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Triggertrap automatic shutter release hits production, links your camera to most things
Want your camera to take a shot whenever the phone rings or someone loads your blog page? Triggertrap can arrange that for you. This Arduino-powered box has managed to cross the funding finish-line and will be bringing its multi-source automatic release to camera creatives early next year. The former Insert Coin project can communicate with cameras through either a wired connection or its own IR transmitter. It can initiate shutter release from a multitude of sensors, with the built-in light, laser and sound sensors backed up by an auxiliary port, meaning it can be hooked up to anything capable of generating an electronic signal. With prototype testing complete, the Triggertrap looks set to ship in early February next year, with a special build-your-own version appearing soon after that. The ready-made options will set you back $125, while the customizable 'shield' version is pegged at $75. Interested? Well, hold on after the break for a full video tour of the cherry red hardware.
Aptera fresh out of greenbacks, closes up shop
Bummer for fans of teardrop shaped three-wheelers, as your favorite chariot, Aptera's 2e, will never see the light of day. Despite getting the ball rolling on a $150 million loan from the DOE, subsequent funding and time just weren't on the startup's side. An unfortunate prognosis, as CEO Paul Wilbur revealed the company had been working on a $30,000 mid-sized sedan that would have touted 190 miles of electrical range. He's still adamant the company had "never been closer" to realizing its vision, but hopes someone else can carry on Aptera's torch. Those nuggets and more await in what is possibly the company's final tell-all after the break.
The Kinect Accelerator contest gives 10 startups a great start
Microsoft and TechStars, a company that provides mentors and funding to potential startups, will support 10 entrepreneurs in their Kinect-based ventures with a three-month innovation incubation contest dubbed The Kinect Accelerator. The program is for commercial applications of Kinect technology, and after a "competitive screening process," each of the 10 startups will receive $20,000, office space, an Xbox dev kit, the Windows Kinect SDK and all the resources of Microsoft BizSpark. After three months, each team will present at an Investor Demo Day to potentially garner more funding and media attention. You can apply for The Kinect Accelerator right here through Jan. 25. TechStars is helping Microsoft with the Accelerator and will get a 6 percent stake in the startups. Microsoft has really run with this Kinect-hacking boom, which is good; perhaps it realized that Kinect is truly a sweeping media application that can also do gaming, as opposed to a gaming system that also supports other media. As much fun as we have with Dance Central 2, the idea of yelling at our entertainment systems to play music, watch TV and surf the net is still much more appealing than any fly-step-out combos.
Turn your Kinect hack into a startup with Microsoft's Accelerator program
Wanna turn your Kinect hack into, um, money? Microsoft can help you out, now that it's teamed up with TechStars to launch the Kinect Accelerator -- a program designed to turn Kinect-based ideas into real world startups. To participate, innovators must first apply to the Accelerator before the January 25th deadline. Ten applicants will then be accepted to a three-month incubation program, and rewarded with $20,000 in seed money. To participate, however, you'd have to relocate to Seattle for the duration of the program, scheduled to kick off this Spring. Plus, if you manage to bring your company to market, you'll have to set aside a six percent common stock stake for TechStars, which is both funding and spearheading the initiative. For more details on how to apply, hit up the source link below.
An interview with Dag Kittlaus, the man who sold Siri to Apple
It only took one phone call to turn Siri's Dag Kittlaus's life around. Before the call, he was the head of a Silicon Valley startup and afterwards, he was a multimillionaire working with Apple. In an interview with Norwegian publication E24, Dag Kittlaus talks about his time working at Siri, the sale of his company to Apple and his life as an entrepreneur now that Siri has officially launched in iOS 5. In the interview, Kittlaus recalls the sacrifices he and his family made during the early years of Siri. It entailed a risky move to Silicon Valley, little money, long hours at work and lots of time away from his family. He also talks about his brief time at Apple after the acquisition. Unlike most companies which are driven by the bottom line, Apple, he says, is driven by the desire to create the best products in the world. His conversation with reporter Eirik Mosveen is a refreshing, personal look at a Silicon Valley success story. You can read the whole interview on E24's website. [Via 9to5mac]
Kickstarter hits a million backers, impoverished design students rejoice
Despite these shaky economic times, people still have the time -- and money -- for modded Arduino kits, iPhone lens and air guitar mods. Kickstarter users have now pledged over $100 million to projects, with the number of backers leaping from around 250,000 in September last year to over one million. The crowd-funding site is marking the occasion with visualizations of its vital statistics, showing, among other things, that one-time backers make up the bulk of investment. With over 13,000 projects green-lighted so far, projects still vying for our investment dollars include a caterpillar-tracked smartphone robot, a bike light that attaches to your spokes generating an 8-bit light show and an energy recovery unit that picks up on heat from a dryer exhaust. If the idea of heat exchanges gets you all hot under the collar, check out Kickstarter to help give the creators a fiscal foothold.
