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- Toshiba’s 4K Laptops Are Almost Amongst Us
- 5 Apps We Want to See on Google Glass
- Apple’s WWDC is Coming With New iOS Anouncements
- Honda’s ASIMO Humanoid Robot Shows Signs of Evolution
| Toshiba’s 4K Laptops Are Almost Amongst Us Posted: 17 Apr 2014 07:00 AM PDT  “Forget HD”, everyone says, “4K is the future”. Well, if it’s the future, when can I have it? And the answer is as soon as next week, via Toshiba. The UK has already had its first 4K Toshiba laptops for a while, but now they’re crossing over the pond to the States, where it will be called P55T. This is a 15.6-inch laptop with 3,840 x 2,160 resolution. The computer is armed with a AMD’s 2GB DDR5 Radeon R9 M265X discrete graphics to run all that resolution, along with a 4th-gen Intel quad-core i7 CPU and 16GB DDR3L max memory. The P55T is launching on April 22nd at $1,500, which is along the line for most 4K laptops. 4K resolution is about 4 times that of HD, and would set users at the top of the top when it comes to image quality and detail even in the most gigantic pictures. This is a complete treat for graphic designers and people who work in media. Source: Engadget Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter and read more on Walyou at Amazon Kindle Fire Phone Images Leaked on the Internet and Blu-Ray Succesor Under Works; Called Archival Disc.
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| 5 Apps We Want to See on Google Glass Posted: 17 Apr 2014 06:00 AM PDT  Google Glass is quite possibly the most talked about and long-awaited gadget to capture the attention of tech lovers everywhere. It seems to perpetually remain in beta, and there’s no definitive release date on the horizon, so it’s open to a lot of speculation about exactly what it will be capable of doing. What we do know about Google Glass is that it will let users “see” the world through new eyes, so to speak. With that said, here are a few apps we would like to “see” through the looking glass that is Google Glass. Interactive ArtThe art world is constantly reinventing itself — and rightly so. Art knows no boundaries; no steadfast rules; and no limitations. So of course if this sweet new technology is going to explode onto the market in coming years. There should probably be an app that integrates the beauty that is art into the marvel that is Google Glass. If you’re skeptical about how awesome this concept could be, just take a trip to Washington D.C. and check out the Smithsonian Institute to see it in action. The new exhibit is called “Portrait of America,” and it’s by artist David Datuna. It depicts an American Flag covered in eyeglasses, along with four cameras that document visitor reactions. The fun really starts when patrons don Google Glass and the piece comes to life. It’s then that it reveals major cultural and historical events in American history, all the while filming the encounter. It opens up an entirely new realm of artistic possibilities, and we’re excited to see where this goes. UnmentionablesIt was recently announced that there’s an app in the works that actually helps users make their very own customized sex tape. Hello! Why hasn’t this been thought of before? Apparently all you have to do is say “OK glass, it’s time,” and it’ll start recording your special time. You can even tell it to set the mood by dimming the lights and playing music. You can even connect it to your phone and change up the angles. Lastly, in a simultaneously crude and awesome feature, you can tell it to stop recording. The command is “OK glass, pull out.” The device stores the footage for five hours before it is permanently deleted, making it a discreetly fun way for couples to mix things up in the bedroom. Health AppsThere are plenty of iPhone and Android powered apps that center around health and fitness. You can find just about anything, from diet tips and tracking to yoga exercises. You can even track your sleep patterns through motion detection. Since Glass is shattering all preconceived ideas about technology, why not up the ante with the health apps? Let’s see an app that monitors your digestion. It’ll surely take some serious brain power to develop, but how cool would it be to track and test the way your body digests food? This process is responsible for so many physical ailments that it could really make a difference in people’s lives. In all seriousness, make an app about poop. Though it’s typically the last thing most people want to discuss or research, your poop tells a very in-depth story about your body (no pun intended). How often your bowel movements come, as well as the texture and density of the waste, are all indicators of activity that is going on inside the body. A Glass app could utilize the device’s camera for good by helping people identify major health problems as early as possible. Customized Video OptionsGoogle Glass has been plagued with a lot of bad press regarding privacy and its built-in video camera. Despite its best efforts, Google has yet to squelch the chatter. Public opinion has become largely hesitant to the newfound technology, finding it intrusive. Let’s use this superpower for good, shall we? An app that helped users customize their video recording experience could make for very interesting first-hand news accounts. Take Santa Barbara, Calif., newscaster Caroline Lowe, for example, who pointed out that it could be especially