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Visualized: what Zynga workers do when they're not playing FarmVille
Zynga's staffers might have had a laser-like focus on releasing FarmVille 2 this week, but that doesn't mean the company has forgotten how to take a break. One employee (thankfully, also a Reddit member) has revealed that the developer's San Francisco headquarters has a giant, 16-screen video wall for gaming in the cafeteria -- and yes, they're playing Halo in that photo rather than some future, first-person version of Mafia Wars. It's no surprise that the employees aren't playing their own games all the time; we're pretty sure that even the most avid Facebook gamers would burn out if they did. Nonetheless, it's hard not to smile at the thought that the same people urging us to buy new crops are sticking plasma grenades in their spare time.
Microsoft gesture patents reveal possible dual-screen tablet focus
Earlier this year, we heard a slew of whispers promising a late winter launch for Microsoft's Windows 8 tablets -- there was even mention of a tab-specific OS. While it's become clear that Redmond intends for its new operating system to run on multiple devices, insight into its tablet plans are still somewhat shrouded in mystery. From the looks of these gesture patents, however, it's clear MS has been eyeing a dual-screen tablet future (hello Courier). The recently published patents, not yet granted to the company, touch upon methods for off-screen input (read: bezel-based), but mainly focus on these multi-screen input options: dual tap, pinch and expand, hold and page-flip, hold and tap, and finally, bookmark hold. As you can glimpse from the image above, the patents handle simultaneous touch screen input, allowing a user the ability to swap images between screens, or even freeze a page on one side while continuing to browse on the other. By the looks of things, Sony might have some fierce competition in the multi-screen tablet market. Head to the source below to get a fuller look at these touch-based solutions.
Motorola's SocialTV app will turn your Xoom or Atrix into a communicative couch companion
Whether you look at stats or your own limitless experience, you know very well that humanity spends too much time staring at tubes, screens, and other unnatural visualizers. Motorola isn't really here to fix that ailment, but at least it's converging the uses of some of those device classes with its introduction of a SocialTV Companion Service. Designed to turn your smartphone, tablet or laptop into a, you guessed it, TV companion device, this new software serves up social networking, complimentary content, real-time chat, TV show ratings, and interactive (as opposed to what, non-interactive?) games. Basically, since you spend your TV-watching time idly browsing away on your Xoom anyway, why not fuse the two things together and "generate some incremental revenue" for your service provider in the process? We presume the new SocialTV stuff will be rolled out in app form, Moto doesn't dish up those details or give us a launch date. If only we had an app to tell us when to expect new apps to arrive.
DirecTV provides best HD view of Grand Slam tennis tournaments
We tell ya, DirecTV has the cable carriers at their mercy when it comes to these Mix Channels. For tennis enthusiasts in particular, you'll be hard pressed to find a viewing setup superior to this. Starting on January 18th with the Australian Open, the company will be integrating ESPN2 and Tennis Channel feeds into its six-screens-in-one Mix Channel, and for the first time ever, it will all be in high-definition. Viewers will be able to see the network channel and five court channels on a single screen, with each screen providing its own audio stream. Better still, DirecTV subscribers can expect the same kind of coverage for the French Open, Wimbledon and US Open tournaments later this year. And don't be shocked to hear of something similar for the upcoming golf season -- we get the feeling DirecTV is really going for the jugular here.
DirecTV's 2009 Inauguration Mix channel brings every angle in HD
At this point, we wouldn't even bother with trying to slip into the Metro DC area on January 20th, but we would recommend getting all buddy-buddy with a DirecTV subscriber. The satcaster is implementing its Mix Channel technology once again by offering up a 2009 Inauguration mosaic, which will bring together eight live broadcasts and enable viewers to go full-screen with the one they like best at any given moment. Of course, all eight blocks will be provided in high-definition, and it can be seen replacing the News Mix on viewer channel 102 and 352. The action gets going at 10:00AM ET on Inauguration Day.