Julius Blank, chip-making pioneer and Fairchild co-founder, dies at 86
Somber news coming out of Palo Alto today, where Julius Blank, the man who helped found the groundbreaking chipmaker Fairchild Semiconductor Corporation, has passed away at the age of 86. The Manhattan-born Blank (pictured third from left, above) began his engineering career in 1952, when he joined AT&T's Western Electric plant in New Jersey. As a member of the engineering group at the plant, Blank helped create phone technology that allowed users to dial long-distance numbers without going through an operator. It was also at Western Electric where he met fellow engineer Eugene Kleiner. In 1956, Blank and Kleiner left AT&T to work at the lab of Nobel Prize-winning physicist William B. Shockley, but departed just one year later (amid to start Fairchild, alongside a group of six other computer scientists that included future Intel Corporation founders Robert Noyce and Gordon Moore. At their new labs, Blank and his peers developed an inexpensive method for manufacturing silicon chips, earning them $1.5 million in capital from a single investor. As the only two with any manufacturing experience, Blank and Kleiner were charged with bringing the dream to fruition -- a task that required them to build the chips from scratch, beginning with the machinery for growing silicon crystals. They succeeded, of course, and in 1969, Blank left Fairchild to start Xicor, a tech firm that Intersil would later buy for $529 million, in 2004. But his legacy will forever be linked to those early days at Fairchild, where, as Blank described in a 2008 interview, he and his colleagues were able to experience the unique thrill of "building something from nothing." Julius Blank is survived by his two sons, Jeffrey and David, and two grandsons. [Photo courtesy of Joan Seidel / AP 1999]
AT&T Foundry innovation center opens its doors in Palo Alto to help devs do what they do
We've heard of keeping up with the Joneses, but this is getting ridiculous. First it was Verizon, then Vodafone, and now Ma Bell -- with an assist from Ericsson -- has built an innovation center in Silicon Valley. This new center completes the triumvirate of AT&T Foundry facilities (the other two are in Texas and Israel), and is a part of the company's strategy to accelerate the process of developing and delivering new products to its customers. Right now, there are over 100 projects in development in Palo Alto, and AT&T is looking to add more. Those who are chosen gain access to AT&T's networks and expertise to ensure that new projects play nice with all of the company's gear, and it's already produced a few things that were on display at the center's grand opening. Want a sneak peek at what's in AT&T's innovation pipeline? Read on past the break to get it. %Gallery-133819%
Nerdy Day Trips guides traveling technophiles, could use your input
It's like DayZipping, tailored for nerds. Nerdy Day Trips has just taken the wraps off of itself, launching a "slightly in development" website that aims to give jetsetting technologists a guide for their upcoming excursions. Put simply, users can navigate around the world and find published day trips that involve shockingly geeky things -- you know, like a quick jaunt out to see Tokyo's monumental Gundam statue or The Robot Museum in Nagoya. As it stands, almost all of the recommendations are in the United Kingdom, but that's not to say it'll always be that way. The company's already planning to improve searching, develop a mobile app, integrate a social networking aspect and showcase places to stay near said trips, and you can help expand the database by tossing in trips that you've already accomplished. As for us? We'll have our endeavors to ESPN's 3D haunts, Westone's headquarters and Ferrari's Italian lairs in there shortly.
