Tech News

Sharp Uses its Glasses-Less 3D Screens in Two Android Phones for Japan

A few months back I tried out a glasses-less 3D prototype from Sharp, where the cameraphone took “3D” photos and made them pop out in their parallax barrier screens. That tech’s now in two Android phones—for Japan, anyway. https://gizmodo.com/sharps-parallax-barrier-technology-and-3d-camera-seen-i-5629483 The Galapagos 003SH and 005SH phones will launch on the Softbank network, with both phones having…

Tech News Kat Hannaford

Is This a Be-Halloweened Man or a Banksy Stencil?

We may be four days post-Halloween, but in my opinion costumes are good all-year ’round. Especially when they’re as effective as George Schnakenberg’s Banksy “flower thrower” stencil get-up. Bravo! [Craft via Boing Boing]

Tech News Kat Hannaford

That Invisible Cloak is Still Being Worked On, Still Edging Closer to Reality

Your pervy, Harry Potter-fueled dreams are edging closer to reality, now British scientists have used metamaterials to bend light in a different manner to previous attempts. Now, it works with a greater range of colors. Previous attempts at creating “invisible” materials have seen photonic metamaterials used to cloak an object, disguising it like “a carpet…

Tech News Kat Hannaford

Is MySpace About to Get Shut Down?

How bad is the situation for MySpace right now? Pretty bad: Not only is the social networking site losing tons of money, but the chief operating officer of its parent company wants it to rebound “in quarters, not in years.” Poor MySpace! It’s hard not to feel bad for the bloated, ugly social networking site…

Tech News Max Read

Why Bother Vacuuming the Floors When You Can Just Vacuum the Dog?

So goes the thinking behind Dyson’s Groom tool, which connects to most of their vacuum cleaners and sucks up loose hair and dead skin. I’m guessing it could be used on other animals too—my cat better watch out. The retractable bristles on the brush are made from steel, so when the tool’s button is pressed…

Tech News Kat Hannaford

DIY Tron Costume Justifies The Existence of Faux Leather

It’s been a while since I’ve seen a truly well-made DIY Tron costume, but this young woman’s project is definitely a success. I’m only disappointed that it’ll be a while before we see the corresponding tutorial. [Fashioning Tech via Dvice]

Tech News Rosa Golijan

Panasonic Lumix DMC-GF2: A Tiny Micro Four Thirds Camera That Likes To Be Touched

The first wave of Micro Four Thirds cameras were scarcely smaller than DSLRs. Panny’s new GF2 is certifiably tiny, though it still packs a flash and a tricked-out touchscreen LCD, shoots 1080i video, and can handle Panasonic’s interchangeable 3D lens. https://gizmodo.com/panasonic-lumix-gh2-a-superhero-micro-four-thirds-came-5643490 The GF2 is 19% smaller than the GF1, though it still sports an on-board…

Tech News Kyle VanHemert

Panasonic Invests $30 Million In Electric Vehicle Maker Tesla

Looks like Panasonic has a great deal of faith in Tesla. The company—which happens to be a leading battery cell manufacturer—has invested $30 million in the electric vehicle maker in hopes of expanding the EV market. The idea is that the two companies will put their heads together and produce advanced low-cost battery packs and…

Tech News Rosa Golijan

Woman Must Pay $1.5 Million for Illegally Downloaded Songs

Jammie Thomas has been fighting the RIAA in court since 2006 over 24 songs she illegally downloaded via Kazaa. A third verdict in the case handed down today awards record companies $1.5 million in damages, or $62,500 per song. http://valleywag.gawker.com/307345/the-riaa-wins-a-round

Tech News Adrian Chen

Life Before Photoshop

It’s difficult for some of us to imagine life before Photoshop, but the reality is that image editing was once a far more challenging process. Just look at how hard these Soviet computer engineers had to work in 1987! Of course, even if those fellows had waited three years and used Photoshop 1.0, they’d still…

