Beta testers wanted for AutoCAD 360
If you’re a user of AutoCAD and want a portable version of the software, Autodesk offers AutoCAD 360 for free at the Google Play store (with in-app purchases). AutoCAD 360 is a tool that allows you to edit, view, and share AutoCAD drawings. If the current app isn’t good enough for you and you… Read more »
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LG unveils the LG G3 A for release in Korea
LG expands its G3 cell phone line with the G3 A, a lesser version of the 5.5 inch G3. The G3 A is expected to launch in Korea with a 5.2 inch 1080P HD display, rather than the 5.5 QHD display in the G3. It is also slated to arrive with last year’s powerhouse 2.3GHz… Read more »
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Recommended Reading: ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ makeup magic
Recommended Reading highlights the best long-form writing on technology and more in print and on the web. Some weeks, you’ll also find short reviews of books that we think are worth your time. We hope you enjoy the read.
Under the Skin of “Guardians of the Galaxy” with Makeup FX Wizard David White
by Scott Pierce, Fast Company
If you’re into getting a peek behind the scenes at some movie magic, Fast Company caught up with FX artist David White to discuss Guardians of the Galaxy. Specifically covering the makeup special effects, White chats about Marvel, key characters and the process of making aliens.
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The Neuroscience Of Emoticons There’s no question that emoticons have taken root in daily communication for the masses. But now, neuroscientists are studying how our brains sort through the bits of art. Interestingly enough, researchers have discovered that the portion of the brain that processes emotion tends to react to the tiny pieces of communication rather that the part that handles facial recognition. Pocket!function(d,i)if(!d.getElementById(i))var j=d.createElement(“script”);j.id=i;j.src=”https://widgets.getpocket.com/v1/j/btn.js?v=1″;var w=d.getElementById(i);d.body.appendChild(j);(document,”pocket-btn-js”);
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Silicon Valley Takes on North Korea Folks who work in Silicon Valley are known for creating a wealth of innovation, but at a recent event, the focus shifted to lending a hand. During the “Hack North Korea” festivities, hackers, coders and more put their heads together to devise ways of getting info past that country’s strict curtain. Attendees were briefed on a situation, and then came up with ways of using tech to get messages to those on the ground there. Pocket!function(d,i)if(!d.getElementById(i))var j=d.createElement(“script”);j.id=i;j.src=”https://widgets.getpocket.com/v1/j/btn.js?v=1″;var w=d.getElementById(i);d.body.appendChild(j);(document,”pocket-btn-js”); |
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[Photo credit: (stephan), Flickr]
Filed under: Misc
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Disney has created an algorithm that can turn almost anything into a spinning top
The spinning top is one of the oldest and seemingly simplest toys devised in human history, but that doesn’t mean we can’t improve it. Disney Research has come up with a new algorithm that allows it to design a stable spinning toy out of almost any shape. Researchers found that shapes that fail to maintain a balanced spin as a solid object could be analyzed before construction to optimize its center of mass for rotational stability — that is to say, the algorithm tweaked 3D meshes to create hollow, interior spaces that keep it balanced. Using this method, the team was able to 3D print tops in the shapes of teapots, asymmetrical ellipsoids and breakdancing armadillo without fear of them toppling over.
While the idea of novelty spinning tops is fun on its own, the research may be used for more practical applications. Researchers found that the algorithm could also be used to create well balanced static objects with lower centers of gravity than solid counterparts. In the future, the technology could be used to design more stable mechanical structures, robots or animatronics. And if it doesn’t? Well, at least Disneyland will have better spinning souvenirs.
Filed under: Misc
Source: Disney Research (PDF), Disney Research
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FCC Chairman brushes off Verizon’s excuse for throttling unlimited LTE plans
FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler isn’t happy with Verizon’s reply to his strongly worded letter, which chastises the company for its plans throttle some unlimited LTE subscribers. See, Big Red defended the move and reasoned that the other major carriers (AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile) do it too, and it’s a widely accepted practice to maintain a network’s quality. “‘All the kids do it’ is something that never worked with me when I was growing up,” Wheeler said, adding that the excuse didn’t even work for his kids. The chairman also revealed that he sent similar letters to the other carriers after the sending the first to Verizon, asking them to explain themselves for adopting the practice. To be clear, Big Red’s throttling plans will likely affect just a handful of subscribers (only the top 5 percent users of the carrier’s obsolete unlimited LTE data plan). Wheeler, however, is concerned that Verizon’s “choosing between different subscribers based on [their] economic relationship with [the company].” The carriers haven’t issued their own statements yet, but they’ll clearly need a better reason to convince Wheeler that they absolutely need to throttle subscribers’ speeds.
Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Verizon
Source: Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, Reuters
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Amazon and Disney are fighting, so you can’t pre-order ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ on Blu-ray
Neither side has confirmed it, but it looks like Amazon’s latest pricing battle (after Warner Bros. and its ongoing battle with book publisher Hachette) is with Disney. That’s why you can’t pre-order a copy of Guardians of the Galaxy on DVD or Blu-ray from Amazon right now, even though you can at other retailers like Best Buy. Home Media Magazine points out that the same goes for other upcoming Disney releases like Maleficent, Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Muppets Most Wanted. In some cases, like GotG, you can sign up for a notification for when they’re available, others are just missing from the virtual shelf entirely, but what Amazon will offer is a pre-order for the digital copy on its Instant Video service. Amazon and Warner squabbled for a few weeks before a truce ironed things out, hopefully they can resolve things with Disney in time to cook up a boxed set bonus for the baby version of a certain Guardians character we absolutely must have (and aren’t willing to pay $360 for).
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Amazon
Source: Home Media Magazine, Amazon
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Pear alerts you that you’re about to leave your phone behind [‘Watch’ This App]
Today’s highlighted app isn’t extraordinarily rich in features or revolutionary, but it can be quite handy to have around. Called Pear it notifies the wearer that he or she is about to leave their beloved smartphone behind. You know the scenario where you get up from dinner and head home only to remember you left…… Read more »
The post Pear alerts you that you’re about to leave your phone behind ['Watch' This App] appeared first on AndroidGuys.
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Moto X+1 may see a release on September 25th with Verizon
While we got a pretty good look at what processor Motorola‘s next flagship, the Moto X+1, might be running earlier today, we’ve had a second tidbit of news that might a few pulses racing. According to Droid-life’s sources, the Moto X+1 is going to see a release with Verizon on September 25th. This comes after Motorola confirmed earlier this year that it would be bringing out a new Moto X device alongside a smartwatch (the Moto 360, of course) this summer, which is just about right, if a little bit late.
There aren’t any further details about what carriers will be getting the Moto X+1 besides Verizon, but you can bet there will be exclusivity deals to be revealed much like the Moto X’s release. The Moto X+1 is expected to have a 5-plus-inch display and carry the zippy Snapdragon 801 processor. With Motorola’s reputation of keeping up to date with software updates, the Moto X+1 will also likely ship with Android 4.4.4, with an update to Android L in the not too distant future.
What do you think about the Moto X+1 becoming available on September 25th? Is this a phone you’ve been waiting for? Let us know your opinion.
Source: Droid-life
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A woman’s touch: Females spend more money, time and are more loyal to mobile games than Males
We generally don’t think about the gender divide when it comes to mobile gaming; sure there are games targeted at females and quite a few targeted at males, but you wouldn’t think there is a huge difference in behaviours between the beings from Mars and Venus. However, according to a study by Flurry, there is, and it’s women that tend to spend more time and money on mobile games than men.
Flurry based its study on ‘successful’ games on 1.1 million devices and found that women make 31% more in-app purchases than men do, and also spend 35% more time in game than their male counterparts. The study also revealed that women tend to be more loyal to games (or at least, give it more of a chance), registering a 42% higher average than men in retaining games for 7 days. This is apparently true all over the world with no significant differences between females and males even when Flurry just looked at U.S. data.
Flurry went on to study exactly which games were influencing these figures as it would be easy to use Kim Kardashian’s stand-out game as a scapegoat. As the above graph shows, many of the categories are actually dominated by women – as evidenced by the pink – whereas men predictably tend to dominate the more violent, ‘masculine’ genres like sports and tower defense. While this shouldn’t be taken completely on Flurry’s word – they only used data from games on the Flurry Network – it’s still very interesting insight into the mobile gaming industry from a gender-specific perspective.
What do you think about Flurry’s findings about the fact females spend more money, time and are more loyal to mobile games then males? Let us know your thoughts.
Source: Flurry via Gameindustry
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Japan’s developing an eco-friendly patrol submarine
These days, data centers, portable USB battery chargers and all sorts of transportation are going green thanks to fuel cell technology. Now you can add submersibles to that list: Japan is developing a 33-foot-long submarine that runs off emissions-free energy. Japanese Defense Ministry officials told AFP that the finalized tech is about five years out, but they estimate the $25 million unmanned sub (or UUV) will be capable of cruising deep waters for an entire month on a single charge. Sure, 30 days seems pale in comparison to the 50-year core life of the nuclear-powered USS Nautilus, but electro-chemical energy is far cleaner, and can be much cheaper in the long run. This driverless U-boat also won’t have any artillery on board. According to a ministry official, “The UUV is purely for patrolling — it’s not a military weapon,” so there’s no need to worry about underwater combat drones — at least, for now.
Filed under: Transportation
Via: Channel NewsAsia
Source: AFP
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AIVAnet 