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IKEA's new $40 wireless charging pad mounts underneath your desk or table
If you've ever thought, "hey, it would be great if I could charge my phone or tablet just by laying it on a regular desk," then IKEA has the gadget for you.
IKEA's first smart air purifier is also a side table
IKEA is releasing its first smart air purifier in two models including one that doubles up as a side table.
SOBRO: The smart coffee table for cold beers and chill tunes
Coffee tables aren't the most glamorous piece of furniture. If you're anything like me, they inevitably become a repository for loose stuff like keys and remotes. StoreBound's SOBRO smart table aims to be a lot more useful. It's not just nice to look at; it's also well-equipped with a built-in fridge, speakers and even mood lighting, all of which can be controlled from your phone.
The 'Station' desk cradles your body and gut-punches your wallet
Our computers have rapidly shrunk from room-size behemoths to hulking desktops to the svelte laptops that now dominate modern offices. What haven't changed much are the tables and chairs that the computers (and we) sit on. A new integrated workspace from the Altwork company, appropriately named the Station, has been designed to replace both pieces of furniture while giving you more flexibility in how you interact with your computer. I was recently able to get a butts-on demo of the Station, and the only contortion I had to perform was wrapping my mind around its massive price tag.
IKEA's future kitchen tells you how to cook
For IKEA, your future kitchen shouldn't just have the occasional smart appliance -- it should be a technology hub. The furniture store's Concept Kitchen 2025 includes tech and other helpful additions meant to save both time and resources, such as a pantry with induction cooling (to preserve food longer) and a disposal system that automatically packs your recyclables. The highlight, however, is the Table For Living. It packs a camera-equipped projector that both shows recipes on its surface and recognizes ingredients, giving you an idea of what to make with what you have on hand. There's an induction cooktop hidden in the table, too, so you wouldn't have to run between counters to get that hot stew ready. This is just a vision rather than something you can actually buy, but all of IKEA's technology is realistic enough that you could find some of it in your home within the next decade.
IKEA will start selling wireless charging lamps and tables
After lots of perseverance from smartphone makers, wireless charging is finally starting to make an impact. Many big name phones now support the technology and companies like Starbucks are helping to bring it a wider audience. Now, it's set to receive another big boost, after IKEA, the world's largest furniture retailer, announced the introduction of a new range of furniture that features integrated charging.
Marvel's Venom infects Zen Pinball games next month
Zen Studios announced a new table for its pinball games based on the popular villain from Marvel's Spider-Man universe, Venom. The table explores Venom's rivalry with Spider-Man as well as Carnage, the offspring of the dark Symbiote, hosted by the first of Venom's victims from the webbed superhero's comics, Eddie Brock. As with Zen Studios' other tables, the add-on will launch for multiple Zen Pinball and Pinball FX games on December 10 and December 11. It will cost $2.99 (€2.99/£2.49) for Zen Pinball 2 and Pinball FX 2 players on PS4, PS3, Vita, PC, Mac, Xbox One, Xbox 360 and Wii U. Those playing Zen Pinball, Zen Pinball HD and Marvel Pinball on iOS and Android will need to pay $1.99 (€1.79/£1.49) to access the Venom table in those games. [Image: Zen Studios]
Pizza Hut's concept touch table lets you swipe your way to a perfect pie (video)
With hundreds of mom and pop shops in the New York area, it's been upwards of a decade since I've stepped foot in a Pizza Hut. But the fast food giant's latest dining concept may just have me reconsidering that self-imposed chain pizzeria embargo. The interactive table, created in partnership with Chaotic Moon Studios, lets you visualize your order as you construct it. Pick your crust, select your sauce and cheese (half or whole), then add toppings like chicken, mushrooms and peppers to your liking. You can even double down on calories by rounding out your meal with a serving of cheese sticks, Spicy Asian wings or Hershey's Chocolate Dunkers. Just keep in mind that after all that touching, your fingers will be coated in varying levels of greasy stranger danger -- be sure to wash your hands before your pie arrives!
