Son-X Octavia Motivates Kids to Swing Higher

What is the world coming to? Way back when I was a kid, there was nothing better than finding a good playground with swings and see-saws to keep you busy for hours.  It appears though that Son-X has decided that kids today don’t have any imagination and have released the Octavia to “awaken the natural curiosity in children to explore the possibilities through activity”.  The solar powered device attaches to a swing chain and after a certain time on the swing and/or when the child reaches a certain height they are rewarded with a sound experience.  There are three “sound experiences” available: applause, concert, and beat with more coming out that can be upgraded via USB.

It’s currently shipping out to schools around Europe, and when (IF?) it’s available to consumers, will cost around  €499 ($624).  I suspect that this is money better spent on just getting to the park with your kids more often

Filed in categories: Kid Gadgets, News, Outdoor Gear

Tagged: Toy

Son-X Octavia Motivates Kids to Swing Higher originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 31, 2012 at 10:00 am.

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/05/31/son-x-octavia-motivates-kids-to-swing-higher/

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A 3D Printer For Ice Sculptures? Sure, Why Not?

Researchers at McGill University are looking into 3D printing ice sculptures--with remarkable success.

Source: http://feeds.pcworld.com/click.phdo?i=81446ac1d1da038e01bf69d7c24ec7df

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Growing Pains on the Horizon as Internet Traffic Surges

The growing world population combined with an increasing number of smart devices, faster broadband speeds, more Internet videos and growth in WiFi connections will see global Internet traffic surge, Cisco predicts. By 2016, global IP traffic will hit 1.3 zettabytes a year, nearly four times its 2011 level. One zettabyte equals 1 billion terabytes. As of 2009, the entire Internet contained about half a zettabyte, or 500 exabytes, of information. Consumer videos will be the major driver of growth, Cisco predicted.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/1fdcc434/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C752580Bhtml/story01.htm

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The First 4K Movie You Can Download Is 160GB and Absolutely Breathtaking [Video]

I've been waiting for this moment for a long time and, at last, it's here: Tom Lowe has released his stunning documentary TimeScapes, a silent portrait of our planet captured with exquisite 4K cinematography. More »

Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/kHsvV5C-jvI/the-first-cinema-resolution-movie-download-available-to-consumers-is-160gb-and-absolutely-breathtaking

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Dell's Tablet: Netbook Redux?

New details have emerged regarding an upcoming Dell tablet device, which could be one of the first to run Windows 8. The tablet will reportedly run on a dual-core Intel Cloverleaf processor with 2GB of RAM and 128 GB of SSD storage. It will have a 10.1-inch display, according to information from Neowin. Dell's tablet will also reportedly have two options for a removable battery -- a smaller version that has 6-8 hours of battery life and a larger version that could get 10-12.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/1fd1e220/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C752370Bhtml/story01.htm

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Turtle Beach partners with MLG, will unveil tournament-focused Ear Force Seven Series programmable headsets, TM1 audio mixer at E3 (update)

If you're familiar with Major League Gaming tournaments, you're likely aware that Astro Gaming's Mixamp Pro has been the staple device for providing multi-platform surround sound and team chat to the headset-wearing pros. Things are set to change this fall, however, as Turtle Beach has announced its own partnership with MLG that'll usher in the release of its first ever tournament-focused gaming audio-wares.

To start, the TM1 Tournament Mixer will be the "exclusive" sound hookup for MLG when it hits the streets, effectively replacing the Mixamp. The unit will provide virtual surround sound game sound chat functionality to any headset with a 3.5mm jack. One TM1 can provide six players with individual sound whether they are on the same team or playing 3 vs. 3, and two devices can be daisy chained to provide a whopping 12 channels of separate audio. Notably, the TM1 can also support a broadcast feed (details below).

On the headset front, TB is blending its programmable audio know-how and recent foray into lifestyle headsets into what's dubbed as the Seven Series. Details are slim, but the first two models set to up the ante on the likes of Astro's A40 and the Sennheiser PC360 will be the Ear Force XP7 and Z7. Each headset features a portable design, detachable microphone and an optional inline remote / mic, so you won't be you stuck to only using 'em in your living room -- unlike pretty much of all the company's past headgear. You'll naturally be able to download your preferred audio settings using TB's Preset Community Portal, which will also include "presets customized for specific [MLG] tournament games."

There's sadly little in the way of pictures at the moment (aside from the TM1), but we'll be getting some hands-on time with prototypes of all the goods at E3 next week. Hit up the press release past the break for further details in the meantime.

Update: We've been informed by a Turtle Beach rep that the TM1 does not provide virtual surround sound. Furthermore, it seems to be an actual mixer, rather than a Mixamp alternative for consumers.

Update 2: We've just gotten a clarification from the company about how the TM1 will work with headsets:

The TM1 provides a closed chat network, like the Mixamp does. It can also pass-through Dolby, but it doesn't process it for stereo headphones. The XP7 comes with a control unit (it has a four-pole headphone jack), which is what processes surround sound. We will be providing MLG with both TM1s and control units for all tourney players to use.

