Fist-bumping a button is the best way to cross the street
Tired of having to tap (or, let’s be honest, mash) a boring old button to cross the street? Los Angeles artist Alfredo Adán certainly is. He recently created Walkbump, a project that covers crosswalk buttons with casts of a fist — as you’d guess by the name, you have to fist-bump the button to signal your intentions. It’s a “simple” hack (even if the construction process isn’t), but it does add a friendly flair to your trip across the road. You’re not so much telling the traffic light to change as asking it nicely. While this isn’t as clever as some crosswalks, such as one that plays Pong, it does bring some much-needed humanity to the urban landscape.
https://player.vimeo.com/video/138025175?byline=0&portrait=0
https://player.vimeo.com/video/138033208?byline=0&portrait=0
Filed under:
Misc, Transportation
Via:
Booooooom, Laughing Squid
Source:
Walkbump (Vimeo 1), (2)
Tags: alfredoadan, art, crosswalk, fistbump, pedestrian, street, video, walkbump, walking
The Andromeda Epsilon smartphone is a concept that’s looking for crowdfunding to become real
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();
We occassionally cover concept designs here at AndroidSPIN and we’re always sure to mention that these concepts rarely, if ever, actually come to fruition. Well, just this once, that might not be the whole truth as a design team has asked for crowdfunding so that they can bring their concept to life. The device, the Andromeda Epsilon smartphone, was designed by someone who’s quite familiar in the design space – Jermaine Smit, who’s mocked up plenty of renders for unreleased devices and imaginations of his own. Check out the trailer that details what they hope to be able to create:
It’s an ambitious task, hoping to create a device with specifications that no device on the market currently has, but you do have to hand it to them for trying. Note that this isn’t a standard crowdfunding project – none of the tiers will reward you with the Andromeda Epsilon, primarily because the donations are going towards the prototyping of the device. There are currently 4 reward levels, ranging from $5 to $200 and nets you various amounts of branded gear and the chance to win a device if they manage to fund their project, and they’re hoping to amass $75,000.
If that sounds like something you want to contribute to, we’ve got the project link as a source below. What do you think about the Andromeda Epsilon smartphone? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: Go Fund Me, YouTube
The post The Andromeda Epsilon smartphone is a concept that’s looking for crowdfunding to become real appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Create your own ‘Star Wars’ crawls, sonnets and Yoda speeches
Don’t relish the thought of buying a $150 robotic BB-8 toy just to have some Star Wars-related fun? Don’t worry, you won’t have to spend a cent. A handful of websites have posted free tools that let you have fun with the sci-fi series’ iconic language. The official Crawl Creator is arguably the highlight — its simple editor turns your writing into the famous scrolling text you’ve seen in front of every Star Wars flick. There’s also a Sonnet Generator that crafts Shakespearean Star Wars poetry from just a few questions. And yes, everyone’s favorite centuries-old Jedi gets his due: plug text into the Yoda-Speak Generator and you’ll get whatever you wrote in Yoda’s distinct verb-follows-subject phrasing. These will only do so much to tide you over until The Force Awakens hits theaters, but they’re definitely gentler on your bank account than the endless waves of merchandise hitting stores.
Filed under:
Home Entertainment, Internet, HD
Via:
CNET
Source:
Crawl Creator, Sonnet Generator, Yoda-Speak Generator
Tags: hdpostcross, internet, movie, movies, poem, poetry, shakespeare, sonnet, starwars, yoda
The Hisense Magic Mirror might just be the best looking tablet around
(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();
IFA 2015 tends to be the kind of event where the biggest manufacturers get to strut their stuff and get all the media air time, but we’re taking a break from that to cover the Hisense Magic Mirror which was announced this past week at IFA 2015. Hisense isn’t the biggest manufacturer around, at least in smart devices, but their latest tablet, the Magic Mirror, definitely deserves some attention because of those bezels. Yes, Hisense appears to have opted for the new trend to reduce the bezel width along the top and side edges as much as possible with the only obvious bezel along the bottom edge, no doubt to accommodate capacitive keys.
The Magic Mirror has a 8.4-inch 2560×1200 resolution display powered by a Rockchip RK3288 processor and 2GB RAM – not the most impressive around, but likely enough if you’re using the Magic Mirror for watching media, which you probably want to as the device has a Dolby Audio system, with dual speaker grilles on the back. The Magic Mirror also runs Android Lollipop which Hisense says is only lightly themed. From the online retailer JingDong, the device can already be bought for ¥1,799 or around $280 USD.
