Daily Inspiration #788 Abduzeedo #Inspiration

 

Interview with Matt W. Moore (MWM Graphics)

Matt W. Moore is the founder of MWM Graphics, a Design and Illustration studio based in Portland, Maine. Matt works across disciplines, from colorful digital illustrations in his signature “Vectorfunk” style, to freeform watercolor paintings, and massive aerosol murals. MWM exhibits his artwork in galleries all around the world, and collaborates with clients in all sectors. Matt is also Co-Founder & Designer for Glyph Cue Clothing (MWM Website).

Fring porta su Android (e iPhone) la video chiamata multipla (video)

Fring è un noto programma multi piattaforma per la chat e la videoconferenza di gruppo e in grado di gestire senza problemi le chiamate VOIP, ovvero attraverso la rete internet. Il team di sviluppo ha da pochi giorni, aperto il beta testing della nuova versione di Fring con la capacità di effettuare video chiamate di gruppo fino a quattro partecipanti. L’applicazione, una volta finiti i test, sarà pubblicata sia per piattaforma iPhone, che Android.

La nuova versione di Fring non è ancora disponibile in modo pubblico ma è necessario aderire al programma di beta testing sul sito per poter effettuare il download. La nuova funzionalità prevede un massimo di 4 partecipanti simultanei alla conferenza e di seguito trovate un video demo:

Nexus Technology presenta l’SM-8000, un mouse wireless senza “click” (Video)

Nexus Technology presenta l’SM-8000, un mouse wireless con 5 tasti silenziosi, adatto per l’avanzamento delle pagine web. Il Silent Mouse 8000 presenta interfaccia wireless a 2.4 GHz, che si collega al vostro PC, Mac o laptop con un ricevitore molto piccolo.

Accanto ai normali 3 tasti, questo mouse dispone di due pulsanti su ogni lato, per rendere molto più facile la navigazione “avanti e indietro” delle pagine web. Caratteristica principale del Nexus Silent Mouse 8000 è inoltre la completa assenza di rumore alla pressione dei tasti; gli interruttori che l’azienda ha usato utilizzano una tecnologia brevettata in modo da non emettere nessun “click” alla pressione dei tasti.

Nikon Coolpix P500 reviewed, zooms to infinity but not beyond

It’s been more than a year since the Coolpix P100 hit the review panels, and now it’s time for the new kid on the block to step up. The fine folks over at Photography Blog seem to find that the P500 performs similarly to the P100 — the Achilles heel still being image quality, suffering from the same washy retention of detail. The overall handling and controls haven’t changed much either — a second control wheel, the ability to mount an external flash, as well as dedicated ISO and white balance buttons are all still missing. With rather modest changes, the P500 gives you another dose of what the P100 served up — convenience in a compact package. Besides being able to zoom 10x more with that 22.5-810mm monstrous lens, and take larger pictures due to a 2 megapixel increase, the P100 is still faster (with a f/2.8 lens) and smaller, not to mention $100 cheaper. It’s difficult to say that the P500 is ready to grab the reins from the P100 entirely, but that miniature telescope of a lens sure makes it a contender. Hit up the source for the full analysis.

GoPano Micro brings 360-degree video recording to the iPhone 4 (video)

We’ve seen still photos shot in the round, but wouldn’t it be nice to snag some panoramic moving pictures every once in a while too? Well, the folks at EyeSee360 certainly think so, which is why they’ve given the iPhone 4 some 360-degree video recording capability with the GoPano Micro. Comprised of a plastic case for your handset, a detachable 360-degree lens, and a GoPano app, the system lets iPhone fanboys do a circular pan with the swipe of a finger. That put you in the moviemaking mood? Well, you can’t get your hands on one just yet, but the venture has already reached its $20,000 funding goal, so those willing to invest $50 can head over to Kickstarter to reserve one of the first GoPano Micros off the production line. Before plunking down your hard-earned cash, however, check out all the full-circumference cinematic fun after the break.

Toshiba shows off 2011 HDTVs with the most local dimming LEDs, facial recognition, 3D and more

Toshiba’s focus at CES was glasses free 3D displays, but it highlighted more conventional HDTVs today at an event in Rome. Its new TVs and laptops all tie in to Toshiba Places, which sorts out access to different types of apps for video, social networking, music and other areas and is ready to launch this month. Separating Toshiba from the competition is a slew of new technology and the top of the line 55ZL1 model checks all the boxes: Seven core CEVO CPU for image processing, a Pro-LED512 panel that is the world’s first with 512 zones of dimming among 3,072 LEDs, Personal-TV facial recognition that picks up on which user is watching then personalizes to their preferred settings and active shutter 3D glasses.

