Thursday, August 8, 2013

Alt-week 6.8.13: the Tetris printer, micro-vacuums and naked Antarctica

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Alt-week takes a look at the best science and alternative tech stories from the last seven days.

Altweek 6813 the Tetris printer, microvacuums and naked Antarctica

Printing can take many forms these days, it seems. It's a term we see pulled in another direction this week, but one we think you'll enjoy. Want something a little more tangible? How about advanced Antarctic topology, or gas-detecting microscale vacuum pumps? Yep, this is alt-week.

It's a fact, we're suckers for a bit of video game nostalgia, and this week we've got it in spades. Not only does Taito's classic Space Invaders celebrate 35 years since swallowing its first quarter, Tetris is back in our lives. So, technically, it might have never really left -- but this time it's inception-style nostalgia, thanks to this natty Tetris "printer." Using an algorithm to convert a source image into one-square-sized "pixels," a Tetris playfield recreates the image one line at a time, clearing blocks and rows as needed until the right colors are in place. The code essentially plays the game until it gets the Tetriminos in the right places and the end image -- in this case game characters -- emerges. Watch the video to see it in action, or head to the creator's site to see how it was put together block by block.

Altweek 6813 the Tetris printer,

You'd be forgiven for thinking the image above came from the Curiosity rover, which is due to hit the road again soon. Actually, it's a detailed map of what Antarctica looks like without all the ice. The new images, created by the British Antarctic Survey, are compiled from decades of measurements, and give us the most intricate view of the continent's topography yet. Three datasets in total were used -- surface elevation, ice thickness and bedrock topography -- to create the imagery, which replaces the previous best collected over 10 years ago. The picture it paints is in stark contrast to the relatively smooth surface we're used to seeing thanks to the permanent layer of snow and ice. Beyond mapping, the work also helps scientists understand how the ice moves around, under its own weight, on top of the base layer of rock. Want to see more? Interactive images and a video presentation over at NASA are available for the curious.

Altweek 6813 the Tetris printer,

If you thought the trusty Roomba was the pinnacle of vacuum technology, think again. Recent research, funded by DARPA, has resulted in the world's smallest vacuum pumps. In some cases, smaller than a dime. While these micro-suckers might not be much cop at cleaning the den, they do have other, more specialized talents. Most notably, the technology could offer highly sensitive gas sensors that can provide early warnings of chemical attack, and biological pollution. The research was conducted with input from the University of Michigan and Honeywell, with the example you see above being a 24-stage microscale "rough" pump -- where each section serves as either a pump or a valve. Previously, the smallest pump or vacuum technologies were about the size of a deck of cards, making them impractical for use inside complex electronics. With further development, however, these microscale pumps could allow for smaller (and more accurate) laser-cooled atomic clocks. So don't make that impulse purchase just yet.

Seen any other far-out articles that you'd like considered for Alt-week? Working on a project or research that's too cool to keep to yourself? Drop us a line at alt [at] engadget [dot] com.

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Mobile Miscellany: week of June 3rd, 2013

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Mobile Miscellany week of June 3rd, 2013

If you didn't get enough mobile news during the week, not to worry, because we've opened the firehose for the truly hardcore. This week brought additional peeks at the purported Nokia EOS cameraphone, leaked screenshots of the BlackBerry OS 10.2 update and the arrival of a new budget smartphone from Huawei in the UK. These stories and more await after the break. So buy the ticket and take the ride as we explore all that's happening in the mobile world for this week of June 3rd, 2013.

Nokia EOS surfaces again in leaked photosMobile Miscellany week of June 3rd, 2013

As anticipation mounts for Nokia's Windows Phone successor to the 41-megapixel 808 PureView, additional photos have surfaced of the device in question -- dubbed the Nokia EOS -- courtesy of a hands-on from ViziLeaks. We've already come across shots of the cameraphone's casing, along with a video that shows its mechanical shutter in action, but a multi-angle tour reveals interesting tidbits such as the phone's combo xenon and LED flash setup, support for wireless charging and the ability to play nicely with lanyards. A micro-SIM slot is also visible, which reinforces ViziLeaks' claim that the phone will lack a removable battery. Now that images of the purported Galaxy S 4 Zoom have also surfaced, it certainly puts the additional bulk of Nokia's cameraphone in perspective. [ViziLeaks]

Purported Nokia EOS leak See all photos 6 Photos

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More BlackBerry OS 10.2 screenshots emergeMobile Miscellany week of June 3rd, 2013

Many BlackBerry users are still waiting for their taste of the OS 10.1 rollout, but a new handful of BlackBerry OS 10.2.0.93 screenshots and a video tour are now on the scene, giving audiences another tease of what's to come. We've previously heard that unicode emojis and level 1 email notifications were on deck in the upcoming revision, but can now see integration with BBM Channels, a refined loading symbol and a look at the multiple alarms feature. They're certainly incremental improvements, but it's always fun to get a sneak peek at what's in store. [N4BB, Kris Simundson (YouTube)]

BlackBerry OS 10.2 screenshots See all photos 9 Photos

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Huawei Ascend Y300 arrives at Carphone WarehouseMobile Miscellany week of June 3rd, 2013

