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ICYMI: Charging lights with foot power
try{document.getElementById("aol-cms-player-1").style.display="none";}catch(e){}Today on In Case You Missed It: EnGoPlanet is testing streetlights powered by both kinetic footpads and solar panels, placed in a plaza in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the Panther is a military-style drone that can both drive on the ground and fly through the air, while carrying up to 15 pounds of gear. The guys and girls of Engadget video are stoked about the Beauty and the Beast live-action movie reboot from Disney; the new trailer is here just fyi. The determined garbage kid is here and the AP video of stranded cows is here. As always, please share any interesting tech or science videos you find by using the #ICYMI hashtag on Twitter for mskerryd.
'Mad Max: Fury Road' is an Ultra HD Blu-ray launch title
Ultra HD Blu-ray is finally coming in 2016, and while we'll hear more about its 4K movies this week at CES, Warner Bros. is kicking things off by announcing some of the first movies on the way. Right out of the gate, it's offering Mad Max: Fury Road, San Andreas, The Lego Movie and Pan. They're promised for the "initial launch" early this year, although there's no exact date mentioned. More movies will arrive later this year and Warner says it plans to release over 35 in 2016, although only Man of Steel and Pacific Rim have been named.
Canon's app-controlled Pan Table lets you create pro-level effects for $100
We don't typically pay much attention to camera accessories, but this one's definitely piqued our interest. The Pan Table, available later this quarter from Canon, pairs with the company's Android and iOS Camera Access Plus apps to enable some pretty cool panning effects. After mounting your camcorder, you can move the platform 200 degrees to the left and right as you shoot video. It can also tilt up and down by 20 degrees, but you'll need to make those adjustments manually. Unfortunately, Canon is unable to share pictures of the device at this time, but once the Pan Table does materialize, it will operate for up to nine hours on a pair of AA batteries, or you can power it indefinitely using the bundled AC adapter. It ships in March for $100.
Google+ brings pan and scan functionality to high-res photos
Even point-and-shoot and cellphone shooters have double-digital megapixels nowadays, and Google+ is now letting you take advantage of all that resolution. It's brought photo pan and zooming capabilities, meaning that if you've uploaded a decently large photo, all that users in your circle or community will need to do is click it to bring up the lightbox, where they can proceed to explore all of an image's nooks and crannys. Since Google+ now supports full-sized Android photo backups, that'll give vacationers or artists a new way to let others discover their handiwork -- or other surprises. Hit the source to see how it works.
iPhone 4S claims title of first Bluetooth 4.0 smartphone, ready to stream data from your cat
The Bluetooth 4.0 specification may have been finalized in July of last year, but smartphones supporting the standard are just starting to hit the market. In fact, the first such handset is the iPhone 4S. That the 4S is the first to deliver its 4.0 wares to the American public is something that got lost in all the hubbub surrounding its launch. One of the biggest selling points of the latest version of the PAN standard is its low-power mode, though that wont have much of an impact on Apple's device. What it will enable the latest iGadget to do however, is act as a hub -- collecting data from multiple sensors and accessories simultaneously, such as heart rate monitors and cats. Don't expect this to be alone on the market for long, other manufacturers will certainly be squeezing support for the specification into their next flagship device.
Qualcomm's Peanut challenges ZigBee, Bluetooth for control of your personal area network next year
Perhaps dissatisfied with the glacial pace of Wibree, Qualcomm's working on an ultra-low-power, short-range wireless transfer tech of its own -- it's called Peanut, and executives claim it only needs "fractions of a milliwatt of power" to push data at several megabits per second. Computerworld got the scoop on the new low-power radio at EmTech@MIT 2010, and reports that Qualcomm's had these goobers in the oven since 2006 and is looking to trump the likes of ZigBee and Bluetooth by this time next year. Assuming, of course, the Peanut standard doesn't require a molasses-like committee of its own to attain formal approval.
Ozmo's WiFi PAN available Q4, is this the end of Bluetooth's reign of terror?
Has it really been two years since Intel joined forces with Ozmo Devices? Indeed it has, and we've been eagerly awaiting the day when our mouse, keyboard, and other peripherals would communicate via WiFi. And you know what? We're still waiting -- though we might not be for much longer. Apparently the company has just announced the availability of its low power OZMO2000 chip "to select peripheral manufacturers." Compatible with Windows 7 SoftAP, Intel MyWi-Fi, and presumably Wi-Fi Direct, you can look for it to ship in production volumes in Q4. We know that this is great news for anyone who is frightened and confused by the tyranny of Bluetooth, to say the least. PR after the break.
