Though you may think drones do all the fighting these days, actual soldiers on the ground are still used to call in airstrikes. Sometimes it's still necessary to visually confirm targets before the flyboys create a smoking crater. Though the army has toyed with smartphones and other means to connect soldiers, Raytheon has created a new JTACs (Joint Tactical Air Controller system) prototype for ground forces to let them separate friendlies from enemies and relay the information to strike forces. The system consists of a chest-worn computer, heads-up monocle viewer and wrist-worn display, which together let the solider select a target merely by looking at it and pressing a button. They can also tag friendly forces the same way or send update situational data to the rest of the team, whether they're on the ground or flying a fighter overhead. That assistance from the ground will make it easier for those at the yoke to differentiate between friendlies and targets.

We tried the prototype ourselves in a limited, 2D environment here at the 2013 Paris Air Show and, without any help getting set up, were able to tag targets as red diamonds and friendly forces as amber squares. Everything we did was also displayed on second screen, simulating the ability to send live updates to other soldiers or the base. Impressive as it was, the whole thing is merely a prototype for now, though, that could eventually change. The military AR system is part of a larger platform called AWARE, which Raytheon hopes to eventually deploy. For a detailed explanation about how it works, check out the video after the break.

Filed under: Wearables

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What goes up must eventually come down, and shortly after landing on Terra Firma from his last of three ISS missions, Chris Hadfield has resigned from the Canadian Space Agency. That leaves us to wax poetic on his legacy of space education and other oddities, while we also make goldfish disappear and admire dinosaur plumage. Welcome to alt-week.

Filed under: Science

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ESPN is further boosting its major sports coverage by producing a raft of extra material for golf enthusiasts at the US Open. And the outlet will be doing the same during the British Open, along with Wimbledon, the US Open and Australian Open for tennis. The network is employing a special team during the tournament (including some not normally involved in golf coverage) to supplement the main ESPN broadcasts with featured group and hole coverage, hole flyovers, shot tracking and more. Some of the extra goodies will appear on ESPN3, DIRECTV, and USOpen.com. All that means you might need to drag that extra TV out of the spare room, and possibly your Xbox, laptop or tablet. Who says watching sports reduces your attention span?

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Internet, HD

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Source: ESPN Frontrow

Remember the Cocorobo robotic vaccum that could send you pics of your newly-cleaned carpet? Sharp is going to be doing a lot more of that kind of thing soon, if a recent demo at its research center in Nara, Japan is any indication. Since the company has been losing gobs of money on its tepid LCD-panel business, it'll soon be using some of that tech in completely different industries: for instance, converting powerful LED lighting from TV backlights to grow lamps, and touchscreen TV panels to interactive whiteboards. Sharp admitted to PC World that it needed to branch into other businesses since "rivals have been able to catch up from behind" to its LCD TV and mobile phone businesses -- and judging by the drastic actions the company's taken to stave off disaster lately, it'll need to hustle those products to market, stat. Check the video after the jump to see some of the prototypes in action.

[Image credit: PC World]

Filed under: Displays, Robots, HD

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Source: PC World

Earlier rumors about a Qualcomm-powered second-generation Nexus 7 tablet successor from ASUS could be right on the money, if a recent FCC listing holds water. A certain "ASUS Pad" model number K009 just cleared the US testing site packing a Qualcomm APQ-8064 S4 Pro quad-core, 1.5GHz processor with Adreno graphics, front and rear cameras, 4,000 mAh Li-ion battery and LTE radios. Though no screen size is listed, the battery spec points to a 7-inch model -- the Nexus 10 has a 9,000 mAh battery, for instance. On the other hand, a rear camera, like the 5-megapixel model shown above, would be a refreshing addition to the Nexus 7, which sorely lacks in that department. Most intriguingly, ASUS listed the model as a Nexus "for marketing purpose(s)" -- though another K008 model also set the Nexus grapevine aflame when it hit the Bluetooth SIG, meaning skepticism should rule until we hear it from the horse's mouth.

