We know that data input via touch will have to evolve at some point. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University believe that a more sophisticated system that can distinguish between different parts of the finger could be one approach.
Called TapSense, the technology can tell the difference between the tap of a fingertip, the pad of the finger, a fingernail and a knuckle. The researchers said that this technology could be handy, for example, when typing on a virtual keyboard. “For instance, users might capitalize letters simply by tapping with a fingernail instead of a fingertip, or might switch to numerals by using the pad of a finger, rather toggling to a different set of keys,” a press release states.
Similarly a painting app could leverage such a technology to control different color palettes or brushes. We could also imagine that this could be interesting for touch games. “TapSense basically doubles the input bandwidth for a touchscreen,” said Chris Harrison from Carnegie Mellon’s Human-Computer Interaction Institute. “This is particularly important for smaller touchscreens, where screen real estate is limited. If we can remove mode buttons from the screen, we can make room for more content or can make the remaining buttons larger.”
There was no information whether this technology will actually make it into actual products. However, the integration would be fairly easy: TapSense uses a microphone and analyzes the sounds made by tapping on the touch screen surface with different parts of the finger. The researchers claim that their technology is able to distinguish between the four types of finger inputs with 95 percent accuracy.
Nvidia has released a promo video of its upcoming Tegra 3 five-core SoC code-named “Kal-El”. The commercial doesn’t offer any hard facts when it comes to what devices will feature the chip or when they’ll be available on the market, but merely shows what a Superman-themed SoC promises to offer when duty calls, including console-quality gaming, high-speed internet with Flash, multitasking, full HD video and more.
Tablets will reportedly arrive first with Kal-El intact from manufacturers like Asus and ZTE this fall, followed by smartphones sometime early next year.
Most of us surely have done this once or twice in our life of driving in the traffic light world. The light is red, but you’re turning right, so you stop and then proceed as soon as traffic clears. But then, just as you’ve committed, you spot a Proton Waja with red and blue lights atop, and your mind starts to race. Was there a no turn on red sign back there? Is that a cop? Oh snap, I hate to give ‘kopi-o’! That’s the least to happen, if there’s no unwanted accidents caused by your wrongdoing that is.
It’s not a pretty feeling, but once you’re committed, you know it’s too late. Well, it’s too late for most, but apparently not everyone in Russia agrees. Hit the jump to see video that illustrates what not to do after deciding to turn right on a red light. We don’t speak Russian, but we’d like to think that the video’s narrator is calling this driver a, uh, buffoon.
Tesla’s libel suit against Top Gear was dealt a crushing blow with London’s court ruling that no Top Gear viewer would have reasonably assumed the Tesla Roadster’s on-track performance on the show relates to its real-world capabilities.
As you might recall, Top Gear‘s review of the Roadster concluded by claiming that, “In the real world, it doesn’t seem to work”. But that’s just Top Gear being, well, Top Gear, implies Justice Tugendhat:
In my judgment, the words complained of are wholly incapable of conveying any meaning at all to the effect that the claimant misled anyone. This is because the contrast between the style of driving and the nature of the track as compared with the conditions on a public road are so great that no reasonable person could understand that the performance on the track is capable of a direct comparison with a public road.
The ruling was handed down verbally by Justice Tugendhat before lunch on Wednesday, October 19th. The Tesla versus Top Gear trial will continue as the automaker is suing BBC for five malicious statements made during the Top Gear’s 2008 review of the electric Roadster. Tugendhat is expected to return a complete verdict within weeks.
Given that storage components account for 10 to 15-percent of an ultrabook’s total cost, unnamed sources from “ultrabook players” are reporting that manufacturers will likely ditch pricey high-capacity SDDs and rely on hybrid storage solutions for future ultrabook models. This is expected to help reduce costs while also fulfilling Intel’s goal of a sub-$1000 pricetag and retaining high storage capacities.
The news follows reports that ultrabook manufacturers will start using fiberglass frames instead of aluminum which will also help keep production costs low. Because manufacturers aren’t getting a subsidy on Intel processors, they’re looking at other avenues of reducing the overall cost without sacrificing critical components.
The new ultrabook form factor requires storage to be smaller than a standard 9.5-mm hard drive while also having the ability boot into the operating system within 8 to 45 seconds. With those two factors in mind, manufacturers want to use a hybrid solution in future models, as they have a lower cost than standard high-capacity SSDs while also meeting Intel’s fast boot time and storage efficiency.
