Sunday, March 31, 2013

Sand Trap is a fun and difficult physics maze game

Sand Trap
Sand Trap is one of those games that at first seem too hard to bother with, but when you try to stop playing it you discover you're hooked.

The goal is to get as much sand as you possibly can out of the maze and into the bucket at the bottom of the screen. You need to rotate your maze every which way to get the sand rolling around it. You then try to direct the sand to one of the exits of the maze, and hopefully into the bucket. It took me several tries to actually get sand into the bucket, but that might be due to the fact that I didn't even realize the bucket was there at first. Things improved significantly after that.

As you level up, the mazes get more complicated, with moving parts and other things making your life more difficult. Once you manage to get through all these obstacles and get enough sand into your bucket, you can move on.

As I mentioned, this is not an easy game, but it's highly addictive. The graphics remind me of some long lost game from the 80s, but this just proves that you don't need super graphics and crazy sound to make a game work. There's a soothing guitar track playing in the background and that's it, as far as I could hear, and you can enjoy it just as much with no sound at all.

If you like a fun physics challenge, don't miss out on this one!

Sand Trap is a fun and difficult physics maze game originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 04 Apr 2011 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/04/sand-trap-is-a-fun-physics-maze-game/

EMC ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING

Gadgets Week In Review: Vision

A

Source: http://techcrunch.com/2011/08/29/gadgets-week-in-review-vision/

TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED TRIDENT MICROSYSTEMS

Nine Inch Nails: The Day The World Went Away

It's always good to have some tunes on tap that sound their best at ear-shattering volumes, and if you're in the market, Nine Inch Nail's "The Day The World Went Away" deserves a spot at the top of the list. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/OfN1SrL3ErU/nine-inch-nails-the-day-the-world-went-away

AMERICA MOVIL AMKOR TECHNOLOGY

Do You Still Print Stuff Out?

Yesterday I was printing a form and I realized it was the first time I had printed anything in months. For awhile I was the one who still had a paper copy of my bus ticket, Fandango confirmation, even driving directions. But yesterday I realized that my printer was covered in dust and stocked with ink and paper because I don't really use it anymore. I'm not someone who made a huge effort to be all digital, I just hit a tipping point. Where are you in the transition to paperless? How are things at your office? Ponder below. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/l6ApZCryTrw/do-you-still-print-stuff-out

ARROW ELECTRONICS ASML HOLDING

NASA JPL controls rover with Leap Motion, shows faith in consumer hardware (video)

DNP Controlling a NASA rover with the Leap Motion controller and beyond video

If you think using the Leap Motion controller for playing air guitar and typing without a keyboard was cool, try using it to control a NASA rover. Victor Luo and Jeff Norris from NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab got on stage at the Game Developers Conference here in San Francisco to do just that with the ATHLETE (All-Terrain Hex-Limbed Extra-Terrestrial Explorer), which was located 383 miles away in Pasadena. As Luo waved his hand over the sensor, the robot moved in kind, reacting to the subtle movements of his fingers and wrists, wowing the crowd that watched it over a projected Google+ Hangout.

We spoke with Luo and Norris after the panel to gain further insight into the project. As Luo explains, one of JPL's main goals is to build tools to control robots needed for space exploration. Seeing as the gaming industry is already rife with user-friendly controllers ripe for the plucking, it made sense to harness them for the job. "We're very used to the bleeding edge," he said. "From the Kinect to the PlayStation Move, they represent major investments into usability." Hit the jump for our impressions of the simulation software, a look at JPL's grander goal and for video clips of the demo and panel itself.

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Comments

Source: NASA JPL

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/30/nasa-athlete-rover-leap-motion/

QUALCOMM QUANTA COMPUTER

Personal Activity Monitor tracks time you spend using desktop apps

personalactivitymonitor
Up until a couple of years ago, I used to turn to RescueTime to figure out how I spend my time online. Then it got too complex, and I stopped using it. Personal Activity Monitor is like a vastly dumbed-down version of RescueTime, and I mean that as a compliment. It's free and bare-bones -- all it does is track what applications you're using and for how long.