The edge lit LED VL863 series will come in 47- and 42-inch versions featuring LG’s FPR passive glasses 3D and four pairs of glasses, while the 32- through 46-inch UL863 drops 3D for built-in WiFi and Personal-TV. The SL863 series is the final step down, nixing built-in WiFi. Prices weren’t listed but the new models should be shipping soon, until then you can find more details in the press releases linked below — no word on the US-bound models yet.

Keyport ships Mini-LED, offers Slide in four splendiferous new hues (video)

It ain’t a mind-bending concept, but the Keyport Slide solves a problem that far too many humans have. Put simply, this multi-key tool allows users to store both key imprints and digital files in a single device, and for those on the hunt for something to match their Sunday best… well, look no further. The outfit has just introduced a foursome of new Slide colors: Gunmetal, Zircon Gold, Copper, and Champagne. Starter bundles are still listed at $79, and if you believe the outfit’s CEO, there’s “much more on the horizon.” You know, like the initial shipments of its $10 Mini-LED, which was also revealed today. Tap that source link if you’re gushing with joy (and we know you are).

Motorola NYXboard surfaces from the dead, XBMC reclaims it (update)

Seven months ago, Motorola unveiled a dual-sided, QWERTY-laden TV remote control: the NYXboard. It was never heard from again. Today, we’ve learned why — the open-source community will be selling a version specially redesigned to control your XBMC rig. The folks at Pulse-Eight — a startup with roots in the XBMC community dedicated to designing hardware — tell us they actually talked Motorola out of bundling the remote with set-top-boxes in favor of a nefarious plan. Simply put, they want you to be able to purchase an IR and RF remote that natively supports XBMC for a penny under $60 this June.
While we don’t have any real pictures of the unit quite yet — just the renders you see above and below — developers say it will work with installations on Mac, Windows, Linux and the original Apple TV on day one, and will actually turn off the side of the remote that’s face down to avoid accidental inputs. You’ll find the NYXboard up for pre-order now at our source link, with the first shipments slated for around June 27th. Then again, you might want to wait, as we’re told there are more surprises in store: a second version that can control the Apple TV 2, and a secret method which would allow the remotes to control your home entertainment center without pesky line-of-sight infrared. The best laid plans and all that… but it sounds like Logitech’s Harmony may finally get some competition.

Motorola NYXboard Hybrid renders

Richard Branson launches Virgin Oceanic to explore the ocean's depths (video)

Sir Richard Branson may have already branded his Necker Nymph aero submarine with the “Virgin Oceanic” moniker, but he’s now finally taken things to the next logical (and ambitious) step. He’s just announced a new, full-fledged venture of the same name, which promises to do to nothing short of dive to the deepest part of each of the Earth’s five oceans — all within the next two years, no less. That will be done with the one-manned sub pictured above, which was designed by Graham Hawkes and will be piloted by Chris Welsh on its first dive to the bottom of the Mariana Trench later this year — those two are Branson’s partners in the venture, and Branson himself is set to pilot the sub on its second mission to the Puerto Rico Trench. Not surprisingly, one of the team’s goals is to set a few world records, but they’re also planning to conduct some scientific research along the way, and are already musing about future vehicles that could collect samples and allow for more extensive research. Head on past the break for a teaser video, although we’re told it should not be assumed to reflect an actual mission.

Fiat will lose $10,000 on every 500 EV it sells, still intends to bring it to US in 2012

Any new technology generally costs an arm, a leg, and a bit of your sanity to adopt early, but that’s a luxury that the well settled auto market cannot afford. In light of its elastic economics, car makers looking to go electric have had to be extremely aggressive in cutting their own profits, an aggressiveness that’s now been estimated by Fiat’s CEO Sergio Marchionne to cost them as much as $10,000 per unit sold. Fiat’s famed little car, the Cinquecento, is going to be hitting the US in a new EV configuration in 2012, in spite of the fact it’ll be causing a ding to the company’s bottom line. It’s not actually clear whether Mr. Marchionne is factoring in research and development costs or whether he’s talking purely of material costs, though Fiat’s fate is hardly unique — the Nissan Leaf isn’t expected to generate a profit for a good couple of years yet. The Fiat 500 EV’s likely price was indirectly revealed, too, by the company chief’s assertion that it’ll retail for about three times the cost of its gas-powered version. So about $45,000. Yikes!

