What is consumer 3D printing really good for?
By Laura Entis, Entrepreneur Staff
As the co-founder and CEO of SOLS, a startup that manufactures custom 3D printed orthotic insoles using scans of customers’ feet, Kegan Schouwenburg is frustrated that consumer 3D printing’s most popular application is turning Internet memes into printed models.
Schouwenburg started SOLS, at least in part, to elevate the technology’s status from a buzzword to something that actually improves the way products are designed. For years, items — from memes, to bobble heads to phone cases — have been 3D printed primarily because the technology itself is headline grabbing. As Schouwenburg points out, this isn’t the case with most manufacturing technologies. “Nobody is going around saying, ‘this is so cool because it was injection molded,’” she says. “They’re saying ‘this is a great product because it’s better and improves my life in some way.’”
This disconnect between consumer 3D printing’s usefulness and the flurry of media coverage it continues to generate helps explain why, according to the research group Gartner, the technology is about face a backlash when it fails to live up to our collective expectations. According to the group’s 2014 “hype cycle,” 3D printing has just passed the “peak of inflated expectations” and is headed for the “trough of disillusionment.”
“It’s cresting,” Schouwenburg agrees. SOLS completed its seed round in early 2014. “We raised money at the right time. Now, there’s so much disillusionment. It’s this attitude of, ‘you promised us that this technology was going to change the world and yet still, we’re making green plastic dinosaurs! What’s going on here?’”
Watch the video to hear Schouwenburg’s talk about 3D printing’s potential to revolutionize the way we think about customization.
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‘Kingdom Hearts 3’ promises bigger, almost seamless, worlds
Blending different fictional universes together is kind of a thing now in gaming. However, Kingdom Hearts was fusing together the Final Fantasy and Disney universes back in 2002. Before chewing director Tetsuo Nomura’s ear off about a Final Fantasy VII remake, we got some insight into the still in-development Kingdom Hearts 3. With a PS4 (as well as Xbox One) powering Sora, Goofy and Donald’s cartoonish battles, it’s already looking damn gorgeous. But aside from grander scale, Disney ride-based attacks, and a likely head-spinning storyline, what else can Nomura tell us? And is there a stage where we can hum along to “Let it Go“?
The game’s been teased for two years, so what’s happening now with Kingdom Hearts 3?
Tetsuo Nomura: Compared to the initial first look at the game, in the trailer we’re showing now, the visual aspects have evolved a lot. Not only the particle effects within the battles, but also the sheer scale of it. While the world may not be comparable to massively open-world titles, it’s far bigger than previous Kingdom Hearts titles. There’s a huge decrease in load times too. In previous games, you’d run to the end of an area and it would go dark before transitioning to the next stage — now it’s become seamless, as you can see in the trailer when Sora jumps off the mountain you’ve just battled up. The environments themselves, in KH3, things will be affected by real-time actions, a tornado spell will swirl the blades of grass surrounding it.
Given that the game is coming to PS4 and Xbox One, how are you tackling online?
TN: Online is certainly part of my wish list – we’re want gamers to play for a while and an online component helps this. While ee may be focusing on the main campaign at the moment, but it’s not as if we’re going to tack on an online function at the end. In fact, we’ve already got plenty of ideas brewing at the moment. However, we’re still not at the point where we can test these ideas inside the main game.
Why didn’t we see many Disney characters in the new game?
TN: Well, Donald and Goofy were there – and we’ve announced that we’re collaborating with Tangled, something we touched upon in our E3 presentation. Compared to previous titles that we folded into Kingdom Hearts, we have a lot of creators still alive. The process of gaining approvals then is pretty different. Because the animation studios are actively involved, we want to polish up anything we meet to the standards we demand, before taking it to Disney to approval. The hair of [Tangled‘s] Rapunzel is so unique – we want to make sure we can realize the vision before we show it.
So how about Frozen?
TN: We’re saying anything on titles not yet announced.
Can we expect far more worlds in Kingdom Hearts 3?
TN: With every Kingdom Hearts title, we plan to deliver more worlds than actually appear in game – so we have something in our pockets to work with. Then as we begin to hone these worlds and stages, and some do get cut. [At this point], we have prepared more worlds, in that respect, than Kingdom Hearts 2.
Any worlds that weren’t realized in KH2?
TN: Man, KH2 was quite a while ago… Typically, worlds that we weren’t able to put into a game are usually picked up again for work in the sequel. We prepare each stage, planning to include it in a game — and we love the worlds we come up with.