Tech News Rosa Golijan

How Motion Detection Works in Xbox Kinect

The prototype for Microsoft’s Kinect camera and microphone famously cost $30,000. At midnight Thursday morning, you’ll be able to buy it for $150 as an Xbox 360 peripheral. Let’s take some time to think about how it all works. Camera Kinect’s camera is powered by both hardware and software. And it does two things: generate…

Tech News Tim Carmody - Wired

Sophisticated Smuggling Tunnel Containing Rail System, Oxygen Pumps, And 30 Tons of Marijuana Discovered

It’s not pretty, but this hole in the ground is the sign of an expert drug smuggler. It’s part of a 600-yard tunnel under the California-Mexico border and it connects a warehouse in Tijuana with one in San Diego. Now while some might think that a smuggling tunnel like this is little more than a…

Tech News Rosa Golijan

Watch This Roadside Become a Battling Robot Spider Flipbook

No CGI. No green screen. Just some deft camera work, 760 frames of animation, and a speeding Subaru. That’s how you turn a stretch of road into the world’s biggest, robot spiderest flipbook. And here’s how they did it: This commercial for the Subaru WRX STI doesn’t tell me nearly as much about the performance…

Tech News Brian Barrett

In Case of Emergency, Break the Gl…aw, F*ck It

Not that this fire extinguisher can help a lot, anyway. [Thanks Oscar!]

Tech News Jesus Diaz

TSA Employee Was Busy Pranking Passengers With Fake Bags of Coke Instead of Testing New Security Equipment

Ah, the old “planting a fake bag of cocaine on a stressed traveler” trick—a classic! A recently released document reveals an idiotic TSA screener who, earlier this year, joked around with fake cocaine instead of doing his job. The man, whose name has been redacted from the disclosed reports acquired by The Smoking Gun, was…

Privacy & Security Sam Biddle

Muji’s iPad Apps Are As Minimal and Clean As Their Underwear

Anyone familiar with the minimalist Japanese store Muji (which has shops all around the world) will expect these three apps to be cleanly-designed and stylish. The Calendar app is my favorite, but Notebook is bound to be the digital Moleskine-equivalent. Both the Calendar and Muji To Go are free, but the Notebook app costs a…

Tech News Kat Hannaford

iPhone 3G Brickgate Lawsuit’s Only Good Point: We Need Easy Downgrades

Biana Wofford is accusing Apple of using the iOS 4 upgrade to maliciously cripple the iPhone 3G, boosting sales of the iPhone 4. I don’t believe that’s true, but the lawsuit makes one excellent point: Apple should enable easy iOS downgrades. The class-action lawsuit, filed in the Superior Court of California for San Diego, mentions…

Tech News Jesus Diaz

The Eminently Washable Clean Bottle Unscrews at Both Ends

I like the idea of having a go-to water bottle. I’ve tried several, all of which had their strengths and weaknesses. But all of them, with time, ended up getting a little funky at the bottom. Enter, the Clean Bottle. Using the same screws-off-at-the-top-and-the-bottom technology that’s been keeping Fleshlights clean since whenever that was, the…

Tech News Kyle VanHemert

Twitter For Android Update Catches Up With iOS Version

Rejoice, Android-owning Twitterati. Your official Twitter app just got some much-needed update love. New layout! Better speed! And a few features that have been available for iPhone and iPad users for a while now. As part of the update, you can now pull down to refresh your feed, swipe across a tweet for options like…

Tech News Brian Barrett

App Deals of the Day

Today were featuring another crop of amazing app deals, including a few great discounts on EA Sports titles. What are you waiting for? Free Apps: iOS: • Kick The Zombie (iPhone) for $0 (normally $0.99) • World Series of Poker Hold’em Legend (iPhone) for $0 (normally $0.99) • Crystal Bubble (iPhone) for $0 (normally $0.99)…

Tech News Adam Harris

Sharp Uses its Glasses-Less 3D Screens in Two Android Phones for Japan

Is This a Be-Halloweened Man or a Banksy Stencil?