Filed under: Tablets, ASUS

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Via: Notebook Italia

Source: FCC

Lovers of 4K and Nikon glass, rejoice: JVC has just launched a 4K large-sensor camcorder that will use Nikon F-mount lenses. The JY-HMQ30 camera will operate in manual focus mode only -- even with AF glass -- though f-stop settings will be controllable in-camera for modern lenses with no aperture ring. As with the company's fixed lens GY-HMQ10, the interchangeable model will record AVC/H.264 4K video at up to 60 fps onto four separate SDHC cards, each capturing an HD-sized quadrant with a total maximum data rate of 144Mbps -- and also capture 1080/60p video at 28Mbps onto a single card. Other features include a JVC 4K clip manager that'll convert files to Apple's ProRes422 codec, live 4K, 60 fps output to a monitor or portable recorder, 4K time-lapse recording, a focus assist function and stereo XLR microphone inputs. Though the company's taking orders for the 1.7 million yen ($18,000) camera starting today in Japan, there's no word yet on availability or pricing stateside -- but you can probably start polishing up those Nikon lenses soon.

Filed under: Cameras

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Via: AV Watch (translated)

Source: JVC (translated)

Researchers from several Czech companies have managed to make a bicycle soar with the aid of six electric motor-driven propellers. Looking like an over-sized quadrocopter drone, the bike was actually guided in a similar RC manner by scientists on the ground while a dummy rode in the pilot's seat. The range of the contraption was severely limited by the small batteries needed to keep the already-chunky 220 pound weight down, and the device would obviously be difficult to operate on a bike path due to its ungainly size. Still, the developers said the project was more about the fulfillment of childhood dreams than any commercial aim -- though we're not sure even our wildest ET fantasies would compel us to make the leap.

[Image credit: Michal Cizek/AFP/Getty Images]

Filed under: Transportation, Science

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Via: CNET

Source: Ceske Noviny

Apple director Keith Moerer said in court on Tuesday that the company holds about 20 percent of the US e-book market, double the size commonly assumed. The revelation came after the Department of Justice tried to bolster its price fixing case against the company by asserting that "Apple forgot to focus on customers, that's why the iBookstore is a failure." Moerer responded that the online store has consistently held a 20 percent share since just after launching, adding that "sales grew 100 percent last year at the iBookstore and it had over 100 million customers." The government will continue trying to prove that Apple colluded with publishers like Macmillan and Harper Collins -- who settled out of court -- with testimony later today from Senior VP Eddy Cue.

Filed under: Apple

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Via: paidContent

Source: Publishers Weekly

Apple could be looking to buttress its iPhone range considerably over the next year by adding larger 4.7-inch and 5.7-inch models and a cheaper, $99 handset with a wider range of colors, according to sources from Reuters. The media outlet added that the moves are still under discussion, but represent an attempt to gain back share from arch-competitor Samsung, which has flooded the market with so-called phablets like the Galaxy Note II along with a wide range of inexpensive handsets -- neither of which Apple currently makes. That jibes with earlier rumors of a budget, plastic-bodied iPhone, and CEO Tim Cook didn't exactly deny it when asked if the company was interested in large-screen phones. Still, the manufacturing sources said it's unclear whether the company will actually proceed with any of those plans -- meaning the information should be taken with a very large dose of salt.

Update: We reached out to Reuters for a little more clarification on the $99 price for the lower-end device. While they're unsure, they believe that to be a subsidized price.

Filed under: Cellphones, Mobile, Apple

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Source: Reuters

If you've been thinking of adding speakers around the house but are loath to run wires, Pure's Jongo system is now available in North America, joining the likes of Sonos' Play:3 in the wireless multi-room sound game. For now, it consists of the $129 Jongo A2, a WiFi- and Bluetooth-equipped bridge (at bottom) that spreads "perfectly synchronized" sound to different rooms, and the $199 Jongo S3 portable speaker (top left). The products will work on their own by receiving Bluetooth sound from your handheld device, together with other Pure devices like the Sensia 200D or with your existing sound system, thanks to digital and analog audio outputs on the A2. The Pure Connect iOS app coordinates the hardware and also lets you stream your local playlists, along with 15 million tracks from the Pure Music subscription service. You can deck out either product with the room-coordinating grilles (above) at $30 for the S3 and $20 for the A2, while a Jongo T6 100W flagship speaker will join the party later in the year at an undisclosed price. To see where to grab them, check the PR after the break.