Is anything going to change with how you play the game?
TN: Nothing’s set in stone, although naturally, the PS4’s controller has that touchpanel, and that’s something we’re going to have to consider within the control scheme. Coming from Kingdom Hearts 2, there won’t be a huge difference in battle controls — we’re not going to change how you jump or anyhting — it’ll be more of an evolution. Depending on how we utilize the touchpanel, we may not need other forms of control [for certain actions].
Control preferences are different from person to person. Especially with cameras. We took an internal survey at Square Enix about this: and the results was an almost precise split, 50:50.
TN: Having said that, control preferences are different from person to person. Especially with cameras. We took an internal survey at Square Enix about this: and the results was an almost precise split, 50:50. We’re going to have look into this pretty carefully.
Filed under: Gaming
I got Holo-briefed on ‘Halo 5’
Typically E3’s vision of the future is pretty shortsighted. But this year when I stepped into a war room for a Halo 5: Guardians mission briefing, that’s when I knew that the gaming trade show’s look at what’s ahead extended beyond just games that are months or sometimes years off.
The space’s middle was dominated by a hexagonal table roughly four feet across, and floating a scant few inches above its surface was a slowly rotating, azure hologram of a massive starship. It was familiar and I’d seen it somewhere before, but it took a moment for me to identify: It was the UNSC Infinity from the Halo universe, courtesy of Microsoft’s HoloLens augmented reality headset sitting atop my skull. With the few moments I had alone in the room, I circled the dais. The hologram remained on its deliberate arc while I peered from every angle, looking for flaws that’d break the 3D illusion. Those came later, but not where I expected them.
“This is ridiculous,” another attendee said as I returned to my spot at the table. He was right.
But let’s back up a bit. Before this, I’d been waiting in line outside of Microsoft’s booth at the Los Angeles Convention Center. A bespectacled man in a white United Nations Space Command lab coat approached, measured my pupillary distance with a pupilometer (for headset-tuning purposes) and scurried off. A bit later, I was sitting on a bench inside a room decorated like one of the series’ Pelican dropships, and was fitted with an AR headset not unlike what was onstage during Redmond’s media briefing on Monday.
This HoloLens prototype was much different from the development kit with exposed circuit boards we’d tried before. It didn’t require a computer hanging from my neck, either — the headset was light and seemed pretty refined in terms of fit and finish. A lab coat-clad attendant helped with putting the device on, but then I was left alone.
I walked down a short corridor toward a familiar sight, blue light filtering through the metal grating beneath my feet. Several meters ahead was a cerulean waypoint beckoning me forward, its distance value decreasing as I approached — just like in a Halo game. Once I reached it, another beckoned me to turn left and peer through a window at a hangar where a Pelican resided. I leaned left and got a view beyond the window’s borders. Same thing happened when I peered to the right. Cool. Fact of the matter is that there wasn’t a window at all, nor was it an LCD screen tucked behind glass. It was another hologram and for a moment, I was genuinely tricked.
The planning table inside the adjacent room looked like the one I’d seen countless times during cutscenes from Halo 4‘s campaign, except now it was right in front of me. More than with any game I’ve played in the series, here I truly felt like Master Chief, like I was actually in his world.
At 6 feet 3 inches, I’m tall, but I’d still have a hard time measuring up to Spartan 117’s 7-plus-foot frame. Even though I stand in his shadow, though, once the hologram switched to a 3D overview of the map where I’d play Halo 5‘s new multiplayer mode, Warzone, HoloLens’ magic shattered a bit.
Between the wall behind me and the planning table there was about six feet; the recommended standing distance was somewhere in the middle. For me to see the entire map, with its central tower jutting into the air, I had to have my back against the wall. From there the view was fine and getting mission objectives and mission-critical locations pointed out to me was really slick. But if I leaned too close to see a highlighted spot on the map, I couldn’t see everything at once given HoloLens’ relatively narrow field of view.
Unlike the provided video below, the quality of the visuals wasn’t flawless either. There were some jagged edges in a few spots and it all looked a bit grainy. The thing is, those imperfections sold me on the tech being “real” and attainable. If it’d been impeccable, I’d have immediately thought I was being sold a bill of goods or that this was all many years from actually becoming reality. And honestly, the grain felt appropriate for a dirty war zone setting. Sort of like director Steven Spielberg’s use of hand-held shaky cameras for Saving Private Ryan‘s infamous D-Day opening scene to convey mayhem.