A big drawback at this point is that it doesn't integrate with Web browsers to help you analyze how you spend your time on the Web. Still, if your work doesn't require constant Web app use, knowing how long you've used a browser overall might be enough to help you manage your time.

This is far from the only application in this space -- alternatives such as Slife and Chrometa are full-featured and impressive -- but PAM is good option for those who want a nice, simple tracker.

Personal Activity Monitor tracks time you spend using desktop apps originally appeared on Download Squad on Sat, 05 Mar 2011 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/05/personal-activity-monitor-lets-you-quickly-see-what-you-spend-ti/

SYBASE SUN MICROSYSTEMS

Saturday, March 30, 2013

O'Reilly helps Japan, offers entire e-book catalog for 50% off, today only

O'reilly make some of the best computer books in the world. They also sell them as DRM-free e-books in a bunch of formats, including PDFs and Mobi for Kindle.

They usually offer one "Deal of the Day", which is a 50% discount code for a book chosen for that one day. But just for for today, they've created a discount code -- DDJPN -- that gives you a 50% discount on their entire catalog, and they give a part of the proceeds to aid Japan relief efforts.

So far they've raised over $60,000, and the day is still young. So if you've been recently hankering after some nerdy book (or three), now would be a great time to grab one.

O'Reilly helps Japan, offers entire e-book catalog for 50% off, today only originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 22 Mar 2011 14:35:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/22/oreilly-helps-japan-offers-entire-e-book-catalog-for-50-off/

SKYWORKS SOLUTIONS SILICON LABORATORIES

Thousands of iPad Apps Is that All it Has to Offer?

The mad rush to get hold of an iPad certainly led a lot of people to believe that this nifty little gadget would put a smart phone to shame. The fact that users would be able to get thousands of apps on their iPad might have had something to do with craze and Apple did make it one of the selling points about the device.

Apple marketed the iPad as having specifically designed apps and that these ranged from leisure and educational ones right through to business applications that the average person would not be able to live without. Currently there are more apps being developed for the iPad which could mean there will be one for just about everything imaginable.

The iPad is loaded with apps, thousands of them and although some of these may appear to be useless at first, they are however available on the device should you ever need to use them. Some of the apps are really high tech but then the option is there for those who might know how to use them.

With this said there are lots of very useful ones too and this includes Epicurious which is a comprehensive cookbook that’s indexed for easy use. Simply by using one ingredient as a keyword search brings up recipes with that ingredient in them and then you can narrow the search by adding another keyword. With other lifestyle apps like Grocery iQ, these are fun to use and very useful to have at your fingertips.

When it comes to gaming and entertainment, there is a wide choice of things to choose from which includes high speed racing to more scholarly apps. Gaming is a great experience on the iPad because of it’s great display and ultra fast processor as well as it’s multi-orientation screen. This allows users to flip the tablet to whichever position the like best whether it’s portrait or landscape.

On an educational note there is Scrabble and Soduko which are extremely popular game puzzles that have been integrated into the iPad apps. But there are plenty more of them including Labyrinth, Monkey Flight, Traffic Rush to name but a few.

If you are a racing fan then the iPad apps available will get your head spinning. There’s Real Racing 2 HD, Asphalt 5 HD, F1 2011 GAME, Fastlane Street Racing Lite and many, many more. The total amount at the present time is around one hundred racing games which should keep anyone busy for a while.

There is even more choice when it comes to adding apps to an iPad. All you have to do is visit Apple’s App Store where there are thousands to choose from which means you are bound to find one or two that catch your eye.

Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/thousands-of-ipad-apps-is-that-all-it-has-to-offer/

NVIDIA NUANCE COMMUNICATIONS

Dodge is a space-shooter in which you have no weapons

dodge
Space-shooters are usually a fairly fiery affair, with many types of guns, weapon upgrades, power-ups and more. Dodge does away with all of that, while keeping the very essence of a space shooter: Dark background, fast action, and stuff blowing up all over the place.

Your vector-looking spacecraft is the fastest thing on the screen, most of the time. And as the header implies, you have absolutely no weapons; you can't get any, either. All you have is agility and maneuverability.