helpful for reporting breaking news and severe weather on-site. We’d like to see a built-in app that allows users to record a fight or disaster straight from their glasses and then sends it directly to Vice for up-to-date news that isn’t going to be censored. This would create very urgent news and make anyone with Google Glass a potential reporter. Since video journalism is on the rise, Vice founder and CEO Shane Smith has recently added a video segment to the already successful news and cultural reporting website. Smith says that, though the terrain of news reporting is ever-changing and uncertain, ”Dialogue always works. That’s what news is. And we’re going to show you what’s going on.” Honest AdvertisingHow awesome would it be to live in an alternate universe in which advertising messages actually depicted accurately and honestly what it is they’re selling? This means that bright and shiny commercials for “fresh” and “healthy” fast food and soda commercials would be a thing of the past. Instead of listing the potential side effects of prescription drugs in super fast, monotone voice overs at the end of the spot, commercials would show them in action. Do you accept the challenge, Google Glass? We want to see an app that shows what we’re really eating. It would have a feature that allows users to take a picture of a food product, and have Glass tell them about it. This would include where and how it was made, it’s actual nutritional information (along with the context), and any chemicals and pesticides that are likely lurking on its surface. There you have it. Five concepts for sweet apps we’d like to “see” through Google Glass. Though some are more in depth than others, we’re sure they can be brought to fruition with a little finesse. What apps would you like to see available on Google Glass once it’s finally ready for the public? Please weigh in by leaving a comment below.    |
| Apple’s WWDC is Coming With New iOS Anouncements Posted: 17 Apr 2014 05:00 AM PDT  Apple rumors are constantly swirling, but there are only two times Apple makes official announcements, and one is fast approaching in June. Although most iPhone 6 rumors point to a fall release, when Apple typically releases new iPhones, Apple usually gives developers the first official look at the new version of iOS at their World Wide Developers Conference. Just like with Google I/O, more and more rumors and leaks will surface as we approach WWDC on June 2nd. There have been no official comments from Apple regarding any unannounced details from the iOS beta, AKA Okemo, but the following is a list of the most likely included updates and additions. Visual Unlike the jump from iOS 6 to iOS 7, the visual look designed by Jony Ive is likely to stay mostly the same. There may be some slight tweaks along the lines of the changes we saw in iOS 7.1, but outside of some changes to smooth out the edges, there likely won’t be many significant visual changes. Healthbook Apple released the Passbook feature with iOS 6. Passbook is mostly a collection of information from other apps such as coupons, tickets, and loyalty cards. Leaked screenshots for the Healthbook app appear to be very similar in look and function. Healthbook will likely merely display data gathered from other apps and tracking devices from 3rd parties such as Fitbit and Jawbone. It would make sense for it to function with data brought in through Apple’s rumored iWatch, but we won’t get any details on that until the iWatch is official. In addition to providing activity and nutrition tracking, Healthbook will likely also collect all relevant health information to be displayed on a single card for easy reference, as well as an “Emergency Card” with important identification and health information such as blood type and medications, very similar to traditional medical ID bracelets. A card of that nature will likely be accessible from the lock screen so emergency workers can access it if the owner is unconscious or otherwise unable. iTunes Radio iTunes Radio launched in September 2013, but has not caught on as quickly as Apple had hoped. The app is currently built in to the standard iTunes app, but the service will likely be spun off into its own standalone app to get more attention, much like how Apple created a standalone app for Podcasts. Apple intends for iTunes Radio to compete with Pandora, Spotify, and other such internet radio applications, so it only makes sense to add a standalone app so the icon can be front and center before most users go downloading alternative music sources. Apple Maps Apple Maps was released initially for iOS 6 in September 2012 on the iPhone 5. Prior to the launch of Apple Maps, the Maps application was powered by Google Maps. Apple Maps was immediately bashed upon launch as there were many issues with inaccurate data and flawed turn by turn navigation. One of the way Apple Maps collects its data is through iPhone geolocation data. In short, when you use maps on your iPhone, Apple Maps gets more accurate real world data. In addition to the crowdsourced data improvements, Apple has purchased several mapping companies to bolster the broken data. In addition to the massive planned data fix, Apple is also adding a sorely missing feature: public transit. Google Maps has always been a reliable source for real-time public transit information, making it an indispensable tool for anyone that doesn’t drive themselves around