What do you think about the Hisense Magic Mirror? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Source: JingDong via TalkAndroid
The post The Hisense Magic Mirror might just be the best looking tablet around appeared first on AndroidSPIN.
Facebook skunkworks looking at tool for education
One area of life where technology is starting to make some big inroads is in K-12 education as the tools available are finally reaching a point where they are accessible to students and affordable for schools to deploy. If you have children in a public school system, there are decent odds that your kid is using some Google tool to manage or even complete assignments. Word is now out that Facebook has a small team that has been working on their own education tool that is rolling out on a pilot basis to public schools this year.
Facebook has already been working on their new education tools in conjunction with California’s Summit Public Schools. The Summit Public Schools are unique in that they rely heavily on online delivery of content and assessments to students, so there is a good familiarity with technology already. Summit schools also put all students on their own personalized learning track so they can learn at their own pace. The framework appears to be quite successful as they have a very high ratio of students getting accepted in the university system.
Facebook’s engineers were so impressed with this that they approached the Summit schools and asked how they could help them improve what they have. Summit pointed to the tool used to track progress on individual learning plans and asked Facebook to help them overhaul the system. This resulted in the Personalized Learning Plan (PLP) platform.
During 2014 over 2,000 students and 100 teachers used the PLP. Facebook and Summit are expanding the program during 2015 to partner with public schools through a small pilot program. The long-term goal is offer a platform for free to any school in the U.S. that wants to use it.
For those worried about privacy, a frequent sticking point for Facebook, the team working on the project and the PLP are completely separated. Facebook says an account with the social media giant is not required to use the PLP. The engineers working on the project also abide by the White House endorsed Student Privacy Pledge to protect student data and information.
source: Facebook
Come comment on this article: Facebook skunkworks looking at tool for education
Blackberry continues security focus with Good Technology acquisition
Although Blackberry has fallen on some tough times since their heyday over a decade ago, they are still leaders in security solutions for enterprises that need to maintain mobile platforms for their workforce. Blackberry announced this week that they have acquired Good Technology for $425 million cash in order to continue their strategy of helping enterprises improve security no matter what kind of platform or operating system they deploy.
Blackberry CEO John Chen says the acquisition will:
“…better solve one of the biggest struggles for CIOs today, especially those in regulated industries: securely managing devices across any platform. By providing even stronger cross-platform capabilities our customers will not have to compromise on their choice of operating systems, deployment models or any level of privacy and security. Like BlackBerry, Good has a very strong presence in enterprises and governments around the world and, with this transaction, BlackBerry will enhance its sales and distribution capabilities and further grow its enterprise software revenue stream.”
Blackberry says the acquisition is expected to be completed toward the end of the company’s third fiscal quarter in 2016, subject to regulatory approvals. Blackberry anticipates Good will provide positive cash flow and $160 million in revenue during the first year. So the acquisition will not only be good for Blackberry in helping expand their mobile security offerings, it should help the company financially.
You can read the full press release from Blackberry below.
BlackBerry to Acquire Good Technology
Acquisition to expand BlackBerry’s leadership in secure cross-platform mobility management
Sep 4, 2015
Waterloo, Ontario and Sunnyvale, Calif. – BlackBerry Limited (NASDAQ: BBRY; TSX: BB), a global leader in secure mobile communications, today announced that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Good Technology for $425 million in cash.
The acquisition of Good is aligned with BlackBerry’s strategy to offer customers the most complete, end-to-end solution that secures the entire mobile enterprise, across all platforms. Enhanced by Good, BlackBerry will expand its ability to offer a unified, secure mobility platform with applications for any mobile device on any operating system – supported with security that has been certified by governments around the world embedded in every component of the mobility infrastructure.
Good will bring complementary capabilities and technologies to BlackBerry, including secure applications and containerization that protects end user privacy. With Good, BlackBerry will expand its ability to offer cross-platform EMM solutions that are critical in a world with varying deployment models such as bring-your-own-device (BYOD); corporate owned, personally enabled (COPE); as well as environments with multiple user interfaces and operating systems. Good has expertise in multi-OS management with 64 percent of activations from iOS devices, followed by a broad Android and Windows customer base.(1) This experience combined with BlackBerry’s strength in BlackBerry 10 and Android management – including Samsung KNOX-enabled devices – will provide customers with increased choice for securely deploying any leading operating system in their organization. The proven Good Dynamics platform provides app-level encryption, advanced data loss prevention and secure communication between applications. The platform has more than 2,000 independent software vendor and custom applications built today.
