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So, you just sprung for a multitouch-enabled Battalion CZ-11, eh? Too bad there’s hardly any software out there for you to take advantage of. Er, was out there. iBuyPower — a company most often associated with new hardware — has just flexed its software muscle by creating a new system that will enable any game to played via multitouch, regardless of whether the game’s creators gave it so much as a thought. Magic, which is short for Multitouch Advanced Gaming Interface and Control, is a proprietary piece of code designed specifically for the company’s own touch-enabled laptops, and it works by linking a multitouch gesture to a command the game already understands, emulating multitouch commands by mapping keystrokes or mouse clicks. Best of all, it’s available now as a gratis download, and we have little doubt that the hackers in attendance will have this working on Dells, Alienwares, Lenovos and HPs before you can spin around twice and add another smudge mark to your LCD.

Continue reading iBuyPower’s Magic makes any game playable through multitouch (video)

iBuyPower’s Magic makes any game playable through multitouch (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Jul 2010 16:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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So, there’s two ways to look at this. One would be to gawk at the fact that ESPN, the worldwide leader in sports broadcasting, is using iPads and Xbox 360 consoles — common devices that are widely available to mere mortals — to drive content to millions of consumers. Another would be to gawk at the fact that ESPN has somehow managed to keep its finger on the pulse of innovation, despite being swallowed by Disney and being a part of one of the planet’s most monolithic corporations. Thankfully for you, we’re going to cover both angles here. Our eyes were opened after stepping foot in the company’s Bristol headquarters and really getting a feel for how the company views technology and its integration into programming, and it led us to a philosophical conclusion about how corporations should (but oftentimes aren’t) be taking advantage of what’s readily available. Ready to get schooled? Head on past the break.

Continue reading Editorial: ESPN bypasses corporate red tape with iPad and Xbox 360, wannabe innovators should take note

Editorial: ESPN bypasses corporate red tape with iPad and Xbox 360, wannabe innovators should take note originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 12 Jun 2010 11:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony may come up with some far-out ideas, but the company insists this one’s a bit closer to home: it’s a LCD touchscreen with force sensing resistors and piezoelectric actuators that can detect how much pressure is applied and vibrate the panel respectively. Tech-On was rocking the scene at Open House 2010, and reports that the Cover Flow-like interface shuffled icons faster the harder a demonstrator pressed down, an interesting UI quirk in and of itself. Though the publication sadly didn’t get to test out the tactile feedback for themselves, Sony said commercialization might not be too far off — when asked about that telling Sony Ericsson logo, the company asserted that it’d like to see the tech in mobile phones “as soon as possible.” We’d love to hold them to that, but unfortunately the applied pressure mechanic is just a prototype at this point.

Sony prototypes pressure-sensitive tactile touchscreen, hopes to use it ASAP originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Jun 2010 01:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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If you asked Intel what this is, the company would tell you it’s an experimental power sensor; if you asked a storage guru, they’d ID it as the PogoPlug. Truth be told, it’s a miniature Linux computer designed by Marvell — who’s apparently decided to beat Intel at the former function. Through a partnership with 4Home, Marvell’s latest 2GHz SheevaPlug will become a smart meter that measures power consumption right from the outlet, ostensibly allowing you to figure out which blasted light the kids left on this time without shoving a pricey home automation kit into your walls. No word on how much it’ll cost to keep tabs on your energy bill or when you’ll be able to do it, but we’ll ask those important questions and more when we see the device for ourselves later this week. PR after the break.

Continue reading 4Home, Marvell partner for energy monitoring plug computer

4Home, Marvell partner for energy monitoring plug computer originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Jun 2010 23:21:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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digg_url = ‘http://digg.com/gadgets/Worlds_First_Pico_Projector_iPhone_Camera’; The Moject project proved that smartphones and pico projectors do indeed have a thing for one another, but Ethan Janson has taken things one step further with an unnamed contraption that holds his iPhone 3GS, a Microvision Show WX and an “ancient” point-and-shoot camera. Put simply, the handmade thingamajig allows him to play his iPhone games on a far larger screen, and since the Show WX is continually in focus regardless of distance from walls, there’s never a blurring issue when flailing about in order to control the gameplay. The full skinny is down there in the source, but shortcut takers can head straight past the break for a video.

