Levelup Bluetooth ROAM controller works with iOS, Android and all other Bluetooth devices
Gaming is becoming rather popular on smartphones and tables, and with the growing popularity of gaming on smart devices, it’s no wonder to see controllers for these smart devices as well.
Today’s controller comes from Levelup and it is called Bluetooth ROAM controller. Although Levelup Bluetooth ROAM controller doesn’t look appealing as other controllers, it comes with four face buttons, two shoulder buttons, D-pad and, analog sticks and a simple design. According to the developer, Bluetooth ROAM controller works with iOS and Android devices, although level of functionality varies for both systems. Besides iOS and Android, Bluetooth ROAM controller is compatible with any device that has a Bluetooth connection, so you can use this controller for your laptop or any other console. Bluetooth ROAM controller provides you with ten hours of battery life on a single charge, and that should be enough for your gaming sessions.
Levelup Bluetooth ROAM controller is not really necessary if you want to enjoy in games on your smartphone, however, if you want one, you can get this controller for $40.
[via Gizmodo]
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Latest ultrabook: Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon
I’ve always been a fan of Lenovo (back then IBM), this latest release from the brand – the ThinkPad X1 Carbon continues IBM’s traditional laptop looks but packs a big punch. To start off with, Lenovo claims the new ThinkPad X1 Carbon to be the thinnest and lightest 14″ ultrabook ever.
By reinforcing the laptop with carbon fibre, Lenovo managed to keep this beast light at just under three pounds and just 0.71-inch thick. It has a 1600×900 screen, a spill resistant a backlit keyboard, a 720p front facing webcam, embedded 3G connectivity (mobile broadband pay-as-you-go option as per Lenovo’s product page), and RapidCharge feature (charging the battery to 80% in as short as 30 minutes).
All the above features do some extremely attractive and as you’ll have guessed, its aimed right at the MacBook Air arena. Unfortunately, we’re still a month or two away from more official specs and pricing details to be released, but do watch this space, we anticipate the ThinkPad X1 Carbon to be a definite hit among PC users.
[via Lenovo]
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Chameleon: The Adaptive Home Screen That Will Make Android Tablets Useful
The Android market is fragmented because there are so many devices to choose from, and they all run on different hardware and software versions of the Android platform. Unfortunately, the devices themselves are not the only things fragmented in the Android hemisphere.
Android home screens can get rather fragmented as well, thanks to the abundant, and neverending, supply of applications available via Google Play. Most Android users install dozens upon dozens, if not hundreds, of applications on their Android device. In order to access said applications quickly and efficiently, the most used apps can be displayed as shortcuts on the home screen.
More often than not, the Android home screen can become fragmented because it can be overrun with various shortcuts and apps that have nothing to do with each other, which can ultimately cause productivity issues. The whole point of a home screen on any device is to provide a fluent and easily navigable hub, with which users can access all their principal apps, and data.
Teknision aims to change all of that slowdown on Android tablets with their Chameleon home screen app.
What Is Chameleon?
Chameleon is a unique home screen app designed specifically for Android tablets. The idea is to provide applications, data and content in customized streams or groups that are related to one another. For instance, when a user is at the office they typically use applications related to email, scheduling (calendar), memos and current news; the Chameleon app will identify the user is in their office (using GPS functionality) and will properly display the office or work home screen. Additionally, users can customize home screens for alternate time periods, such as a home screen for morning, midday and evening. Teknision gives the example that the evening home screen would focus more on entertainment apps because in the evening consumers are generally home relaxing instead of being productive.
Much like the stock Android home screens, Chameleon will also use custom widgets that can be spaced accordingly throughout the various screens. Widgets include support for popular applications like Facebook, Twitter, Netflix, Instagram, and Gmail.
Chameleon will also include a customized app launcher that will help users to find an individual application quickly and efficiently. The Chameleon app launcher will display a unique menu with the user’s favorite apps at the forefront.
The entire idea behind Chameleon is to increase user productivity and the time spent navigating applications and features on an Android tablet. Quite frankly, a streamlined experience is exactly what the Android platform lacks at times, which is something Apple excels at providing in their software. It is not the Android operating system itself that is tedious, but instead the functions that are required to get things done. Chameleon will make the home screens and app tray function fluently, in order to provide a faster user experience.
What Are the Requirements for Chameleon?
Currently, Teknision only plans to release the Chameleon home screen application for Android tablets running Android version 3.2 (Honeycomb) and later. Teknision has mentioned on its official Kickstarter page that they will consider releasing the application for alternate Android devices at a later time.
The Chameleon application has already been built as a prototype, but that does not mean there is a working software version. Teknision will have to revise the prototype to work on all Android tablets and ensure an equal user experience across all compatible devices. The estimated release period is September, 2012 when the app will first hit the Google Play market.
Consumers who pre-order the app and pledge money to support the developers on Kickstarter will be able to receive a copy as early as August, 2012.
That being said, Teknision is currently raising money from the public in order to bring Chameleon into fruition.
Support Teknision and the Chameleon App On Kickstarter
As of the time of this writing, Teknision has raised $14,729 out of their total $50K goal through Kickstarter. If Teknision does not pass the $50,000 cap in the 27 days that are left, the money will not be transferred to the developers, and they will have to seek alternate means to fund the project.
Backers who pledge $5 or more are essentially pre-ordering the application and will receive their copy in August (in unfinished Beta stage of course).
