The Blade is a 3D-printed supercar

3D printing technology has already revolutionized the aeronautics industry. Manufacturers can create lighter, stronger components at a fraction of the time and cost of traditional production methods. Now a San Francisco-based startup called Divergent Microfactories is trying to do the same in the automotive industry. To that end, the company debuted a 3D printed supercar dubbed “Blade”, reportedly the first such vehicle to ever be additively manufactured.

The Blade’s chassis is quite unique. Instead of having to generate the entire thing as a single unit, Divergent developed an 3D printed aluminum “Node” joint. The printed carbon fiber tubes that make up the chassis plug into these nodes to form a strong and lightweight frame for the rest of the vehicle. Divergent claims that this method can reduce the weight of the chassis by as much as 90 percent compared to conventional cars though the fact that it’s carbon fiber and not steel or aluminum probably has a lot to do with those weight savings. In all, the vehicle weighs just 1,400 pounds (just a touch more than the Caterham Seven 620 R) but features a 700HP engine capable of running on both CNG and gas.

The company plans to produce a limited number of these vehicles to start (surprised Jay Leno doesn’t already own one) but hopes to franchise its technology and let smaller boutique manufacturers build their own cars. And seriously, if the Department of Energy can build its own e-Cobra, how tough could it really be?

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Six incredible 3D-printed buildings

By Cat Distasio, Inhabitat

3D printing has opened up a new frontier for design, and the technology is progressing by leaps and bounds. Whereas the first 3D printers could only produce tiny trinkets and figurines, today’s printers can produce entire buildings. Architects and designers are capitalizing on the technology with revolutionary projects ranging from habitable moon bases to elaborate buildings impossible to create using traditional construction methods. Many 3D-printed structures are also made from recycled or reclaimed construction materials, which gives them a low carbon footprint. Read on for a look at the state of the art in 3D-printed architecture.

Filed under: Misc

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Pebble Time unboxing and first impressions

A few months ago, Pebble launched another highly-successful Kickstarter campaign for the latest addition to their smartwatch line, which brought with it some major improvements over its predecessors. Devices are rolling out to early backers, and we were lucky enough to receive ours. Before giving it the comprehensive review treatment, here is a quick look at the unboxing and our first impressions about Pebble Time!

The box of the Pebble Time is going to be a little different from the final retail packaging, but it’s still quite nice to see that even the Kickstarter version does come with some form of custom packaging, with a bold “It’s time” inscribed across the top of the box. Opening the box reveals the usual suspects, with a Quick Start guide and some other important documentation included, the microUSB charging cable, in a different implementation that what was available with previous Pebble smartwatches, and of course, the device itself.

The Pebble Time has a design language that is somewhat reminiscent of the Asus ZenWatch, and given that the ZenWatch featured one of my favorite designs in the Android Wear camp, this isn’t a bad thing. One noticeable issue is with the silicone band, which is quite flimsy. While it probably won’t break easily at any point, it just doesn’t feel that sturdy and of a high quality. The strap can be replaced though, so you do get to customize this aspect to your liking. As you can also see in the video and images, there is also a sizable bezel around the display, which is now of the color e-paper variety.

Turning over to the back, below the Pebble logo is a stamp stating that this device is the Kickstarter Backer version, and while the retail version is likely not going to be very different, the stamp is a clear indication that this is device that I contributed towards in their fund-raising campaign. Along the right side is the selection button flanked by the up and down navigation keys, and on the left is a back button to go back to the watch face from within an app.

To begin setting up the smartwatch, you will have to download the new Pebble Time application from the Google Play Store, which has been created specifically for this device and is a different from the standard Pebble Watch app. It is a very simple process that requires signing in to your Pebble account before starting the pairing process using Bluetooth, which is similar to how it was done with its predecessors. Using the app on your phone, you have to make sure the Pebble Time is set up with notification access and you can change other settings from there as well, including selecting between different watch face options.

In the app is also where you will find the various watch applications that are compatible with the Pebble Time. While the apps from the original Pebble watch will also work here, they do have to be re-configured to work with the color display of the latest watch, with them otherwise retaining their black and white look.

Things look really good on this display with the added touch of some color elements when compared to previous Pebble smartwatches, and is certainly going to be more enjoyable to use. Scrolling through the notifications is a simple affair using the up and down navigation buttons on the side. Further action available with these notifications include muting the app, opening the app on the phone, or dismissing the notification, and there are some nice transitions on the watch when performing these tasks.

Pressing the down navigation button from the watch face takes you into the weather and calendar information, and if you are someone that uses the calendar on your phone a lot, this watch offers a great and simple way to stay on top of things. Taking a look at the different apps on the watch, you’ll notice that some of those that are also compatible with the original Pebble watch will still retain their black and white motif as they may not have been updated, but remain as functional as before. Newer apps do take advantage of the color screen however. With an app like Music Boss, there is some nice additions as well, like the ability to have the controls slide out from the side, and the fact that you can now see the album art on the watch itself, which is a great example of how the color display adds some more functionality and a better aesthetic for some of these apps.

Being a fan of the Pebble ecosystem, I am certainly excited to put the device through its paces in the upcoming in-depth review. Of course, Android Wear isn’t behind or worse by any means, but I certainly appreciate the way that Pebble presents its smartwatches, especially with the tactile buttons helping more with navigation. For example, if you know how many button presses are required to get a particular app, you won’t even need to look at the watch, which can be useful in certain situations. There are a few animations when moving around the various elements of the UI, which makes the device feel slower than it actually is, even if they do make things look a lot nicer.