[Thanks, Ethan]

Continue reading DIYer combines iPhone 3GS with Show WX for pico projected gaming bliss (video)

DIYer combines iPhone 3GS with Show WX for pico projected gaming bliss (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 May 2010 13:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Roger Linn. Ever heard of him? He’s only the man behind the modern day drum machine and the original MPC-60, and he’s also the man behind the concept you’re inevitably peering at above. For now, Roger’s calling this beaut the LinnStrument, and there’s quite a back story to go along with it. The design began way back in 2006, with the goal being to create a full-on multitouch instrument with the ability to let one’s finger dictate volume, timbre, pitch and pressure. No doubt, many have tried to concoct something similar, but Roger’s discovery of TouchCo enabled him to create one sans the limitations of imitators. Unfortunately, Amazon quietly scooped up the startup in January of this year (to have this sort of technology available for the Kindle product line), and in turn, shut down TouchCo’s involvement with the outside world. Now, Roger’s being forced to reveal his unfinished work in hopes of attracting investors or unearthing another company that could mimic this sort of awesomeness en masse. Jump on past the break and mash play to get a better idea of what the world’s missing out on, and be sure to tell Jeff Bezos “thanks” the next time you bump into him.

[Thanks, Peter]

Continue reading LinnStrument multitouch music maker gets demoed on video, grasps for investors

LinnStrument multitouch music maker gets demoed on video, grasps for investors originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 16 May 2010 11:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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UCSD researchers hope to track airborne toxins with sensor-equipped cellphones originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 May 2010 07:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Sony NEX-5 is small, really really small (video)

Sony NEX-5 is small, really really small (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 May 2010 06:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The year is 1974. Skywalker lives, and a tradition is born. The year is 1983. The odds are ridiculous. The final score leads to an unpremeditated running around the court that’ll live forever in history. Fast forward to 2010, and NC State is hanging onto advancements in science while the blued neighbors in Durham and Chapel-Hill are celebrating back-to-back titles. Regardless of all that, we’re still pretty proud of Dr. Jay Narayan and company, who have just uncovered a new “smart sensor” that will allow for “faster response times from military applications.” Essentially, the team has taken a sensor material called vanadium oxide and integrated it with a silicon chip, forcing the sensor to become a part of the computer chip itself. The new approach leads to intelligent sensors that can “sense, manipulate and respond to information” in a much faster manner than before, providing soldiers with weapons and analyzing tools that can react more hastily to incoming ammunition or other, um, pertinent information. It’s no banner hanging ceremony, but we’ll take what we can get.

NC State gurus create harder, better, faster, stronger ’smart sensors’ originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 23 Apr 2010 11:12:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Looks like brain implants have just got a lot more effective — and a lot creepier. Developed by researchers at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in Philadelphia, the new bio-integrated electronics eschew electrodes resembling needles or semi-flexible wires for an ultrathin flexible material that is made partly from silk. Since the new material “essentially melts into place” (scientists compare it to shrink-wrap), it hugs the brain, getting more effective readings than previous technology. It is hoped that the new technology will prove much more effective — and extremely beneficial for patients with epilepsy, spinal cord injuries, and other neurological disorders. According to John Rogers, Ph.D., the man who invented the flexible electronics at the University of Illinois, “It may also be possible to compress the silk-based implants and deliver them to the brain, through a catheter.” We wish these good folks the best of luck with their research — and we really, really hope that we never have anything shot into our brain with a catheter. PR after the break.

Continue reading Scientists develop implants that melt onto the surface of the brain

Scientists develop implants that melt onto the surface of the brain originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 19 Apr 2010 13:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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