Your opponents shoot heat-seeking missiles at you; the missiles lock on and start tracking you. The trick is to dodge the missiles while putting them in the path of one of your enemies, thus letting them have a taste of their own medicine.

There are three types of enemies, at least in the first few levels: "simple" spaceships which fire slow projectiles, "tanks" which seem to be more serious and take more hits to destroy, and "circles." The circles simply explode, spewing twenty or thirty very fast projectiles. This sounds dangerous, but is actually great once you learn to use them; they are very destructive for tanks, and can even blow up other circles.

The soundtrack is very techno, but it meshes very well with this type of game. Intense fun!

Dodge is a space-shooter in which you have no weapons originally appeared on Download Squad on Tue, 01 Mar 2011 17:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/03/01/dodge-is-a-space-shooter-in-which-you-have-no-weapons/

ELECTRONICS FOR IMAGING ELECTRONIC DATA SYSTEMS

How to disable lock screen notifications for specific Passbook cards

How to disable lock screen notifications for specific Passbook cards

If you use Passbook frequently on your iPhone, you may have noticed that certain passes use your location in order to give you easy access on your lock screen to a specific pass when you're within the vicinity. Some of those passes may contain personal information or allow for someone to charge an item to a gift card or account.

If you'd like to prevent unauthorized access to your passes, you can easily do so within Passbook. Follow along and we'll show you how.

  1. Launch the Passbook app on the Home screen of your iPhone.
  2. Find the pass that uses location services to show on your lock screen and bring it up.
  3. Tap the Info button that is represented by a lowercase "i" in the bottom right hand corner to flip the pass over.
  4. You'll see an option for Show On Lock Screen. Turn this setting to Off.

That particular pass will no longer show up on your lock screen when you're within the vicinity. Alternately, you can always disable access to Passbook from the lock screen to take care of any concerns you may have with unauthorized use.



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/ETRWL1COla0/story01.htm

MAXIMUS MANTECH INTERNATIONAL

New Soyuz route cuts travel time to ISS from two days to six hours

New Soyuz route cuts travel time to ISS from two days to six hours

Normally, a trip from Earth to the ISS takes about two days. Thursday, a Soyuz capsule docked with the orbiting laboratory after less than six hours of flight time, setting a record. Accelerating the trip wasn't an issue of newer technology or more powerful engines, necessarily, but of better math and planning. The Russian vehicle essentially took a shortcut that required precisely timed steering over the course of four orbits, putting three crew members (including one American astronaut) on the space station at 10:28pm ET -- just five hours and 45 minutes after takeoff from Kazakhstan. Russian engineers are already looking at ways to trim more time off the trip, by cutting two more orbits from the route. Obviously the human cargo appreciates spending less time in the cramped quarters of the Soyuz. But getting equipment and materials for experiments to the ISS quicker should also yield better and more reliable scientific results. For a few clips of liftoff and the docking itself check out the NASA link in the source.

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Comments

Source: Discovery, NASA

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2013/03/29/soyuz-cuts-travel-time-to-iss/

HEARTLAND PAYMENT SYSTEMS GOOGLE

Griffin iTrip Auto review

Griffin iTrip

Most folks these days carry some kind of device with them that has at least a subset of their music collection on it. Some have services like Spotify, Pandora, or some other service that will deliver music to a smartphone. When we get in our cars, however, there’s usually no built-in connection for getting the phone and car radio connected. Enter the iTrip Auto from Griffin Technology. This little cable charges an iOS device via your vehicle’s power port and broadcasts the audio content of your device to the FM band, allowing you to tune into the “station” it creates and hear your music over your car stereo. Griffin Technology, of course, is no stranger to true Gadgeteers. They’ve been making power cables and cases for handhelds for years. And a gadget that connects your phone gadget to your car (which, for many, is just a big transportation gadget) while charging your phone – it’s like a Gadget Trifecta! So, how does it work in real life?

Images can be clicked for a larger version.

