AirShow
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The Daily Roundup for 05.16.2013
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Google AirShow streams Google I/O live from several RC blimps (hands-on video)
Yes, there's a fleet of camera-equipped, remote-controlled blimps live-streaming a bird's-eye view of Google I/O on YouTube, right now. It's called Google AirShow and it's taken over the airspace within Moscone Center. We briefly chatted with Chris Miller, a software engineer with AKQA (the company that put the dirigibles together for Google), about the technology used in each aircraft. It all begins with an off-the-shelf model airship that's flown manually via standard a 2.4GHz radio. Each blimp is outfitted with a servo-controlled USB camera and 5GHz USB WiFi dongle which are both connected to a Raspberry Pi board running Debian, VLC and Python. A custom-designed Li-polymer battery system powers the on-board electronics. The webcam encodes video as motion-JPEG (720p, 30fps) and VLC generates a YouTube-compatible RTSP stream that's broadcast over WiFi. Python's used to pan the servo-controlled camera via the Raspberry Pi's PWM output. The result is pretty awesome. But don't just take our word for it -- check out the gallery and source link below, then watch our hands-on video after the break. %Gallery-188534%
Splitmo releases Air Show, an on-the-fly editor for your photo slideshows
Ever want to change a photo in a slideshow once you've started it? If you answered with a resounding "yes," then you should check out AirShow. Developed by upstart mobile app company Splitmo, AirShow is a new iOS app that lets you edit a slideshow at the same time it is running on an HDTV screen. At its core, AirShow is a slideshow editor and has all the basic tools you need to create a photo slideshow. The app takes images from your camera roll and allows you to add captions, crop a photo and rotate images before you add them to your presentation. It also allows you to create slideshows in advance and load them as needed during a presentation. Like any good slideshow tool, AirShow uses AirPlay to send your slideshows to your HDTV via an AppleTV. AirShow's selling feature, though, is the app's ability to edit images on the fly while the slideshow is running. If you notice a mistake, you can delete a photo and insert a new one without anyone noticing. Users who want live content can even grab new images using their camera and add them into the slideshow on the fly. You can also control playback of the show by speeding it up, slowing it down or stopping it, if necessary. AirShow performs exactly as promised. The AirPlay feature works wonderfully to send a slideshow of your favorite pictures to your HDTV. Editing also works smoothly, though it is fast-paced. I found that AirShow works best when you queue up a long line of images in your slideshow and work on the end of the show while the beginning plays. If you try to edit and play at the same time with 20-30 images, you better be fast with your fingers. AirShow is available now in the iOS App Store for free.
50 quadrocopters take to Austria's skies for synchronized swarm (video)
If AscTec's Hummingbird quadrocopters continue to fly around in your nightmares, you might not want to watch their latest video -- even if they resemble hypnotic robot fireworks. Ars Electronica Futurelab and Ascending Technologies teamed up for this latest show, programming 50 LED-equipped quadrocopters to frolic over the Danube last week. Watch them dance after the break.
