1. New wearable camera chooses when to take photos for you
Described as the world’s first intelligent, wearable camera, that enables users to "see the unseen", the Autographer employs five in-built sensors (light, color, motion, direction and temperature) and Microsoft ‘SenseCam’ technology to choose the best moments to take a picture. All you have to do is wear the camera and make sure the wide-angle lens is facing forward at all times.
The Autographer will capture a stream of high resolution photos (up to 2,000 in a single day) that you can then review at your leisure. There’s also a stop-frame video option which will string all of the pictures together so you can watch them in sequence -- great for life bloggers or for recording parties or concerts.
Desktop software and a mobile app will let you share and edit your images and create videos or animated stories. The Autographer also offers Bluetooth connectivity for easy downloading of images on the move.
The camera will initially be available to purchase online in the United Kingdom, starting in November, priced at £399 ($650). If it sells well, OMG said it will look at bringing the product to the US and Japan at a later date.
2. So long robot, I'm ditching Android
Dear Google, that's it! I've had enough! Enough of the random lockups and reboots. Enough of the buggy browser and convoluted multitasking. Enough of Android!
Google, I've given you a fair shot. I drank the Kool-Aid. I joined the Android Army. And I wore my green robot tattoo thingy with pride. However, I could never shake the feeling that I've been running with the wrong crowd.
As a certified Windows NT bigot from long before it was cool to be one, I find myself constantly comparing the Android OS experience to my years of working with Cutler's masterpiece. And no matter how I slice it, Google, your OS keeps coming up short. From multitasking performance (big Wi-Fi file transfers slow my Iconia Tab to a crawl) to robustness (a hang or reboot a day keeps the productivity at bay) to simple usability (I positively hatethat stupid recent apps list mechanism), I keep pining for something more, well, NT-like.
So I've decided to take a step back from our cozy post-PC relationship and re-evaluate my goals. For example, while I prize your app selection and (nearly) full-featured productivity tools, I miss the carefree attitude I developed when working with an OS that rarely, if ever, crashes. And though I enjoy tinkering with custom Android ROMs/kernels and overclocking my dual-core, Tegra 2-based Iconia A200 to the point where it spanks many quad-core devices on popular benchmarks, the uncertainty of when and how your nascent tablet OS might fold on me next has taken all of the joy out of that raw performance.
If anything, your OS feels more akin to Windows 98 (or that cute-yet-crazy gymnast I dated in high school): Light, flexible and highly unstable. As the guy who literally wrote the book on "Migrating to Windows NT" (Copyright 1993, Brady Books -- look it up), it is a sensation I simply cannot abide. Even with a stock ROM/kernel, I find Android 4.0.3 to be quite unreliable. Heck, the first non-beta version of your own flagship web browser, Google Chrome, locks my tab up tight whenever I try to log into Disqus. And then there are the endless reboot loops stemming from an auto-update to the APEX Launcher I received just this morning. Talk about performance anxiety! This is just crazy!
Of course, if I'm going to throw in the towel on our relationship, Google, the next big question becomes: Where do I go next? Should I tough it out for a few weeks and see if Surface finally grows out of its schizophrenic beginnings? Sure, it's Windows NT under the covers, but that Metro UI is an abomination, and I can't stand using the desktop interface on a tablet (big fingers and small buttons don't mix).
Should I try Apple? And become one of the mindless "sheeple" hanging out at the local Starbucks, trying to look all "hip" and "deep?" Puhleeezzz!
First Love
No, the only option that makes sense is to go back to my first love, the platform that launched my post-PC adventure: QNX, in the form of my trusty RIM Playbook. When my Iconia Tab was down with another mysterious failure, it was my Playbook that provided the virtual shoulder to cry on while allowing me to get back online and search for ways to fix my broken relationship. And every time I fired up that black beauty, I was reminded of how smoothly QNX multitasks. From file transfers to media playback to simply browsing the web without worrying about system stability or which sites would overload the web browser, my Playbook has remained my rock in the storm.
The whole experience reminds me of all the things I liked about Windows NT, only with a touch UI that actually harnesses the OS' underlying power in a sensible way. So when I finally decided to make the switch "back to black," it felt like I was coming home. And it turns out that my timing couldn't have been better, as rumor has it that RIM will be releasing version 2.1 of its enterprise-caliber tablet OS this week during the company's Blackberry JAM event in San Francisco.
With improved Android application support (including a better multitasking implementation than Android itself -- take that, Google!), and class-leading web browser standards support, Playbook OS 2.1 is poised to inject new life -- and a degree of class -- into this reliable, if un-glamorous, workhorse device.