HoloLens’ audio sort of emanates from the headset rather than coming at you from attached headphones like Oculus Rift, and that spatial separation sold the illusion even more. It didn’t feel like the voice-over was pumping directly into my ears. The war room was an extremely controlled (read: very quiet) environment and the audio seemed like it was softly coming out of a helmet — again, it sold the illusion of being the Chief incredibly well. The experience lasted an all-too-brief 15 minutes before I had to remove the HoloLens and go back to the “regular” reality around the corner of actually playing new, competitive Halo.
The truth of the matter is that hardly anyone is going to set their living room up to look like a battle-planning station. I still feel like this could be pretty effective on a coffee table, though. Was it intrinsic to be better at Halo 5 multiplayer? Oh hell no. My negative kill:death ratio is enough evidence for that. Did it feel like I was looking into the future? That’s an easier answer: Absolutely.
Check here for everything happening at E3 2015!
Filed under: Gaming, Home Entertainment, HD, Microsoft
Pre-Order a Nest Cam for $200 at Best Buy
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The new Nest Cam can now be pre-ordered after today’s event, and you can grab yours from Best Buy for an easy $200. Now we assume other outlets will make it available too, but Best Buy is first to the punch.
The Nest Cam is a wireless IP camera that utilizes a companion app so you can view what your dog does all day when you are at work. You will receive notifications if there is any motion detection or sound detection. The video records in 1080p with 8x zoom, and also can go into infrared night vision. The range the camera can shoot is a nice 130-degree view, and has two-way talk capabilities. You will also have cloud options with the Nest Cam, so you can check out the footage of your cat terrorizing bugs in your house after you get off work.
Head over to the Best Buy website to pre-order your new Nest Cam. Let us know if you ordered one.
Pre-order here: Best Buy
The post Pre-Order a Nest Cam for $200 at Best Buy appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Honeywell gets YouTube videos to play over global in-flight WiFi
The days of staying offline during your international flights might be coming to an end. Honeywell and Inmarsat have successfully stress-tested their global Ka-band satellite internet access in mid-air, doing everything from streaming YouTube videos to holding conference calls. The dry run shows that space-based broadband should be viable around the world, not just in certain areas — fly to Europe and your mid-trip WiFi connection should vaguely resemble what you have back home. It’ll take a while before airlines get the Honeywell/Inmarsat hardware on their fleets (ground, but one of the biggest challenges is over.
Filed under: Transportation, Internet
Source: Honeywell
New Featurette Gives Us Our First Look at the Angry Birds Movie
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Angry Birds might not be as huge as it once was, but that isn’t stopping Hollywood for cashing in on movie about the birds of anger. Numerous variations of the Angry Birds game have been put out there by Rovio, to keep those lovable birds relevant in the mobile gaming life; but will the movie grab the attention of the public?
Below is a new featurette giving us a little bit of a look at the movie hitting theaters May 13th, 2016, and stars voice talents, Bill Hader, Jason Sudeikis, Peter Dinklage, Kate McKinnon, Josh Gad, and Keegan-Michael Key. Check out the video that features the cast standing next to those huggable Angry Birds.
The post New Featurette Gives Us Our First Look at the Angry Birds Movie appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Nest Debuts New Nest Protect Smoke Detector, Nest Cam Security Camera [iOS Blog]
Google-owned Nest today held an event in San Francisco and announced several new products, including an updated Nest Protect smoke detector and the Nest Cam, a new security camera that builds on technology the company acquired from Dropcam.
The second-generation Nest Protect includes a “split spectrum sensor,” letting it detect signs of smoke more quickly and allowing it to differentiate between smoke and steam. Rather than being silenced with a wave, false alarms can be turned off using the Nest app. The smoke detector itself is 11 percent smaller than the original version, and it includes a chamber that keeps dust and insects out.
Nest’s new Nest Protect will continually test itself to ensure that it’s functioning, including testing its alarm when no one is home.
Nest’s original Nest Protect smoke detectors had several flaws, including a significant safety issue with the “Nest Wave” feature that let alarms be silenced by waving at them. This feature could be activated in error. Nest pulled the Protect from store shelves for several months because of the problem. The new Nest Protect does not include the Nest Wave feature.
The Nest Cam is a home security device that’s similar to the products made by Dropcam, which Nest acquired last year. The Nest Cam includes 1080p video recording at 30 frames per second and it has a 130-degree field of vision with 20-foot infrared night vision. A built-in microphone records sound, a speaker allows for two-way communication, and an 8x zoom feature allows for closer focus on specific areas.