Filed under: Home Entertainment, Wireless, HD

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Starting today, San Francisco residents will have something else to brag about besides their quality of life and hosting tech extravaganzas: free WiFi. The silicon valley hub joins New York and parts of France in receiving the service from provider GOWEX, which is now live in districts like Union Square and Marina thanks to 450 smart WiFi zones. As with the Big Apple, residents and tourists will see download speeds up to 1Mbps, while GOWEX will see dollars from carriers (via network offloading) and advertisers in return. To use it, you'll need to download the free iOS or Android apps from their respective stores -- which we might just do ourselves, considering a certain little developer's conference in town at the moment.

Filed under: Wireless, Internet

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Pentax camera launches always seem to be colorful affairs, and if new images are to be believed, a multi-hued mirrorless model with a retro bent will soon arrive from the outfit. According to serial leaker Digicame-info, a new Q7 model will be unveiled with a larger 1/1.7-inch sized sensor than the 1/2.3-inch CMOS-packing Q10, and come with a kit zoom or optional standard prime lens on July 5th. Until we hear it from the source, though, it'd be wise to hold off on buying matching silver, black or yellow outfits.

Filed under: Cameras

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Via: Photo Rumors

Source: Digicame Info

If you had big plans for Nintendo's forthcoming Wii Fit U, which was scheduled to come in the first half of 2013, you'd better put them on hold. The company's president, Satoru Iwata just said during its E3 presentation that the game will be delayed until December of this year in order to "create new features" and bring "as high quality a gaming experience as possible." That includes the game's Fit Meter pedometer, which will eventually track your movements in over 77 game-based activities. Fortunately, if plain old exercise just won't do, there's lots of other options.

Filed under: Gaming, Nintendo

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Via: Joystiq

Source: Nintendo

Having announced its Android-based Project M.O.J.O. gaming console, Mad Catz is now turning to peripherals: it just unveiled a couple of universal headsets, a PC gaming keyboard and two other PC and Mac headsets. Kicking things off, the TRITTON Kunai Universal and F.R.E.Q. 4D stereo headsets (coming summer and fall 2013, respectively) follow the earlier GameSmart initiative by working with gaming consoles like the Xbox 360, PS3 and Wii U along with PCs, Macs and handheld devices. PC gamers get the S.T.R.I.K.E 3 gaming keyboard with mechanical keys, adjustable backlighting and programmable macro keys sometime in the fall.

For PC and Mac users, the TRITTON Pro+ headset (based on the console version) brings 5.1 surround sound via a built-in decoder, while the TRITTON Kunai for PC and Mac offers an inline remote and breakaway cable for use with handheld devices. The latter two models will arrive this summer, but there's no word yet on pricing for any of the bunch. Head after the jump for the PR and galleries.

Gallery: Mad Catz Freq 4D Gaming Headset

Gallery: Mad Catz Kunai Gaming Headset PC and Mac

Gallery: Mad Catz Kunai Universal Gaming Headset

Gallery: Mad Catz Tritton Pro Plus Gaming Headset PC Mac

Gallery: Mad Catz S.T.R.I.K.E. 3 Gaming keyboard

Follow all of our E3 2013 coverage at our event hub.

Filed under: Gaming, Peripherals

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Apple just announced that it's bringing "fantastic updates" to Maps on the desktop, including the ability send directions to your iPhone and back. That feature will arrive with OS X Mavericks, and a brief demo showed how you could map your route to a restaurant, then instantly bring up the same map and directions on your iPhone with a couple of taps, when you're ready to go. Maps will be built-in to the Calendar, Contacts and Mail, as well in Mavericks, letting you map any address directly from those apps. You'll be able to check out the new features when the OS arrives this fall, or via a developer's preview, available later today.