Following the debut of the Ascend Y210 at TalkTalk, Huawei has introduced a new budget smartphone to British consumers with the Ascend Y300 at Carphone Warehouse. The Android 4.1 handset is available now for £69.95 outright, which combines a 4-inch WVGA (800 x 480) display, a dual-core 1GHz Snapdragon S4 and a 5-megapixel camera. A 1,730mAh battery and expandable storage are also in the mix, and while the smartphone isn't likely to turn heads, it's certainly easier on the wallet. [Carphone Warehouse]

Other random tidbitsThe Samsung Galaxy S III has been announced for arrival at Boost Mobile on June 12th for $399. Upon arrival, it'll be one of the carrier's few LTE smartphones. [BusinessWire]T-Mobile welcomed the LTE version of the Galaxy S III into its lineup this week, where it can be purchased for $550 outright or $70 with a two-year payment plan of $20 per month. [Android Central]Google Hangouts was updated to resolve a glitch that'd caused some users to receive multiple notifications for a message. [Google Play]SoundHound is now available in BlackBerry World for BB10 devices. [N4BB]Wind Mobile has introduced the Huawei Ascend W1, a Windows Phone 8 device that's available for free on the $40 WINDtab plan and the BlackBerry Q10, which sells for as little as $349 on contract. [MobileSyrup 1, 2]A smartphone that's said to be the ZTE Mustang for AT&T was outed with a lightly-skinned interface that resembles stock Android. [@evleaks (Twitter)]Must-read mobile storiesPresident Obama responds to PRISM concerns, clarifies scope of snoopingLeaked video seems to show Nokia EOS PureView smartphone with mechanical shutterWSJ: NSA snooping extends to AT&T, Sprint and other ISPsEE adding shared 4G, PAYG data-only plans this summer, now boasts 500k subscribersLeaked court documents reveal NSA is collecting bulk call logs from VerizonGoogle reverses course, makes CalDAV and CardDAV APIs open to all developersHTC One 'mini' leaks showing 4.3-inch 720p display and UltraPixel cameraMetroPCS to start using T-Mobile's network and GSM handsets June 12thIntel reveals Merrifield processor in new smartphone reference design, promises 'integrated sensor hub'HTC One coming to Verizon later this summerCRTC wireless code lets Canadians cancel contracts after two years, caps excessive data feesASUS FonePad Note hands-on at Computex 2013 (video)Acer announces the Liquid S1: a 5.7-inch smartphone with a near-stock Android experience (hands-on)

[Mobile Miscellany photo credit: Thristian / Flickr]

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Google reportedly closing in on $1.3 billion deal for Waze traffic app

Israeli business papers report Google closing in on $13b deal for Waze traffic app

Last month news leaked that Facebook might acquire crowdsourced navigation / traffic / mapping app Waze, but now two papers in Israel say Google is about to close the deal. Globes and Calcalist both peg the potential sale price at $1.3 billion US, with the company's development team remaining in Israel after the sale and not moving to the US. Where they will work from is cited by Globes as one reason why negotiations may not have worked out with Facebook, along with the price tag. For those unfamiliar with Waze, the app generates mapping data in real-time based on its nearly 50 million users and reports of accidents or traffic jams.

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AT&T extends upgrade period to two years, continues a worrying trend

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AT&T extends upgrade period to full years, continues a worrying trend

The big US carriers tend to echo each other's customer-hostile policy decisions all too often, and that's unfortunately happening once again. Effective today, AT&T is shadowing Verizon by extending its standard device upgrade interval from 20 months to the full two years of a typical agreement. All of its new contract subscribers, as well as those whose terms finish in March or later, will have to cope with the longer waiting periods. There's little context for the decision in a corporate memo that we've obtained; we've reached out to AT&T for some background, and we'll let you know if we hear more. Whatever the motivations, it's clearer than ever that habitual upgraders need to either pay the full hardware price or move to more flexible providers.

[Thanks, anonymous tipster]

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LG shows off a production model 55-inch curved OLED TV, starts shipping soon

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LG shows off its first production curved OLED TV, will start shipping soon

LG announced in April that it's bringing a 55-inch curved OLED HDTV to market, and it appears that time is almost here. According to the machine translated press release, shipments of the 15 million won ($13,500) display will start in a few days. Plant staff are pictured around one of the first mass produced 55EA9800 TVs, which weigh just 17kg and have a carbon fiber reinforced plastic (CFRP) frame. We first got our eyes on the screens at CES, with their unusual shape that LG says helps keep all parts of the screen an equal distance from the viewer -- check out a few more pics in the gallery below.LG's curved EA9800 OLED display eyes-on See all photos 21 Photos

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Crytek's CryEngine 3 supports PlayStation 4, surprises no one

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Crytek's CryEngine 3 supports PS4, surprises no one

Crytek has a reputation for pushing the limits of hardware with CryEngine -- witness the will-it-run-Crysis jokes -- so it's only logical that the company would leap on new consoles with enthusiasm. Sure enough, the company has followed up talk of Xbox One support in CryEngine 3 with word that its extra-pretty engine will also run on the PlayStation 4. Crytek isn't saying which developers will use the code, although cross-platform games make sense when the PS4, Xbox One and PCs share the same basic x86 architecture. We may hear bit more about early partners next week.

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