Panasonic rolls out new apps for its 2011 Viera Connect TVs, we go hands-on (video)

We knew Panasonic was going to unleash a slew of new apps for its Viera Connect televisions, and now it looks like they’re finally ready to hit the ground running — for its 2011 models, anyway. Back in January the company released its Viera SDK to developers, and now it has a smattering of games and sports apps to show for it, including the long-promised NBA Game Time, which includes standings and highlights from recent games. In case you’re curious, there’s no sign yet of Asphalt 5 HD, also announced at CES, though Panasonic says the title should be launching in the near future. Also on tap are MLS and NHL applications, each of which let you watch live games — provided you subscribe to these leagues’ live game packages. Panasonic says the NHL app is slated for the middle of this month, and you can expect MLS in early May. What we’re most excited about, though, is an app that syncs with select NordicTrack treadmills (due out “later this year”), pairing your run with a first-person view in Google Earth. We can’t wait to embark on a simulated run through the streets of Paris (versus, you know, actually going there), but alas, Panasonic wasn’t ready to demo the app quite yet.

REETI: the media center PC that's also a robot (Video)

Disappointed by the lack of companionship offered by your current media center PC? Then you might be interested in this so-called REETI unit developed by France’s Robopec. You see, not only is it a full-fledged media PC, it’s also a robot — one capable of displaying a range of emotions, no less. The company’s actually been working on this one for a little while now, but it just recently made its public debut at the Innorobo trade show, where it showed off its ability to track people with its eyes and respond to both speech and touch. Still no word on availability, but it seems like the company is, in fact, planning to sell them at some point. Until then, you can check out a pair of videos after the break, including some shocking evidence of where REETI really came from.

App review: SPB Shell 3D for Android (Video)

As we all know, the beauty of Android stems from the fact that you get a wide variety of choices when it comes to devices and interface, though the latter can sometimes be a double-edged sword. Luckily, users who are fed up with their bloated Android UI but don’t want to (or can’t) mess around with ROMs now have another easy solution. Joining the handful of Android launchers is SPB’s Shell 3D app, which installs as a replacement (but removable) home screen that comes with some nifty widgets (radio switches, backlight dimmer, weather forecast with a 3D chart, clock with over 60 skins, world time with a 3D globe, etc.) and resizeable folders.
As you can see above, the highlight of the show here is a cool-looking 3D carousel for switching between up to 16 panels, and you can trigger it by either tapping or horizontally dragging the bottom-center button. Whilst in carousel mode, you can also rearrange the panels, change their colors, or flick away excess panels. All of this required no manual reading on our end, so it’s safe to say that this is a pretty intuitive app. Read on to see what the performance is like.

Martin Jetpack flies again, sees IPO on horizon but no commercial sales yet (video)

We were all aflutter this time last year when it was announced that the Martin Jetpack was finally available commercially and would be heading out to eager buyers in exchange for $86,000. Regrettably, the time since then hasn’t been filled with bunches of happy new owners levitating on the power of their dual-fan-equipped Jetpack and even less encouragement can be found on the product’s website, which still says that sales to private individuals will begin only once “development and refinement” of the vehicle is complete. To that end, we’ve got video of the Jetpack’s latest test, which shows it elevating as high as it’s ever done, but even that’s tinged by the fact it’s carrying a testing dummy and is remotely controlled by a grounded human below. Ah well, at least the company itself seems to be in good shape still and is looking forward to floating about 30 percent of its value on the local stock market in order to gain extra funding. We get the feeling if they could just start selling the darn things, cashflow shouldn’t be a problem. Video after the break.

GoPro ships $99 3D Hero expansion kit, acquires CineForm in its spare time

Remember that 3D Hero expansion kit we ogled back at CES? How would you forget is likely the superior question. At any rate, GoPro has just announced the general availability of that very module, with $99.99 getting you a waterproof 3D expansion kit for the insanely popular HD Hero camera. For those who’ve forgotten, the kit allows a pair of 1080p lenses to form a single 1080p 3D camera, and it’s waterproof to 180 feet, too. In related news, it seems as if GoPro has also taken this opportunity to snap up CineForm, and it’s wasting no time in putting the outfit’s compression and workflow technology to good use. Customers can surf over to to GoPro’s website in order to suck down a gratis copy of CinaForm Studio, which makes it easier on 3D shooters to create, watch and share their three-dee imagery. The app also converts 2D material into 3D H.264 files, and for the price mentioned here, it ain’t a half bad inclusion. PR’s after the break, if you’re so inclined to visit.