“By acquiring Good, BlackBerry will better solve one of the biggest struggles for CIOs today, especially those in regulated industries: securely managing devices across any platform. By providing even stronger cross-platform capabilities our customers will not have to compromise on their choice of operating systems, deployment models or any level of privacy and security,” said John Chen, BlackBerry Executive Chairman and CEO. “Like BlackBerry, Good has a very strong presence in enterprises and governments around the world and, with this transaction, BlackBerry will enhance its sales and distribution capabilities and further grow its enterprise software revenue stream.”
Good’s technology will integrate with BlackBerry’s enterprise portfolio and trusted global network, creating a comprehensive management solution for all mobile devices that protects customers’ security and privacy. This holistic experience will provide customers with greater mobile enterprise productivity, including seamless integration of capabilities across multiple applications, including BBM, WatchDox, Good Work and other value added services.
“Enterprise customers today demand stringent security and the most flexible platform across all mobility strategies,” said Christy Wyatt, Good Chairman and CEO. “We are excited to join BlackBerry, where together we will be the most comprehensive mobile platform in the market. Good has worked hard to deliver the highest levels of security across operating systems and applications. Our trusted Good solutions will also help BlackBerry to accelerate its Internet of Things platform for managing endpoints beyond mobile devices.”
With Good, BlackBerry will expand its presence with global enterprise and government customers. Good serves more than 6,200 organizations, including more than half of the Fortune 100, all of the Fortune 100 commercial banks, aerospace and defense firms, and leaders across healthcare, manufacturing and retail. BlackBerry is the trusted mobility partner of all G7 governments, 16 of the G20 governments, 10 out of 10 of the largest global banks and law firms, and the top five largest managed healthcare, investment services, and oil and gas companies.
BlackBerry has provided the world’s most secure mobility solutions for more than two decades, and has earned more than 70 government certifications and approvals, greater than any other mobile vendor. The BlackBerry 10 platform is the first mobility solution to receive the coveted Full Operational Capability (FOC) certification to run on U.S. Department of Defense networks. Good is the only company certified as Common Criteria Evaluation Assurance Level 4 Augmented (EAL4+) for mobile collaboration on both iOS and Android. This is the highest certification level recognized internationally under the Common Criteria program, and is globally regarded as the standard of quality for handling sensitive government data.
BlackBerry expects the transaction to be completed toward the end of the company’s 2016 fiscal third quarter and is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. The company anticipates the acquisition to be accretive to earnings and cash flow within the first year after closing. BlackBerry also expects to realize approximately $160 million in GAAP revenue from Good in the first year, including the impact of an expected write-down of certain deferred revenue of Good.
J. P. Morgan Securities LLC and Bank of America Merrill Lynch served as financial advisors to Good Technology, and each provided a fairness opinion to the board of directors of Good Technology.
Come comment on this article: Blackberry continues security focus with Good Technology acquisition
BlackBerry acquires Good Technology to expand its services to other platforms
It’s barely a secret that BlackBerry is working on expanding its influence to other platforms. And not only as a service provider, the company is said to be working on the BlackBerry Venice, an Android smartphone with a slide-out keyboard. But how will they keep this Google-powered handset as secure as their industry-leading BB10 products? Their latest acquisition could very well be part of the strategy.
BlackBerry has just purchased Good Technology for $425 million. This is a California-based company which focuses on mobile security. They currently have a bevy of apps in the Google Play Store, all dedicated to serving enterprise customers and keeping users’ devices safe. And this is exactly why BlackBerry has decided to welcome the team and its assets to the company.
BlackBerry plans to expand its comprehensive mobile security services to other devices and operating systems. Since Good Technology already has experience in other platforms, as well as applications, the acquired company will be of great help to BlackBerry’s goal to further cater to global enterprise and government customers.
“By acquiring Good, BlackBerry will better solve one of the biggest struggles for CIOs today, especially those in regulated industries: securely managing devices across any platform. By providing even stronger cross-platform capabilities our customers will not have to compromise on their choice of operating systems, deployment models or any level of privacy and security. Like BlackBerry, Good has a very strong presence in enterprises and governments around the world and, with this transaction, BlackBerry will enhance its sales and distribution capabilities and further grow its enterprise software revenue stream.” – John Chen, executive chairman and CEO of BlackBerry
Chen once said he would be willing to build an Android device if it was possible to make it as secure as its own BB10 handsets. It’s now evident the company is very well invested in this idea. By following this path, BlackBerry can both make more enticing handsets, as well as providing the necessary services to keep them secure.