Vodafone Xone R&D center opens its doors in Silicon Valley, wants to help startups grow
Verizon's doing it, so why not Vodafone too? That's right, folks, the big red telco from abroad has decided to get into the swing of things in Silicon Valley with its new Vodafone Xone R&D center in Redwood City, California. Unlike VZW's Application Innovation Center just a few miles north in San Francisco, the Xone is focused on identifying startups with potential and putting their ideas on the fast track to proof-of-concept trials. In order to do so, the center provides technical expertise, business advice and access to its lab to ensure that products are compatible with Vodafone's global 2G, HSPA, and LTE networks. This R&D center is also aligned with Verizon's facility in Massachusetts, so budding entrepreneurs have access to stateside LTE infrastructure, too. We got a chance to check out the new business incubator ourselves, so read on for more. %Gallery-133022%
Google shutters Slide, founder Max Levchin moves to greener pastures
It's been barely a year since Google acquired Slide for a cool $200 million, but today comes news that the Mountain View crew has decided to dissolve its social apps unit, and that renowned entrepreneur Max Levchin will be leaving the company to "pursue other opportunities." Sources close to the matter told All Things D that the decision was announced at an internal staff meeting yesterday afternoon, and that most of Slide's 100 employees will likely shift over to YouTube. A Google spokesperson later confirmed that the unit will in fact be shuttered, but didn't reveal further details of where the displaced employees will land, saying only that the majority will remain onboard. Google didn't offer a concrete explanation for the decision, though Slide had been acting as a largely autonomous and peripheral branch, and was never fully integrated into the company's larger social team. Its apps, moreover, never really took off, and are due to be phased out over the course of the next few months -- including tools like SuperPoke Pets, Disco and Photovine. And then, of course, there's Levchin -- the man who founded the company just a few years after co-founding PayPal, and who currently serves as Yelp's chairman of the board. His immediate plans remain unclear, though we and the rest of the tech world will certainly be keeping a close eye on him, wherever he lands next.
Gig. U hopes to bring Gigabit networks and straight cash, homey, to university communities
Familiar with Johnny Appleseed? He who traipsed 'round the country with a sack 'o seeds on his shoulder, planting trees hither and yon leaving apple orchards blooming in his wake? Gig. U is similar, only it's a project that aims to plant Gigabit networks in 29 collegiate communities to facilitate research, attract start-ups, and stimulate local economies. The plan is just getting underway, and the schools in question -- including Virginia Tech, the University of Hawaii, and the University of Alaska -- are asking private telcos and companies to help make their high-speed dreams a reality. In addition to benefiting the immediate areas, Gig. U sees these swift new networks functioning as hubs in a faster nationwide broadband system. The colleges claim that construction of these new information superhighways won't start for several years, so it'll be some time before they can help elevate us from our current state of broadband mediocrity. Chop, chop, guys.
Insert Coin: Triggertrap open source automatic camera release (video)
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line.Perhaps the simplest function on any camera, the shutter release is typically triggered using a dedicated button, or -- most often in the case of a professional rig -- using a wired or wireless remote. The Triggertrap falls into that latter category, completing the circuit necessary to capture an image after receiving commands from a virtually limitless array of sources. After pairing with your DSLR or ILC using a universal connector, you'll be able to trigger the device to snap a photo using a laser beam (thanks to the built-in photo transistor), sound (a hand clap, for example), or a timer -- typically most applicable to time-lapse photography. An auxiliary port will enable you to get even more creative -- you could release the shutter using a remote control, pressure trigger, or even a cell phone call, for example.The Triggertrap is well on its way to a Kickstarter campaign goal of $25,000, but there's still time to pre-order a DIY kit for $70, or a turn-key version for five bucks more. As always, Kickstarter will issue a refund if the project isn't funded before the July 31st deadline. Both devices are Arduino based and open source, so you're free to make modifications as you wish -- assuming you don't mind getting your hands dirty with a bit of programming. Jump past the break for a quick demo video, and keep an eye out for the creator's Pringles can DIY macro lens, just past the 13 second mark.