I, for one, am looking forward to the release. All of my favorite Android apps already run flawlessly under RIM's runtime implementation, and the beta version of Playbook OS 2.1 has been more stable than any Android version I've tested. Assuming RIM maintains its track record for creating highly robust, secure mobile computing platforms, I can see this latest iteration meeting or exceeding my expectations.
So it's over, Google. We had some good times. But I need more. I need stability in my post-PC relationship, and RIM's QNX has got it in spades.
3. More renewable energy for our data centers
We announced our commitment to carbon neutrality back in 2007, and since then we’ve been finding ways topower our operations with as much renewable energy as possible. In our latest step toward this end, we just signed an agreement with the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA) to green the energy supply to our Oklahoma data center with 48 MW of wind energy from the Canadian Hills Wind Project in Oklahoma, which is expected to come online later this year.
We’ve been working with GRDA, our local utility, to procure additional renewable energy since we “plugged in” our data center in 2011, and in February of 2012, GRDA approached us about purchasing power from Canadian Hills. In conjunction with the electricity GRDA already supplies Google to operate its data center, Google will pay GRDA a premium to purchase renewable energy generated by Canadian Hills. This brings the total amount of renewable energy for which Google has contracted to over 260 MW.
This agreement is a milestone for GRDA because it’s their first-ever wind energy project. It’s also a milestone for Google because it’s a little different from the previous Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) we’ve signed, where we agreed to buy the energy directly from the developer who built the wind farm. This agreement, by contrast, marks the first time we’ve partnered with a utility provider to increase the amount of renewable energy powering one of our data centers.
Although both options can make sense depending on the circumstances, we’re excited about this collaboration because it makes the most of our respective strengths: utilities like GRDA are best positioned to integrate renewable energy into their generation mix and to deliver power; we’re a growing company with a corporate mandate to use clean energy for our operations in a scalable way. We’ve been working closely with all of our utility partners to find ways to source renewables directly, and we look forward to working with other suppliers to deliver clean energy to our data centers.
4. Ubuntu Made Easy Shortens the Learning Curve
Ubuntu is one of the most popular and user-friendly Linux operating systems you will find. That said, Ubuntu can be intimidating and frustrating to computer users just stepping out of the World of Windows. Nothing beats learning how to use the Linux operating system like hands-on discovery. Having someone to coach you through the questions does a lot to remove frustrations and shorten the learning curve. One learning tool most Linux distributions lack is a detailed start-up guide. A simple-to-read set of explanations jump starts your ability to really use and enjoy open source software.
5. What streaming set-top box has allowed you to ditch cable? [Discussions Of The Day]
Great discussions are nothing new here on Lifehacker. Each day, we highlight a discussion that is particularly helpful or insightful, along with other great discussions and reader questions you may have missed. Check out these discussions and add your own thoughts to make them even more wonderful! More »
7. Adobe's continuing revolution pushes the cutting Edge of HTML5 development
Adobe today launched the first products and services in its Edge suite of HTML5 development tools. Adobe Edge Animate 1.0 aids Web developers and designers in the creation of animation and interactive content; Edge Inspect (formerly called Shadow) provides simultaneous cross-mobile-device previewing and debugging. The third product to go live today was Edge Web Fonts, a new font service offering more than 500 free fonts including two new ones from Adobe.
The company also demonstrated two other Edge tools that are currently in development. The first is a design tool, Edge Reflow, designed to facilitate the development of so-called "responsive" pages that alter their layout depending on the size and resolution of the device they're being viewed on—a technique that is becoming more popular as a way of handling the ever-increasing number of different form factors in common use. The second is Edge Code, a more programmer-oriented code editor with live previewing and the ability to expand and edit CSS and JavaScript from within the HTML view, rather than having to jump between files.
As well as these Edge tools, Adobe announced the release of PhoneGap Build. This cloud service takes HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript, and combines them together to produce applications for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, webOS, BlackBerry OS, Bada, and Symbian.
Modern cameras come with all sorts of useful features to help ensure you get the best shots. They can identify faces, detect smiles and even blinks. OMG’s new Autographer camera goes a step further by actually doing away with the need for a human photographer, deciding for itself when to start snapping.
Described as the world’s first intelligent, wearable camera, that enables users to "see the unseen", the Autographer employs five in-built sensors (light, color, motion, direction and temperature) and Microsoft ‘SenseCam’ technology to choose the best moments to take a picture. All you have to do is wear the camera and make sure the wide-angle lens is facing forward at all times.
The Autographer will capture a stream of high resolution photos (up to 2,000 in a single day) that you can then review at your leisure. There’s also a stop-frame video option which will string all of the pictures together so you can watch them in sequence -- great for life bloggers or for recording parties or concerts.
Desktop software and a mobile app will let you share and edit your images and create videos or animated stories. The Autographer also offers Bluetooth connectivity for easy downloading of images on the move.
