Developages - Development and Technology Blog

The new Xbox Live look is supposed to kick off today so be sure to take a peek.

The gaming platform now includes customizable avatars, an iPod-like display and easier viewing of Netflix downloads.

It’s got to be an improvement over what was there before … or at least we hope so!

Let’s hear the feedback!

Louder!

Tags: avatar, ipod, xbox live

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Copyright VoIP & Gadgets Blog

Original post by nafiz

Filed under: Cellphones

Take one look at the room rates at the Malibu Beach Inn, and you’ll fully understand why you’ll be treated to a loaner iPod touch for the duration of your stay. For those who already own an iPhone / iPod touch, they’ll be given access to a web application that was built for the Safari browser to give guests all sorts of remote capabilities. For instance, ordering up room service, setting a wake up call, requesting luggage, renting a limo and flipping the door placard to “Do Not Disturb” no longer requires any strenuous work; instead, users can simply hit a few buttons and be on their way. The hotel chose a web app in order to avoid the Apple certification process and to make it available on other hot devices in the near future. But then again, if you can swing this place, you’ve probably got a butler handling the front-desk inquiries, anyway.

[Via Fashion Funky, thanks Daisy]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Digital Cameras

With a zoom this long, it has to be good, right? Evidently that’s absolutely correct, as the critics over at PhotographyBLOG adored what the FinePix S2000HD was packin’. The camera wasn’t the sharpest nor most evenly exposed megazoom they’d ever seen, but given the respectable asking price ($269), it was still deemed a winner. More specifically, reviewers found the image quality to be “perfectly acceptable given the build and asking price,” and while the video wasn’t true HD, it still trumped that of most rivals. In the end, the relatively compact 10-megapixel cam was seen as a perfect option for those not ready to splurge on a DSLR and a decent zoom lens, notching a very admirable 4 out of 5 overall rating.

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Displays, Misc. Gadgets

So you’ve got a spare Microsoft Surface and Wii Balance Board laying around, whaddya do? Well, you could try stacking them on top of each other and hope that big-ass table doesn’t crush your little plastic Nintendo toy, and with some code slapped on what you’d end up with is pressure-sensitive surface computing. This clever little concept was cooked up by Josh Santangelo from “Stimulant.” In his demo, featured after the break, he rocks Surface from side to side while colored spots roll back and forth, using a physics engine he developed for MS Silverlight. It’s a great start and we would love to see this resourceful hack put to good use — beyond that of a totally awesome yet ridiculously expensive tilt-a-maze game, minus the maze.

Continue reading Microsoft Surface made pressure-sensitive with Wii Balance Board

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Original post by Stephanie Patterson

Filed under: Wearables

Oh sure, we’ve already seen solar jackets, backpacks and all manners of like-minded creations, but having an energized trinket around your neck just seems so much more useful. Dreamed up for Samsung’s Young Design contest, the Prometeo is an admittedly large box that could be worn around one’s neck or arm and used to suck in energy from the beaming sun; once it’s juiced, wearers can simply plug a couple USB devices in there and let the good times roll. Additionally, there’s an integrated power meter to let you know just how full / drained the thing is, though we don’t see any sort of AC plug in order to power it up in a pinch. We know, you’re balking at the size of this thing, but don’t you think folks looked at Mr. T funny back in the day? Trendsetting ain’t easy, people.

[Via DesignLaunches]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Cellphones

DoCoMo and Fujitsu are showing off some interesting phone tech in Japan at this year’s CEATEC, particularly a concept device which can be split into two pieces. The gadget features a separate screen and keyboard segment, and the pieces can be configured in a standard flip-phone-like arrangement, or snapped together to form an X1 or Touch Pro-esque landscape QWERTY variation. The two halves are held together by magnets and communicate via Bluetooth. Of course, right now this is very much in the concept phase, and honestly — aren’t we trying to minimize the amount of electronic components we’re carting around? Still, it’s a fairly slick design, and certainly a new way of thinking about phones. Take another look after the break, and hit the read link for a slew of pics.

Continue reading DoCoMo and Fujitsu show off splitting phone at CEATEC

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Original post by Joshua Topolsky

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds

Never one to settle, Art Lebedev’s design shop is trying its hand at handset design, and we like the looks of it. Art is teaming up with Scartel, a Russian carrier which just launched a WiMax network in Moscow and St. Petersburg, for a flagship handset of sorts, and has left no spec unturned — at least in the wishful-thinking conceptual stage. In addition to a WiMax radio, the device has WiFi, tri-band GSM, microSD, dual cameras, 3.5mm audio, an A/V plug and a gargantuan 850 x 480 screen. There are minimal buttons at the base: a five-way joystick and call / end, and no keypad, so we’re going to assume that we’re looking at a touchscreen device. Now all that’s left is to pick an OS — would Android be too much to ask? Another shot is after the fold.

[Via Pocket-lint]

Continue reading Art Lebedev’s Scartel WiMax handset concept: we′re moving to Russia

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Original post by Paul Miller

Filed under: Cellphones, Desktops, Displays, Wireless

After personally trying out Sprint’s AIRAVE, we’re confident that femtocells have a place in this world. Thankfully, Motorola’s already trying to make them less of an eyesore by integrating a CDMA femtocell into something we wouldn’t mind showing off in the den: an inconspicuous digital photo frame. The “3-in-1″ concept also includes a VoIP soft phone that would theoretically enable calls to be made right from the frame. Of course, Moto’s not handing out any sort of release time frame, but let us be the first to say that this thing needs to hit store shelves on the double — just make sure it’s not carrier specific, and toss in a GSM version while you′re at it, okay Moto? Check out the demonstration vid after the break.

