the-end – Page 127

Hands-on with Kwikset and UniKey’s Kevo keyless entry system

Kwikset and UniKey are set to update their home entry systems, which have remained largely unchanged since they were first invented more than a hundred years ago. Using a Bluetooth daughter card in the lock mechanism, a couple Bluetooth antennas and a clever app this lock opens by simply touching a finger to the outside of the housing when you approach the door. At its simplest, the companies’ Këvo system isn’t too unlike a keyless car entry system, though it takes advantage of your iPhone’s Bluetooth LE — Android and BB10 versions will arrive as soon as those platform’s stacks are sorted — or the included keyfob for the proximity technology. Security is handled through the phone or desktop app enabling you to share keys with your family as administrative users, normal users, one-off entry or even scheduled access. For those concerned about leaving your phone too near the door and thereby allowing anybody access, the system actually uses two antennas, one on the inside and one out. So should you stand behind the closed door the system won’t trigger access to those outside. Battery life for the four AAs is rated for a year, and you’ve no need to worry about being surprised by an outage, either: the system will notify you well in advance using the lock’s eight RGB LEDs or through the app. Pricing will be somewhere in the $199 range when it hits the shops, though sadly we don’t have an exact date to share. We’re pretty stoked to get a chance to check this system out for ourselves but until that time, check out the quick video of it in action below. Gallery: Kwikset and UniKey’s Kevo keyless entry system hands-on Filed under: Wireless Comments

Samsung’s 13.3-inch 3,200 x 1,800 LCD ships in Q3, we go eyes-on at SID (video)

So, it’s not the full laptop setup we were kinda-sorta expecting based on Samsung’s announcement yesterday, but the Korean company’s 13.3-inch 3,200 x 1,800 panel — with a whopping 275 ppi — is still plenty impressive on its own. Though the prototype was connected to a desktop PC rather than installed in a notebook, the demo gave us what we came for: a look at that sheer pixel density. You really have to see it to believe it — with the desktop set to the screen’s native resolution, menus, icons and text all appear tiny . The benefit of such a high resolution, of course, is that you can fit more information on screen, and it’s more than a little reminiscent of Apple’s Retina display . The booth wasn’t equipped with internet access, so we couldn’t test the panel’s mettle with a trip to this very site, but images on the desktop and in Samsung’s pre-loaded PowerPoint looked very bright and crisp. In addition to playing up the pixel count, Samsung touted its prototype as a “green panel,” claiming 30-percent lower power consumption than existing LCDs. And like the flexible LG display we saw just a bit earlier, this screen won’t stay off the market for long: expect a 13.3-inch version — with touch capability — to ship in the next two months, though it may debut on a third-party laptop, not necessarily one manufactured by Samsung. A rep told us that 14- and 15.6-inch versions will follow. Check out our hands-on video and photos for a closer look. Gallery: Samsung 3,200 x 1,800-pixel 13.3-inch display eyes-on Filed under: Displays , Laptops , Samsung Comments

More:
Samsung’s 13.3-inch 3,200 x 1,800 LCD ships in Q3, we go eyes-on at SID (video)

Microsoft announces Halo live-action TV series created by 343 Industries and Steven Spielberg

The Xbox One is a big deal for consoles, but Microsoft just made a massive content announcement at today’s reveal event — a live-action Halo TV series. As if the existence of such a television show weren’t enough, it turns out that 343 Industries is teaming up with renowned moviemaker Steven Spielberg to bring the world of Master Chief to life in serial form. Spielberg will be the executive producer and the show will provide “exclusive interactive Xbox One content,” whatever that means. Unfortunately, neither Microsoft nor Mr. Spielberg are telling when the show will actually be available for your eyeballs to view, but it is, most assuredly an actual thing . And just knowing that the follow-up to Halo: Forward Unto Dawn is coming is enough, right? Filed under: Gaming , HD , Microsoft Comments

See more here:
Microsoft announces Halo live-action TV series created by 343 Industries and Steven Spielberg

Seamless and GrubHub are merging to form a giant food delivery service

Seamless and GrubHub, two of the biggest food delivery services in the US, have just announced they’ll be merging into a combined company, with the name of the new operation to be decided at a later date. (SeamHub? Grubless?) Unlike some other transactions we cover around here, this does seem to be a merger in the truest sense of the word, with GrubHub founder Matt Maloney stepping up to the role of president, and Seamless CEO Jonathan Zabusky staying on as president. Though we don’t yet know what the new service will be called, the companies are already saying it will serve 500 US cities, with around 20,000 restaurants taking orders. Also, as hinted in that press release below, the merger will give the new mega-company more financial flexibility when it comes to further growth opportunities. Next up: Delivery.com? Filed under: Internet Comments Via: The Next Web

See more here:
Seamless and GrubHub are merging to form a giant food delivery service

ASUS Zenbook Infinity Ultrabook to appear at Computex 2013 with Gorilla Glass 3 lid

ASUS’ Transformer Book hybrid may have just graduated from our review testing, but the company already has a new product to tempt you. The Zenbook Infinity will be the “world’s first Ultrabook with a lid made form Corning Gorilla Glass 3 ” and will be revealed in full at Taipei’s Computex 2013 in a few weeks. It’ll measure in at just 15.5mm thick, which a full 14 percent thinner than previous Zenbooks . Next-generation Gorilla Glass will cover the outer lid and the keyboard surround, although you can expect to see that familiar concentric circle pattern beneath the protection. ASUS says the Ultrabook will launch Q3 2013, but expect to see the full specs before then . Filed under: Laptops , ASUS Comments