As mentioned, you can replace the watch strap of the Pebble Time, which I did attempt to do with the leather watch strap I had with the original Pebble, but unfortunately, it didn’t look as good. Of course, there will be a lot of customized watch straps for the Pebble Time soon enough, and is something that I will be picking up when available.

Stay tuned with Android Authority for the full review of the Pebble Time and for everything else that the immense world of Android has to offer!

Mobilicity sale to Rogers for $465 million approved by Canadian court

A deal has been struck and approved by a court in Ontario for Rogers Communications, Inc. to purchase small wireless carrier Mobilicity in a deal valued at $465 million. Mobility has been under creditor protection since September 2013 and has been the subject of a bit of a bidding war that includes Telus Corporation. Although Mobilicity is small, the company does possess valuable spectrum, hence the interest from the larger carriers.

Mobilicity originally purchased its spectrum in 2008 for $243 million. As recently as last year, Telus had offered $350 million for the spectrum. However, Mobility has continued to have trouble selling its spectrum to the larger carriers due to government regulatory concerns that spectrum would become too concentrated in the hands of only three carriers. The new deal with Rogers includes requirements for Rogers to also purchase spectrum from another small carrier, Shaw Communications Inc., in the amount of $100 million. Rogers will then complete an AWS-1 spectrum swap with newcomer Wind Mobile Corp.

For customers, Anthony Booth, president of Mobilicity, says:

“The transaction with Rogers provides the best possible outcome for Mobilicity’s customers, dealers and employees. Rogers ensures certainty of service for Mobilicity customers, provides a great network, national coverage and high quality products and services. At the same time, Mobilicity employees will have the opportunity to work at a great Canadian company in Rogers.”

Completion of the deal is still subject to some additional approvals by courts and regulatory agencies, but is believed to be acceptable for these parties. Sources indicate Telus is claiming they have offered a better deal than what Rogers offered, so the potential exists that they could challenge the deal.

source: The Globe and Mail

Come comment on this article: Mobilicity sale to Rogers for $465 million approved by Canadian court

Cablevision boosts internet speeds enough to make the FCC happy

If you subscribe to Cablevision’s standard Optimum Online service, we have good news: you’re getting a free upgrade. The company has boosted the download speed on its core internet tier from 15Mbps to 25Mbps, making this basic option much more viable for 4K video and other downstream-heavy tasks. It’s not necessarily an altruistic gesture, mind you. That 25Mbps figure conveniently meets the FCC’s new minimum definition of broadband — this may be as much about keeping regulators happy as anything else. Whatever the reason, it’ll make a big difference if it saves you from signing up for costlier Ultra access just to get that HBO show just a little bit sooner.

[Image credit: Shutterstock]

Filed under: Networking, Internet

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Source: Cablevision (PDF)

Translogic 179: DARPA Robotics Challenge

In 2013 the DARPA Robotics Challenge was created to inspire universities and corporations to build robots to assist humans in disaster situations. The robots are asked to open doors, climb stairs, turn valves and even drive a cars and use power tools to saw through a wall! We head to Pomona, CA, for the 2015 DRC Finals and track two of the teams vying for millions in prize money.In 2013 the DARPA Robotics Challenge was created to inspire universities and corporations to build robots to assist humans in disaster situations. The robots are asked to open doors, climb stairs, turn valves and even drive a cars and use power tools to saw through a wall! We head to Pomona, CA for the 2015 DRC Finals and track two of the teams vying for millions in prize money.

“This is a special place,” says Dennis Hong of Team Thor, a joint collaboration between the University of Pennsylvania and UCLA. “In the future, any breakthroughs in robot technology will be done by someone in this very room.”

We also catch up with IHMC Robotics, who built their robot on the Boston Dynamics Atlas platform. So while some teams emphasize hardware innovation, Team IHMC could focus on software.

“There is an ‘out of the box’ way of controlling the Atlas robot,” explains Doug Stephen, a research associate at IHMC Robotics. “We chose to go our own way and the robot does afford you the opportunity to ground-up rework the entire software stack and that’s what we’ve done.”

Will Team IHMC’s software-centered strategy payoff? We follow their robot’s every move on the final day of competition.

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Filed under: Robots

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Monument Valley DLC Ida’s Dream will be free on June 25th

The very popular 3D puzzle game Monument Valley has been able to rack up a great deal of fandom and praise.  Its dreamy and captivating design, together with unique gameplay, has been able to draw players in, with the desire to keep playing in order to find out what the next level brings.

The developer, ustwo, had followed up with a DLC that was meant to complete the story, known as Ida’s Dream.  Unfortunately, it was not widely available, only obtainable in-app as part of a limited campaign.  This will change on June 25th, as ustwo has announced that Ida’s Dream will relaunch with availability across all platforms, and for free (that is, assuming you already have the original Monument Valley).

According to ustwo’s Director of Games Neil McFarland, “This is content that people haven’t been able to get, or just missed out on, and it’s just really good that we’re completing it now for the majority of players.”

However, McFarland did suggest that this release might be the last content update for Monument Valley, as ustwo is focusing on future games, such as the VR story game Land’s End.  So if you’ve been wanting even more, you might be out of luck.

Play Store link:  Monument Valley

Source:  TechCrunch

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