The investment is said to bring fruits very soon. The company expects to make about $160 million in GAAP revenue from Good Technology only within the first year. Now all that’s left to see is whether BlackBerry’s plans will take them out of the hole they have put themselves into the past few years. I would say they are on the right track. What do you think?
BlackBerry bids farewell to its hardware past by acquiring Good
If you had any lingering doubts that BlackBerry’s days as a hardware-first company are over, they’ve just been eliminated. BlackBerry has acquired Good Technology for $425 million, giving it one of the better-known names involved in making smartphones work-friendly. The crew in Waterloo isn’t shy about the reasons behind its move, either. Good is well-known for helping corporations and governments keep tabs on non-BlackBerry platforms, especially iOS. While BlackBerry already has some tools for this, the deal both improves its weak points and gives it a foot in the door at places where Good may be the only way to secure Android or iOS gear — the firm has certifications that even BlackBerry lacks.
The buyout is unusually large for BlackBerry (its acquisition of QNX was worth ‘just’ $200 million), and shows that the company’s future rests more in supporting devices than making them. Not that John Chen and friends are completely ignoring their own handsets, mind you. The Good acquisition conveniently primes the pump for BlackBerry’s inaugural Android smartphone. Provided the big-screened slider launches, BlackBerry will be in the uncommon position of selling both a business-friendly Android phone and the services needed to make it soar.
Filed under:
Cellphones, Mobile, Blackberry
Source:
BlackBerry
Tags: acquisition, android, blackberry, byod, good, goodtechnology, ios, mobilepostcross, smartphone
OSVR releases update for their virtual reality headset project
OSVR, the Open Source Virtual Reality hardware and software platform, has announced the next update for their Hacker Development Kit will be available starting on October 1, 2015. In addition to updating the HDK to version 1.3, OSVR is including a new content discovery platform in the forthcoming release.
The new content platform will provide a list of VR stores that include OSVR-supported content, including content from:
- Boondog!
- Itch.Io
- Qihoo360
- Razer Cortex
- Steam
- V
- Vrideo
- WearVR
OSVR says the platform will rotate curated content on a regular basis to help given partner content exposure.
OSVR says HDK 1.3 will include a new optics module, including a larger eyebox, that will result in sharper images. The new kit will also provide individual eye focus to help users personalize the experience and abandon their glasses when using the headset.
Relying on NVIDIA technology for the headset and virtual reality games, the update also provides an improved Render Manager that includes a better Direct Mode, Front Render Buffering, and Context Priority capabilities. OSVR says they are working on support for graphics architecture other than NVIDIA’s.
Finally, the update coming on October 1st adds the OSVR Performance Profiler utilizing Event Tracing for Windows. This tool will help developers identify performance bottlenecks throughout the software stack.
When it goes on sale, the updated HDK 1.3 will cost the same $299.99 that the current version, released earlier this summer, costs. In the past, owner’s of older HDK versions have been able to update for an amount that ended up being the same as if they purchased a new HDK.
Come comment on this article: OSVR releases update for their virtual reality headset project
Hisense releases impressive Magic Mirror tablet at IFA 2015
Although much of the focus during major events like IFA 2015 is on the major manufacturers of the world, smaller companies always have a chance to grab some attention. A good example is Hisense at IFA 2015, where the company released their new Magic Mirror tablet with a 360ppi screen and thin bezels.
The Magic Mirror display is 8.4-inches and runs at 2560 x 1600 resolution. To keep things looking smooth on the impressive display is a Rockchip RK3288 processor and 2 GB of RAM. Hisense also equipped the tablet with 32 GB of storage onboard and a Dolby Audio system.
In terms of design, Hisense tapered the thickness of the tablet so that the edges are thin, but near the middle the devices expands to 0.3 inches thick. Hisense did put their own user interface on top of Android 5.0 Lollipop, but it has been described as simplistic.
The device is already on sale through the JingDong mall in China for ¥1,799 ($280 USD).
source: JingDong
via: phoneArena
Come comment on this article: Hisense releases impressive Magic Mirror tablet at IFA 2015
AIVAnet 