Insert Coin: Social Bicycles bike sharing system (video)
In Insert Coin, we look at an exciting new tech project that requires funding before it can hit production. If you'd like to pitch a project, please send us a tip with "Insert Coin" as the subject line. It's been a year since we last heard about Social Bicycles (SoBi), the bike sharing concept that has potential to revolutionize the way we rent, ride, and lock bikes. Now the New York-based startup is working on a very promising second prototype, and is turning to Kickstarter for funding. The new version is still a few weeks out (that's a rendered version in the image above), but we pedaled over to SoBi HQ in Brooklyn to take a look at the first model, which is already far more efficient than systems we've seen implemented in Europe and select US cities, including Denver. Both versions feature a main rear-mounted lock unit, containing a U-lock, rear wheel immobilizer, GPS tracking chip, GSM modem, and a hub dynamo electrical generator. The new version's unit will be much more compact, two-thirds lighter, and will include an integrated solar panel for keeping the electronics powered up even when the bike isn't moving.%Gallery-127369% SoBi interfaces with a mobile app, which lets you locate and unlock unreserved bikes around the city (you'll use your PIN to control the lock during the reservation period). Users pay a monthly fee to subscribe, which will include an hour of free riding each day. The system implements a clever financial incentive to have bikes returned to strategically located hubs, charging a fee for users who prefer to leave bikes elsewhere, then offering the same amount as a credit for riders who rent that bike and return it to a hub. Because the SoBi will be a rental service and you won't be buying a bike to own, early supporters will receive a future credit in exchange for a Kickstarter donation. Donations of $50 or more also include a slick AR-enabled t-shirt, which displays a "3D" model of the bike on your mobile device. Jump past the break for a hands-on with the first Social Bicycle, and a behind-the-scenes look at the company's shared workshop in Greenpoint, Brooklyn.
Reserve Power: When inventor meets informercial, Part 2
Ross Rubin contributes Reserve Power, a column focused on personal perspectives and products. Last week's Reserve Power took you behind the scenes of technology and infomercials, and this week we're bringing it to its natural conclusion. Catch up by reading last week's installment here, and catch the rest just below.
Tilera's new 100-core CPU elbows its way to the cloud, face-melt still included
Hundred core chips might not be breaking news -- especially if the company announcing it is Tilera -- but what if that new multi-core CPU drew an insanely lower wattage and set its sights on powering a few cloud server farms? Well, that's exactly what chip maker Tilera has up its silicon sleeve. "Co-developed with the world's leading cloud computing companies" -- take a guess who that might include -- the new 64-bit TileGx-3100 clocks in at up to 1.5GHz while sucking down a lighter 48W. Line that up next to the current cloud favorite, Intel's Xeon, and your power consumption is slashed nearly in half. Of course, the barrier to entry is high for the nascent chip developer since most code written is for the x86 -- requiring a whole new set of instructions for data centers to play nice. Expect to see this face-melting monster sometime early 2012, by which time, you'll probably have your 50,000 strong music library synced to the cloud.
Reserve Power: When inventor meets informercial, Part 1
Ross Rubin contributes Reserve Power, a column focused on personal perspectives and products. They come from across the country to a conference room at Telebrands, the Fairfield, NJ-based infomercial marketer that serves as the arbiter in the TV show Pitchmen. It was Inventors Day, an event that the company holds around the country about every six weeks. Those who submit the best ideas to inventorsday@telebrands.com are invited to present. At stake, the chance to design Telebrands' next hit product and become a millionaire. And all that stood between them and fortune was a convincing pitch to the judging panel (made up of CEO A.J. Khubani, his wife Poonam Khubani, and marketing advisor Don Braca) and a permanently installed five-foot long model of a PedEgg -- invented by the Telebrands CEO in '97 -- signed by company well-wishers.
uBeam wireless power startup shows prototype at D9 (video hands-on)
As seems to be the case each year, one or two stars show up to demonstrate new technology here at the All Things D 'Science Fair,' and it just so happens that a pair from the University of Pennsylvania are soaking up the limelight this go 'round. uBeam's the company, and based on what we saw at D9, we're guessing that you'll be hearing an awful lot more from the duo in the coming months. The company's mission is to provide wireless power -- hardly a new concept, but it's all sorts of refreshing to see what's often thought of as a pipe dream get an injection of reality. The outfit is literally comprised of two people for the moment, with the prototype shown here concocted just a few weeks ago. The goal? To get uBeam transmitters installed in as many locales as possible, and then to hit critical mass from a device standpoint. Imagine walking into a restaurant with uBeam transmitters in the ceiling, and watching your handset magically recharge as you await your appetizer. Granted, the outfit's a long way from that -- its first product will be a small charging puck that'll connect to a bevy of USB devices. That'll pair with an enterprise or consumer-level transmitter, a device that will ideally be situated in a ceiling. For now, things are strictly line-of-sight, but the shipping system will be able to detect a uBeam puck in the room and charge it if it's anywhere within a 20 to 30 foot radius. We're told that the consumer version will be suitable for piping power to just a handful of devices, whereas the enterprise build will be able to juice up an undisclosed amount more. Care to learn more? Head on past the break. %Gallery-124958%