[Thanks, Dave]

Continue reading Motorola shows off femtocell-in-a-digiframe concept

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Laptops

We’re still having trouble spotting anything on the Lenovo IdeaPad S10 more special than its price point or that most excellent short film, but that is one special price point, so let’s give the thing a chance to wow us with an unboxing…

Hrm. Nope. Not wowed.

[Thanks, Johnakadoe]

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Original post by Paul Miller

Nah, ICP Solar isn’t trying to help create the next solar-powered automobile (at least not with this initiative). Instead, it’s looking to all but eliminate the hassle of returning to a vehicle with a dead battery. Said outfit has just entered into a sales agreement with both the European and North American branches of Nissan for OEM solar chargers, which would essentially juice up one’s main battery while the sun beams down in a grocery store parking lot. Curiously, there’s no mention of what vehicles this will be integrated into, so we’ll just throw caution to the wind and expect to see ‘em on every last motorcar it produces in 2009.

[Via CNET]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Household

The Z-Wave standard for home automation has already proven itself to be a pretty versatile bit of technology, and it looks like its now set to ensnare yet another part of your house, with lock-maker Schlage set to introduce some web-enabled Z-Wave door locks. Those will let you lock or unlock your door from your PC, cellphone or any other wireless, web-enabled device — or, of course, from the lock itself. That’s done with the aid of a Z-Wave gateway that connects to your router, which relays the RF signals to and from the lock (or one of up to 256 other Z-Wave devices), and gives you the added benefit of extending the life of the batteries in the lock, which Schlage says should last for up to three years. Otherwise, the details on the locks themselves are pretty light, with the folks at Schlage only going so far as to say that they’ll look “pretty similar” to their non-Z-Wave locks (pictured at right), and that they’ll be “affordable,” though presumably not less than the $150 their current locks go for.

[Thanks, Steve]

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Original post by Donald Melanson

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Microsoft has quite a bit in store for the Zune faithful with its new Zune version 2.5 software update. The high points are the new Zune Card integration and the addition of TV show downloads on Zune Marketplace, but much-requested features like gapless playback, improved syncing controls, meta data editing, auto playlists and other tweaks have also been included. On the marketing front, Microsoft is really pushing the Zune Pass going forward, and will be launching a new TV commercial to help plug it. Subscribers will particularly benefit from the new Zune Card sharing, which lets you automatically score copies of your pal’s favorite songs, artists and recent plays — non-subscribers can view that Zune Card info, but will have to buy the tracks if they want to have a listen. Unfortunately, news on the video store front isn′t so compelling: Microsoft is only adding TV shows at this point, no movies, and there’s no way to pull video you’ve bought on your 360 over to your Zune. There’s no reason Microsoft can′t close this loop and turn some scattered media offerings into a compelling ecosystem, but until then we suppose we’ll have to thank our lucky stars that we can shell out 160 MS Points ($2.00) for TV shows we can watch for free online. The 2.5 Spring Update is a free download and should be available nowish.

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Original post by Paul Miller

Filed under: Robots

Wondering just how we mere mortals were going to even give a robot enough smarts to completely overtake our societies? Oddly enough, some of that artificial brain power could come from studying the way fruit flys, um, fly. A completely bizarre flight simulator at Caltech actually plays “scenes” that flys react to, and considering that the fly is constantly held, researchers can closely examine how the insect attempts to navigate away from lines, blobs and all manners of incoming obstacles. Those working with the installation suggest that these studies could one day help autonomous robots function better, potentially taking some of the load off of our human workforce. We know, you’ve got three bold letters and a question mark running through your noggin right now — just hit the read link to see what it’s all about.

[Thanks, Dave]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Misc. Gadgets

Believe it or not, this isn’t the first time we′ve seen software created in order to determine whether a subject is drop-dead gorgeous, but scientists at Tel Aviv University have seemingly concocted a program of their own that can “interpret attractiveness in women.” Before you ask, the researchers have yet to perfect the art of computing the beauty of males, but they’re attributing said omission to the difficulty in “defining” attractiveness in dudes. Nevertheless, the software was purportedly able to reach nearly the same conclusion as humans about how lovely (or not) a hundred different ladies were, as it broke down features like face symmetry, smoothness of the skin and hair color. We’re told the development could eventually be used in “plastic and reconstructive surgery and computer visualization programs,” but c′mon, this is totally meant to automate the grueling Hot or Not process.

[Via Physorg]

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Original post by Darren Murph

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Energy Sistem is making a play for your DAP dollar with the steel-crafted Inngenio 6000. The player runs a 2.8-inch QVGA touchscreen, with a built-in speaker, 2GB of storage and microSD expansion along for the ride. FM, voice recording, an e-book reader and some games are all included, and you can manage MP3, WMA and XVID playback. It’s available now — at least in Spain — for €90 (about $138 US).

[Via PMP Today]

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Original post by Paul Miller