The camera will initially be available to purchase online in the United Kingdom, starting in November, priced at £399 ($650). If it sells well, OMG said it will look at bringing the product to the US and Japan at a later date.
2. So long robot, I'm ditching Android
Dear Google, that's it! I've had enough! Enough of the random lockups and reboots. Enough of the buggy browser and convoluted multitasking. Enough of Android!
Google, I've given you a fair shot. I drank the Kool-Aid. I joined the Android Army. And I wore my green robot tattoo thingy with pride. However, I could never shake the feeling that I've been running with the wrong crowd.
As a certified Windows NT bigot from long before it was cool to be one, I find myself constantly comparing the Android OS experience to my years of working with Cutler's masterpiece. And no matter how I slice it, Google, your OS keeps coming up short. From multitasking performance (big Wi-Fi file transfers slow my Iconia Tab to a crawl) to robustness (a hang or reboot a day keeps the productivity at bay) to simple usability (I positively hatethat stupid recent apps list mechanism), I keep pining for something more, well, NT-like.
So I've decided to take a step back from our cozy post-PC relationship and re-evaluate my goals. For example, while I prize your app selection and (nearly) full-featured productivity tools, I miss the carefree attitude I developed when working with an OS that rarely, if ever, crashes. And though I enjoy tinkering with custom Android ROMs/kernels and overclocking my dual-core, Tegra 2-based Iconia A200 to the point where it spanks many quad-core devices on popular benchmarks, the uncertainty of when and how your nascent tablet OS might fold on me next has taken all of the joy out of that raw performance.
If anything, your OS feels more akin to Windows 98 (or that cute-yet-crazy gymnast I dated in high school): Light, flexible and highly unstable. As the guy who literally wrote the book on "Migrating to Windows NT" (Copyright 1993, Brady Books -- look it up), it is a sensation I simply cannot abide. Even with a stock ROM/kernel, I find Android 4.0.3 to be quite unreliable. Heck, the first non-beta version of your own flagship web browser, Google Chrome, locks my tab up tight whenever I try to log into Disqus. And then there are the endless reboot loops stemming from an auto-update to the APEX Launcher I received just this morning. Talk about performance anxiety! This is just crazy!
Of course, if I'm going to throw in the towel on our relationship, Google, the next big question becomes: Where do I go next? Should I tough it out for a few weeks and see if Surface finally grows out of its schizophrenic beginnings? Sure, it's Windows NT under the covers, but that Metro UI is an abomination, and I can't stand using the desktop interface on a tablet (big fingers and small buttons don't mix).
Should I try Apple? And become one of the mindless "sheeple" hanging out at the local Starbucks, trying to look all "hip" and "deep?" Puhleeezzz!
First Love
No, the only option that makes sense is to go back to my first love, the platform that launched my post-PC adventure: QNX, in the form of my trusty RIM Playbook. When my Iconia Tab was down with another mysterious failure, it was my Playbook that provided the virtual shoulder to cry on while allowing me to get back online and search for ways to fix my broken relationship. And every time I fired up that black beauty, I was reminded of how smoothly QNX multitasks. From file transfers to media playback to simply browsing the web without worrying about system stability or which sites would overload the web browser, my Playbook has remained my rock in the storm.
The whole experience reminds me of all the things I liked about Windows NT, only with a touch UI that actually harnesses the OS' underlying power in a sensible way. So when I finally decided to make the switch "back to black," it felt like I was coming home. And it turns out that my timing couldn't have been better, as rumor has it that RIM will be releasing version 2.1 of its enterprise-caliber tablet OS this week during the company's Blackberry JAM event in San Francisco.
With improved Android application support (including a better multitasking implementation than Android itself -- take that, Google!), and class-leading web browser standards support, Playbook OS 2.1 is poised to inject new life -- and a degree of class -- into this reliable, if un-glamorous, workhorse device.
I, for one, am looking forward to the release. All of my favorite Android apps already run flawlessly under RIM's runtime implementation, and the beta version of Playbook OS 2.1 has been more stable than any Android version I've tested. Assuming RIM maintains its track record for creating highly robust, secure mobile computing platforms, I can see this latest iteration meeting or exceeding my expectations.
So it's over, Google. We had some good times. But I need more. I need stability in my post-PC relationship, and RIM's QNX has got it in spades.
3. More renewable energy for our data centers
We announced our commitment to carbon neutrality back in 2007, and since then we’ve been finding ways topower our operations with as much renewable energy as possible. In our latest step toward this end, we just signed an agreement with the Grand River Dam Authority (GRDA) to green the energy supply to our Oklahoma data center with 48 MW of wind energy from the Canadian Hills Wind Project in Oklahoma, which is expected to come online later this year.
