3d illusion arts: Walyou

Walyou

Xbook One: the Xbox One shrinks to laptop size
Freedom! Apple releases tool to delete that pesky U2 album
DipJar Doesn’t Do Cash, Only Takes Credit Cards
Google Launches First Android One Smartphones in India

Xbook One: the Xbox One shrinks to laptop size

Posted: 16 Sep 2014 07:00 AM PDT

The Xbox one gets a drastic size reduction in this mod, and ends up both portable and beautiful for it.

There was so much controversy when the Xbox One was first announced that some of it never was addressed. Chief amongst those complaints? The Xbox One is ugly-looking. Luckily, we have mods and talented modders working their way around this, amongst these, the Xbook One. This mod is the creation of Ed Zarick, a pretty well known name in the scene, who has been active and modifying consoles ever since the Xbox 360.

What is amazing about this build, though, is that Ed is 3D printing to make the console prettier, more durable and useful, but while keeping every part that matters actually functioning. Matter of fact, this is better than a regular, unmodded Xbox One as it includes extra HDMI ports, or several other improvements that Ed could add at the buyers’ request. Yes, Ed will personally build one for you for $1,095 (USD) if you provide him with a console, or $1,395 if you expect him to buy it too.

Via Technabob

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Freedom! Apple releases tool to delete that pesky U2 album

Posted: 16 Sep 2014 05:00 AM PDT

Apple has released a tool that allows users to get rid of that U2 album they never asked for, in a move that shouldn’t surprise anyone.

You can stand on any side of the iOS vs Android war, and that’s great. But the one thing Android did for you, they never forced you to listen to U2. Or anyone, for that matter. Apple learned the hard way to not force music down people’s throats as the Internet erupted in rage when U2′s latest album, Songs of Innocence, appeared in their phones, iTunes lists and devices without ever asking the users.

Well, now Apple has set up a support website to help people get rid of the album and ensure it’s never downloaded again. Deleting this album means that it won’t show up in the “purchases” tab, so if a user ever wants to download it again, they’ll have to go through the buying process from the top. Songs of Innocence is free, and will remain so until October 13th, after which it the exclusivity deal ends and users will have to buy it regularly.

It really says something about the Internet’s hatred of U2 as users talk about this record as if it was a virus or spyware program. There is literally people out there who, given the choice of having a record for free, would rather delete it and never hear from it again! People would pay to not have to listen to U2, and that is just crazy. Imagine if Apple had gifted its users with a Nickelback album.

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DipJar Doesn’t Do Cash, Only Takes Credit Cards

Posted: 15 Sep 2014 01:23 PM PDT

With the emergence of credit cards, tip jars seemed to remain forever empty. Fortunately for anyone whose existence depends on tips, DipJar raised funds for a tip jar that doesn’t accept cash, just credit cards.

The $420,000 seed round raised by DipJar (nice word play, since swiping the credit card through this device resembles dipping a tortilla chip in a sauce – secondly, who doesn’t like deep jars that are full of money?) should be more than enough for mass producing the hardware. Led by Project 11, the round saw funds coming from such angels as Bob Mason, Brightcove founder, and Katie Rae and Reed Sturtevant, former Techstars Boston directors, Will Herman, Warren Katz, Joe Caruso, Mike Dornbrook, Bill Warner, and Scott Heller, among many others.

Founded by CEO Ryder Kessler, New York-based DipJar is the result of frustration. More exactly, Kessler felt bad about one of his favorite coffee shops only offering the option to tip with cash, and decided that something needed to be done. Because the tips had gotten very low there, the baristas said they’d rather have the bar empty than full of customers, as it didn’t make much of a difference for them. That’s a bit of a hypocritical attitude, as the price of the drinks is usually calculated so that it covers a bit of the utilities and the salary of the employees, not to mention a bit of profit.

DipJar, the electronic tip jar, may soon be coming to a bar near you. The first prototype rolled out in the summer of 2012, but since then, the developers of this device must have had a lot of convincing to do.

The hardware of the DipJar is not complicated at all, as it only includes a wireless credit card reader placed in a cylindrical case. Kessler declined to provide details on how much it costs the company to produce the electronic tip jar, nor did he say for how much it will sell. In the end, the makers of this device don’t intend to eliminate cash tips entirely, just to provide an additional method of showing your appreciation towards the baristas.

While not a tremendously revolutionary device on its own, the DipJar is only one of the things that will prepare the transition to a cash-free society.

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Google Launches First Android One Smartphones in India

Posted: 15 Sep 2014 12:28 PM PDT

In a blog post called simply For the next five billion: Android One, Google announced the launch of its simplified mobile OS that was created for emerging markets, and with it, the first smartphone to run it.

From the title of the blog some might gather that two billion people are already using advanced smartphones and the latest tech, in general, which might seem a bit of a stretch. Google’s goal, as a matter of fact, is to make sure that most people on the planet (I would’ve said everyone, but that’s not realistic at all) can communicate and has access to information and (why not?) entertainment.

Android One smartphones won’t only be sufficiently powerful, but also very affordable. They will sport front- and back-facing cameras, expandable storage, dual-SIM slots, FM radio, and a replaceable battery.

Google’s Indian hardware partners Micromax, Karbonn, Spice launched today a few smartphones running Android One. Mediatek CPUs are powering the current smartphones, but the ones developed by Acer, Alcatel Onetouch, ASUS, HTC, Intex, Lava, Lenovo, Panasonic, and Xolo will have a Qualcomm processor at their core.

After India, a few other countries including Indonesia, the Philippines and South Asia (Bangladesh, Nepal, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka) will become part of the Android One program by the end of the year, and according to Google, there will be a lot more countries added to the list in 2015.

I know why Google chose to launch this in India (just look at that country’s population), but I don’t understand why Mountain View won’t bring these affordable devices to African countries. It is true that India has a greater population than the whole African continent, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t a market there. Besides, those 1.1 million people that inhabit Africa are part of the next 5 billion Google was talking about in the post.

The following video must be among the best ones I’ve ever watched in terms of ~~copywriting~~ storytelling. The name of the OS is part of a word play and the message that should reach anyone watching the clip is that not only the operating system itself, but in fact the Android One smartphone users get to have an emotional impact on the others.