which is only $50 more than the RX100 II was when it became available last year.
Full-frame and 4K-ready: The Sony Alpha A7s can be yours in July for $2,500
It’s hard to believe that the Alpha A7 is about to have its successor hit the market, especially since a full-frame mirrorless camera from Sony was just a rumor not that long ago. Today, Sony announced that its Alpha A7s, which was revealed at NAB in Las Vegas last month, will be going on sale in July for a cool $2,500 (body-only). Sure, it is a pretty heavy price tag, but the A7s packs enough features inside to make it one of the most exciting shooters to date. Along with the 35mm full-frame, 12.2-megapixel Exmor CMOS sensor, Sony’s newly minted ILC can also take 4K video (though you’ll need an external drive to do so) and has an ISO range of 50 to 409,600. But there’s a lot more where that came from, too — things like built-in WiFi, NFC, a 25-point autofocus system and 4K movie output.
We asked Sony whether the A7s would have a body-plus-lens kit available at the time the camera goes on sale, but the company said it didn’t have any details to share on that at the moment. Still, chances are there will be one — after all, that’s sort of standard with camera sales nowadays. The availability announcement of the Alpha A7s comes alongside the introduction of the Cyber-shot RX100 III, as Sony continues to expand its camera lineup with a little something for everyone. Of course, the A7s is set to face a little more competition than its cousin the RX100, with existing options like Panasonic’s Lumix GH4 and others looking to also get a piece of the 4K pie.
Engadget Daily: The FCC’s new net neutrality rules, HTC’s One Mini 2 and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
FCC votes in favor of new Net Neutrality rules, leaves room for ‘fast lanes’
Today, the FCC voted on a new set of Net Neutrality rules, and not surprisingly, the outcome was a split decision. Thankfully, nothing’s set in stone just yet. The final vote will take place later this year.
HTC’s One Mini 2 is an awkwardly named, cut-down version of the excellent One M8
The HTC One Mini 2 is here, and surprise, it looks just like the One M8. But despite its similar appearance, this miniature handset has been downgraded in almost every department. Even still, the Mini 2 remains a great option for those on a budget who want that premium feel.
How a water bottle gave birth to a whole new world of self-healing products
Sometimes great things happen by accident. Read on and learn how a Dasani water bottle and laboratory error lead an IBM researcher to develop the tech behind a self-healing and flexible polymer.
Wearhaus: If you love your social headphones, set them free
Social headphones you say? A company called Wearhaus wants to empower over-ears with the ability to wirelessly share music with anyone. Our own James Trew loves the idea, but fears it won’t catch on.
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Filed under: Misc
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