Flutter acquired by Google. Kinect-like gestures coming to computers soon?

flutter app google acquired gesture controlYou ever go back and watch Minority Report and laugh that Tom Cruise has to wear weird finger gloves thing to control his magic computer screen? Yeah. We’ve already on top of that.

Taking things a step further, Flutter just announced that they’ve been optioned by Google. Flutter uses the webcam built into your computer or laptop to recognize gestures and movement to control various programs installed on your system. It was a quirky little project trying to pull an end-run around products like the LEAP motion controller which requires a special sensor, instead opting for the cameras we already have.

Now with Google’s influx of cash and talent, we could see much more rapid development of this type of control. Now what remain to be seen is what kind of support Goog will continue for Windows and OSX… Could be a killer app for all those Chromebooks out there…

Flutter Blog: We’ve Been Acquired By Google

Is Rockstar Games trying to tell us something about smartphone owners in GTA V?

Just a funny little observation from Reddit user praefectus_praetorio. I’m not entirely sure how I feel about what they might be implying by which character is using which smartphone… I’d like to think the “Psychopath” is using Windows Phone because Nokia phones are pretty much indestructible…

gta v smartphone owners reddit(via Reddit)

 

AT&T partners with The Trevor Project – ‘Love is Changing History’ films to be submitted to Library of Congress

jenny love making history trevor project film att pauley perrettTech as social awareness. I love it.

Love is Changing History” is a new project headed up by AT&T built around sharing personal stories from the LGBTQ community. Two online films co-directed by Lance Bass and Pauley Perrette will be posted online and viewers will be encouraged to share the films, and their own experiences. All of this media will be collected and submitted to the Library of Congress.

We’re at a generational shift, and acceptance of the various gay and bisexual communities has opened the doors for some historic changes in social and political behavior. Now seems like an appropriate time to chronicle the human condition as society evolves.

For every person who shares one of the films, or the “Love is Changing History” website, AT&T will donate $1 to The Trevor Project, up to $100,000, to help fund their series of suicide prevention and crisis outreach centers for LGBTQ youth.

The first film ‘Jenny’ is already live (embedded below), and the next film ‘Two Dads’ is listed as “Coming Soon”.

The project is already tracking AT&T’s donations, and for more info, please check out:  http://www.loveischanginghistory.com/

Ask Juan: How the hell do you remove an OtterBox Defender Rugged Case?

otterbox defender case ask juan help how to remove take off somegadgetguyA couple months ago I did a three part series on my favorite line of rugged cases, the Defender from OtterBox (linked below this video). Even though I showed in detail pretty every feature of the case, and how to install one, I missed one crucial aspect in all three reviews.

How do you take the darn thing off? Good thing my Youtube viewers call me out on stuff…

Shop for OtterBox on Amazon: http://goo.gl/28FFnZ
iPad Defender Case Review
Nexus 7 Defender Case Review
Lumia 920 Defender Case Review

Blue Microphones now offering Amazon exclusive colors for SnowBall USB Mic

blue microphones snow ball usb mic colors purple amazon somegadgetguyIf what was holding you back from buying a Snowball was the limited number of color options, Blue Microphones might just have the trick for you now.

Available today, the Snowball comes in a variety of colors, now on offer in Black, SIlver, Purple, Green, Pink, White, and Blue. Now while recording your podcasts or voice overs, you’ll have something a little more colorful to look at.

$99.99 out the door for those of you wanting to improve your home recordings, and Blue’s reputation here is pretty much second to none.

Blue Microphones’ Snowball on Amazon

Google Fiber Lights Up Provo This Month

googe fiber provo video broadband comparisonHow excited are people for faster internet access? They’re lit up enough to be producing their own commercials.

No seriously, we could be looking at the beginnings of some real groundswell awareness here. The numbers are so huge, they’re difficult to visualize. Throughout most of California, the fastest service we might have access to is 50Mbps download and 6Mbps uploading, but my sustained data rates are usually lower than that. Right now, people are sharing Google Fiber speed tests which crush the best I can get. It’s not even close. I’m seeing downloads more than 20 times faster, and uploads 180 times faster.

Think about it every time you upload a photo on social media, or a video to YouTube. Would you want a 5Mbps data rate or a 900Mbps data rate? Think about every time you fire up Netflix while everyone else in your house is using their own smartphone or tablet or game console. Would you want “50 megs innernet” or 900 megs to feed all those glowing rectangles?

See those numbers start to get big, so the people of Provo shot this handy little video to help you visualize the differences between the service you spend a lot of money on, and the service Google offers for pretty much the same price.

AT&T announces 1Gbps 100% Fiber internet plans in Austin

att u-verse gigapower austin txGoogle’s experiment in offering fiber to homes looks like it’s starting to rattle some of the other ISP players.

Earlier this year, Google announced that Austin TX would be the follow up city to Kansas City, receiving 1Gbps full duplex (uploading and downloading) 100% fiber optic data directly to consumer homes. Well, AT&T doesn’t want to be left out of the game, and has released some details explaining their own plan to improve home internet access for the citizens of Austin.

Dubbed “U-Verse with GigaPower” AT&T claims the roll out will begin the end of this year with completion by mid-2014. As an incentive, people who sign up for upper-tier 300Mbps plans now will automagically be upgraded to Gigabit when it arrives. Either way this certainly kicks the “50 megs innernet” I currently have access to in the genitals… Like in a bad way…

More info on GigaPower. Full PR after the jump.

Continue reading “AT&T announces 1Gbps 100% Fiber internet plans in Austin”

Digital Bolex serves up more sample footage from the D16

digital bolex d16The D16 is a throw back to the classic days of amazing 16mm film cameras. Hand cranks and pistol grips ruled the day, and many film makers got their start with these interchangeable lens systems. The Digital Bolex is a modern re-imagining of that classic camera utilizing a 2K digital sensor and the ability to shoot raw video. Designed to use any number of semi-pro and professional lenses and accessories, the D16 was a Kickstarter funded project, and now we’re just waiting for it to hit the market proper to play with.

Well, while we wait, the Digital Bolex folks like to tease us, and they’ve just released another round of test footage from their prototype after a recent calibration. It’s looking pretty good…