Augmented reality table lets you explore a book without opening it (video)
We've seen touch-friendly tables before, but they're rarely so slick as the Multi Surface Experience, a newly launched collaboration between design firm Gensler and ad agency The Hive. The installation lets guests explore Gensler's architectural portfolio (the book you see above) just by walking up to a wavy table. An overhead projector, Kinect for Windows and special software present an interface wherever people stand; when users choose to learn more about a project, it pops up on a wall-mounted 4K display. The current experience is sadly confined to Gensler's Los Angeles office, but it's also the start of teamwork that could lead to commercial designs. Don't be surprised if company lobbies are much livelier in the future.
Xbox One and PlayStation 4 specs compared
Microsoft today announced the next generation of Xbox technology, called the Xbox One. Sony previously announced the PlayStation 4 back on February 20, so we now have a full look at just what both next-generation HD boxes will contain. After the break, we've assembled a chart comparing the two consoles and their various components. The two machines are surprisingly similar, with both using an eight core CPU, the same amount of RAM, and both containing a combo Blu-Ray and DVD drive. But there are some major differences, too: Microsoft has created its own chip for the Xbox One, and the PlayStation 4 controller contains that share button and the clickable touchpad. Prices for both units haven't been announced yet, but both will be available later on this year.
Hyperspace Beacon: Examining the gear of SWTOR 2.0
The developers at BioWare turned a corner when they redesigned the commendation system for Star Wars: The Old Republic. Most players seem to welcome the simplicity and practicality of the new system coming with 2.0. Reducing the number of comms players have to track allows players to focus on playing the game and not on managing currency. Unfortunately, the gear progression is a bit more like separating M&Ms, making you wonder why there are more yellows than blues and whether there's really a difference between dark brown and light brown. Not to mention that SWTOR proves once again that MMO designers have no idea how to make a decent helmet. PvP gear also has me wondering what returning players are going to think about having to regrind again so soon after a major change with Update 1.6.
This iPad foosball table almost nails it
I really wanted this foosball table to be awesome. It's not bad, but you'll soon discover there's a bit of a flaw, especially if you play foosball regularly. The table itself is basically an accessory for the app Classic Match Foosball (the app is free, of course). From New Potato Tech, the table itself is slightly longer than a full size iPad, with fast-moving rods and a nice heft to it that belies the plastic exterior. There's a 30-pin dock in the model I tried, and the interface with the app worked as advertised. You can also use it as a dock, and there's a USB port on the bottom of the table to allow you to plug in the iPad whilst you play. The rods for the Classic Match Foosball table have cross-hatching on them, which appears to enable optical sensors in the table to track movement and rotation -- exactly what you'd need to follow a foosball table's rods during a game. The app itself is very responsive, and I had no complaints with that. Whether I was meticulously lining up a shot on a slow-moving ball or just spinning the rod like a madman, the table kept pace. The "action" on the rods was impeccable, as it felt fluid and pretty much like a brand-new foosball table. Even with some rough play the table did fine (and there are pads you can add to get the iPad more secure in the table). Unfortunately, a direct simulation of a foosball table in such a small space, as any lifelong Spencer's customer will tell you, isn't necessarily that much fun. Foosball, like air hockey and pool, doesn't always translate well to a smaller table because the speed at which it is commonly played becomes too much for the brain to handle when shrunk down. I remember watching the evolution of numerous air hockey iOS games, so maybe the foosball app will tune itself over time, should the developers continue to playtest it and focus on the fun, not the simulation. The simulation is also somewhat flawed due to the hardware, however. In typical foosball, the rods on either side are offset, and line up with the rods you see on the table -- the ones which correspond to your "team" are easily, visibly connected to the handles which control them. The Classic Match table, however, chose to align those rods. So what happens is the rod doesn't line up with what you see on the screen. In videos I watched where seasoned foosball players were using the table, the cognitive disconnect was never overcome. Repeatedly they went for the wrong handle because the handle which looked like it would control one of your guys actually extends onto the screen for an opposing team. Your handle does control one of your team's rods, but those rods are offset. The few seconds of delay it takes for the brain to compensate for this disconnect, over time, made the foosball table less fun. It became obvious in short order that the frustration factor of having to compensate for the design choice was a non-starter. It's possible that over time this problem would lessen as the brain adjusts, but I don't think so. Worse, this can't be easily solved in software. The rods should have been offset from each other. Instead, they are directly across from each other on the table, so it will never really function like a real foosball table. At least, the rods won't ever line up correctly. The shame of it all is New Potato has created a table that, aside from that one flaw, feels and plays fantastically. If you can get your hands on one and try it, maybe the fact that the rods don't line up with what you see on the screen won't matter. But before you spend US$99 on this, I recommend you try it for yourself and see if you can wrap your brain around that flaw, especially while the foosball ball flies around the screen at near-light speeds.
