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Dropbox lets you preview more file types without having to download
If you've ever received a ZIP or RAR file in Gmail, you'll have noticed that you can peek to see what's inside without having to download the file. If you've been hoping for a similar feature elsewhere, you're in luck: Dropbox has updated how it handles previews for a bunch of file types. You can explore a ZIP or RAR file's structure, and preview things like images without having to waste time and bandwidth on downloads if the contents aren't useful.
MIT teaches machines to learn from each other
There are two typical ways to train a robot today: you can have it watch repeated demonstrations of what you want it to do or you can program its movements directly using motion-planning techniques. But a team of researchers from MIT's CSAIL lab have developed a hybridized third option that will enable robots to transfer skills and knowledge between themselves. It's no Skynet, but it's a start.
The Big Picture: Mix precision drinks with this delightful CAD drawing
Being the bartender sounds fun, until you realize you have to crack a cocktail recipe book. Engineering to the rescue! This drawing -- originally used to test plotters -- was converted into an AutoCAD file by Florian Römhild, who later colorized it. You can see it contains all the info needed to mix classic drinks -- the volume of each ingredient (with a handy key), type of glass, garnish and whether to shake or stir. It also lets wannabe drink-slingers visualize each libation at a glance. The best part? You can stick it up on your bar for reference and a touch of geek chic. For a PDF version, hit the source. [Image credit: Florian Römhild]
E Ink's new Fina display technology promises lighter, thinner e-readers
That Kindle Paperwhite is pretty thin and light already, but future e-readers could be even skinnier thanks to a new screen technology from E Ink known as Fina. The tech uses a super thin glass substrate that'll supposedly result in displays that measure less than 50 percent in both thickness and weight when compared to "an equivalent glass-based TFT." According to a released statement, this makes Fina ideal for large tablets that also need to be lightweight, which is exactly why it was implemented in the PocketBook CAD Reader, a new 13.3-inch device that's also the first to use Fina. The slate has a dual-core 1GHz processor, 2GB of RAM, 16GB of storage space and it runs Android 4.0.4. Of course, we wouldn't expect to pick this up at Best Buy any time soon, as it's primarily meant for displaying drawings from Autocad. Indeed, PocketBook even said it's made to be used on construction sites, not by everyday consumers. Still, we wonder if Fina's arrival means we'll see larger format e-readers in the future, especially for all those DX lovers out there. In the meantime, check out the source link below for more details on E Ink's latest innovation.
Final Cut Pro, Photoshop, Aperture, AutoCAD and more score Retina Display support
As we learned pretty quickly when the iPhone 4 introduced the Retina display to the world, all those pixels are pretty useless without apps that can truly take advantage. Thankfully, Apple wasn't about to leave the stage today without delivering the goods for its next gen MacBook Pros. In addition to all the stock apps being updated, Final Cut Pro and Aperture have also gotten the appropriate boost in pixel density, allowing them to be all they can be on that 220ppi display. Which, in the case of Final Cut, means full-res 1080p video docked in a corner of the interface with all the tools exposed to your itchy editing finger. If that isn't good enough for you, Adobe is hard at work on Photoshop and Autodesk will be delivering an update to AutoCAD as well. And, in case you're worried that all work and no play makes Tim Cook a dull boy, Diablo 3 has also been updated, instantly making the Mac our favorite platform to farm low level baddies for gold on. For more coverage of the WWDC 2012 keynote, head over to our liveblog!
FARO Focus 3D scanner captures big 3D models from a tiny Lego trolly (video)
Nothing catches our collective eye quite as easily as the combination of high technology and childhood toys. Making a play for our man-childhood inclinations today is a Lego-augmented FARO Focus 3D, purportedly the world's smallest 3D laser scanner yet still able to detect surroundings up to 120 metres away. It can grab a cloud of points, then offer up a detailed three-dimensional model of the environment, with some extra details (thanks to those Lego wheels) that would have been obscured on a static 3D capture. Admittedly, it doesn't quite have the wow-factor of an all-Lego 3D scanner, but its range (and possible use in forensic crime scene analysis) has kept us intrigued. Check out the video after the break to investigate how you could get your CSI on.
Autodesk expands Mac application line, enters Mac App Store
Last October Autodesk announced AutoCAD for Mac 2011, signaling a return of the computer automated drafting app of choice to the Mac after a fifteen-year absence. Today Autodesk followed up by announcing two new products for the Mac and a Lion-optimized update to its flagship software. AutoCAD LT 2012 for Mac is available only through the Mac App Store. AutoCAD LT will set you back a cool US$899.99, but the cost is understandable if automated drafting is your thing. The differences between AutoCAD LT and the full version of AutoCAD for Mac can be seen here. AutoCAD for Mac 2012 was built specifically for OS X Lion. The flagship app will be available on August 19th and cost $3,995, but it won't be in the Mac App Store. AutoCAD WS for Mac is a free app that provides tools for viewing, editing and sharing designs in AutoCAD formats. Think of it as Adobe Reader for AutoCAD. AutoCAD WS for Mac has complimentary versions on Windows and iOS, which allows users to collaborate on designs across multiple platforms -- desktop, mobile and web. AutoCAD WS for Mac ships August 19th. In the official press release Amar Hanspal, senior vice president of Autodesk Platform Solutions and Emerging Business said, "Since the release of AutoCAD for Mac last year, customer feedback has been overwhelmingly positive, further validating the need for professional design and engineering software on the Mac platform. Bringing AutoCAD LT and AutoCAD WS to the Mac shows our continued commitment to making design more accessible for an ever-greater number of people to shape the world around them." What's also notable about AutoCAD LT is that Autodesk is the one of the first major publishers to bring its flagship product to the Mac App Store. The thing that stopped them from bringing the full version of AutoCAD for Mac to the Mac App Store was its price: $3,995. As Hanspal noted, developers can not price apps above $999.99 on the Mac App Store. With Autodesk leaping into the Mac App Store it will be interesting to see if other major developers like Adobe and Microsoft follow suite with their flagship products.
