The Future of Touchscreens, RickRolling Slowed Down and Visualized
There's a load of great tech news happening out there every day, and, unfortunately, we just can't cover it all. Here are a few of the other noteworthy things we saw today on our never-ending journey through the wild, wild Web.
- In the future, as visualized by TATMobile, touchscreens will accompany us from the bedroom to the office, and apparently, the mouse lives on. Fortunately, this looks much like a cleaner version of the grungy, post-apocalyptic interfaces we saw in 'Children of Men.' [From: Made With Computers]
- The communication necessary for a RickRoll, or any other Youtube video, slowed down 12 times. [From: Kottke]
- If you were thrown into a design rage over iTunes 10's ridiculous vertical minimize/maximize buttons -- entirely unusable if you're running the graphite theme in OS X -- then you'll be pleased to know it can be changed back to normal. TUAW's got a handy guide to making the switch back to horizontal, and don't miss Maniacal Rage's handy overlay-based roundup that reveals the differences between previous versions of the media app. [From: TUAW and Maniacal Rage]
- The U.S. Open is tracking data from the tennis tournament on PointStream, a real-time data visualization that shows everything from player momentum to serve speed. [From: U.S. Open]
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The Future of Touchscreens, RickRolling Slowed Down and Visualized originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 18:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
‘Freeciv’: Sid Meier’s Civilization Gets a Revamp in This New School Homage
As much as we love new gaming experiences, sometimes we hanker for the classic games of our distant youth. Luckily, many of these can be revisited in browser-based iterations. This week, we'll take a look at timeless classics -- like Monday's 'Pac-Man', Tuesday's 'Lemmings' or yesterday's 'Duke Nukem' -- that are always worth wasted productivity. If you haven't played these in a few years, or if (heaven forbid) you've never undertaken them, then what are you waiting for?
Based on 'Civilization,' designer Sid Meier's classic PC strategy game of empire building, 'Freeciv.net' is a complex game with a simple goal: to conquer the world. In 'Freeciv.net,' players direct the expansion of their kingdom over a series of turns, much like an incredibly detailed game of 'Risk.' Technology can be researched, wars fought, cities founded, revolutions started, and much, much more. Most impressive about 'Freeciv.net' is its built-in online multi-player functionality. (Loners can opt to challenge AI.) While it takes a little while to get maneuvering (as the tricky controls and often overwhelming options necessitate reading the FAQ), the payoff is a deep, fun and challenging experience.
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'Freeciv': Sid Meier's Civilization Gets a Revamp in This New School Homage originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 16:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
The Best Android Apps for Your Car [Android]
Having an Android along for your daily commute or occasional car trips can make the ride a lot easier, safer, and simply more fun. Here are our favorite Android apps to have on hand when it's time to hit the road. More
Double Rainbow Guy Shills for Microsoft
After Paul "Bear" Vasquez went viral with his rather enthusiastic response to seeing a "double rainbow all the way across the sky," we thought he would quietly fade back into obscurity. Even after The Gregory Brothers autotuned Bear's wonderment within an inch of its life to create one minute and 30 seconds of accidental pop brilliance, there was no reason to expect that, two months later, we'd still be talking about him. But the team at Windows Live Photo Gallery thought the former cage fighter was a perfect match for a video to promote its panorama stitch feature. Check out the video after the jump in which Bear, with significantly less enthusiasm, marvels at yet another double rainbow, then snaps three pictures of the refracted light and combines them to create a single panoramic image that captures the entire rainbow. While we might not be free of the nature lover's ramblings just yet, this video does make one thing clear: Bear won't be making the leap to acting anytime soon.
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Double Rainbow Guy Shills for Microsoft originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 12:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
College Kids in Colorado Crash NASA Satellite
As part of what must be the coolest undergraduate class ever, a group of students from the University of Colorado at Boulder recently crashed a NASA satellite into the ocean -- on purpose. As PopSci explains, undergrads and professors at UC-Boulder's Laboratory for Atmospheric and Space Physics (LASP) spent a full seven years monitoring NASA's Ice, Cloud, and Land Elevation Satellite (ICESat) as it collected data on polar ice, ice sheets and sea ice dynamics, as well.
Eventually, though, the satellite ran out of fuel, and it was time to put her to bed. So, after conducting calculations and simulating re-entry scenarios for seven days, the team finally decided to crash ICESat into the Barents Sea, just north of Norway and Russia, where collateral damage would be minimized. They then set the satellite on an appropriate trajectory, and watched with glee as it re-entered the atmosphere, burned up and met its watery death.
