The winners have been announced of the first challenge of the F1′s crowdsourcing challenge the F1 Connectivity Innovation Prize, which asked contestants to get involved in something that goes right to the heart of how an F1 team operates at the race track. They were asked to design a new approach for displaying critical race […]
Read the full article here by James Allen on F1 – The official James Allen website on F1
Friday, 31 July 2015
Thursday, 30 July 2015
A non-coder CAN contribute to open source
Non programmers can write docs. They can design logos. They can help with user interface design. They can test fixes or new features. They can triage bugs by verifying that the submitted report can be recreated and adding additional details, logs, or config files. Larger projects need some infrastructure support that is more administration and security compliance than Java programmer. Many people who consider themselves non-programmers do have some pretty good scripting skills and can assist with packaging for distributions.
Read the full article here by Tux Machines
IBM Promises Apache Spark for Linux on Z Systems
Expanding the z Systems ecosystem means data scientists can use Apache Spark’s common programming framework and get the full use of the mainframe’s advanced analytics capabilities - without having to get sidelined by any specific format for data.
Read the full article here by Tux Machines
How to Do a Clean Install of Windows 10
Windows 10 is finally here, and your computer will automatically prompt you to upgrade. But if you’d rather start fresh, you can do a clean install—you just need to follow a few steps in the right order.http://ift.tt/1KKprPt...
Read the full article here by Lifehacker
GeForce GTX 980 Ti Cards Compared
The Tech Report has rounded up a handful of GeForce GTX 980 Ti video cards and put them to the test. This comparison review features cards from the Asus, MSI, Gigabyte and more. The GeForce GTX 980 Ti is arguably the best video card you can buy right now, by most standards. AMD's Radeon R9 Fury X has arrived and shown itself to be competitive but not quite dominant. In most games, the 980 Ti is faster. The custom GTX 980 Ti cards we've assembled all cost about 10 to 20 bucks more than the reference version, and they all aim to improve upon the vanilla card in multiple ways. Comments
Read the full article here by [H]ardOCP News/Article Feed
Read the full article here by [H]ardOCP News/Article Feed
Wednesday, 29 July 2015
You’ll Never Want to Get Up With This Baymax Bed
This Baymax bed is the coolest thing we’ve seen online today. Big Hero 6 was a huge hit, not in the least because of Baymax, the irresistible robotic superhero created by a young engineering student. He’s your personal healthcare companion. He’ll give you a fist bump when no one else will (with accompanying sound). He’ll […]
Read the full article here by ForeverGeek
Read the full article here by ForeverGeek
Nokia's virtual reality camera is designed for filmmakers
Read the full article here by Engadget RSS Feed
51 Blender Shortcuts you need to know
Thibault Houdon shows you 51 Blender shortcuts that will speed up your workflow. Blender has always been for me the best software in terms of speed and ease of use and that’s mostly true thanks to its incredible number of shortcuts. But that’s also something new user find quite difficult to learn. That’s why I [...]
Read the full article here by BlenderNation
Read the full article here by BlenderNation
$185K Suspended Racing Simulator From Hammacher Schlemmer
This is The Most Realistic Racing Simulator (that's what they named it) available from Hammacher Schlemmer for $185,000. I'm going to be honest -- if you have $185,000 laying around to spend on a racing simulator, you've probably got the money to buy an actual race car and not NEED a simulator. "This is the simulator that provides riders with the most realistic car racing experience available. Selected by Ford Motor Company to demonstrate ride experiences, the simulator uses linear servo actuators that cause its suspended, monocoque fiberglass chassis to roll, pitch, and rotate 360° at up to 0.5G acceleration. Faithfully reproducing actual racing conditions such as entering a turn at 200 MPH or moving up a bank in the slipstream of an opponent, the chassis' front dips when braking at hairpins, pushes forward when accelerating during passes, and rumbles when driving on an apron, all while a driver up to 300 lbs. is secured by an actual racing seat, seatbelt, and "doors". Its two paddle gear shifters, steering wheel, accelerator, brake, and clutch--all from real race cars and modified for simulator use--provide rapid gear changes and provide adjustable travel for optimal realism. The force-feedback steering system generates 10x the forces of lesser simulators. Providing 12 race cars that include stock, GT, F1, and F3 models, the simulator replicates precisely modeled signage and backgrounds for 16 short, tri-oval, or road courses, ranging from Joesville Speedway to Nuerburg on a 108"-wide, triple HD monitor display with a 500-watt audio system."(Read...)