HP demos Citrix running on Touchpad, tries to make webOS corporation-friendly (video)
Lest you thought HP's Windows 7 slate was for large businesses and its upcoming webOS ones were reserved for consumers, not so fast. In a video (embedded after the break for your viewing pleasure), HP touts Citrix running on its forthcoming Touchpad to show it can play nice with enterprises' IT departments, too. As with Chrome OS, Citrix Receiver runs inside the browser, letting people choose the desktop apps they want. Both platforms, it seems, are capable of running computer-aided design applications in the cloud, with HP showing a 3D model in AutoCAD eDrawings Viewer. The frame rate isn't as fluid as HP would have you believe, but getting started appears idiot-proof, thanks to some large, tap-able icons. In any case, with 80 percent of the Fortune 100 already deploying the iPad, it's wise of HP to woo corporate customers with webOS. Isn't that right, Microsoft?
NVIDIA offers Fermi-packing Quadro 4000 to the Mac Pro user
In case you missed it, a couple days ago NVIDIA outed the Fermi Quadro 4000 Mac Edition video card for Mac Pro users. The card packs a punch with 256 CUDA cores, a 256-bit memory interface and 2GBs of memory (I remember the day I got excited by a video card with 16MBs of memory, though, sorting out the right driver was always a bit of a problem so maybe nothing's changed there). NVIDIA says the Quadro 4000 will deliver "...excellent graphics performance across a broad range of design, animation and video applications." Especially if you use Apple's Final Cut Pro, DaVinci Resolve, Autodesk Smoke, Mathworks Matlab and Adobe's Creative Suite 5. However, this kind of performance doesn't come cheap. The Quadro 4000 has a suggested retail price of $1,199. It may be a little on the expensive side (especially compared to its PC counterpart), but then again, this card isn't for your favorite FPS title. You'll see this card fly when designing 3D graphics, HD video editing and rendering those rather large video / image files. The perfect holiday gift companion to go with that new Mac copy of AutoCAD. And if you've got the new AutoCAD for Mac then money's not really a problem for you anyway, is it? [via Engadget]
AutoCAD for Mac 2011 now available for purchase
Mac-loving engineers, drafters, designers, and students have been waiting for a Mac-native version of AutoCAD to reappear on the platform for many years, so when Apple and Autodesk announced AutoCAD for Mac 2011 in late August, there was a lot of excitement. Autodesk reported today that AutoCAD for Mac 2011 is available for purchase. The application isn't cheap -- the MSRP for the software is US$3,995, although one online retailer is offering $500 off that price. Upgrades from previous versions of AutoCAD on other platforms are $1,995. There's a free trial available, and students and educators can get a free copy of the application. Several designers I have talked to are thrilled about the availability of the Mac edition of AutoCAD, as it takes advantage of the features of Mac OS X and the Mac hardware, but uses the native DWG file format for cross-platform compatibility. AutoCAD for Mac also features integration with the free AutoCAD WS app for the iPhone and iPad. Full system requirements are listed here, and include both minimum and recommended Mac systems.
AutoCAD comes back to the Mac
Autodesk, proprietor of popular 2D/3D design software AutoCAD, is about to bring AutoCAD back to the Mac after a nearly two decade estrangement. AutoCAD is to engineering and architecture design what Photoshop is to photo editing, so this is a Pretty Big Deal. Like many software makers (and users), Autodesk bailed on the Mac platform during the early 1990s, at least as far as AutoCAD is concerned. Since then, it's been one of the biggest of the big names in software absent from the OS X platform and one of the few things Windows evangelists could point to and say, "Yeah, well Macs can't run that!" Starting in October, your Mac will run AutoCAD, as long as you're willing to pay around $4000 for it (the same price as the PC version). Not only that, Autodesk is reportedly working on an iOS version of AutoCAD as well. AutoCAD WS will be a free download from the App Store and will run on iPads, iPhones, and iPod touches. Naturally you won't get the same functionality out of the free app that you will out of the $4000 Mac software; while the mobile version will be able to view AutoCAD files generated on PCs or Macs, don't expect to be able to make more than very minor alterations on an iPad. Still, as the New York Times notes, carrying around blueprints on a svelte electronic device like an iPad beats schlepping big rolls of paper around on a job site. Welcome back to the Mac, AutoCAD!