Nest Cam has a new look with a zinc alloy stand that makes it easier to position in a variety of locations, with a built-in tripod mount, magnet, and wall mount included. Nest Cam works with a Nest cloud subscription service called Nest Aware, with pricing that starts at $10 per month.
Nest’s app will also be receiving an update, improving interactivity and functionality. For example, if the Nest Protect’s smoke or carbon monoxide sensors are activated, the Nest Thermostat will shut off and alert users of the incident. A new temperature feature will also ensure a home does not get too hot or too cold, and if it does, the Thermostat go into override mode to fix the problem. A single app, rolling out today, will control the Nest Thermostat, Nest Protect, and Nest Cam.
Nest Protect is priced at $99, with pre-orders for the device available today. Nest Cam is priced at $199.99 and is available for pre-order today.
Fairphone 2, a modular phone designed to last
If you liked the whole concept behind Google’s Project Ara, having the ability to easily swap out your phone’s components in a whim, then you’ll most likely enjoy hearing about the Fairphone 2. They’ve also introduced a modular phone, but with a different aim.
The objective with the Fairphone 2 was easy component replacement, with the purpose of making a device last. For instance, one of the pain-points we often find ourselves is dealing with a cracked screen. Fairphone says that the display on the Fairphone 2 can be replaced in under a minute, with no tools. Also, the underlying electro-mechanical components are purposely not soldered and the receiver, rear camera, and speaker only require a screwdriver to remove.
Fairphone also strived to make a robust phone, that could stand up to your brutality. Therefore, it isn’t the prettiest looking phone, but that also means it isn’t fragile. The chassis is essentially a case, protecting the valuables, and is easily replaceable. They are also producing different variation of covers, to offer different levels of protection.
As far as specs for the base config, we’re looking at:
- 5-inch 1080P display, behind Gorilla Glass 3
- Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 SoC
- 2 GB of RAM
- 8 MP rear camera
- 32 GB of on-board storage, with microSD expansion
- 2,420 mAh battery
- Dual SIM slots and 4G LTE support
- Android 5.1 Lollipop
Pre-orders begin in Summer 2015 in Europe, at a price of €525 (~$590 USD), with shipments going out in the Fall.
Do you like the idea of replacing your components when they fail, or are you fine with buying an entirely new device every so often?
The post Fairphone 2, a modular phone designed to last appeared first on AndroidGuys.
LG extends deadline for G4 battery and microSD card promotion
LG has extended the deadline for its G4 promotion by roughly nine days. If you’re on the prowl for a new flagship experience and have been thinking about the G4 you’ll definitely be interested in the limited-time deal.
Buy the LG G4 from an authorized outlet and you can pick up a free battery, battery charging cradle, and a 32GB microSD card. Indeed, LG will toss all of that your way at no additional cost. It’s just their way of saying thanks for picking up one of the best devices of 2015.
Once you purchase your phone head to LG’s website, fill out the form, and submit a picture of the IMEI and your receipt.
It’s worth pointing out that this one is limited to buyers in the United States.
The post LG extends deadline for G4 battery and microSD card promotion appeared first on AndroidGuys.
Third-party app exploit reveals remote code attack vector on Samsung smartphones
Some recent security work on new Samsung smartphones will likely increase the pressure on manufacturers and carriers to dispense with preloading third-party apps. According to security researchers, they were able to figure out a way to deliver a payload capable of executing remote code via the Swift keyboard app that comes pre-installed on new Samsung devices. The vulnerability gives an attacker the ability to run code as a system user, one step shy of being root, and can be launched without input from the device’s user.
The researchers determined that Samsung, and likely other manufacturers, are running third-party apps like keyboards from a privileged context. To make this happen, apps are getting signed with manufacturer’s private signing keys. This opens the path to upstream attacks that can be triggered by events like a device reboot or an application update – any event that cause the app to go out on the Internet looking for a new file. The researchers note that attacks could be constructed using rogue Wi-Fi access points, via local area networks, or even something like DNS hijacking.
As many smartphone buyers are aware, many of the apps that end up installed on a device, including third-party apps, cannot be uninstalled and in some cases, they cannot even be disabled. Such is the case with the Swift keyboard, although they are not alone in that position and obviously, Swift did not make that decision. Sadly, the researchers can only suggest avoiding insecure Wi-Fi networks to reduce risks and to possibly use a different mobile device. More help could be forthcoming if users start contacting their carriers for information on patches or updates to address the security weakness that has been identified.
source: NowSecure
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