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College Kids in Colorado Crash NASA Satellite originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 11:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
iTunes 10 Finally Out for Download, ‘Angry Birds’ Dive-Bombing to Android
Highlights from this morning's big tech headlines
- The Ping social network-infused iTunes 10 finally landed last night, and it's available for download. [From: Apple]
- The ever popular 'Angry Birds' game has been confirmed as being released to Android phones this Friday. [From: TalkAndroid]
- Also late last night, Twitter launched its official free app for iPad, bringing multiple account logins and some really unique gestures and actions to your daily flood of 140 characters. [From: Twitter]
- Starting today, BlackBerry users can finally pay for their Starbucks venti macchiatos with their smartphones. [From: Mashable]
- Samsung's Android-powered Galaxy Tab finally gets official, and our friends at Engadget go hands-on with the 7-inch tablet. [From: Engadget]
iTunes 10 Finally Out for Download, 'Angry Birds' Dive-Bombing to Android originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 09:36:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Peter Bentley’s iStethoscope iPhone App Takes Off
When Peter Bentley wrote the 'iStethoscope' app for the iPhone, it was meant, we think, to be entertainment. The $0.99 app has some surprisingly powerful features for recording and measuring heart beats, but the tiny iPhone microphone makes it quite difficult to use and a tad unreliable. In the U.S., the app hasn't seen much success, but, overseas, it's gained traction since Bentley introduced a free version last week.
With over 500 downloads per day, 'iStethoscope' has clearly piqued some people's interest. The question is, are any of them doctors? The iPhone's potential in the healthcare field is no secret, but thus far such uses have been confined to the likes of blood sugar meters and non-smoking apps. Is it possible for a medical professional to simply place her phone against your chest, and listen to and record your heart? Will doctors use their iPhones to perform ultrasounds, or to perform on-the-spot blood analysis? Maybe, but we won't lie: If our doctor came to the examination room and started pressing his beat-up 3G against our chest, he'd only hear a heart attack.
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Peter Bentley's iStethoscope iPhone App Takes Off originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Chinese Cell Phone Buyers Now Required to Show ID, Passports
As part of a cracked-out crackdown on mobile privacy, China now requires all of its citizens to register their personal information before buying cell phones. As Reuters reports, the country's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology will now require anyone buying a cell phone to show ID cards, with foreign purchasers having to show their passports. According to the China Daily newspaper, the decision, which goes into effect today, is part of "the latest campaign by the government to curb the global scourge of spam, pornographic messages and fraud on cellular phones." In China, text message spam is apparently something of a major problem. Some, however, have criticized the move as yet another infringement on citizen privacy.
Critics have expressed concern that, for example, the government could easily use the registered information to monitor Chinese mobile users. Others have pointed out that the data could be sold to corrupt companies or spammers. "Now that the system of authenticating names for mobile phones is being enforced, the related measures for protecting citizens' privacy cannot be delayed," reads a critique in the China Economic Times. It'd certainly be nice to see China implement such protective measures, but, at this point, it seems like wishful thinking.
Chinese Cell Phone Buyers Now Required to Show ID, Passports originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Textees: Thumb Cozies For Imprecise Texters
You, dear reader, need a pair of Textees! They look like tiny Crocs for your thumbs and, if this promo video's correct, they'll save you from sending the wrong text to the three girls you're playing at once. Textees could also be great for senior citizens who like to sext but have poor dexterity, and who enjoy canned gangsta rap with their cable commercials.
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Textees: Thumb Cozies For Imprecise Texters originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 07:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Google Maps Adds Sponsored Icons, Puts Logos on Your Searches
Starting today, you might notice something different about your searches in Google Maps: company logos. After a trial period in Australia and New Zealand, Google is expanding its sponsored map icons program to the States. Bank of America, Target, Public Storage and HSBC will now have their logos, as opposed to generic business icons, displayed in Google Maps to indicate their locations. The program is only in beta at the moment, but it's eventually expected to be opened up to all companies that wish to pay to have their logos displayed. The sponsored icons will become visible in the next few weeks on mobile phones, as well, where they'll likely be much more useful. Businesses paying to have their icons in Google Maps will benefit by having their locations more visible in searches and increasing brand awareness, while consumers will be happy to navigate map with added ease.
The common worry is that if enough companies buy into the program, our Maps may become buried in a sea of logos, but Google says it will decide which logos to display based on the search context to prevent customers from being overwhelmed. If you search for a restaurant, Google may display logos for banks (in case you need to hit an ATM), whereas you probably won't see Public Storage locations.
Google Maps Adds Sponsored Icons, Puts Logos on Your Searches originally appeared on Switched on Thu, 02 Sep 2010 06:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.