As seen weeks ago, Acer launched its Aspire S3 series ultrabook using a combination of an HDD and an SSD in a stick form factor, throwing the operating system on the 20 GB SSD portion while leaving the 320 GB portion open for consumers. Other ultrabook manufacturers are possibly looking to do the same, sources claim, but consumers won’t see hybrid solutions until future waves of ultrabooks arrive in 2012 or later. In the meantime, the initial wave will focus primarily on SSDs as seen with the Asus Zenbooks and the Lenovo IdeaPad U300.
Tuesday during the Web 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, SCEA President and CEO Jack Tretton said that the PlayStation Vita handheld gaming unit will finally arrive in the United States, Canada, Latin America, and Europe on February 22, 2012. The vanila Wi-Fi version will cost a hefty $249 USD whereas the Wi-Fi/3G combo model will be a dollar shy of a full $300 USD.
“Our first-party studios and army of publishing partners have been extremely hard at work to ensure that PS Vita launches with a vast library of titles that deliver unique gameplay experiences that go beyond any handheld or mobile device on the market,” Tretton said Tuesday in a blog. “We have more than 100 games currently in development globally that span many different genres, including Sound Shapes, Resistance: Burning Skies, Uncharted Golden Abyss, Capcom’s Ultimate Marvel vs. Capcom 3, Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed, EA Sports’ FIFA, Activision’s Call of Duty, and numerous others that you’ll hear about in the months ahead.”
As previously reported, the device will sport a 4-core ARM Cortex-A9 CPU coupled with an SGX543MP4+ GPU. It will also have a 5-inch capacitive OLED multi-touch screen (960 x 544) and a multi-touch pad mounted on the back. Other features will include 512 MB of RAM, 128 MB of VRAM, a front-facing camera, a rear-facing camera, built-in GPS, a six-axis motion sensing system and more.
“With its vibrant 5-inch OLED screen, dual analog sticks, dual cameras, and front and rear touch panel, PS Vita will deliver rich, immersive games with stunning graphics, which simply can’t be found anywhere else,” Tretton said. “Now you’ll be able to play shooters and action titles on-the-go with controls that are familiar, and you won’t have to block out the gorgeous screen to interact with the games.”
Back in September, Sony said that as many as 500 to 600 PlayStation Portable games will be available to purchase and download to the device via the PlayStation Network. The company is also reportedly working on a solution for current customers to bring their UMD-based games to the new portable console (which Sony failed to do for the doomed PSPgo) using some kind of “special download plan.” Sony said it will reveal more information on this at a later date although it’s likely to happen in December when the console lands in Japan.
In addition to serving as a portable gaming console, the PS Vita will also support apps for Facebook, foursquare, Skype and Twitter. The applications will be downloadable to PS Vita directly from the PlayStation Store at no charge. Users will be able to activate the application just by selecting the icon which will appear on the PS Vita home screen.
“With PS Vita, you can enjoy the best handheld gaming experience available and stay connected to the people and interests you care about,” Tretton said. “It’s never been a better time to be a part of PlayStation Nation and I can’t wait for you to experience this revolutionary handheld system. Stay tuned for more exciting updates as we near the February 22, 2012 launch!”
In related news, Irrational Games head Ken Levine reports that Bioshock Vita is still in its “paper stage” because the studio is still heavily wrapped up in Bioshock: Infinite. Levine said that the Vita game may be outsourced if push comes to shove, but finding the right studio will be difficult if that happens.
“To keep the quality level, I wish I could say it was easy, it just tends to be more time consuming,” he said. “It’s just hard to find the right partners or the right people to hire. I’d rather do something that’s an experiment and that’s a little different and is unique for the franchise.”
Here’s a handy trick: Say you find yourself in the middle of nowhere with a dead battery and no way to roll-start your vehicle. What do you do? If you happen to have enough rope lying around (or belts, for that matter), you can conceivably lift the drive axles, wrap the rope around a tire and pull with all your might with the transmission in gear and the ignition on. The motion should be enough to turn the engine over and start the combustion cycle.
Of course, it’s worth noting that the vehicle needs to be properly supported during this whole endeavor, or you could wind up with a runaway hulk in a hurry. Fortunately, the enterprising youths in the video after the jump had their derelict ride well secured before pulling the old rope trick.
We should mention a few safety precautions here. First, make well sure that you can release the rope as soon as the engine fires, or you’ll quickly be introduced to the front fender well. Second, don’t waste your effort on an automatic. There isn’t a power in the ‘verse that can cause a slusher to turn over its engine. Finally, be warned that it’s going to take a significantly larger amount of effort (thanks, compression!) for any vehicle with more than four cylinders. Check out the video after the jump to see the trick in action.
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