Getting audio into your car stereo can be done in two basic ways – through a wireless connection (Bluetooth or FM), or through physical cables (tape player converters, AUX jacks or dedicated wires). In my experience, the least painless and best sounding method has always been a physical connection. Even with a tape player converter, the sound is pretty decent and never suffers the static or low bandwidth issues sometimes seen with wireless.

I’ve been using a Bluetooth system for a few years now, and really like the ease of turning it on and having it access my music while my phone stays safely in my pocket, but when I drive my Lovely Bride’s car, I lust after the AUX connection and it’s full-spectrum audio that she enjoys daily. That little Bluetooth device on my sun visor just can’t compare. So when the Griffin iTrip was offered, I jumped at the chance to test it out.

iTrip2

iTrip7

Overall, once you extract the device from its sealed plastic tray, it amounts to a longish cable with a power plug on one end and an Apple 30-pin connector on the other, with a squarish box inline about a third of the way down the cable from the 30-pin side. Total length is just over a yard (41”), so it should be able to reach power outlets in most vehicles easily. On the plug, there is a Griffin logo inside a round LED that indicates when the unit has power. The 30-pin connector has a similar logo indicating the top (screen side) orientation of that plug, too.

When the iTrip is first connected, you are prompted to download the free iTrip app.

When the iTrip is first connected, you are prompted to download the free iTrip app.

The Griffin iTrip app downloads on first run.

The Griffin iTrip app downloads on first run.

Setup is almost nothing: plug it in to power and to your iPhone, download the app, tune to the station shown on the transmitter, and play your music. Whenever your iPhone is connected to the cable and it’s in a powered 12v port, your phone will be charging. I set it up in the driveway, so that I could download the app via my home WiFi.

Tune your radio to the frequency indicated on the iTrip's nice, clear display.

Tune your radio to the frequency indicated on the iTrip’s nice, clear display.

iTrip8

Once you open the app, it guides you through a quick setup and explains the process. The gist is that you can scan the FM band for any unused frequencies using the inline tuner display, and the iTrip transmitter will lock into it and begin broadcasting there. Tune your car’s audio to that frequency, hit play, and you’re hearing your music (or whatever) through the radio. It’s a lot easier to set up and use than it sounds, and it’s beautiful – until you start to drive.

In most metro areas, the FM airwaves are quite crowded. Between small indie stations, college stations, multi-cultural broadcasts and repeaters, any drive of more than a mile or two will find the “unused” bands being crowded out by other stations at or near the same frequency. This causes interference, static, and a general unpleasant listening experience.

Exacerbating the issue is modern car design and the Faraday cage. Used to be, back in the early days of FM convertors, there were few stations, and the antennas for the AM radio on cars were fused into the windshield. I spent one Christmas day upside down under the dash of my dad’s car installing a FM player to his AM-only company car, so that he could tune to a single station and enjoy FM music through the convertor. With the antenna right in the glass a few inches away from the convertor, reception was fantastic. My older daughter’s old Jeep Cherokee had a similar antenna setup, and she loved the quality of music played back from her iTrip and iPod. But she, like me, now has a car with the antenna mounted completely outside the passenger cage, and the steel of the car’s body forming a sort of Faraday cage around the space where the transmitter resides. The result is less that stellar reception, and static from crowding stations in metro areas.

On long car trips, where you leave the jumble of metro stations, the experience is much less painful, but there are still occasional hisses and pops when traveling near anything that broadcasts radiation: fluorescent lights at the gas station, radio towers, even large power transformers can make your music fade or sputter for a second. With podcasts or audiobooks, it may not be an issue, but with music, it’s really irritating. And, even though you’re hearing your music through your car stereo, it’s still not as full-spectrum as a hard-wired connection.

So, what’s the verdict? Well, it depends. If you want a quick, portable way to hear your iPhone’s content in any vehicle with a 12 volt plug and an FM radio, this is quite nice, especially on longish trips between large population centers. If your vehicle’s radio cannot be retrofitted with an AUX jack, or it’s just too costly to do so, it’s also a good method, but remember, sound quality will be less than 100%. If you have a newer vehicle with an AUX port or an older vehicle with a cassette player, either of these will still yield better sound with less hassle and interference than the iTrip.

