| Sony applies for wireless power patent, wants to daisy-chain your energy May 16th 2012, 01:05  As much as we're familiar with wireless power, we know developing a truly contact-free form of charging has a whole raft of extra challenges, such as getting into the sweet spot for power delivery and the potential traffic jam caused by throwing another device into the mix. Sony thinks it has these problems licked through a newly-published patent application. Its method uses location-finding to steer users until they're close enough for the wireless power source to reliably do its job. In some cases, it can use one mobile device to relay power to another, keeping everything fed even if the main power hub is tied up. Multiple power sources next to each other can go so far as to decide which of them should be the one to send power. The patent isn't a certain sign that your VAIO or Xperia is about to cut the cord altogether -- Sony first submitted this vision of the future in 2009. Even so, it gives us hope that our gadgets will one day start charging themselves instead of making us hunt down a wire or charging plate. Sony applies for wireless power patent, wants to daisy-chain your energy originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 21:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink |  USPTO | Email this | Comments | | Etch-a-Sketch 3.0 hands-on (video) May 16th 2012, 00:21  The Etch-a-Sketch. A standard bearer for childhood, and one that most of us never really mastered. While Yelizaveta Lokshina can't help you create awe-inspiring portraits from aluminum powder, she has managed to update the toy for the digital age. Using an Arduino, a few buttons and a pressure sensor crammed inside a hollowed-out Etch-a-Sketch, the 3.0 version of the doodler is able to draw in old school gray, as well as vibrant colors created by blending an RGB palette. While holding down the red, green or blue button you squeeze the pressure sensor to add more or less of individual hues. The same sensor is used to change brush width when you hold down the black button. There's even a secret mode that automatically cycles through colors and thicknesses for creating vibrant, almost hallucinatory patterns. At the moment, the dual doodle knobs need to be physically connected to a computer so that a Processing script can work its magic and render the virtual Etch-a-Sketch. But, future versions may include wireless for sketching out images from the comfort of a couch and an accelerometer for the replicating the satisfying sensation of shaking the red fram to erase your creation. Basically, it's still a work in progress. Drawing with the Etch-a-Sketch 3.0 is just as satisfying, in a tactile sense, as the original, though we struggled slightly to get the hang of the pressure sensitive selector. One thing's for sure, though, the kids love it even more than the 1960 creation. Check out the video after the break to see it in action on the floor of the ITP Spring Show. Continue reading Etch-a-Sketch 3.0 hands-on (video) Etch-a-Sketch 3.0 hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 20:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Microsoft rolling out new apps to Xbox 360, including MUZU.TV and Manga in the US May 16th 2012, 00:03  You can never have enough apps, right? With that in mind, Microsoft's rolling out a couple of new applications to Xbox 360s in the US and Canada. For starters, those of you living Stateside will now have access to Manga Entertainment and MUZU.TV (also available in the True North); the first of which allows you to watch free video content from its catalog, while the latter has around 40,000 music videos ready for your viewing pleasure. In addition to the aforementioned apps, the Australia-only FOXTEL application has been updated with support for Redmond's Kinect, allowing Oz folks to control it with hand gestures or by voice. We've already seen the new apps pop up on our Xbox, so you should be seeing them hit your console any time now. Microsoft rolling out new apps to Xbox 360, including MUZU.TV and Manga in the US originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 20:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | Xbox | Email this | Comments | | Burritob0t hands-on (video) May 15th 2012, 23:46  ITP, or the Interactive Telecommunications Program at the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU churns out some of the most reliably interesting tech-centric artists in the world. Every so often, the school opens its doors to the public and the press and, of course, we jumped at the chance to see what the grad students were cooking up... literally. Marko Manriquez took the opportunity to showcase his thesis project, the Burritob0t, a 3D printer the spits out edible piles of beans and cheese, instead of non-toxic (but, highly inedible) plastic. The base is built largely around a standard RepRap machine, with the Frostruder attachment from MakerBot. From there it's pretty simple to plug in any 3D model and build your creation from highly-processed Mexican food -- on a heated platform from the Thingomatic, of course. Marko says that his creation not only seemed like a logical way to combine "edible bits and digital bytes" but also a way to address the increasingly mechanized food industry and our growing reliance on manufactured "food." Sadly, we weren't able to get a complete demo on the show floor. The current incarnation of the device relies on air pressure to push the ingredients through syringes, and firing up the compressor was not an option. A Kickstarter is forthcoming, however, and Marko plans to upgrade the components to ditch the bulky and loud compressor. He also hopes to actually serve food from his printer, perhaps by taking up residence in a park. But, we suspect it'll be a while before you can get a Burritob0t burrito while you wait for your Concrete from Shake Shack. Check out the video after the break. Continue reading Burritob0t hands-on (video) Burritob0t hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 19:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | | Engadget HD Podcast 299 - 05.15.2012 May 15th 2012, 23:31  Episode number 299 comes in with a bang as automated commerical skipping makes its triumphant return to the DVR with Dish Network's "Auto Hop" and we also take a peek at the updated TiVo Premiere XL4. Also invading this week is a flood of OLED news, from production models delivered by Samsung and some tasty Panasonic / Sony team-up rumors. Also in the news is BBC's Sport app and WatchESPN on Comcast, while the return of Total Recall on Blu-ray is definitely reason to celebrate.
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Hosts: Ben Drawbaugh (@bjdraw), Richard Lawler (@rjcc)
Producer: Trent Wolbe 03:38 - Dish Network adds 'Auto Hop' commercial skipping feature to its Hopper DVRs
12:26 - Dish Network Remote Access iPad app upgrade brings a new UI, more speed
16:42 - TiVo Premiere XL4 review
20:00 - TiVo Spring update brings new Netflix and YouTube experience
25:26 - Nuance takes credit for voice features inside Samsung's 2012 Smart TV lineup
31:35 - Samsung shows off production 55-inch OLED HDTVs at the 2012 World's Fair
33:30 - Panasonic racks up a record loss for 2012, looks forward to profits and a partner for OLED TVs
35:15 - Panasonic, Sony purportedly entering into OLED TV team-up, torrid love affair
35:45 - 'Hundreds' of Cablevision iO TV on-demand rentals now past 48 hours, procrastinators rejoice
36:09 - New DVD anti-piracy warning now packs double the nag
38:30 - BBC Sport app brings Olympics and more to Sony Bravia TVs, PlayStation 3 and Blu-ray players
42:08 - WatchESPN finally streams to Comcast customers, but not on Android
44:02 - Total Recall 'Mind-Bending' Blu-ray remembers a better looking video transfer July 31st
47:38 - Must See HDTV (May 14th - 20th) Hear the podcast
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LISTEN (AAC) Filed under: Podcasts Engadget HD Podcast 299 - 05.15.2012 originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 19:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds. Permalink | | Email this | Comments | |
