Friday, November 29, 2013

Robot sea turtle will map shipwrecks that humans can't reach (video)




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Robot sea turtle will map shipwrecks that humans can't reach (video)



U-CAT robot sea turtle



Some shipwrecks are too costly or dangerous for humans to explore, but many underwater robots are too disruptive and unwieldy to serve as substitutes. The Tallinn Institute of Technology's new U-CAT mapping robot solves that dilemma by imitating one of the ocean's more graceful creatures: the sea turtle. The small machine uses flippers to get around instead of propellers, preventing it from kicking up silt (which would obscure its camera) and letting it turn on a dime. It's also autonomous, which helps it venture deep into a wreck without worrying about cables. It's sure to have a big impact on underwater archaeology, and you can see it in person if you swing by the London Science Museum between November 28th and December 1st. However, It will eventually map shipwrecks in the Baltic and Mediterranean Seas as part of the EU's ARROWS Project, providing more detail than any diver could manage.



[Image credit: Tallin University of Technology, Flickr]


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Gizmag

Source: Tallinn University of Technology, ARROWS Project








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Brazil wants to know why Apple bills its citizens in US dollars




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Brazil wants to know why Apple bills its citizens in US dollars





Brazil's national currency is the real, but you wouldn't know that by looking at its iTunes storefront. Apple prices everything there in US dollars, which has led Brazil's Consumer Protection Secretariat to write a formal letter to the company requesting an explanation. We're not sure why this has taken so long, given that iTunes came to Brazil two years ago, but in any case Apple now has ten days in which to respond or face the threat of a penalty. Other countries that've tackled Apple over its pricing policies in the past have generally failed to reach a resolution, and in some cases citizens have even been urged to take matters into their own hands.


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Cult of Mac

Source: Brazilian Ministry of Justice








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Apple gives Europeans Black Friday discounts, US settles for gift cards




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Apple gives Europeans Black Friday discounts, US settles for gift cards





If you've been mulling the latest Apple gizmo but wince at the prices, today could be the day to act. That's because Cupertino's offering UK discounts of up to £81 on the latest and greatest iMac or MacBook models and £31 off of the iPad Air. Other iPad models are discounted too, and you can score a deal on the iPod Touch or accessories like the Parrot AR drone. As for the US and Canada, gift cards are being handed out in lieu of cash off, including $75 offerings on the iPad Air, $150 for iMacs and MacBooks and $50 for an iPod Touch. As for the rest of the EU, other countries like France and Germany are seeing similar cash discounts to their UK counterparts on the same products. Not everything is on sale, though. For instance, the iPad Mini with Retina display is still full price. Still, if your iProduct trigger finger's been feeling itchy lately, hit the source.


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Source: Apple (UK), (US)








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Dutch regulator says Google's privacy policy breaks the law




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Dutch regulator says Google's privacy policy breaks the law





Almost two years after it updated its privacy policy, Google is still facing the wrath of European watchdogs. The Dutch Data Protection Authority (DPA) has just ended a seven-month investigation into the search giant's practices and, similar to rulings in the UK and France, has deduced that Google isn't doing enough to inform users about the data it "collects and combines." The DPA accuses Google of spinning an "invisible web of our personal data without our consent" with its Search, Gmail and YouTube services, which it states in no uncertain terms "is forbidden by law." It's another knock for Google, which has found itself under investigation by a total of six European privacy authorities after French privacy regulator CNIL initiated action on their behalf last year. Google has said that it "respects European law," but its commitment will be tested at the Dutch DPA's upcoming hearing, after which the authority will decide it wants to take "enforcement measures" against the company.


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Via: Techie News


Source: Dutch DPA








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Virgin Media brings its TV Anywhere service to UK Android devices




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Virgin Media brings its TV Anywhere service to UK Android devices





It took a while, but Virgin Media has finally brought its TV Anywhere service to Android. Already available on the iPhone and iPad for more than a year, the app comes to Android smartphones and tablets with nine new UK TV channels including Alibi, Dave, Drama, Good Food, Home, Really, Watch, Yesterday and CBS Reality. That takes the total number of mobile channels up to 67, with up to 90 available online. Virgin Media boasts it now offers more choice than rival service Sky Go, but like it's competitor, some might be frustrated by the patchy support for Android devices. Although you'll find support for Samsung's Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note, HTC One, Sony Xperia Tablet Z and Google's Nexus tablets, you might experience issues if your device is running Android 4.4 KitKat. While you won't be able to install it on your Nexus 5 just yet, Virgin says more Android devices will join the line-up "in the very near future."


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Via: Virgin Media


Source: TV Anywhere (Google Play)








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Chrome may let you try Web Store apps without installing them




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Chrome may let you try Web Store apps without installing them



Launching Chrome web apps without installing



Ever want to test a Chrome Web Store app without installing it? You may get your chance if a pair of Chromium changes reach finished software. Google is experimenting with support for "ephemeral" apps that launch like regular Web Store titles, but don't leave a footprint in Chrome or Chrome OS. Users wouldn't even have to visit the Web Store in the first place -- a recent Chromium build lets surfers launch an app directly from a Google search result page. There's no certainty that the feature will surface in a browser near you, but don't be surprised if it soon becomes easy to try a Chrome app without any commitment.


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Via: The Next Web


Source: Francois Beaufort (1), (2)








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Georgia Tech's tongue-driven wheelchair outruns conventional rivals (video)




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Georgia Tech's tongue-driven wheelchair outruns conventional rivals (video)



Georgia Tech tongue-controlled wheelchair



Georgia Tech has long wanted to show that tongue-controlled devices could help the disabled, and it now has solid proof. A new study shows that the school's wearable Tongue Drive System lets the paralyzed control wheelchairs three times faster than they would using an ordinary breath-based approach. The speediness is due to TDS' intuitive design, Georgia Tech says -- wearers use a magnetic piercing in their tongue as a joystick, which is both faster and more logical than puffing into a straw. It's subtler, too, as wearers don't block their faces with as much equipment. Trials have so far been limited to hospitals and labs, but the findings pave the way for real-world tests. Eventually, Georgia Tech hopes for widespread use that improves tetraplegics' mobility -- and gives them more control over their lives.


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The Verge

Source: Georgia Tech








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