all day. The absence of public transit data has alienated many Apple users from Apple’s own mapping service, so the addition of this feature will likely lure many people away from Google Maps. Carplay In addition to the mapping improvements, a big change coming for Apple CarPlay to allow for connection via WiFi (in supported vehicles). Currently CarPlay can only be utilized via a lightning connection, which seems a little old fashioned. What would be really nice is if Apple found a way to enable the feature over Bluetooth, which has much wider support, but since CarPlay requires more bandwidth than Bluetooth can currently provide, WiFi is the way to go. VoLTE Although it doesn’t yet have widespread support from US carriers, Apple is also expected to enable VoLTE for iPhones. It may not immediately be available, but it does position Apple to possibly provide their own service over WiFi or LTE down the road, similar to Google’s rumored plans. Apple already has in-house messaging and voice capabilities through iMessage and Facetime. iMessage Currently, messages will store in iMessage indefinitely, until the phone has no more space. Just about every other phone operating systems, all the way back to flip phones with T9 text entry, have had an auto delete feature to remove messages after a certain date or over a certain cap. supposedly, Apple will finally bring this feature to the iPhone. Although it may not be as relevant with modern hardware, this is still a long awaited improvement. Notifications The smartphone notification game seems like everyone is mostly chasing Android. iOS 5 was the first time the drop down notification curtain appeared for iPhone. It got several new features and tabs in iOS 7, but it looks like it will be simplified again for iOS 8. Apple acquired App Cue last year and those features will likely be used to bolster Apple’s notifications, but it will still be basically an attempt to match services offered through Android’s center and Google Now. Game Center Game Center was heavily revamped in iOS 7 to do away with the former skeuomorphic poker table design in favor of a flattened UI that more closely fit with the rest of iOS 7. Despite the fact that iOS is popular for gaming, few people actually use the Game Center itself, though, so it is possible the application will be removed in favor of more integrated support for the existing Game Center features, such as leaderboards. App Integration Apple’s “walled-garden” approach currently makes many apps feel very segmented and, while some apps do share data, the experience can feel disjointed at times. Apple is working on a new API to allow more data sharing and, therefore, better app integration and communication. Although iOS 7 may have initially been a shock to many people, the apprehension faded with time and initial updates such as iOS 7.1. iOS 8, AKA: Project Okemo, will likely continue that trend. Many of these features could be considered minor, but they all serve to buff out rough spots and close gaps in functionality. Source: 9 to 5 Mac Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter Read more on Walyou, Android and Google Services Are About to Get Hitched, USAF Using Glass to Develop James Bond-Like Spy Gadgets    |
| Honda’s ASIMO Humanoid Robot Shows Signs of Evolution Posted: 16 Apr 2014 01:50 PM PDT  The Japanese company’s humanoid robot proved recently that its behavior can be even closer to the ones of humans. ASIMO’s latest movement patterns are a clear sign of evolution, considering that the same robot could barely walk across a stage ten years ago. Honda exhibited these days the latest version of ASIMO (Advanced Step in While not exactly a vehicle, ASIMO is made by a company that is best known as an automaker, so it shouldn’t surprise anyone that Honda decided to showcase the latest version of its humanoid robot at International Auto Show in New York. Needless to say, the bipedal robot was quite the sensation at the show, as it demonstrated how good it is with its new hands. After carefully picking up a sealed box containing orange juice and unscrewing the cap, ASIMO proceeded to pouring juice in a paper cup. Right after that, it placed the box and the cup on the table, without spilling any juice from either. All this was achieved with the help of two camera eyes and the sensors in its hands.
Honda’s ASIMO also danced a bit like John Travolta (even though I’m not certain whether it was in the style of Vincent Vega from Pulp Fiction or Danny from Grease), went up and down a flight of stairs, kicked a football, jumped up and down like an excited kid, and shook hands of people. The fluent moves and the great number of different patterns prove that ASIMO is just about ready to live among humans. In 2003, when Honda first exhibited him, engineers used to remote control him from the backstage. Now, it has pre-programmed task, and from here one, ASIMO can rely on his sensors to perform the rest of the tasks. In terms of autonomy, ASIMO’s battery is not that great, as it can only keep the robot moving for 40 minutes, but there will definitely be some advancements in this field, as well. I wonder what Honda has in store for us in the future, considering how great this version of ASIMO really is. Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about Honda ASIMO’s tour of Canada and the Honda ASIMO replica.    |
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