I’m sure its popularity has dropped off, but there are still plenty of people who spend their free time on chat sites like Chatroulette. Even though we’re all aware of the dangers of randomly being connected to a stranger’s video feed. Besides frequent exposures, there’s also the risk of being connected to someone who’s not who they appear to be. And while you might think it would be easy to tell when someone’s using pre-recorded footage, this impressive system actually remaps someone’s face in realtime to look like someone else.
Now granted, in its current state it’s not perfect. But it’s already surprisingly convincing at times, particularly at how well it disguises Arturo Castro’s real face. According to his Vimeo page, the application demo’d in this video was created using “Kyle McDonald’s ofxFacetracker + Jason Saragih’s facetracker library” which is detailed and available upon request here. As to how to put the pieces together to start your random chat reign of terror? Well I’m afraid you’ll need to be a fairly capable developer to do that.
Modern 3D film technologies have managed to get most of the population used to wearing glasses. Even those like myself who are (so far) lucky enough to not need them outside of a movie theater. And while I’m not going to jump to the conclusion that SensoMotoric Instruments, or SMI, is taking advantage of this trend. I find the timing of their new eye tracking binocular glasses a little suspicious.
Mostly because the glasses don’t really benefit the person wearing them. In fact, maybe ‘test subject’ is a better term than ‘person’ since the glasses are designed to benefit researchers, or marketing types, who have a vested interest in how the human eye wanders. Whether it’s across the UI of an application, the dashboard of a car, or even an advertisement in a magazine. A couple of small cameras on the rim of the glasses constantly monitor the movement of the wearer’s eyes, while another camera records what they’re looking at in HD. Overlaid on that video is a small blue circle which indicates exactly what the wearer is focusing on. Whether it’s a shelf half way across a store, or the details on the side of a package.
In theory the technology could be applied to actually interacting with user interfaces on smartphone apps, or automobile interiors, without the use of your hands. But given the limitations of today’s technology the glasses would still be required. And if there’s one thing we’ve learned from 3D over the years, it’s that no one wants to be forced to wear them.
Just last week, in my review of the Sony Tablet S, I was expressing my love of using a tablet as a universal remote, which is functionality it comes with standard. But that’s not the case with most other tablet and smartphones on the market. If you want to use them as a touchscreen remote, you either need a special case, or an external IR adapter. And Logitech, long known for their most excellent Harmony remotes, has gone that latter route with their new Harmony Link.
The actual hardware doesn’t look that different from similar alternatives already available, but has the advantage of coming from Logitech who’ve had quite a few years to build up their databases of home theater gear and AV equipment. If you’ve ever used a Harmony remote, and have experienced how easy they can be to use and setup, you’ll understand why the Harmony Link is certainly an option you should consider. Available for iOS and even Android devices, the hardware works in conjunction with a free accompanying app that provides similar functionality to the company’s remotes. Except when it comes to the iPad, which takes advantage of the large display to provide interactive program guides and personalized listings.
While some external remote adapters connect to the iPhone over Bluetooth, the Harmony Link connects to the wifi network in your home. So you’ll need to have your tablet or smartphone connected to wifi as well. It is a bit of an extra battery drain, but since all these devices are rechargeable, you won’t have to hunt for a fresh set of AA’s when the batteries die. Available come October for $99.99.
Etsy is a gold mine of MacBook decals that play around with the glowing Apple logo on the back of the display. But for some reason the Apple logo on the back of the iPhone doesn’t get nearly as much love. iTattoo’s snap case for the iPhone 4 starts to fill this vast void with 6 designs that, quite frankly, aren’t that clever. I realize they can’t use copyrighted characters like Iron Man or Snow White, but a single hummingbird? Really? That’s one of the top 6 designs you put into production? Each case is made from clear polycarbonate so it at least won’t take too much away from the iPhone’s design aesthetics, but at $48(€35) a pop they should have brought more to the table than a knife, fork and plate.
Yeah, I know, it’s not even October yet and I’m already posting Hallowe’en related gadgets. But if you want your house to be truly memorable to local trick-or-treaters, you gotta start sooner rather than later. Particularly if you’re looking to integrate something like this into your haunted decor. The Asylum Door prop looks exactly like it sounds. A grimy, weathered door at an insane asylum. Except that instead of a reinforced glass window, there’s a 22-inch LCD display showing footage of an inmate trying to escape. The cracking glass effect when he hits the window with an ax is cute, but it’s when he starts swinging at the door that the real tomfoolery begins.
As you can see in that video, thanks to some cleverly hidden pneumatic mechanisms, it appears as if the blows from his ax are actually having an effect on the metal door. Bulging it out on the viewer’s side. After a really lame effort the inmate gives up — probably to go watch Wapner — and the door subtlely returns to normal. A company called Pale Night Productions claims to have first created the effect, and sells a slightly different version on their site for $3,750. While the one appearing in the video is available on Etsy for $3,500.
You might be able to find a sweet deal for a flight online, but once you get to the airport and realize how much extra you’re going to have to pay to check just a single bag, it stops being so sweet. The only solution is to pack as light as possible, hopefully squeezing all your clothes into a carry-on, or suck-it-up and wear something like the Rufus Roo.
In short, it’s a light travel jacket with a collection of regular and super-sized pockets that lets you carry up to 22 lbs. worth of crap, including shoes, shirts, pants, books, and even laptops and wine bottles. You’re going to look like a complete tool while making your way through an airport with it on, and it can’t be the most comfortable thing to wear during your flight, but at least you’re saving a few bucks right? Available now for ~$47(£29.95) for large and medium adult sizes and ~$39(£24.95) if you want to turn your kids into vacation pack mules too.
In this column it goes without saying that it’s all about value. And that means constantly falling prices and rising specs. Whereas 3 or 4 years ago, a low-range 22-inch monitor would cost about $250-$300, you can now own something like Dell’s ST2420L, a 24-inch LED monitor with an HDMI connection (as well as DVI and VGA of course) for $209 after a $50 rebate. For $10 more you can get a “bundle” that consists of this monitor and a AX510PA soundbar.
Full specs are:
Full HD 1920 x 1080 resolution, 250nit brightness, 1000:1 Contrast Ratio, tilt adjustment stand, glossy front bezel, DVI-D (HDCP), VGA, and HDMI connectors.
Cheap, external hard drive enclosures are almost as plentiful as cheap iPhone cases. And while most PC users probably couldn’t care less how one looks, I suspect that a good number of Mac users are a little more discerning. So while at $26 this enclosure certainly delivers on the cheap, it also manages to deliver on the looks. The glowing Apple logo is what will probably catch most Mac user’s eyes, even if it’s completely unsanctioned by Apple. While the metal trim should appeal to anyone using an iPhone 4.
As for tech specs, for the price it’s obviously limited to USB 2.0, and will accept a 2.5-inch SATA/2 hard drive up to 500GB in capacity. And since it snaps together, you don’t even need to dig out your mini screwdriver kit to assemble it. $25.95 from Amazon.
What I like best about Tascam’s iOS device-friendly audio adapter is that it works with pretty much any application that lets you record, sample, or monitor a live audio feed. A single, balanced XLR input lets you plug in professional grade mics, audio equipment or instruments, and a set of AA batteries even lets you feed phantom power to a condenser mic as needed. A simple dial lets you adjust the input levels, and a 1/8-inch headphone jack on the back lets you monitor sound coming from your iPhone, iPod Touch or iPad. Pricing and availability are still TBA though.
Related Tags: Innovation
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