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There Was A ‘Glass’ Before Google Came Along, And It Was Used In Antarctica In 2001

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Author: jos

Whether or not you think that Google Glass is something that you’d wind up using one day, you have to admit that the technology is impressive. Packed inside of the pair of specs is a computer running android, camera and all of the wireless capabilities you’d need. The idea of wearable computers is nothing new, and a team that explored Antarctica actually had their own pair of “Glass” long before it was en vogue.

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In a blog post chronicling the team’s experience, Tina Sjogren fondly remembers what it was like to pull together a wearable computer running Windows 98, paired with a “finger” mouse for controls and a glass screen as its display. It sounds a lot like an early version of Google Glass, but this was truly a technological marvel, considering that it was built and used at the South Pole in 2001.

The specs of the device, which was called “South Pole Wearable,” are nothing short of amazing, including custom built software to share information and post photos. It was also solar powered, something that Google Glass could really use. It didn’t use 3G, 4G or WiFi, relying on satellites:

Finger Mouse
Wrist Keyboard
HUD (VGA Heads Up Display, Eye-trek Glasses by Olympus)
Wearable Windows 98 computers
Daylight flat panel display
Customized Technology vests
Shoulder Mounted Web Camera
Bluetooth near person network
Iridium data over satellite
Power converters
Solar cells
Control and Command voice software
CONTACT blogging software
Image editing, word processing

The entire kit weighed 15 pounds, which is almost double what the original Google Glass prototype weighed, about 8 pounds. It now weighs about as much as an average pair of sunglasses.

Tina and Tom Sjogren set forth to build something that allowed them to transfer all types of information as they skied through the snowy South Pole. Sharing this type of information in real-time was not something that many could wrap their brains around, therefore the pair didn’t get the type of attention for their device that Google is getting for Glass today. Tina says:

We wore a computer on our hips, a mouse in our pocket, and the glass was our screen. We did it not to show off but because we had no other choice.

She also sees a future for Google Glass and regular consumers: “New technology often needs time to catch on and I can see a future for Google glass today. It will come down to how sleek and useful they are. A stylish design paired with all the wonders of augmented reality – what’s not to love?”

“Cool, maybe the time has come for this tech”

Wearing Google Glass wasn’t the experience that Tina and Tom had back in 2001, as Tina refers to their display as “too bulky to wear all of the time.” The eye piece on their device had greenish text which, much like Google Glass, didn’t obstruct your view. It even had voice commands. The two even slept in their gear at nights, to keep it warm and protect it from the elements. In 2002, they became the first to broadcast live photos and sounds from the Antarctic ice cap.

The trekkers counted on Ericcson as their sponsor during the mission, and here’s a drawing they made of a “future explorer” wearing their device:

I spoke with Tina Sjogren today and she told me that the reason for building the device was based on their love of exploration: “Our specialty is to find and marry software and hardware for unique situations such as extreme expeditions, military, security and other.” The purpose of building the device was simple, yet profound: “We had a story to tell. There had never been live dispatches done from a skiing expedition on the continent before. We also helped General Dynamics with feedback on how this could work on aircraft carriers.”

Twelve years after the Sjogren team set out on their adventure, Google is trying to make the world around us equally as interesting with Glass. It’s too soon to know whether it will catch on with consumers once they’re made available to people other than developers.

If we’ve learned anything from Tina and Tom Sjogren, it’s that good ideas have this way of coming back year after year, getting better and more polished each time:

As Google Glass has gotten more publicity, Tina summarized her feelings about it succinctly, capturing the true mentality of someone who loves to see new things, explore new places and share experiences: “Cool, maybe the time has come for this tech.”

Lamaze Play & Grow Rusty the Robot Take Along Toy

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Author: Charity Woods

Lamaze Play & Grow Rusty the Robot Take Along Toy

Two sides of play! Rusty’s ratcheting head allows you to mix and match his body
Large, friendly eyes invite baby to focus on a single object, supporting healthy eye development
Ribbons, crinkle, and soft textures invite baby to explore, stimulating tactile senses.
Floppy legs encourage pulling, squeezing, and hugging, strengthening muscles.
Includes a Lamaze link, making it easily attachable to a stroller, carrier bar, or diaper bag for on-the-go play.