Three stars. Well done; hardware does what it says, but interference can be an issue.

Product Information

Price:$60
Manufacturer:Griffin Technology
Retailer:various online and in stores
Requirements:
  • Apple device with 30-pin connector and music
  • Vehicle with 12V charging port and FM band radio
Pros:
  • Simple setup
  • Charges iPhone quickly, even without audio playback
  • Display lights up, yet is not too bright for vehicle cabin
Cons:
  • FM reception in most metro areas is quite crowded
  • Modern car design places the FM antenna outside the passenger compartment, blocking or interfering with much of the signal
  • FM sound is not as good as directly wired sound

Filed in categories: Audio, Video, TV Gear, Car Gear, iPhone, iPad, iPod, Reviews

Tagged: ,

Griffin iTrip Auto review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on March 25, 2013 at 11:00 am.

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2013/03/25/griffin-itrip-auto-review/

NINTENDO NOKIA

Friday, March 29, 2013

Google Keep, Instructables, Sidewalk Buddy, and More

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you had no excuse for being unproductive this week. What with Google's new note taking service coming out (and staying out), a coupon organizer in the palm of your hand, and easy to use instructions that can basically tell you how to do anything, any thing you didn't get done is on you. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/ZuoyVPYYL-E/google-keep-instructables-sidewalk-buddy-and-more

SYNTEL SYNTAXBRILLIAN

Two letters from Steve Jobs

Two letters from Steve Jobs

David Gelphman, former software engineer at Apple, shares a very personal, very human interaction with the late Steve Jobs:

In March 2010, just a couple of weeks before the iPad was due to be released publicly, I had a reason to contact Steve. A friend of mine was dying of liver disease and I was going to San Francisco to hopefully see and communicate with her while it was still possible. She was a friend from my Adobe days and was very much into technology. I thought it would be a treat for her to see an iPad. And I had one. But until the product was officially released I could not show it to anyone without permission from Apple management. [...]

So I wrote Steve:

Read to the end.

Source: David Gelphman



Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/TheIphoneBlog/~3/BscaWgfQeAg/story01.htm

SALESFORCE COM SAIC

Tarzan Ball is a tricky hook-and-pull physics game

tarzanball
So, you're a ball. A Tarzan Ball, to be precise. You've earned the nickname thanks to your astonishing ability to shoot out a lengthy 'vine' (I hope it's a vine) at objects, and then pull yourself towards those objects.

That's a handy ability to have, especially since you've got no legs, no arms, and no other means of transportation. In Tarzan Ball, the rope is everything. But you don't just swing around the screen aimlessly - that wouldn't be much of a game now, would it?

Instead, your goal in life is to collect "targets". Each level has one of these "targets" hidden away somewhere on the screen, usually behind some kind of barrier. Once you navigate close enough to the target, you can shoot your rope at it and just reel it in. That's when you pass the level.

You can't die in this game, but it can still be very frustrating. It's actually one of the tougher games I've posted recently. Still, if you enjoy physics games, this one is quite nicely made.

[This is actually the sequel to IQ Ball, which we covered last year! -Ed]

Tarzan Ball is a tricky hook-and-pull physics game originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 21 Feb 2011 18:18:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/21/tarzan-ball-is-a-tricky-hook-and-pull-physics-game/

BT GROUP CANON

SoundHound now scavenging tunes in more tablet-friendly Android version

SoundHound reveals new Android tablet, Rdio friendly update

If you've ever had an earworm you just can't put a name to, the SoundHound music recognition app -- that even translates your humming -- can be just the sorcery you need. There's now an Android version with a more tablet-centric design and tighter Google integration that brings "streamlined sharing to Facebook, Twitter and more," according to the company. It also trumpeted a stronger relationship with digital music service Rdio, which added interactive music mapping to its SoundHounded track-linking abilities, letting you see others across the globe with the same musical tastes and bad memory. You can grab it at Google Play or Amazon's Appstore for Kindle, but if you're as tone deaf as some of us, don't forget the auto-tune.

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Comments

Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/4bnWH33yPpI/

ITRON IRON MOUNTAIN INORATED