Read the full article here by Likecool
Motorola Announces the New Moto G
Today, Motorola announced the successor to their Moto G, which has been their most successful phone in recent memory. It’s still called the Moto G, but this is the 2015 model which brings some long-needed updates to keep the Moto G fresh. These changes are far-reaching, and range from the SoC to the camera and design. In order to understand the new Moto G at a high level I’ve attached the specs below for those interested.
| Moto G (2014) | Moto G (2015) | |
| SoC | Snapdragon 400 1.2 GHZ A7 | Snapdragon 410 1.4 GHz A53 |
| RAM | 1GB | 1/2GB |
| NAND | 8GB NAND + microSD | 8/16GB NAND + microSD |
| Display | 5” 720p IPS |
5” 720p IPS |
| Network | 2G / 3G / 4G LTE (Category 4 LTE) | 2G / 3G / 4G LTE (Category 4 LTE) |
| Dimensions | 141.5 x 70.7 x 11mm, 149g | 142.1 x 72.4 x 6.1-11.6mm, 155g |
| Camera | 8MP Rear Facing (Sony IMX179) f/2.4, 1.4 micron 1/3.06" sensor | 13MP Rear Facing (Sony IMX214) f/2.0, 1.1 micron 1/3.06" sensor |
| 2MP Front Facing | 5MP Front Facing | |
| Battery | 2070 mAh (7.87 Whr) | 2470 mAh (9.39 Whr) |
| OS | Android 4.4 (At Launch) | Android 5.1 (At Launch) |
| Connectivity | 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n + BT 4.0, USB2.0, GPS/GNSS |
2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n + BT 4.0, USB2.0, GPS/GNSS |
| SIM | MicroSIM | MicroSIM |
| Launch Price | $179 (1GB/8GB) | $179 (1GB/8GB) $219 (2GB/16GB) |
Although specs are important, one of the most immediate changes to the Moto G this year is the new design. Instead of the all-plastic design that we were accustomed to with the previous two Moto Gs, the new Moto G has a metal frame with a new, grippier plastic back cover. The generally refreshed design helps a lot with distinguishing this model from previous years, and generally helps to increase the value proposition associated with the smartphone. Outside of design, there are a few key changes at a high level such as the camera, SoC, more RAM on the 16GB SKU, and water resistance. The battery is also bigger, at 2470 mAh compared to 2070 mAh of the last generation.
When it comes to the camera, it seems that this unit is directly shared with the Nexus 6’s camera, although it doesn’t seem to have the more expensive voice coil motor that is needed to enable OIS. There’s also a 5MP FFC, which should is a big step up from the 2MP FFC of the previous generation. The SoC moves from the Snapdragon 400 of previous generations to the Snapdragon 410, which means a move to the Cortex A53 on the CPU side. Given just how much higher the IPC is for the Cortex A53, general computing performance should improve here much like we saw with the Moto E moving to A53. The move from 1GB to 2GB of RAM is also a huge boon for multitasking performance, although this is only available on the more expensive 16GB variant. The 8GB variant will remain with 1 GB of RAM. The addition of IPx7 water resistance should also help greatly against water damage, as this means that the Moto G 2015 should be able to spend 30 minutes under a meter of still water without damage, although I still wouldn’t recommend trying to test that functionality.
The new Moto G is available online today from Motorola, Best Buy, and Amazon. The 8GB variant will start at 179.99 USD, and the 16GB variant will be available from Motorola’s website. The new Moto G will also support Motomaker, which allows for extensive color and material customization of a new smartphone.
Read the full article here by AnandTech
Tuesday, 28 July 2015
The Most Important Movie of 2015 Is a VR Cartoon About a Hedgehog
Oculus Story Studio's new project is more than a cute animated short--it's a test case for narrative techniques that could change the way we watch movies.
The post The Most Important Movie of 2015 Is a VR Cartoon About a Hedgehog appeared first on WIRED.
Read the full article here by WIRED
Fiat Chrysler recalls 1.4 million cars over remote hack vulnerability
Uconnect bug can shut down engine and brakes, take over steering.