We’ve been working with GRDA, our local utility, to procure additional renewable energy since we “plugged in” our data center in 2011, and in February of 2012, GRDA approached us about purchasing power from Canadian Hills. In conjunction with the electricity GRDA already supplies Google to operate its data center, Google will pay GRDA a premium to purchase renewable energy generated by Canadian Hills. This brings the total amount of renewable energy for which Google has contracted to over 260 MW.
This agreement is a milestone for GRDA because it’s their first-ever wind energy project. It’s also a milestone for Google because it’s a little different from the previous Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) we’ve signed, where we agreed to buy the energy directly from the developer who built the wind farm. This agreement, by contrast, marks the first time we’ve partnered with a utility provider to increase the amount of renewable energy powering one of our data centers.
Although both options can make sense depending on the circumstances, we’re excited about this collaboration because it makes the most of our respective strengths: utilities like GRDA are best positioned to integrate renewable energy into their generation mix and to deliver power; we’re a growing company with a corporate mandate to use clean energy for our operations in a scalable way. We’ve been working closely with all of our utility partners to find ways to source renewables directly, and we look forward to working with other suppliers to deliver clean energy to our data centers.
4. Ubuntu Made Easy Shortens the Learning Curve
Ubuntu is one of the most popular and user-friendly Linux operating systems you will find. That said, Ubuntu can be intimidating and frustrating to computer users just stepping out of the World of Windows. Nothing beats learning how to use the Linux operating system like hands-on discovery. Having someone to coach you through the questions does a lot to remove frustrations and shorten the learning curve. One learning tool most Linux distributions lack is a detailed start-up guide. A simple-to-read set of explanations jump starts your ability to really use and enjoy open source software.
5. What streaming set-top box has allowed you to ditch cable? [Discussions Of The Day]
Great discussions are nothing new here on Lifehacker. Each day, we highlight a discussion that is particularly helpful or insightful, along with other great discussions and reader questions you may have missed. Check out these discussions and add your own thoughts to make them even more wonderful! More »
6. New BlackBerry 10 beta showcases upcoming OS features
RIM has been showing reporters the latest beta of its upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system, which we first looked at back in May. Today's announcements focused on the operating system's multitasking model and navigation, which RIM is calling "Flow."
RIM has been showing reporters the latest beta of its upcoming BlackBerry 10 operating system, which we first looked at back in May. Today's announcements focused on the operating system's multitasking model and navigation, which RIM is calling "Flow."
First, the multitasking: there's room on the BlackBerry 10 home screen for up to eight of what RIM calls "Active Frames." These are functionally similar to Windows Phone's Live Tiles or Android home screen widgets, but rather than being separate entities they're actually minimized versions of currently running applications. The frames can show either a thumbnail view of the entire app, or a special view of the application designed for the home screen. Because these apps are all currently loaded into memory, switching back to them is quick and seamless.
Standard application icons like you might see on an iOS or Android device are located on another screen. You can switch between "personal" and "work" modes to display different icon layouts and use different security settings—applications from your business can run in the more locked-down "work" mode alongside user-installed "personal" applications. This continues the BlackBerry's tradition of catering to business users while also making concessions to more modern, consumer-driven usage patterns.
Standard application icons like you might see on an iOS or Android device are located on another screen. You can switch between "personal" and "work" modes to display different icon layouts and use different security settings—applications from your business can run in the more locked-down "work" mode alongside user-installed "personal" applications. This continues the BlackBerry's tradition of catering to business users while also making concessions to more modern, consumer-driven usage patterns.
7. Adobe's continuing revolution pushes the cutting Edge of HTML5 development
Adobe today launched the first products and services in its Edge suite of HTML5 development tools. Adobe Edge Animate 1.0 aids Web developers and designers in the creation of animation and interactive content; Edge Inspect (formerly called Shadow) provides simultaneous cross-mobile-device previewing and debugging. The third product to go live today was Edge Web Fonts, a new font service offering more than 500 free fonts including two new ones from Adobe.
The company also demonstrated two other Edge tools that are currently in development. The first is a design tool, Edge Reflow, designed to facilitate the development of so-called "responsive" pages that alter their layout depending on the size and resolution of the device they're being viewed on—a technique that is becoming more popular as a way of handling the ever-increasing number of different form factors in common use. The second is Edge Code, a more programmer-oriented code editor with live previewing and the ability to expand and edit CSS and JavaScript from within the HTML view, rather than having to jump between files.
As well as these Edge tools, Adobe announced the release of PhoneGap Build. This cloud service takes HTML5, CSS, and JavaScript, and combines them together to produce applications for iOS, Android, Windows Phone, webOS, BlackBerry OS, Bada, and Symbian.
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