elevation
Latest
Google Maps' bike routing now helps you avoid steep hills
Just because you enjoy cycling doesn't mean you want a challenge every time -- it's not much fun to pedal uphill when you simply need to get to work. You won't have to face those arbitrary hill climbs in the future, though, since Google Maps has quietly added elevation data to its bike routes. Plot your path using a desktop web browser and you'll see both a visual representation of elevation changes and the number of feet you have to ascend (or descend, if you're lucky). There's no word on a corresponding mobile app update, but don't be surprised if you can eventually chart an easier course when you're already on the road. [Top image credit: Cheryl DalPozzal, Flickr]
Philips intros Ambilight+Hue integration, 60-inch Elevation TV (video)
Philips makes colorful Hue light bulbs, and it (indirectly) makes colorful Ambilight TVs. Wouldn't it make sense if the two devices talked to each other? They do now: a new Ambilight+Hue app for Android and iOS coordinates Hue bulbs with compatible TVs, spreading Ambilight effects across the entire room. To mark the occasion, Philips and TPVision are launching the 60-inch Elevation TV (not pictured here). The 3D-capable, 1080p LCD introduces a four-sided Ambilight system that produces a fuller lighting effect when the set is wall-mounted. It's also the thinnest Philips TV to date, at 0.54 inches thick, and it includes the requisite smart TV features like Netflix, web browsing and Miracast media sharing. Ambilight+Hue should be available now, although Europeans will have to wait until later in the summer to buy the Elevation for about £2,800 ($4,168).
Martin Jetpack hits the 5,000 feet milestone, could come to market within 18 months (video)
OK, so the Martin Jetpack may not have gone into commercial production quite as soon as we'd anticipated, but there's still hope on the horizon. Over the weekend, Glenn Martin's flying machine successfully climbed some 5,000 feet above sea level, marking a new milestone in the 30-year, $12 million project. Remotely controlled by a tailing helicopter, the 250-pound craft used its two "superfans" to power itself skyward at about 800 feet per second minute, before safely parachuting back to Earth from a height of about 3,000 feet. As with its last test run, however, the Martin Jetpack was equipped not with a human being, but with a crash dummy. It may have been for the best, though, considering that the machine sustained some damage upon concluding the ten-minute flight. Nevertheless, Martin seems confident that yesterday's test "brings the future another step closer," and is hoping to deliver his brainchild to customers within the next 18 months -- plenty of time for us to hawk enough family heirlooms to afford that $86,000 price tag. Soar past the break for a video of the jetpack's big launch, or check out the source link for a more extensive interview with Martin and some background footage of his invention. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Palm investor McNamee details Pre's neat location-based features
As much as we've heard about (and played with) the Pre this month, there's still a whole lot yet to be revealed about webOS; Palm clearly has a little bit of work left to finish and polish the platform, so what we know so far has much more to do with UI glitz, glamor, and flashiness than the actual trench warfare of using a phone day in and day out. Yahoo's Tech Ticker had a chance to chat with Elevation Partners' Roger McNamee -- a figure whose cash infusion has been central to Palm's survival this past year or so as they've raced to throw together the Pre -- and in between Houdini-esque reveals of seemingly hundreds of smartphones on his person, he's slipped a couple cool location-oriented features we can expect in webOS. First up, the phone can be configured to check out your calendar every morning and automatically download all sorts of information about the people, places, and companies you're going to visit, including maps -- an especially awesome feature if you're dealing with spotty 3G coverage. Even cooler, though, has to be the lateness notifier -- the phone uses GPS to determine where you are, compares it to where you're supposed to be at the moment, and if it figures out that you're screwed, it'll let you know. What's more, it can automatically email people to let them know that you've screwed up (just blame it on the traffic -- we always do). Follow the break for Tech Ticker's full interview.[Via PreCentral.net]
Palm closes recapitalization deal with Elevation Partners
No surprises here, but Palm's "strategic recapitalization" effort has officially been closed. Just months after shareholders gave a collective thumbs-up to the idea (hey, who can say no to Bono?), Elevation Partners has indeed "invested $325 million in Palm, which the company will utilize along with existing cash and $400 million of new debt to finance a $9-per share cash distribution." Additionally, a number of new faces have been appointed jobs within the outfit, and the "total number of directors on the board has been increased from eight to nine." Ed Colligan, Palm's president and CEO, proclaimed that this "transaction has laid the groundwork for the firm to recapture its position as the leading innovator and brand of the mobile-computing revolution." Now that's the spirit, Ed.[Via mocoNews]
Riccitello rejoins EA as new CEO
Former Electronic Arts President and COO John Riccitello is returning to the publishing behemoth. On April 2, Riccitello will become the new chief executive officer, while current EA CEO Larry Probst will stay on as executive chairman of the board of directors.Probst held the position of Big Kahuna since 1991. During his time, the company has steadily solidified its position as supreme being in the world of game publishing, made seven more Madden iterations, saw firsthand the awe-inspiring financial powerhouse that is Will Wright's The Sims (and its subsequent sequels / expansion packs) and who at one point abstained from letting EA publish M-rated titles. (The latter position did not last: EA's first M-rated title was Quake III for the PlayStation 2 in 2000.)Riccitello left EA in 2004 to co-found Elevation Partners with, among others, U2 singer Bono. Elevation Partners created a "super developer" through the purchase and merger of Pandemic and BioWare in late 2005.Read [Wall Street Journal; subscription required]