Read the full article here by Ars Technica
Read the full article here by Ars Technica
Monday, 27 July 2015
Plan projects, brainstorm and share ideas with MindMaple Lite
MindMaple Lite is a free application for generating mind maps, project plans, running brainstorming sessions, and generally helping to organise, present and share your ideas. Download and installation is straightforward – no registration, adware or other hassles here – and conveniently the program opens with a mind map explaining itself: the main features, what’s new in this edition, what you get from upgrading to the Pro edition, and more. The program provides a few templates – prebuilt diagrams – to help you get started. If the standard “Project Map” template matches what you need, for instance, then you could open… [Continue Reading]
Read the full article here by BetaNews
Read the full article here by BetaNews
950 million Android phones can be hijacked by malicious text messages
Booby-trapped MMS messages and websites exploit flaw in heart of Android.
Read the full article here by Ars Technica
Read the full article here by Ars Technica
Microsoft Releases Tool To Block Unwanted Windows 10 Updates
It looks as though Microsoft is backtracking a bit on forcing updates on Windows 10 users. Windows 10 testers who've complained about mandatory updates in Microsoft's new operating system might have a solution at hand. The tool, available as an optional download, lets you hide or block any update for Windows or a hardware driver. Comments
Read the full article here by [H]ardOCP News/Article Feed
Read the full article here by [H]ardOCP News/Article Feed
Sunday, 26 July 2015
Amazon wants to build drive-up grocery stores
Read the full article here by Engadget RSS Feed
Review: Alcatel Onetouch Idol 3
This inexpensive Android phone doesn't have a lot of power, but it has some unique features including a reversible design that works upside-down.
The post Review: Alcatel Onetouch Idol 3 appeared first on WIRED.
Read the full article here by WIRED
Nokia's HERE Maps goes to BMW, Daimler and Volkswagen
Nokia has agreed to a deal with a consortium of German car manufacturers for the sale of Here Maps, for $2.71 billion (£1.73 billion). The deal would see Here Maps turn into an open platform, which all car manufacturers can use for navigation and mapping inside vehicles. Volkswagen (Audi’s parent company), Daimler (Mercedes-Benz parent company) and BMW are the main buyers. The three German manufacturers managed to worm their way out of paying upwards of $4 billion (£2.56 billion), which is what Nokia was apparently looking for when all of the interest started surging on Here Maps. Sadly, Nokia failed… [Continue Reading]
Read the full article here by BetaNews
Read the full article here by BetaNews
Friday, 24 July 2015
Audi, BMW, and Daimler will buy Nokia Here
The three German automakers want mapping tech for autonomous vehicles.
Read the full article here by Ars Technica
Read the full article here by Ars Technica
Thursday, 23 July 2015
Examining Microsoft Edge Browser Performance
In what seems like forever ago, Microsoft’s Project Spartan was announced at the January 21st event in Redmond. This project kept the same rendering engine, Trident, and ECMAScript (JavaScript) engine, Chakra, as Internet Explorer, but stripped out much of the old code for backwards compatibility and moved forward with a push towards better performance and web standards support. I took a look at the performance of Project Spartan back in January when it could be enabled inside of Internet Explorer. The performance jump from Internet Explorer was extremely large, which was a good indication of what was to come.
Moving forward, Project Spartan got a name in Microsoft Edge back at Build. Over the last several months, Microsoft has put out quite a bit of information on the new features they are adding to Edge over on the Microsoft Edge Dev Blog including support for the latest ECMAScript standards, asm.js, SIMD support, and much more, all in an effort to bring their browser up to par for the modern web. It is likely not a surprise to many that Internet Explorer has had a tremendously long development cycle, especially compared to browsers like Chrome, and now Firefox, which are updated almost continuously. Some of that was due to the reliance of old features which were used in businesses, and Microsoft’s strong adoption in the enterprise has certainly held them back when it comes to large scale changes to the browser. Internet Explorer will be sticking around for those who need it (for example if you need ActiveX Controls on your page) but for the rest of Windows users, Microsoft Edge will now be the new default browser out of the box.
I’ve gone over some of this in the past, but it is likely worth a refresher anyway. Edge is bringing some new features such as integrated Cortana support built right into the browser to offer contextual search within a web page, or to offer answers to questions right in the address bar. It will also have support for annotation of web pages using a pen, mouse, or touch, and annotated pages can easily be shared. It has a reading view, a reading list, and while not available next week when Windows 10 ships, it will be gaining extension support very similar to Google Chrome to add even more functionality to the browser. This, combined with better web standards support, and a much quicker update cadence (this will have to be proven by Microsoft after release, but they have committed to quicker updates of Edge through the Windows Store) should result in a much better browsing experience than was available in Internet Explorer. If you have already switched from IE to Chrome, Firefox, or another browser, it may not be enough to sway you back – especially without extension support at launch – but it is at least worth a look. I’ll get more into my takes on Edge in our Windows 10 review.