Multi-iPad table moves from concept to reality
Here's an item that would spice up any living room -- although it might be a budget-buster. The iPad table, a project of the Universal Mind interactive agency in Grand Rapids, links 15 iPads together to create one synchronized display. The co-creator of the iPad table, Joe Johnston (who put it together with David Tucker), told TUAW that the system was conceived and built from scratch including the industrial design of the table and the custom app driving the connected iPads. A private wireless LAN hands off object information from iPad to iPad, allowing the moving "hypercards" to bounce and sail across the full extent of the iPad matrix. Double-tapping one of the cards expands it into a full webpage or other content. It's easy to see how this sort of system could be popular and useful in a conference, retail or exhibit context. In fact, it strongly resembles another tabletop approach to touch computing that's had its branding co-opted to launch a different product: Microsoft Surface, Mark I. Before the Surface name was attached to the tablet convertible with the snappy keyboard, Microsoft was marketing Surface as a cocktail table-sized touchable computer intended for public, tourism and exhibit functions; that concept lives on as Samsung's SUR40 with Microsoft PixelSense. If you're interested in experimenting with multiple iOS displays linked together, Aachen University's Mobile Multi Display app is in the App Store now; for single-device inexpensive digital displays on the iPad, check out DynaSign or Digital Signage X. The utility of the iPad as a kiosk device took a big leap forward with iOS 6's Guided Access, which permits non-jailbroken devices to lock in a specific app and restrict sensitive screen areas while disabling the home & sleep buttons (making our "best of 2011" iPad accessory, the BubCap, a bit less necessary). Professional multi-display solutions from companies like Videro (profiled by us here) and Sedna are capable of driving the iPad as well as the Mac, but haven't yet reached the point of multi-device iPad display configurations. Thanks, Grant!
Disney Research develops capacitive touch that detects multiple users through their fingertips (video)
Creating a truly multi-user, multi-touch display is a tricky prospect. How do you know who's who short of turning the screen into one giant fingerprint reader? Chris Harrison, Ivan Poupyrev and Munehiko Sato at Disney Research have suggested in a paper that fingerprinting on a capacitive touchscreen isn't far off -- it's just what we need to fingerprint that matters. Rather than look for physical ridges, the scientists' method sweeps through AC frequencies to find the exact electrical impedances of fingertips in contact with the screen. Different bodies, different clothes and even different shoes give everyone a unique signature that lets the screen identify specific people, even when they each have multiple fingers in play. The researchers propose that the technique would work well in collaborative workspaces, personalized devices and security, but let's not forget that this is Disney we're talking about: it's placing a strong emphasis on the prospects for shared screen gaming without the limitations we know today. While any practical use is still some distance away, it's easy to see future tablets and tables that are designed from the start to encourage a little socializing.