Visit site:
ASUS Zenbook Infinity Ultrabook to appear at Computex 2013 with Gorilla Glass 3 lid

Yahoo to acquire Tumblr in $1.1 billion cash deal

That cat’s out of the bag a day early , it seems. Yahoo’s board has approved a $1.1 billion cash deal to purchase the blogging site Tumblr, according to The Wall Street Journal . We were expecting Yahoo to announce the acquisition during tomorrow’s NYC media event — CEO Marissa Mayer may instead use the last-minute gathering to detail the company’s plans for integrating the popular platform. It’s unclear how Yahoo intends to utilize its latest procurement, but with a 10-figure price tag now public, we can only imagine that Tumblr will be put to good use. We’ll be covering tomorrow afternoon’s event live, so stay tuned for more details from New York City. Filed under: Internet Comments Source: Wall Street Journal (Twitter)

See the original article here:
Yahoo to acquire Tumblr in $1.1 billion cash deal

Yahoo to acquire Tumblr in $1.1 billion cash deal, says the WSJ

That cat’s out of the bag a day early , it seems. Yahoo’s board has approved a $1.1 billion cash deal to purchase the blogging site Tumblr, according to The Wall Street Journal . We were expecting Yahoo to announce the acquisition during tomorrow’s NYC media event — CEO Marissa Mayer may instead use the last-minute gathering to detail the company’s plans for integrating the popular platform. It’s unclear how Yahoo intends to utilize its latest procurement, but with a 10-figure price tag now public, we can only imagine that Tumblr will be put to good use. We’ll be covering tomorrow afternoon’s event live, so stay tuned for more details from New York City. Filed under: Internet Comments Source: Wall Street Journal (Twitter)

More:
Yahoo to acquire Tumblr in $1.1 billion cash deal, says the WSJ

Foc.us headset claims to shock the brain for better gaming, we go forehead-on

We’ve seen a number of headsets tap into the mind, to geotag your mood , grant you remote control over gadgets or simply let you wiggle a pair of cat ears . None of those are quite like the foc.us, however, which serves up transcranial direct-current simulation (tDCS) — a controversial form of neurosimulation that transmits current to a particular area of the brain. Originally used to help patients with brain injuries, tDCS has supposedly been found to increase cognitive performance in healthy adults. These claims haven’t been proven yet though, and shocking your own cranium isn’t exactly FDA approved. Still, the foc.us is one of a few tDCS headsets designed for the consumer market and can, the inventor Michael Oxley claims, improve your working or short-term memory when the electrodes are placed on your prefrontal cortex. A low-intensity current is passed through the different nodes, exciting that part of the brain. Interestingly, Oxley is positioning it as a way to boost your video gaming prowess for the “ultimate gaming experience,” a concept we found a little odd. That said, you don’t actually have to wear the headset while shooting up bad guys or other brain-draining tasks. The idea behind the foc.us headset is to put it on your noggin, fire it up, and wait for around five to ten minutes, then take it off and go about your day. We did just that and all the gory details are after the break. Gallery: foc.us Filed under: Science Comments Source: foc.us

PSIO prototype loads PlayStation 1 ISOs on the console, no burned CD necessary (video)

Project PlayStation Input Output has been trying to load PlayStation 1 game images through the game system’s parallel I/O port since 2010, and now it’s ready to show off the first prototype. If piracy is your aim, then modchips that let users play burned discs and emulators that have been available through the console’s 19-year history should suffice, but this project aims to bypass those methods. The potential benefits include easier homebrew support and playing of ripped discs on the original hardware without worrying about wearing out an aging console’s laser. Eventually the team wants to load games and saves from an SD card, but in this demo video it’s playing Klonoa: Door to Phantomile from an attached PC. As seen in the nearly ten minute video it does work, albeit slowly. As the video notes, optimizations for the USB controller and CD sectors that should speed things up have not been implemented yet. According to its FAQ, the PSIO team aims to have a final version done this year, you can check out the fruits of their labor after the break. Filed under: Gaming , Sony Comments Source: PSIO , PSIO (YouTube)

View the original here:
PSIO prototype loads PlayStation 1 ISOs on the console, no burned CD necessary (video)

Sony’s 13.3-inch e-ink paper prototype shown off at education expo in Japan (video)

Earlier this week, we learned of Sony’s plans for a 13.3-inch e-ink slate with stylus support pitched at students, and now Diginfo has caught up with the prototype device at the Educational IT Solutions Expo in Japan. The A4-sized tablet is said to be the first piece of hardware with an E Ink Mobius display that’s flexible and light due to its new plastic construction. Co-developed by Sony and E Ink, the display only contributes 60g to the overall weight, which is apparently 50 percent lighter than similar screens built with glass. Sony says the software isn’t quite as slick as it’d like it to be just yet, but nevertheless, you can check out people scrawling, annotating and highlighting on the prototype in the video below. Filed under: Sony Comments Source: DigInfo (YouTube)

Excerpt from:
Sony’s 13.3-inch e-ink paper prototype shown off at education expo in Japan (video)

Ken May

Tag: the-end