Gallery: WWDC 2013: Apple Maps

Filed under: Software, Apple

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A new channel has just popped up on Apple TV for its WWDC 2013 Keynote, meaning that a livestream of the big event will be available for viewing there -- just like last time. The HD stream will kick off at 10AM Pacific time, and there's a chance you'll see it on Apple's Events page as well, if history repeats itself. You can also catch past extravaganzas at either spot (see the More Coverage link), and naturally, we'll have a full liveblog of our own -- so there's no chance you'll miss any of the fun.

Update: The WWDC 2013 Keynote livestream link has now arrived to Apple's Events page as well (at the source, below), though you'll need to be on Safari 4 with OS X 10.6 or Safari on iOS 4.2 at a minimum to watch it.

Filed under: Software, Apple

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Source: MacRumors, Apple Events

It's always refreshing when a product catches us by surprise, but thanks to several leaks, the Acer Iconia W3 definitely didn't fall into that category. So, when it was unveiled at Computex 2013, we were ready for it in all its 8.1-inch 1,280 x 800, dual-core Intel Atom, Windows Pro 8 glory. The wee slate also ushered in Microsoft's temporary offer of Office for free on 10-inch or smaller Windows Pro tablets, and you can now pre-order the 32GB version at Staples for $380 or $350 from Office Depot, while a 64GB version from Amazon will run you $430. An optional keyboard should arrive soon for $90, so if you've been coveting a small form-factor Windows tab -- RT-free -- hit the source.

Filed under: Tablets, Acer

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Source: Amazon, Staples, Office Depot

Ever been concerned about the energy consumption of your web browser? Us neither, but that hasn't stopped Microsoft from ballyhooing that stat to sway you in favor of Internet Explorer. According to the latest tests it commissioned from Fraunhofer USA, IE10 uses up to 18 percent less power in browsing, Flash and HTML5 tasks than its main rivals, Chrome and Firefox. The company claims that translates into more than just boon for your battery life. Redmond goes so far as to say that if every single Chrome and Firefox user switched to IE10, it would save enough energy to power over 10,000 US homes for a year (translation: Google and Mozilla are hurting the Earth). We can't and won't vouch for the authenticity of that statement, but we do know that's a lot of users we're talking about.

Filed under: Software, Microsoft

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Via: Techcrunch

Source: Microsoft

After an eventful Computex 2013, Gigabyte has fired its final PR salvo: the launch of the P27K and P25W gaming laptops. The latter is a 15.6-inch, 1080P successor to the P2542G, but ups the ante with a 4th-gen Intel Core i7 quad-core CPU, NVIDIA GTX 770M 3GB graphics, up to 24GB RAM, space for up to two 256GB mSATA SSDs and 1TB of RAID 0 HDD storage, a backlit keyboard, Blu-ray RW drive and that oh-so-gamer case design that tips the scales at 6.6 pounds. Meanwhile, the P27K has a larger 17-inch, 1080P display but otherwise identical specs -- other than NVIDIA 765M 2GB graphics, space for a single 256GB SSD, seven pound heft and Sound Blaster tech instead of the P25W's Dolby Home Theater sound. The 15.6-inch P25W will arrive late June for $1,300 to $1,800 depending on memory configuration, and the 17.3-inch P27K will come a month later for the same price. That sum should let you game and still, you know, eat -- check the PR after the break for more.

Filed under: Laptops, ASUS

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Images of an alleged Nokia EOS chassis have leaked from what appears to be a factory, lending some credence to previous rumors of a camera-centric handset from the Finnish outfit. Shots from GSM Arena and others also show what looks like a Nokia Lumia 920, right down to the position of the ports and buttons -- but with an enormous camera bump that takes up almost half of the back cover. So far we've seen it leak out in yellow, red and black, and if it's real, looks to be the holy grail that many Nokia lovers have been seeking: a Lumia 920 and Pureview 808 mashup, resulting in a 41-megapixel WP8 handset. All that giddiness aside, such a device could merely be a prototype and will stay a rumor until confirmed by Nokia -- meanwhile, you can check the source and coverage links below for many, many more images, and decide for yourself.