Ideum unveils speedy Platform and Pro multi-touch tables, says PixelSense ain't got nothin' (video)
Who knew giant multi-touch tables would trigger the next big speed race? Ideum clearly thinks that the PixelSense-based Samsung SUR40 is lagging with that AMD Athlon II X2, because it just rolled out a pair of speed demon 55-inch, 40-point touch surfaces (but not Surfaces) in the Platform and Pro. The Platform has a respectable dual 2.2GHz Core i7 and 8GB of RAM, but it also carries a pair of 256GB solid-state drives in case that museum exhibit app won't load quickly enough. Hopping to the Pro switches to two not quite as speedy 500GB hard drives in standard trim. It more than makes up for this with a quad 3.4GHz Core i7 and NVIDIA's Quadro 600 for the truly stressful projects -- the combination can juggle multiple users and tasks even more smoothly than its MT55 Pro ancestor. Outside of raw speed, picking a table depends mostly on svelteness versus expansion: the Pro has a full-fledged HP tower inside that can drop in SSDs and other upgrades you might fancy, while the Platform is half as thick as a SUR40 (at two inches) and sleeker overall than its big brother. We're working to get price quotes, but the early five-digit figures we've seen in the past likely rule out upgrading the family coffee table. You can convince yourself with a video after the break.
Insert Coin: Playsurface open-source multitouch computing table
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. A Microsoft Surface in every office? Yeah, fat chance. At $8,000, you may never see Samsung's SUR40 glow in the wild, but budget versions of the backlit HD table have begun popping up, such as the Merel Mtouch, which retails for half the price. Still, four grand is a lot to ask from casual users -- we need a bargain-basement option to help catapult the concept to success. The Playsurface could be one solution, with an open-source design and a much more affordable price tag. The multitouch computing table is the product of Templeman Automation, and its creators have begun promoting their concept on Kickstarter. In its current iteration, the Playsurface will ship in two flavors -- short, to double as a coffee table, and tall for stand-up applications -- with a $1,750 pledge netting backers a complete kit. Setting out to fulfill the goal of widespread adaptation, the creator is promising one Playsurface kit with a $1,750 pledge, including a Windows computer, a short-throw 1280 x 800-pixel DLP projector and a transparent touch surface, all housed within a self-assembled wood enclosure. There's also an infrared LED strip to aid with input recognition and something called a "Blob Board," which serves as a dedicated hardware processor tasked with touch detection and connects to the computer via USB. A $350 pledge gets you a Blob Board alone, while $650 is matched with a table (sans computer and projector) and $1,250 will net you a full kit, less the computer. There's just shy of four weeks left to go to get your Playsurface pledge in -- hit up the source link to make it happen.
iBook Lessons: Creating Amazon KDP tables of contents on MS Word for Macintosh
For whatever reason, many Amazon authors seem to be under the impression that you can only create a proper table of contents for Kindle Direct Publishing on Windows, not the Mac. Having just uploaded our newest book (Getting Ready for Mountain Lion) to Amazon, Steve Sande and I have invested a lot of time learning the quirks of KDP and its tools, as well as those for iBooks (but more about that in another post). For any of our readers who are also budding authors or publishers, we'll be sharing what we've learned in a TUAW series called "iBook Lessons." We thought we'd share our KDP Table of Contents strategy with you to help reduce the hair-pulling and frustration associated with document preparation. Here are the steps we use in Microsoft Word 2008 and 2011 to create our TOC. Create a fresh page and add Table of Contents text line, formatted with your favorite header style. Move your cursor just to the left of "Table". Choose Insert > Bookmark. Call the bookmark toc and click Add. This creates a bookmark before the title, named in such a way that KDP's automatic conversion tools will recognize it as the start of your Table of Contents. All the Kindle hardware and apps will be able to use it as well. Generate a temporary TOC, so you have an outline to start working with. Move to under your Table of Contents header to a new line. Choose Insert > Index and Tables > Table of Contents. Uncheck "Show Page Numbers". Click