Augmented reality sandbox lets you change the course of rivers, won't get you wet

Ask in any kid, playing in the sandbox is fun enough on its own, but too much moisture will turn your grainy playground into a lumpy mess. Researchers at UC Davis have cooked up one solution: an augmented reality sandbox. Much like last year's SandyStation, the project uses a Kinect sensor in conjunction with a digital projector and a bit of software to overlay topographical data and simulated water over a traditional -- and dry -- sandbox. The end result is an augmented environment that can be used to teach geographic, geologic and hydrological concepts. The team hopes the project will help them develop hands-on exhibits for science museums, teaching visitors about contour lines, watersheds, catchment areas and more. Check out the video above for a full demo, or scope out the source below for the technical nitty-gritty.

Augmented reality sandbox lets you change the course of rivers, won't get you wet originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 04:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  UC Davis, Okreylos (YouTube)  | Email this | Comments

brandon jacobs brian dawkins askew

T-Mobile expands HSPA+ 42, picks LTE vendors and notches 1 million VoIP users

With CTIA 2012 getting under way, T-Mobile is the latest company to check in with an announcement, proudly informing the world of the latest developments in its 4G expansion efforts and Bobsled VoIP service. On the 4G (not faux G) front, it's selected "Release 10" hardware from Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks to support the $4 billion LTE rollout the company is undertaking (using AWS spectrum acquired from AT&T) starting this year and will continue through 2013. While nationwide LTE should be reality next year, right now T-Mobile is delivering HSPA+ to new markets, with HSPA+ 42 live today in Fayetteville and Little Rock AR, Lake Charles LA and Springfield, MO. Due later in the year, as expected, is 4G HSPA+ on the 1900 MHz band that should bring faster speeds, better building penetration and 4G access for the iPhone. While we're still not sure how the free Bobsled VoIP service figures into the company's plans, the company announced it has already broken through one million users. According to its stats, 95 percent are not T-Mobile wireless customers and 80 percent of calls originate from outside the country, however 90 percent of text messages sent are domestic. All the numbers and locations are in the press releases after the break, if you want to hunt down some high speed data action for yourself.

Continue reading T-Mobile expands HSPA+ 42, picks LTE vendors and notches 1 million VoIP users

T-Mobile expands HSPA+ 42, picks LTE vendors and notches 1 million VoIP users originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 07 May 2012 22:54:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

the waltons the waltons weta weta rudolph the red nosed reindeer rudolph the red nosed reindeer adam carolla

Switched On: Competing by hook or by Nook

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Microsoft has a long history of supporting bitter rivals -- even those that have long publicly disparaged the company, offering funds to Nokia, Corel and, most famously, Apple. It also has a long history of supporting e-reading. Prior to ending development last year, the company offered its Microsoft Reader software for about a decade -- first on handheld devices using Windows CE and Windows Mobile and later on desktop Windows. Those two traditions intersected yesterday as Microsoft invested in a new Nook e-book business designed to compete better against Apple and especially Amazon.com.

Continue reading Switched On: Competing by hook or by Nook

Switched On: Competing by hook or by Nook originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 May 2012 18:28:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |   | Email this | Comments

ucla usc ucla usc sean taylor usc football cybermonday coach outlet apostasy

HTC One V headed to the U.S. this summer

Alongside its Droid Incredible 4G LTE announcement, HTC also revealed that the One V, it's new entry-level smartphone, will be headed to the U.S. from a "variety of partners" this summer. No specific dates, prices or networks were announced. but the One V is a good bet for pre-paid or regional carriers.

Inside its chinny, Legend-like chassis, the One V sports a 1GHz single-core Snapdragon CPU, 512MB of RAM and a WVGA (800x480) SuperLCD2 display. As you might imagine, it's running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and HTC Sense 4 on the software side. There's also a 5MP HTC ImageSense camera, which we found performed better than any entry-level smartphone camera we'd tested, even putting the Galaxy Nexus's 5MP shooter to shame.

For more on the One V, be sure to check out our full review of the international version. We've also got the full press release from HTC after the break.

read more

ron paul molly sims hostess brands nh primary david crowder band natalie wood van halen

Romney Plays Up Past Laurels (WSJ)

Share With Friends: | | Politics - Top Stories News, RSS Feeds and Widgets via Feedzilla.

gift card exchange tj holmes waste management two fat ladies

FBI reportedly pressing for backdoor access to Facebook, Google

Investigators at the FBI supposedly aren't happy that social networks like Facebook or Google+ don't have the same kind of facility for wiretaps that phones have had for decades. If claimed industry contacts for CNET are right, senior staff at the bureau have floated a proposed amendment to the 1994-era Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act (CALEA) that would require that communication-based websites with large user bases include a backdoor for federal agents to snoop on suspects. It would still include the same requirement for a court order as for phone calls, even if US carriers currently enjoy immunity for cooperating with any warrantless wiretapping. As might be expected, technology firms and civil liberties advocates like the Electronic Frontier Foundation object to deepening CALEA's reach any further, and Apple is thought to be preemptively lobbying against another definition of the law that might require a government back channel for audiovisual chat services like FaceTime or Skype. The FBI didn't explicitly confirm the proposal when asked, but it did say it was worried it might be "going dark" and couldn't enforce wiretaps.

[Image credit: David Drexler, Flickr]

FBI reportedly pressing for backdoor access to Facebook, Google originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 05 May 2012 14:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  CNET  | Email this | Comments

postsecret ufc on fox 2

This Incubator Humanizes The Hospital [Video]

Childbirth, though wonderful, can also be quite traumatic. That can be particularly true for the parents of premature infants, who often spend several weeks in a neonatal ICU while their children rest in incubators that, while life-saving are typically very impersonal, and serve as de-facto barriers between parent and child. The BabyBloom Incubator aims to change that experience. It's a super-innovative solution to a host of problems. More »

gbc hedy lamarr jack white kowloon walled city ronda rousey vs miesha tate lindsay lohan snl lindsay lohan on snl