For now, what we can examine is browser performance, not only because it is important, but because Microsoft has been making a lot of statements about improved performance of Edge as recently as last week when Windows 10 Build 10240 was released. When a company says a product is “blazing fast” it is a good idea to check it out to see if it actually lives up to that performance level.
Luckily I did run numbers in January on my desktop which features an Intel Core i7-860 processor. None of the hardware has changed, so I decided to re-run the tests with the latest version of all of the browsers. I kept the original numbers for IE 11, but I did re-run the tests to verify that they did not change.
| Browser Performance - Core i7-860 | |||||||
| Benchmark | IE 11 (Jan) | Spartan (Jan) | Edge 20 (July) | Chrome 40 (Jan) | Chrome 43 (July) | Firefox 35 (Jan) | Firefox 39 (July) |
| Sunspider (lower is better) | 149.7ms | 144.6ms | 133.4ms | 260.9ms | 247.5ms | 220.1ms | 234.6ms |
| Octane 2.0 (higher is better) | 9861 | 17928 | 22278 | 17474 | 19407 | 16508 | 19012 |
| Kraken 1.1 (lower is better) | 3781.2ms | 2077.5ms | 1797.9ms | 1992.8ms | 1618.7ms | 1760.4ms | 1645.5ms |
| WebXPRT (higher is better) | 913 | 1083 | 1132 | 1251 | 1443 | 1345 | 1529 |
| Oort Online (higher is better) | 1990 | 2170 | 5470 | 5370 | 7620 | 3900 | 7670* |
| HTML5Test (higher is better) | 339 | 344 | 402 | 511 | 526 | 449 | 467 |
In every single instance, Microsoft Edge outperformed Project Spartan from back in January which is a good sign. It is the quickest browser in Google’s Octane 2.0 benchmark, and by a good margin. It is still the slowest in WebXPRT 2013 though. One of the biggest improvements though was the WebGL performance in the Oort Online benchmark, which went from terrible to good.
The other browsers have not been sitting idle though, and in that time they have also made gains in their performance. But the story is still a good one for Edge. It really is right up there with the rest of the browsers in terms of performance. It is quicker in some workloads, and slower in others, but generally performance should not be an issue. It still falls behind in the HTML5 test, but it has made big improvements there as well.
One thing that did pop out though is how much of a gain Firefox made in the WebGL test. Firefox went from middle of the pack to leading in the overall score, but if you noticed in the table I had to put an asterisk beside its score. The performance was quite good, but it achieved this performance by not rendering the scene correctly at all which contributed to its high score. In Oort Online’s benchmark, there is a snow scene, which Firefox rendered as blinking lights, and a rain scene, which was rendered as a couple of horizontal lines as seen in this screenshot.
Firefox Rain Rendering (Incorrect)
Edge Rain Rendering (Correct)
It is great to see Microsoft focusing on browser performance again, and especially not sitting idle since January, since the competition in this space has not been idle either. Only time will tell how Edge holds up over time, and if it continues to receive updates on a quicker cadence, but considering it is already at version 20.10240.16384.0, it does appear that Microsoft has jumped on the rapid release cycle with regards to their browser, which will only help them moving forward.
Read the full article here by AnandTech
Lavazza si beve Carte Noire
La Lavazza ha presentato oggi un’offerta vincolante a Koninklijke Douwe Egberts per l’acquisto del marchio Carte Noire, leader nel mercato francese del caffè con circa il 20% di quota nel canale «retail». Secondo le informazioni raccolte dalla Reuters l’operazione vale circa 800 milioni di euro....
Read the full article here by lastampa.it - La Stampa
Read the full article here by lastampa.it - La Stampa
Sony Testing A 'Stripped Back' Version Of Android
If Sony wants a version of Android that looks and feels like the stock Google interface, why not just install Lollipop and call it good? Sony is launching a 500-person Swedish trial of Concept for Android, a "stripped back" take on Android 5.1 for the Xperia Z3 that looks and feels like the stock Google interface while including Sony's more popular apps and features. Comments
Read the full article here by [H]ardOCP News/Article Feed
Read the full article here by [H]ardOCP News/Article Feed
Wednesday, 22 July 2015
Four short links: 21 July 2015
Web Design: The First 100 Years (Maciej Ceglowski) — There’s a William Gibson quote that Tim O’Reilly likes to repeat: “the future is here; it’s just not evenly distributed yet.” O’Reilly takes this to mean that if we surround ourselves …
Read the full article here by O'Reilly Radar - Insight, analysis, and research about emerging technologies
Read the full article here by O'Reilly Radar - Insight, analysis, and research about emerging technologies
ADAS dev board runs Yocto Linux on octa-core SoC
Renesas unveiled a Linux-based Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) starter kit based on its R-Car H2 SoC, supporting PCIe, HDMI, and multiple cameras.