Options. Choose which heading styles you wish to include. If you use custom styles (e.g. H1 instead of Header 1) make sure to add a level for those as well. Typically, most ebook TOCs use either just H1 or H1 and H2. Your call. Click OK to finish options. Click OK again to generate the contents. Select the entire TOC, cut it, and paste it into TextEdit to be your guide to the next step. For each entry in the TOC, locate the start of that section in your manuscript. Set your cursor to the left of each section title. Again, use Insert > Bookmark to create a bookmark at that position. Name each item with a meaningful (and easy-to-recognize) tag. After bookmarking your entire document, return to the initial Table of Contents section. Paste the text from TextEdit back into your document as simple, unlinked text. For each item on your list, select the entire line: i.e. every word, not just clicking to the left of the name as you did to set bookmarks. Then choose Insert > Hyperlink (Command-K). Choose the Document tab, and click the Locate button to the right of the Anchor text field. Choose the bookmark you wish to link to, and click OK. Repeat for the remaining TOC entries. Once you've finished adding bookmarks and hyperlinks, save your work. Go to KDP and upload the file (you may want to create a testbed skeleton book entry just for this purpose). Download the .mobi file it generates and try it out on the Kindle Mac app and/or any Kindles or iPads/iPhones you have on-hand. Amazon's Kindle Previewer app is also available for download from KDP, and provides simulated views of your ebook on iPhone, iPad, Kindle, Kindle DX, and Kindle Fire. Always make sure you test each link to ensure that the bookmarks are placed properly. Also test the Table of Contents button in-app and check that it jumps you to the TOC correctly. Best of luck in your ebook / iBook publishing efforts, and look forward to more tips about publishing here on TUAW.
'Archer' may take a shot at a Pinball FX 2 table, it's all Twitter's fault
So it went down like this: Someone tweeted Archer production designer and art director Neil Holman the idea for an Archer table in Zen Studios' Pinball FX 2, Holman said he could send the idea up to FX if Zen was down, and Zen said, "Yuuuuup" (paraphrased). Holman since requested Zen's contact info and said he'll "put the wheels in motion."It looks to us like Twitter already got those gears turning, in a wonderfully public way. This is what happens when cool people work together: transparency and dead hookers. Uh, we mean, cartoon spy-drama pinball tables. Of course.
Sifteo and Surface team up for magical marriage of meaninglessness
Sifteo and Surface are definitely two of the cooler, but more useless gadgets we've had the pleasure of handling over the years. So, what happens when you get these questionably useful toys (both literally and figuratively) together? Well, a whole lot of nothing particularly important. By combining the proximity sensors on the Cubes with the object recognition of the SUR40 the devs were able to whip up a simple game that has you recreating patterns of colored cubes. Sound a little dull? We won't lie, it's not the most thrilling thing on Earth, but there's a video of it none-the-less awaiting you after the break.
EXOdesk hands-on
You've seen it shown off in poorly lit YouTube clips, now see in a poorly lit hands-on video from our favorite tech blog. The fine folks at ExoPC invited us up to their suite at the Trump hotel (which, by the way, smells exactly like you'd imagine Donald Trump does) to spend some quality time with their desktop extension. The core of the system is a 37-inch 10-point multitouch screen connected to a reasonably powerful laptop. But it's the software that's the real star. The tabletop computer is running the company's custom UI which is built on HTML5. Unlike other table-top computers, you're expected to use it alongside a traditional mouse and keyboard -- not in place of it. There's a dedicated EXOstore that's home to apps, also encoded in HTML5 and designed to run on any machine with ExoUI -- be it the EXOdesk, a tablet or standard desktop PC. In our short time with the desk, we were actually pretty impressed with its responsiveness and intuitiveness. As to be expected there are still a few kinks to work and some tweaking to be done -- but nothing that's an absolute deal breaker. The company plans to release a development kit sometime in the first half of the year, accompanied by developer hardware courtesy of Viewsonic. For a few more impressions check out the video and gallery below.