TouchKit: modular multitouch development kit primed for DIYers
NOR_/D's TouchKit is a modular multitouch development kit that aims to "make multitouch readily available in an open source fashion." If that sounds awfully familiar, you're probably thinking of its sister project Cubit, both of which are hoping to get multitouch into the mainstream as quickly as humanly possible. The kit itself is composed of hardware and software aspects, and of course, source files are provided for poking, prodding and researching. Interested? It'll be $1,580 shipped with a "fully assembled, frameless 70- x 50-centimeter multitouch screen, a calibrated infra-red camera, and the full base software pack."[Via Gizmag]
DISH offers Interactive TV mosaic for Olympics overload
One look over our 2008 Beijing Olympics guide will tell you that there's just too much content to absorb; even just the NBC coverage is enough to induce HD OD. But DISH customers might be able to drink more comfortably from the fire hose thanks to Ensequence, which is bringing the Interactive TV mosaic to the games. As seen at the U.S. Open, this will montage feeds from six NBCU channels into a single screen. Viewers can then soak all six channels in at once or zoom in on a single channel. Even this six-fold reduction might not be enough, so various news and digest services will also be made available on DISH channel 100 -- especially appealing is the compiled highlights of the day's events. DirecTV has shown that it can play the multi-screen game, too, so don't be surprised to see it there as well. [Image courtesy ChinaDaily]
DirecTV's PGA Championship package almost makes up for Tiger not playing
Not headed out to Oakland Hills August 7? Even if you were, it's hard to imagine you'd get a better look at the action than DirecTV has lined up for the 90th PGA Championship on channel 701 through 709. As seen previously during the Masters Tournament, there'll be a PGA Interactive Mix channel, showing images of the four HD channels covering the tournament: One either from TNT or CBS, along with three unique feeds focusing on specific groups, holes or player background and stat information. Pretty much the only thing this interactive coverage won't do is take a few strokes off our score (some things are beyond help or altered scorecards, we've tried) but along with coverage on PGA.com it should make watching the Tiger-less PGA Championship a less painful event.
DirecTV offering interactive, multi-screen HD coverage of Masters Tournament
DirecTV is most definitely going out of its way to appease consumers this month, as shortly after announcing exclusive HD coverage of the South by Southwest Festival, it's now making every golf fan not on DTV incredibly envious. During this year's Masters Tournament, set to open on April 10th, DTV subscribers will have access to an SD and HD Masters Mix Channel which will provide four windows of viewing. Aside from providing a look at CBS / ESPN's live coverage in View One, users will also see a highlight window with continuously updated material including voice-over commentary. View Three provides a look at "Amen Corner" -- holes 11, 12 and 13 -- while View Four showcases the notoriously difficult holes 15 and 16. Better still, each of the bonus channels will sport its own production crew and announcers, and a special recap show will also air on DTV's own The 101. You know that pricey ticket to Augusta you've been eying? Skip it. %Gallery-16539%
KTFT's EV-KD350 with split screen
While we patiently wait for true mobile TV of any sort to launch here in the States, Koreans will be getting ready to enjoy another phone to sport a DMB tuner with split screen capability, the EV-KD350 from KTFT. The white slider brings GPS, expandable memory, and a 1.3-megapixel shooter to the table, but naturally, the real story here is the display's dual personality. Since text messaging while enjoying your favorite soap opera can be an exercise in tedium when the video goodness takes up the whole darned screen, the KD350 splits it all down the middle so you don't miss a single second of commercials while browsing Engadget Mobile's mobile feed. That's all well and good if you're on Korea's KTF network where the KD350 is bound, but otherwise, it seems our split-screen dreams are going to have to remain unfulfilled a bit longer yet.[Via Tech Ticker, thanks Neil]
HDBeat Flickr Wednesday - multi-HDTV rooms
Each week here at HDBeat, we are grab some of the best setups out of our Flickr pool to be featured here on our homepage. This week we explore the rare lands of multi-display rooms. These viewing areas feature two, three and even 18 HDTVs. We don't care where they are located, (i.e. bar, living room, garage) they are all sweet in our book on our site. Steve Owens (Oasis AVI): The projector show the MCE from the HTPC. The LCD is MCE from the Media server modulated to channel 80.
