Previously, only a select few were allowed to purchase Glass. That's right, you needed to be selected to then buy your way into the wearable device program. Then, those initial Explorers were allowed to invite friends to also buy Glass. Now, Google is opening up the field to any adult in the US with 1500 bucks burning a hole in their pocket. You'll also get a spectacle frame or sunglass-style shade included in the deal. There's no indication of just how many headsets Google has in stock for the buying frenzy, but we bet they won't last long either way.
In this one-day-only sale, you'll also get free shades or a frame for your Glass.
Keep in mind that Glass is still very much in its infancy, and there's a reason Google has kept the Explorer program so limited. Feedback from knowledgeable wearers is key to making the final mass production version viable. This latest step clearly means Google is getting closer to releasing a widespread consumer model. If you want in on the Explorer program you need to hit up Google's Glass page starting at 9 am EDT. The offer is only available for those over 18 in the US (or, presumably, with a US postal address).
Smart
TV is great, it enables you to watch media content from your computer
or the 'net without the need for a PC in your living room. The one bad
thing? Typing with a remote control is the worst.
Thankfully, products like the new Logitech Living-Room Keyboard K830 make typing and navigating smart TV platforms, and HTPCs if you do decide to go that route, a little easier.
The
keyboard is wireless and features a rechargeable battery onboard. The
Logitech comes with a mousing surface and left and right mouse buttons.
The Logitech Illuminated Living-Room Keyboard K830 will be available in the US and Europe in April 2014 for $99.99.
You don't need a bagful of CDs or even electricity to make
music on a solar-powered, outdoor DJ table called the Fono. All you need
is a smartphone set to play music out of its speakers. Then, teens just
place their device in the middle of the Fono's mobile pickup pad so
that the DJ table can amplify the audio.
Yalp InterActive, the creators of the eco-friendly DJ booth, says the
Fono DJ table is intended to be a meeting place for youth that
"challenges them to express themselves in a creative way." It's far from
a professional DJ table but the Fono does include features like
physical turntables, a crossfader and the ability to add effects. The
company also told The Verge that all the electronics are safely
encased inside the concrete table, making them resistant to both harsh
weather and vandalism attempts. You can try out the €18,500 installation at a variety of Fono-occupied cities in Europe and Australia. There are also plans to put a special Fono in Ibiza sometime in the future.
Before Google Glass becomes a publicly available product, Google's quietly embarked on a campaign to get its iconic eyewear into the hands of those
that can use it to tackle complex issues. After it gifted five pairs to
researchers at Newcastle University, Google's allowed its wearable to
undergo its first UK medical trial, where it's being used to support
people suffering from Parkinson's disease. Researchers want to help
patients live more independently, and they're already seeing results.
With custom apps, experts are using Glass to provide subtle alerts
reminding volunteers to take their medication and notify them of
upcoming medical appointments. Suffers are also prompted to speak or
swallow to prevent drooling. Glass' motion sensors are put to good use
too, helping prevent patients from "freezing" by displaying visual cues
to help them unblock their brain regain a flow of a movement.
Researchers say the project is still in its early stages, but they're
already looking to develop a variety of apps to match the specific needs
of volunteers. While Glass faces an uphill struggle to gain social
acceptance, it appears its philanthropic applications are showing no
bounds.[Engadget]
Just a half-year after Sony announced the dope A7 and A7r full-frame compact interchangeable-lens cameras it's pushing out a new iteration of the mirrorless shooter. This one's built around video. It does 4K video, too—Sort of. It's not what people were expecting from the A7s, but it might be incredible anyway.
According to Sony, the "s" stands for sensitivity, and it turns out that it's this camera's billboard feature—not on-board 4K video recording like the rumors suggested. The camera can shoot all the way up to ISO 409,600. Impressive by any standards but especially because the A7/A7r only go up to ISO 25,600. The camera also sports a much lower-resolution 12.2 megapixel full-frame sensor. The larger pixels probably account for a large measure of the camera's high-sensitivity.
Why does higher sensitivity matter? It lets shoot in darker conditions at faster shutter speeds. If you don't need very high-resolution—as in the case of video—you can beef up sensitivity by scaling back the number of pixels on the sensor.
As for 4K—the rumors were wrong. The camera does not record 4k. Instead, it's capable of outputting 4K content from the sensor, but you'll have to use external media to record. This gives Panasonic's GH4 a slight edge. Though the GH4 doesn't have the full-frame sensor—it has a much smaller micro for thirds format imager—it'll store 4K on board. For in-camera recording, the A7s uses the XAVC codec Sony developed for 4K.
The other important touch is that the camera can shoot at 120 frames per second at 1280 x 720 resolution, making slow motion video accessible at higher resolution. The one caveat is that the camera only uses an area of the sensor cropped to APS-C-size. That means you'll get a slightly more telescopic video than you would at the full-frame sensor area.
The A7s carries many features from the other A7 models like the amazing electronic OLED viewfinder and the beautiful 2,359,296-dot screen. The pretty much standard features from Sony cameras apply: Wi-fi, easy NFC pairing, etc.
The camera has the exact same dimensions as the A7/A7r, but curiously, it weighs an ounce more. Not a big deal, it's just odd. Pricing and availability have yet to be determined. [Sony]
Qualcomm has just revealed the specifications for its 2015 mobile chips-and if you thoughtthis year's offering sounded good, you are in for a massive treat when you read about these newer slabs of silicon.
The two new Snapdragon chips, known as the 810 and 808, are both 64-bit, and billed as high performance hardware designed for flagship Android devices. They aren't joking.
Both chips, made using 20 nanometer production techniques, will be smaller, lighter and more power efficient than this year's offering. But the octa-core 810 is the one you really care about: it will sport four Cortex-A57 cores for power-intensive tasks, along with four lower-power Cortex-A53 cores for other times, to keep power consumption down. The chip will support 4K displays, LPDDR4 RAM-that's faster and more efficient than the current LPDDR3 standard- as well as packing voice activation and dual Image Signal Processors for better imaging. Phew.
In terms of the GPU, the on-board Adreno 430 is supposed to be 30 percent faster than the current 420, while Cat 6 LTE-Advanced is baked right into the chip. Finally, there's a 2-stream multi-user MIMO, which, in simple terms, means your Wi-Fi connection will be way faster, too. As for the 808, it will feature just six cores-two A57 and four A53-and support 2K displays. Its Adreno 418 GPU will be 20 percent faster than the current Adreno 330.
All told, that's a lot of features to squeeze into a pair of chips. If Qualcomm delivers on its promises, the phones of 2015 should melt our faces off. We can't wait. [Engadget]