Read the full article here by Tux Machines
Learn FPGAs in your Browser
FPGAs aren’t really programmed, they are configured. Most designers use Verilog or VHDL to describe the desired circuit configuration. Developers typically simulate these configurations before committing them to silicon (a good habit, especially if you ever graduate from FPGAs to ASICs where changes are very expensive). That simulation takes a lot of software you have to install and learn, right?
Not necessarily. You can do e-mail, word processing, and PCB layout in your browser. Why not FPGA design? The EDAPlayground website provides two editor views: one for your main “code” and another for the testbench (the simulation driver you use …read more
Read the full article here by Hackaday
Interactive: The Top Programming Languages 2015
New languages enter the scene, and big data makes its mark
Read the full article here by IEEE Spectrum Computing Channel
Read the full article here by IEEE Spectrum Computing Channel
Tuesday, 21 July 2015
Creating Kinect-enabled apps with Unity 5
So many blogs, so little time. Ever feel that way when you realize it’s been a long time since you’ve checked in with one of your favorite bloggers? Well, that’s how we’re feeling today, after reading this four-month old blog post from Microsoft Most Valuable Professional (MVP) James Ashley. It seems that while we were busy watching demos of Microsoft HoloLens and wondering what’s next for Cortana, Ashley was busy sussing out the possibilities for using the Kinect for Xbox One sensor (along with the Kinect Adapter for Windows) with the March 2015 release of Unity 5.
Kinect MVP James Ashley captures himself in a Kinect-enabled Unity 5 app.
With his usual attention to detail, Ashley takes the reader through nine steps to build a Kinect-enabled application in Unity 5 by using plug-in support available in Unity’s free Personal Edition. As he explains, this plug-in makes it “very easy to start building otherwise complex experiences like point cloud simulations that would otherwise require a decent knowledge of C++.”
Unity has long been the preferred platform for game developers, but until now, plug-in support was only available to those who purchased a costly Unity Pro license. With such support now included with the free Unity Personal license, there’s no cost barrier to creating Kinect-enabled Unity apps.
Let the games begin!
The Kinect for Windows Team
Key links
- Learn more about Kinect for Windows
- James Ashley's blog post from March 2015
- Explore more of James Ashley’s blog
- Download Unity 5
- Follow us on Facebook and Twitter
Read the full article here by Kinect for Windows Product Blog
UK sets the rules of the road for driverless car tests
Read the full article here by Engadget RSS Feed
Monday, 20 July 2015
Plastic roads may put asphalt to shame
Read the full article here by Engadget RSS Feed
Saturday, 18 July 2015
InterSense
NavChip This miniaturized Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) is the second evolution of the original and widely successful NavChip that precisely
Read the full article here by 80lvl
Read the full article here by 80lvl
FontForge – Open Source Font Editor
Type design is visually complex as well as highly technical – however it is easier to begin making type now than ever, partly because of the availability of free tools like FontForge. FontForge is a free (libre) font editor for Windows, Mac OS X and GNU+Linux. Use it to create, edit and convert fonts in […]
The post FontForge – Open Source Font Editor appeared first on WebAppers.
Read the full article here by WebAppers
'Back to the Future' to celebrate 30th anniversary in cinemas
Read the full article here by Engadget RSS Feed
An Infographic Of The Fastest Sci-Fi Spaceships
This is an infographic comparing the speed of a bunch of different spaceships from various sci-fi movies, shows and video games. Plus some real-life ships for comparison. It’s pretty cool, hit the jump to see the whole thing.(Read...)
Read the full article here by Likecool
The nuclear age turns 70 today
On July 16th 1945, the US tested the world's first atomic bomb.
Read the full article here by Ars Technica
Read the full article here by Ars Technica
Facebook and Oculus Snap Up (Another) VR Hand Tracker
At first, when the Oculus Rift headset takes you into another reality, it will leave your body behind. But eventually, your body will come too.
The post Facebook and Oculus Snap Up (Another) VR Hand Tracker appeared first on WIRED.
Read the full article here by WIRED
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