Posted on June 18th, 2013

While Pelican Imaging’s 16-lens array camera will only reach mobile devices in 2014, the company doesn’t want to wait to show what its technology can do in practice. It just posted a clip suggesting that the camera’s whole-scene focusing and depth mapping could come in handy at a wedding. A guest could not only capture pristine snapshots of the occasion, but create 3D-printed figurines of the bride and groom while they’re still at the reception. Is this a niche case? You bet — but it reminds us that Pelican’s array could make an impact well beyond our photo albums. Catch the full video after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Cameras, Nokia
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Source: Pelican Imaging
Posted on June 18th, 2013

Sprint warned Clearwire in early June that it viewed Dish’s latest attempt to buy it as illegal, and now the carrier is following up with legal action. Big Yellow has just announced that its filed a lawsuit against Dish and its acquisition target in Delaware, as it believes the buyout would violate state law and the rights of shareholders and investors in both itself and Clearwire. The Now Network is asking the court to prevent the completion of the deal, rescind certain parts of the agreement and seek “declaratory, injunctive, compensatory and other relief.” In the outfit’s own words, the suit “details how DISH has repeatedly attempted to fool Clearwire’s shareholders into believing its proposal was actionable in an effort to acquire Clearwire’s spectrum and to obstruct Sprint’s transaction with Clearwire.” Stand back folks, the legal fireworks are just starting.
Filed under: Sprint
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Source: Sprint
Posted on June 18th, 2013

So remember about a month ago when scientists in Canada found the oldest undisturbed water cache ever? The one that had been stagnant beneath a rock for roughly 1.5 billion years? And that might hold the remains of prehistoric life? Yeah, don’t drink that; it tastes like crap. Or so says Dr. Barbara Sherwood Lollar. And she should know—she tasted it.
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Posted on June 17th, 2013

Yes, Game of Thrones is over, but there are still a few other interesting shows on TV. While Futurama begins its farewell tour, Wilfred and Copper return for the summer and Discovery kicks off a new reality show that drops contestants off in the jungle with nothing — and by nothing we mean no clothes. Look below for the highlights this week, followed after the break by our weekly listing of what to look out for in TV, Blu-ray and videogames.
Futurama
Yes, sadly, Futurama has been canceled again. The 13-episode final final season starts Wednesday on Comedy Central and will feature the show’s entire original voice cast. Special guests this season include Larry Bird, Emilia Clark, George Takei and more, check out a clip from the new season embedded after the break.
(June 19th, Comedy Central, 10PM)
Whodunnit?
It’s a reality show — wait, wait, this one might be different! This time ABC is taking on the murder mystery genre, as 13 players compete to solve a different mystery each week. Solve it and survive to proceed to the next episode or else face elimination.
(June 23rd, ABC, 9PM)
NBA / NHL Finals
And then there were two. The NBA finals are almost over as the Spurs have pushed the Heat to the brink of elimination, while on the NHL side the Blackhawks and Bruins are tied 1-1 after two overtime contests, with Game 3 tonight. Enjoy your sport of choice while you still can, before the long offseason begins.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD
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Posted on June 17th, 2013
The Reimann Hypothesis, which deals with the distribution of prime numbers, was first put forth by mathematician Bernhard Reimann in 1859. It has yet to be fully proven and remains one of the most important unproven theories in mathematics. It’s so important that the Cray Mathematics Institute is even offering a $1 million purse to whoever solves it.
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Posted on June 17th, 2013

You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours — all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Filed under: Misc, Apple, Microsoft
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Posted on June 17th, 2013

When Ray and Charles Eames’ classic molded side chair was first produced, in 1951, it was one of the first industrially-manufactured plastic chairs on the market. The wonder of technology went on to become a much-loved classic—today, it’s enjoying a renewed popularity thanks to the popularity of Mid-Century modernism.
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Posted on June 17th, 2013

If you thought Microsoft’s effort to push Surface RT tablets into classrooms would stop with a 10,000-unit giveaway, you’d be mistaken. Ryan Lowdermilk, a technology evangelist for the company, revealed that it’s offering 32GB Surface RT slates to K-12 and higher education institutions in 25 countries for $199, more than 50 percent off the $499 retail sticker price. Dropping $249 for each unit will snag organizations keyboard-infused Touch Covers, while bumping the cost to $289 will add Type Covers to the package. Education outfits can take advantage of the deal until August 31st (or while supplies last), but individual students won’t be able to snag a Surface at such a deep discount on their own. The post announcing the program has gone offline since its unveiling, but we’ve reached out to Lowdermilk to confirm that the offer is still valid. In the meantime, you can hit the second source link to snatch an order form for school administrators.
[Thanks, Suraj-Sun]
Filed under: Tablets, Microsoft
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Source: Ryan Lowdermilk, Surface for Education Order Form (PDF)
Posted on June 17th, 2013

Gunners. They are a unique subset of students found in most any university lecture hall who steer classroom conversations with constant comments and questions directed at the professor. But what if you want a more inclusive environment that lets even timid students ask questions? One where they can communicate with their professor privately, during class, without interrupting. Well, researchers from la Universidad Carlos III of Madrid (UC3M) have built a system that lets professors receive feedback from students and know which ones have questions by using augmented reality technology.
It works by leveraging the smartphones in students’ pockets and giving the professor a set of AR smart glasses. Using an app connected to the system’s server, students can indicate when they do or don’t understand a concept, that the professor should go more slowly, or that they know the answer to the question. Then, an icon indicating which action the student has taken will be displayed over that student’s head on the smart glasses’ displays. Using the system, the professor can also push predefined questions to students’ phones and control presentation slides using hand gestures and a Kinect. Intrigued? Speak Spanish? A demo video of the system in español awaits you after the break.
Filed under: Wearables, Software
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Source: British Journal of Educational Technology