Filed under: Cellphones, Nokia

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Via: My Nokia Blog

Source: Wpxap (translated)

Popslate's much hyped E Ink case still isn't available half a year after it was announced, and now it could be beaten to the punch by an upstart called Gajah. The latter company's InkCase screen cover popped up at Computex 2013 and bears a Kirf-like resemblance to Popslate's nifty creation, which achieved its funding goal on Indiegogo last year. Gajah's iPhone 5 version will carry a 3.5-inch, 360 x 600 E Ink display, Bluetooth 4.0 compatibility and Popslate-identical $99 price tag, while the Galaxy Note II model will sport a 4.3-inch, 600 x 800 screen, BT 2.1 and $129 sticker. The latter model will roll out in China and Malaysia first, followed by the iPhone 5 model and a possible Galaxy S 4 model after that, if sales justify it. Having its crowd-funded idea "borrowed" before it even hits the market is probably a good sign that Popslate is on to something, but we're not sure that they'll be flattered by this imitation.

Filed under: Cellphones

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Source: Engadget Chinese (translated)

Since not everybody wants to lug an eight pound gaming machine or settle for a lightweight but graphics-challenged notebook, Gigabyte unveiled its U-series at Computex: two notebooks and an ultrabook with discreet NVIDIA graphics and 4th-generation Intel CPUs. The models build on the company's last-gen 14-inch U2442 Ultrabook, which unlike most models in that category, carried GeForce GT640M graphics and a generous supply of ports while still maintaining a respectable 3.3 pound heft. Gigabyte's looking to continue in that vein with the new models, which will all arrive by early August. To see a breakdown on all the pricing and specs, head after the break.

Gallery: Gigabyte U24F Press Gallery

Gallery: Gigabyte U24T Press Gallery

Filed under: Laptops

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Although Mailbox can play nicely with Gmail on iOS, one of the bigger gaps in its resume is the lack of desktop availability. During a keynote at the DEMO Europe conference, CEO Gentry Underwood hinted that might change soon, saying that a desktop app "is something we have to do in order to stay competitive," and that "it's on our roadmap." The Mailbox app -- which promises "inbox zero" -- is currently limited to iOS devices and Gmail, whereas Dropbox, which recently purchased it for a rumored $100 million, is available on virtually all platforms. With the need to add Android and desktop clients, not to mention support for other email services like Outlook, Mailbox's roadmap is now bumper-to-bumper -- we'll just have to wait and see which drops first.

Filed under: Desktops, Laptops, Software

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Via: TNW

Source: Demo Europe

Google has just secured the services of an entire 72MW wind farm in Maevaara, Sweden for the next ten years to keep its Finnish data center humming, according to the official blog. It brokered the deal through German insurer Allianz, which purchased the farm and will begin selling all the electricity it produces to Mountain View by 2015. The move is part of Google's quest to remain carbon neutral, and is along similar lines to a recent deal which saw the search giant purchase 48MW of energy from a wind farm in Oklahoma. The news follows Apple's announcement that it gets 75 percent of its power from renewable sources -- showing the arch-foes can at least agree on something.

Filed under: Misc, Internet, Google

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Source: Google

One of HTC's top execs, Chief Operating Officer Matthew Costello, will depart after three years on the job, according to a report from Bloomberg. He'll join recent departees like Asia CEO Lennard Hoornik and others in leaving the company, which has seen unprecedented turnover of late amid its falling fortunes. His position will be filled for now by engineering president Fred Liu, who told employees via email that Costello would move to Europe and stay on as an executive adviser. Ironically, the latest departure comes in the wake of very good news for HTC, which just reported $970 million in May revenue -- nearly double what it took in last month and just shy of May 2012 figures. That can likely be chalked up to sales of the One, which is now being churned out at full speed (and soon in a stock Android version) but whether the fortunes of HTC's star handset can halt the brain-drain remains to be seen.

Filed under: Cellphones, HTC

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Via: The Verge

Source: Bloomberg