Atheros AR6002 makes NEC's N-06A dual-mode handset a WiFi access point
We've seen oodles of dual-mode handsets, but none quite like this. Rather than boasting two radios, two keyboards or two faces, NEC's N-06A -- which is gearing up to debut on NTT DoCoMo over in Japan -- actually has two purposes. Aside from making calls on the carrier's FOMA network, the phone can actually double as a wireless access point when AP Mode is enabled. The handset packs a cutting-edge Atheros AR6002 module, which enables handsets to operate in infrastructure mode, the primary wireless connectivity framework employed in access points, routers, laptops and other WLAN devices. In other words, your netbook (and seven other WiFi-enabled devices) can hop online via your handset, and it's far easier than the wacky tethering methods we deal with today. Other specs include an 8.1 megapixel camera, HSDPA / WLAN models and a miraculous 3.2-inch touchscreen with an 854 x 480 resolution. There's no mention of a price or ship date for the handset, but more than that, we're thirsty for details on when this chipset will be featured in a handset that's headed to US soil. Check the full release after the break.
G2 Microsystems demoes Intel My WiFi Personal Area Network
G2 Microsystems has just announced a rather sweet near-range technology that will enable products like headphones, speakers, etc. to connect directly to Intel My WiFi-enabled laptops sans fuss. The company's device is hailed as a "fully calibrated WiFi networking module" that can speak directly to an Intel My WiFi, Centrino 2-based computer. Ideally, users will eventually be able to quickly print and sync between digiframes and photo archives, and the ultra-low power draw should keep batteries happy. Now, the real question: anyone stepping up to spearhead adoption?
Ozmo / Intel trumpet WiFi PAN for low-power devices, Bluetooth says "what?"
Look out, Bluetooth -- Ozmo Devices has its eyes set squarely on you. Okay, so maybe this whole thing isn't as adversarial as advertised, but there's no denying that the aforesaid company's latest initiative will target the exact same devices that BT is embedded within now. Ozmo has announced a partnership with Intel at Computex that will extend the latter company's Cliffside WiFi Personal Area Network (PAN) technology to "low-power devices." Essentially, WiFi radios that suck less juice nowadays would take on dual roles -- accessing WLAN networks and doing the duties typically reserved for Bluetooth -- which would enable devices to have one less component stuffed within bulking things up. As of now, there's been no takers on the design, but word on the street has Belkin already testing the approach out for kicks and giggles (or maybe something way more serious).[Via DailyWireless]Read - Ozmo Devices' press releaseRead - WiFI PAN explained
Garmin's new Forerunner 405 puts the 'watch' back in 'GPS watch'
Starting with the Forerunner 305, Garmin finally started producing GPS-enabled watches that didn't make you look like a total goof while tracking your pace and vitals, but these still weren't timepieces you'd be comfortable wearing to the office or even a bar. Then came the Forerunner 50, which had the perfect watch-like form factor, but unfortunately, no GPS. So fans of this line will be pleased to learn that Garmin has somehow been able to shoehorn a satellite receiver into a casing not much bigger than the 50's and dubbed it the Forerunner 405. Besides monitoring and logging speed, distance, heart rate and location, the 405 also features a touch-sensitive bezel for controlling its various functions, as well as the same proprietary ANT+Sport wireless syncing technology as the GPS-less 50. Available in either black (pictured above) or green (pictured after the break, along with a video walkthrough), the Forerunner 405 will start at $299.
Variety says Mario Galaxy shows Wii's weaknesses
Here at Joystiq, we like to have some fun with our Nega-reviews. When the critical apparatus tells us almost unanimously that a game is undeniably good, we like to pick apart their words and find out what small negatives can be found in the overwhelmingly positive whole. This was a bit tough for Super Mario Galaxy, a game that got high praise all around. It wouldn't have been nearly as tough if we'd had access to Variety's review of the game, which went up on Monday.While the Variety review praises the game's original level design and gravity-based gameplay, the majority of the writing picks apart the game's weak story, limited two-player mode and awkward camera controls. What's more, a large portion of the review seems targeted at the Wii itself, from blanket condemnation of the two-handed controller ("Holding the nunchuk, ... and the Wii-mote ... in separate hands, is an awkward arrangement") to criticism of the system's graphical prowess ("Fans may claim that the graphics are good 'for the Wii,' ... but given the vastly superior quality of the graphics in a game like Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction ... Galaxy looks old fashioned and lifeless.")While we can't say we agree with all the criticisms, it's always interesting to see a major outlet going against the tide of positive opinion to create a negative review. You know, a real one.Previously:Variety praises writing in The Simpsons GameVariety takes flak for negative Metroid Prime 3 review