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Sony To Halt OLED TV Projects

Posted: 13 May 2014 07:00 AM PDT

Sony Oled TV

Recently surfaced information suggests that Sony’s OLED TV plans are about to be halted indefinitely after their deal with Panasonic was canceled.

A report by Nikkei claims that Sony’s project to develop OLED TV sets as part of their Bravia line has been put “on ice” indefinitely. The Asian giant explains that they don’t see the ultra-crisp, high-contrast displays catching on and becoming the next big thing in the foreseeable future, and would rather push the 4k technology instead.

Sony has not made an official statement as of yet, but it does not look that far-fetched: the company has been cutting the fat, and getting rid of their losing divisions such as their PC line, responsible for the Vaio.

Source: Engadget

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11 Best Charts Deciphering Social Media

Posted: 13 May 2014 06:00 AM PDT

Google Plus

Social media is our life: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and even Google Plus and Linkedin for some. But how does one make sense from everything being thrown at him? These charts might turn out to be really helpful.

The Importance of a Facebook Happy Birthday

The Facebook Like Ratio

The Google Plus Mystery

The Instagram Effect

Baby Photos on Facebook

 

The Twitter Disagreement Curve

 

Linkedin Emails

 

The Quality of Twitter Conversation Curve

 

Instagram is about Food & Beaches

How Retweeting Works

 

To Tweet (Drunk) or not to Tweet?

All charts (and more of them) by Tom Phillips of Buzzfeed.

For a bit more check out this slightly outdated but still quite useful Social Media cheat sheet.

Android Gaming On A Coffee Table

Posted: 13 May 2014 05:00 AM PDT

android-coffee-table

Gaming is great, no matter what your platform of choice is, but don’t you wish Android devices had bigger screens? That’s where this coffee table comes in.

This table is an incredible treat when your tablet or smartphone just aren’t big enough, but can’t use a TV screen: it’s a multitouch coffee table running on Android software, capable of running KitKat, and even Windows 7 or 8, your call. This table is called the Platform Multitouch Coffee Table, and is on sale for $6,950 retail.

The table-tablets are available in either 32-inch or 46-inch sizes that use capacitive touch surfaces. They are capable of a 1920 x 1080 pixels resolution, and run on a quad core 3.7GHz Intel processor, 16GB of RAM and a 500GB hard drive.

Source: Gizmodiva

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about how to turn a BBQ lighter into a mini cannon and this cool USB lighter that is literally a hot electric gadget.

OutRunner RC Running Robot Has Potential for Breaking Speed Records

Posted: 12 May 2014 01:45 PM PDT

OutRunner RC Running Robot

We all need an incentive from time to time, in order exceed our own limits, and when it comes to jogging, what could be better than a robot capable of outrunning us?

Touted as the world’s first remote-controlled running robot, the OutRunner has a rather peculiar design. It definitely reminds of the Incredipede, and other such resemblances might come to mind. Anyway, it has become a habit for engineers to create robots that are into sports. As if someone would want all human sports teams to be replaced by mechanical counterparts. Personally, I wouldn’t mind watching some RobOlyimpic Games, since all you get to see in the ones organized by humans is not that impressive.

As the creators of the OutRunner robot explained, “Robotics Unlimited is a spinoff of the Institute for Human and Machine Cognition (IHMC) where a team of scientists and engineers have been working for years toward the development of walking and running robots.

Part of the IHMC robotics team has been spending their time figuring out how to make a robotic system capable of running while maintaining stability. While research robots are very expensive machines dedicated to lab experiments, Robotics Unlimited’s founder wanted to have a robot easy to operate, relatively low cost to build but still providing amazing running capability. After several months of thinking, testing and prototyping, OutRunner was born.”

The OutRunner will be available to the public in two versions. The Core version is only capable of running at a maximum speed of 10 mph, while the Performance version can easily double that. On top of that, the latter also includes some sensors that will make racing against it a real challenge. Mind you, this tiny little sprinter is capable of running not only on concrete, but also on grass, and chances are it would outrun you even in this context.

The developers of this RC running robot are looking to raise $150K on Kickstarter. Anyone backing the project with at least $249 will get an OutRunner, supposing that the campaign is successful.

I know someone who could definitely use an OutRunner. Without something to run after or from, people are not that keen to start running, no matter how many health benefits physical activities prove to have.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about the basketball shooting robotic seal and the RQ-Titan that trained for the RoboCup Soccer division.

Quitbit Smart Lighter Helps You Quit Smoking Bit by Bit

Posted: 12 May 2014 01:15 PM PDT

Lighter Side Since Last

Lighters must have been among the last things that weren’t connected to our smartphones. If you’re an adept of the quantified self concept, you need to measure everything you do or consume, and the amount of cigarettes you smoke shouldn’t be an exception.

However, Boston-based Quitbit’s smart lighter isn’t about setting records or about who smokes more cigarettes in 24 hours. The noble goal of this device is to help you quit.

Ata Ghofrani, one of the co-founders of Quitbit (the other one being Kuji Nakano) “The first idea was a package for cigarettes and each time you removed a cigarette it would track it, but we quickly iterated because we realized the lighter would be the easiest way. It’s the way with the least friction for someone who wants to reduce their smoking, because it doesn’t require a new device. We just replace your lighter with our lighter, and then you get all the benefits of being more mindful of your smoking habits.”

Since there are many countries whose government agencies run campaigns to encourage people to quite smoking, Ghofrani and Nakano asked for their help: “There is so much out there related to smoking cessation right now. That’s good and bad for us. We’ve actually gone out, especially when we were just starting out in Providence, and tried to work with some of these government agencies that work on this problem. Because there is so much out there right now, government agencies are reluctant to work with programs that are not clinically proven.”

Quitbit is currently running a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, where the company is hoping to reach the $50K goal it has set. Should the campaign be successful, anyone pledging $69 as an Early Bird or $89 as a regular backer will get their Quitbit smart lighter in December.

The idea of a lighter that connects via Bluetooth LE to Android and iOS smartphones is pretty cool, especially since the device is supposed to help you quit smoking. Quitbit even encourages people to give their smart lighter to a needy friend after managing to quit.

Here are some personal thoughts for the end of this post. I could never understand nicotine addiction. I smoked casually (or is it called socially?) for a few years, and stopped suddenly, without feeling the urge to smoke again. In case of the weaker ones who cannot stop just like that, I can understand the need for a gadget that helps them stop in a few steps.

Be social! Follow Walyou on Facebook and Twitter, and read more related stories about how to turn a BBQ lighter into a mini cannon and this cool USB lighter that is literally a hot electric gadget.

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