The Chameleon home screen application is innovative and attractive; it would certainly do wonders to improve Android tablets and increase their overall usefulness. Tablets, and more specifically the Android platform, can at times be a tedious environment to operate. Fortunately, the prototype that Teknision has displayed seems like it will change these issues.
We’re looking forward to a more streamlined experience on Android tablets, and hopefully you are too. So what are you waiting for? Get over to the Chameleon Kickstarter page and pledge a couple bucks, every little bit counts!
The power of networked customers
Smart devices have empowered customers and now companies are having to change to meet their demands, writes JP Rangaswami.
Tipp-ex for the modern world – just hit ‘unprint’
Engineers have developed a way of using lasers to remove ink from paper so it can be reused in printers and photocopiers.
Getting in on the secret of Pixar’s ‘hidden’ speakeasy
Animator Andrew Gordon (right) plays host to Steve Jobs and "Toy Story" director and Pixar Chief Creative Officer John Lasseter in the "secret" room. This is a still from a Gordon-narrated short about the room -- see embedded video below.
(Credit:
Screenshot by Edward Moyer/CNET)
If you've worked an office job for any length of time, you've probably found yourself envying "the creatives" -- the people in the design department, say, who always seem to be having more fun than anyone else, with their crazy cubicle setups and unusual work routines.
Matthew Panzarino over at The Next Web has posted a great little story about one of the most extreme -- and awesome -- examples of this that I can imagine.
Panzarino's piece concerns a secret room at Pixar. Judging from what the author says, I should've known about the hideaway before. But I didn't, and you may not have either, so here we go.
It seems that when Pixar moved into its then-new building in Emeryville, Calif., animator Andrew Gordon (who worked on "Monsters Inc.," "Little Nemo," "The Incredibles," and so on) felt a bit of pressure to outdo his coworkers' cubicle craziness. (You can imagine, at a place ... [Read more]
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This week in Crave: The Facebook phone home edition
(Credit:
ThinkGeek)
Too busy buying Facebook stock to keep up with Crave? Here's what you missed while you were tracking Facebook's IPO, which, it turns out, didn't quite live up to the hype.
• When the grid fails you, Sony's hand-crank charger will juice your devices.
• Relive the glorious 1980s with this delightfully chunky case for your iPhone.
• Excuse me, but is that a robot on your pants?
• Steve Jobs wanted to create an iCar.
• Now even the clothes hanger hangs out on Facebook.
• Is Burpple the Instagram of food?
• Here's your chance to ... [Read more]
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Turn photos into sketches on iOS
(Credit:
CNET)
Everyone who uses Instagram, EyeEm, or other photo-sharing apps knows how easy it can be to add effects to photos and make them look even better than the original. But there's another group of apps at the iTunes App Store that add something more to your images, taking a mostly mundane photo and turning it into a work of art.
This week's collection of iOS apps turns your photos into hand-drawn works of art. The first offers one-of-a-kind effects to make your photos look like sketches. The second is an old favorite of mine for the incredibly realistic line drawings you can create. The third takes a different tack, turning your photos into super-realistic paintings in the style of some of the greatest painters ever.
PowerSketch has some interesting effects not found in other apps.
(Credit:
Screenshot by Jason Parker/CNET)
PowerSketch (99 cents) has excellent options for turning your photos into sketches, but the interface can be so confusing at times that you'll need patience to appreciate what's good about the app. Like most photo-editing apps, you can start with PowerSketch by se... [Read more]
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Why does Clothbot want to climb up your pants?
(Credit:
Video screenshot by Tim Hornyak/CNET)
Robots climbing up your leg -- are you cool with that? Chinese researchers certainly are, arguing they could become electronic pets, or even "mobile" phones.
Presented this week at the 2012 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in St. Paul, Minn., Clothbot was developed by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
As seen in the video below, the machine crawls up folds in clothing, slowing making its way up trouser legs or even the back of a shirt. It uses a pair of gripper wheels to create and cling to a fold in the cloth.
Weighing some 140 grams, it has a tail that helps it maneuver. Its destination and ultimate purpose, however, remain mysterious.
According to IEEE Spectrum, in their research paper "System and Design of Clothbot: a Robot for Flexible Clothes Climbing," author Yuanyuan Liu and colleagues propose three applications: "a tiny pet climbing on human bodies," "a movable phone on our shoulder which frees human hands," and finally, "body inspection."
And you thought the TSA was bad.
(Via IEEE Spectrum ) [Read more]
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DoCoMo launches waterproof kids’ phone
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I still see kids in the Tokyo subway actually using payphones (remember those?) to call their parents as they make their way home from school. Telecommunications giant NTT DoCoMo seems to be launching this just-for-junior Android-powered smartphone to convince them to knock it off.
The HW-01D (PDF) comes in yellow, blue, or pink. It's powered by Android, has a 2.0-inch QVGA screen with a 240x320 resolution.
The browser and phone can be restricted to parent-set contacts and sites.
It has a 100-decibel alarm to ward off nasty people, GPS, and can send SMS texts so you can keep tack of your little one all the time.
It's also made for abuse, constructed of sturdy plastic that's waterproof and dust-proof.
The HW-01D joins 18 other new DoCoMo summer models, some of which feature pre-installed manga comics.
Others will have the Twonky Beam app installed, which allows you to stream content to your Internet-connected TV.
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