ICE Computer shows off Trinity modular tablet concept, aims for Q1 2012 release (video)
First the ASUS Padfone, then the CMIT TransPhone, and now a third phone-docking tablet but with a little extra spice. Our latest contender comes from a Taiwan-based startup dubbed ICE Computer, who has just announced its partnership with ECS over its Trinity concept, a mobile display that lets you dock either a PC module or a smartphone (not necessarily an iPhone, let alone an iPhone 5 as reported by some sites; the dummy's just for show and convenience). From our quick chat with ICE product manager Jaryson Wu, we learned that the company's been working on this project for quite some time, though ike ASUS and CMIT, ICE also lacked a working prototype to show us. So the idea is simple: slide in a PC module or phone of your choice, and you have yourself a fully functioning touchscreen tablet that has an upgradable core -- that's one tick for environmental friendliness, and another tick for potentially more powerful upgrades. But that's not it, as ICE may also throw in USB 3.0 ports, additional internal storage, and even a fan inside the Trinity tablet, but that will depend on the clients' needs. Jaryson indicated that there are no plans to launch products under the startup's own brand, nor is it going to develop its own phone to go with the add-on any time soon -- we'll just have to wait and see what it'll deliver in the first quarter of 2012. Video interview after the break. [Thanks, @Stagueve] %Gallery-124949%
As seen at TechCrunch Disrupt New York 2011, part one
I took a stroll down the startup and "battle" aisles at TechCrunch Disrupt this week. The startups were largely focused on social media plays, though not to exclusion, and surprisingly not all of the had associated apps for mobile devices. That said, there were definitely some to keep an eye on. The "battle" aisle was for companies involved in Disrupt's daily battles, where companies with somewhat similar services duked it out on stage in front of a panel of judges. In some cases we'll have deeper reviews of the apps described below, so stay tuned. Do@ - iOS app, free This oddly named app is an ingenious new mobile search engine that was highly regarded at Disrupt. By using your social graph to influence results and pulling results from a variety of sites pertinent to what you're looking for, I was impressed with the overall relevance of searches. For example, by searching "inception @movies" you are presented with web view pages around the movie inception. Pages from IMDB, Fandango, Wikipedia and more are shown clearly and you can swipe between them. If one of your friends happens to like Fandango, or if you happen to, it will show up before the others. A neat trick, although I'm anxious to see how it plays out in day to day use. SpotOn - iOS app, free Currently only available in New York, SpotOn is like FourSquare but influenced by your friends. It pulls in data from your social graph on Facebook and Foursquare and offers suggestions for things to do (places to see, where to eat and so on). Until it rolls out wider it'll be hard to gauge how useful this will be, but I do see the potential. Instead of having to go to Facebook and look at an event and scroll through attendees to see if your friends are attending, SpotOn saves time by showing you, say, an event going on nearby later that night that your friends are attending. It's everything Foursquare's guides could be, limited to your social circle and with a very direct purpose. Spenz - iOS app, free Similar to Mint, Spenz wants to show you what you've been spending your money on. Unlike Mint, the app doesn't pull info from a bunch of places, it asks you to input that data. Of course, there are bunches of apps like that in the store, but Spenz has some nice features built in that I've never seen before. For example, Spenz will note that you go to Starbucks in the morning and input an amount for coffee. When you go to input how much you spend in the morning, the "coffee" tag will be further up top than it will be in the evening. Makes sense, right? There are several little touches like that baked in to the app, making it easier to enter your data than most of the budgeting apps you'll see out there. Plus, Spenz has a website component, and every time you input your data it is pushed to the site where you can track your spending there. We'll have a deeper review later, as the Spenz founder let me in on some powerful features coming soon. GameBuilder Studio - Mac app, currently in limited beta I spoke to founder and CEO Lavon Woods about GameBuilder Studio as it reminded me of ColdStone, an abandoned Mac OS game-builder application from many years ago. GameBuilder, when publicly available, will produce games across a variety of platforms (yes, Mac and iOS) and runs on Mac, Windows and Linux machines. It isn't Unity, however. These games are two-dimensional, but I was impressed with the interface and workflow. GameBuilder will build side scrollers, isometric games and more, but again, in 2D. Woods told me the studio will be free to download, but there will be licensing for developers who wish to deploy their games, with the cost varying. We'll check in when this is publicly available and report back, but the game design geek in me liked what he saw. Tomorrow I'll have another roundup of startups seen at Disrupt.