You can output the TM1's chat feed [the broadcasting feature] and mix it into a livestream so viewers can hear what the players are saying. There's also an input so you can feed in whatever audio you choose for all players to hear that are hooked up to that TM1 unit, be it music or even a shoutcaster feed.

Continue reading Turtle Beach partners with MLG, will unveil tournament-focused Ear Force Seven Series programmable headsets, TM1 audio mixer at E3 (update)

Turtle Beach partners with MLG, will unveil tournament-focused Ear Force Seven Series programmable headsets, TM1 audio mixer at E3 (update) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 31 May 2012 10:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/LL7EJFSpg68/

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Re-Enter the Dragon

SpaceX's Dragon space capsule returned to Earth on Thursday, 10 days after it took off into the wild blue yonder to resupply the International Space Station. The capsule touched down in the Pacific Ocean at 11:42 a.m. ET a few hundred miles west of Baja California, Mexico. It will be taken by boat to a port in California near Los Angeles, where it will be prepared for return to SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas, NASA said. "The SpaceX launch is a milestone for an industry that is growing by leaps and bounds," CSF's Alex Saltman said.

Source: http://ectnews.com.feedsportal.com/c/34520/f/632000/s/1fe64641/l/0L0Stechnewsworld0N0Crsstory0C752670Bhtml/story01.htm

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Julie’s Gadget Diary 05-28-12

I hope everyone is having a very relaxing and reflective Memorial Day. I am because I’m currently on vacation in Fennville, Michigan. We’re staying right on the lake in a log cabin. It’s gorgeous here, with perfect weather so far. I was very excited to go on this vacation because I haven’t been very far out of Columbus, IN for over a year and a half. We usually go on vacation 2x a year, but last year put a damper on any plans due to my cancer adventure. To prepare for this vacation, I decided that I absolutely needed a new camera. I’ve been thinking about getting one of the newer micro 4/3rds interchangeable lens cameras for quite a long time, so a vacation was an excellent excuse to do the deed.

I’ve been using a Canon G11 point and shoot for all my gadgeteer review pix for a couple years. It does a great job and I have no complaints about it. But I thought a new camera would have to be better, so I started researching several weeks ago. I narrowed down my choices to my first choice of the new Olympus OM-D EM-5 and second choice of the Sony NEX-7. When it came time to place my order, I could not find any shops on line that had the Olympus in stock. So I settled on the Sony. It arrived and I played with it for a couple weeks. Right out of the box I found that my G11 took better macro shots than the Sony with the 18-55mm kit lens. I think this was mainly due to not having a good flash setup for the Sony like I do with the Canon.

As I contemplated buying an external flash and a wireless trigger for the Sony, I made the mistake of checking Amazon for the Olympus OM-D EM-5 and noticed that one store had 2 in stock. I couldn’t help myself, I ordered one with the 12-50mm kit lens. Yes, I’m crazy… With only 2 days till vacation, I received the Olympus and had a short time to try it out. My first impression was that it felt even bigger than the Sony NEX-7, wasn’t as comfortable to grip and had a confusing and overly complex menu system. I decided to leave the Sony home and bring the Olympus on vacation with me so I’d be forced to learn to use it.

 

It only took me 1 day to figure out that neither the Sony or the Olympus are the best camera for me. Walking around with the Olympus around my neck felt like an anchor. Yes, it is smaller than a full sized DSLR, but it’s still bulky and awkward to carry. Taking it down to the beach for an hour to take a few shots was one thing, but carrying it around for a full day of shopping at the shops in Saugatuck, MI was another. I ended up leaving the Olympus back in the cabin and using my iPhone 4S instead.

What to know something funny? The first day we got here to the lake, I snapped 2 pictures of the cabin and sent them to Janet. She responded that my new camera took great shots. I had to laugh when I wrote back telling her the images were from the iPhone 4S, not the Olympus!

I’ve come to realize that for me, the best vacation camera is the one in my pocket, which just happens to be the iPhone. The Olympus (and the Sony) can take some amazing pics, but if I don’t want to carry them around with me, they turn into a pricey paperweight. I’ve pretty much decided that I’ll be returning both cameras as soon as I get home. I’ll stick with using the iPhone or some other small pocket friendly camera when I’m traveling and will continue to use the Canon G11 (or maybe I’ll get the latest version…) for my gadgeteer product shots. If it works don’t break it right?

Filed in categories: Articles

Tagged: gadget diary

Julie’s Gadget Diary 05-28-12 originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on May 28, 2012 at 7:57 pm.

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2012/05/28/julies-gadget-diary-05-28-12/

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The Greatest PC Mysteries--Solved!

PCWorld's editors band together to solve the greatest PC mysteries! Find out why your PC beeps on startup, what a .dat file is, how USB 2.0 and USB 3.0 differ, and much more!

Source: http://feeds.pcworld.com/click.phdo?i=c29855ab82b1e597b479b378702d733e

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