New fighter pilot helmet delivers night vision without goggles

Fighter pilots have access to helmets with amazing abilities. However, they still have to strap on heavy night vision goggles to fly in the dark — an all too literal pain in the neck. Much to aircrews’ relief, BAE Systems wants to make that clunky headgear a distant memory. Its brand new Striker II helmet includes a night vision camera that projects its footage on to the visor’s high-resolution display, giving the pilot a good look at the outside world without the need for extra equipment. The tech should be far more comfortable during lengthy missions, especially in sharp turns where G-forces make any added weight feel that much worse.

That’s not the only party trick, either. An array of lights on the back of the Striker II help guide a head-tracking system that keeps projected information in close sync with head movements; a pilot caught in a dogfight won’t have to wait crucial moments for flight info to drift into view. The gotcha for any aspiring aces? BAE hasn’t said just when it expects the Striker II to go into service, or who might be a customer. The original Striker is currently in use by air forces flying Eurofighter Typhoons and Saab Gripens, though, so it makes sense that they’d be some of the first to line up.

Filed under: Transportation, Wearables

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Via: The Telegraph, BBC

Source: BAE Systems

Engadget Daily: Tesla’s Model 3, new buyer’s guides and more!

Elon Musk reveals Tesla’s latest electric vehicle, we show off our new buyer’s guides, discover we still have a lot to learn about stem cells and take a trip to Taiwan with T-Mobile’s new global roaming plan. Read on for Engadget’s news highlights from the last 24 hours.

Tesla’s $35,000 car will be called the Model 3

In an interview with AutoExpress, Elon Musk revealed the name of the latest member of the Tesla family. He’s calling it the Model 3 and it goes on sale in 2017 for just $35,000.

The Engadget Buyer’s Guide is back and better than ever!

Looking for the latest and greatest gadgets as a gift for someone you love, or even yourself? Check out our new buyer’s guide!

Experimental stem cell treatment causes woman to grow parts of a nose on her spine

Stem cells have the potential to be one of modern medicine’s most promising advances and we’re still learning a lot about how they work. A paralyzed woman in the US discovered this, after an experimental treatment caused her to grow a nose-like tumor on her back.

Exploring Asia with T-Mobile’s free global roaming

What’s it like to use your smartphone abroad with T-Mobile’s new global roaming plan? Zach Honig heads to Taiwan to find out. Is this the answer for international mobile data?

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Australian bill would jail those who report on leaked spying operations

Journalists in the US and UK may be relatively safe from the government’s wrath when they report on surveillance leaks from the likes of Edward Snowden, but the Australian press may have to tread carefully before too long. Attorney General George Brandis has presented a bill that would make it a crime to reveal information that might “prejudice the effective conduct” of “special intelligence operations,” such as those from the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO). It also creates new charges specific to people who might become whistleblowers, such as contractors and the spies themselves.

There are frequently legitimate concerns that a leak might compromise an ongoing surveillance campaign. Snowden’s media friends frequently withhold info that they know would put people in jeopardy, for example. However, critics like the Australian Lawyers Alliance warn that the bill is far too broad. It’s not clear just what “effective conduct” or “intelligence operations” would involve — agencies like ASIO could cover up abuses of power by claiming that any activity is sensitive and needs to kept from the public eye. If there’s any consolation to free speech champions, it’s that the measure has to survive a parliamentary debate later this year before it has a chance of becoming law. There’s already stiff opposition from politicians, lawyers and advocacy groups, so the bill might be shot down before it jeopardizes civil liberties.

[Image credit: Torsten Blackwood via Getty Images]

Filed under: Cellphones, Internet

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Via: The Guardian

Source: Parliament of Australia

Here’s what it looks like to ride in the Tour de France

The world of sports is actively finding ways to adopt new camera technologies. Namely, to help determine if a ball has crossed the goal line or, why not, to broadcast a player’s point of view from a pair of glasses. In the case of the Tour de France, cycling’s most celebrated competition, its governing body finally took the plunge and began allowing riders to mount a camera on their bikes. Thanks to that, Le Tour’s 2014 edition, which is now at about its halfway point, has been giving us a great, inside look at the experience. Surprisingly, as Gizmodo points out, GoPro seems isn’t the main choice for Tour de France teams, which is a bit strange given the popularity of the Hero line of cameras. Instead, most bicycles at the event are equipped with a CM-1000 from Shimano, a large manufacturer of cycling gear. Regardless, this is still a perfect chance to see what it’s like inside the Tour de France pack, never mind who’s providing the cameras.

[Image credit: AFP/Getty Images]

Filed under: Cameras, Misc, Wearables

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Via: Gizmodo

Source: Shimano

‘NFL Sunday Ticket without satellite’ sounds too good to be true, and for many it is

Today AppleInsider uncovered a promotion page for DirecTV’s NFL Sunday Ticket package that proudly promises what many cord-cutting football fans have been waiting to hear: “Stream NFL Sunday Ticket live online. No satellite required!” Sounds simple, sign up for the exorbitantly-priced package, sit back and wait for all the out-of-market football games you can handle, right? Not so fast — as it turns out, this package is set up the same way NFL Sunday Ticket has worked online since DirecTV started offering it that way back in 2010. While the bold text promises football without a DirecTV account, digging into the FAQ reveals it’s only for people in “select areas, residence types, and enrolled in select universities.”

To find our if you’re eligible, you need to put your info in a form. Naturally, there’s a (by default checked) box asking if it’s OK to sign you up for info on DirecTV services. If you live in an apartment building where satellite dishes are banned, or are in college, you’ll be offered a streaming package of your liking — the same as was available in years past, just on a few more devices now. But if you live in a house or somewhere DirecTV thinks it can get you as a potential customer? You’re out of luck, and we wouldn’t be surprised if a sign-up fliers will be headed your way. I gave it a shot and unsurprisingly found my current address (a home) was ineligible, while my previous address (an apartment) was eligible.

All is not lost of course, since things sound like they’re staying the same as previous years. In that case, you can probably still call DirecTV and sign up on the basis that for some reason, you can’t get service where you are. We’re not telling you to lie, but we are going to mention that in past years no one has reported DirecTV actually checking to see if their reasoning was legit. Assuming you can sign up, Sunday Ticket will run $200 for viewing on PCs, tablets and phones (iOS, Android with Flash — so only stuff with Ice Cream Sandwich, Kindle Fire) or $240 if you want to watch (only) on game consoles. To watch on any of those devices, get DirecTV’s Red Zone Channel and the new Fantasy Zone channel with looks at Fantasy Football-impacting plays, it’s $330 total.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

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Source: AppleInsider, NFL Sunday Ticket