Lamaze Play & Grow Rusty the Robot Take Along Toy

List Price: $ 16.99

Price: $ 11.25

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Siri Eyes Free coming to 2013 Honda Accord, along with Acura RDX and ILX

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Author: Nancy Kennedy

Great news for Honda fans: the vehicle producer has simply revealed which of its 2013 cars will receive support for Apple’s hands-free extension of Siri, known as Eyes Free. Particularly, the function will be readily available as a dealer-installed choice for the Honda Accord, along with the RDX and ILX from Acura. Mum’s currently the word on software integration, however it’s worth pointing out that the HondaLink infotainment system was formerly revealed to debut on the 2013 Accord, and both the RDX and ILX feature AcuraLink– so, you do the mathematics. Honda’s yet to expose pricing for the kit, however hi, it’s something to haggle about.

Submitted under: Transport, Software, AppleComments

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Polymer Vision reportedly shut down, along with its dream of rollable e-ink displays

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Author: Matthew Wilson

The saga of Polymer Vision has been defined by optimistic plans braced by second chances when financial reality came crashing in, with no happily ever after or definite end in sight. Unfortunately, there may not be much more of a story to tell. CTO Edzer Huitema claims that Wistron has shut down Polymer Vision entirely: while it’s keeping the intellectual property behind the rollable display company it acquired in 2009, it has reportedly dismissed all associated staff after unsuccessful attempts to find a buyer. We’ve asked Wistron for a more formal confirmation and an explanation, and we’ll let you know if there’s an update. However, it’s possible that Polymer Vision’s technology was simply past its prime. As +Plastic Electronics notes, Polymer Vision and the Readius came at a time before mobile tablets and giant smartphones, when it wasn’t clear that we would tolerate big screens in our pockets; while flexible displays are still in development, some of Polymer Vision’s biggest advantages have faded away.

Filed under: Displays

Comments

Via: The Digital Reader

Source: +Plastic Electronics

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Which two teams won the FIRST Robotics National Championships in 2001 along with TechFusion 279?

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Author: Ian Simpson

Question by : Which two teams won the FIRST Robotics National Championships in 2001 along with TechFusion 279?

Best answer:

Answer by Curious_Yank_in_South_Korea
That is an excellent question, unfortunately, all I could come up with were regional winners, not the overall National winner. The link to the regionals is here:

http://search.yahoo.com/search?p=Robotics%20National%20Championships%20winner%202001

Add your own answer in the comments!

“Bounce” Along To Apple’s Latest iPod TV Ad

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Author:

If iPods could dance, it would certainly look a ton like this new commercial Apple has simply posted to its site. The ad reveals a myriad of vibrant iPod touch, iPod nano, and iPod mixes bouncing around.

In reality, the ad itself is called “ Bounce. ”

There ’ s plenty to be proud about with Apple ’ s latest generation iPods, specifically the 5th gen touch with a 4-inch Retina display, Siri, and a more effective A5 chipset. However in this advertisement, Apple ’ s opted to go with color, as the completely household of iPods now comes in a number of graphics flavors.

Perhaps the next advertisements will concentrate on theiPod Nano ‘ s reanimated display or Siri ’ s presence on the all-new iPod touch. In the meantime, get down to Willy Moon ’ s “ YeahYeah ” and don ’ t forget to put a little bounce in your action.

‘Minecraft’ creator Notch may not ‘play along’ in putting game on Windows 8

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Author: Jon Mitchell

Mojang’s Markus “Notch” Persson continued to heap scorn upon Microsoft’s Windows 8 operating system today, saying that he’d “rather have Minecraft not run on [Windows 8] at all than to play along” with Microsoft.

Microsoft asked Mojang for a hand in certifying Minecraft for Windows 8, but Notch isn’t interested. Instead, he said on Twitter, “I told them to stop trying to ruin the PC as an open platform.” (Microsoft requires that games on its own stores, including the Xbox Live Arcade version of Minecraft, complete a certification process.) Notch sent a follow-up tweet shortly afterward:

I’d rather have minecraft not run on win 8 at all than to play along. Maybe we can convince a few people not to switch to win 8 that way..

—…

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Raspberry Pi lands MPEG-2 and VC-1 decoding through personal licenses, H.264 encoding and CEC tag along

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Author: Mark Jeffries

Making the Raspberry Pi affordable included some tough telephone calls, consisting of the omission of MPEG-2 decoding. Licensing charges alone for the video presentation software application would have increased the board’s rate by about 10 percent. Now, after lots of have made media centers with the hardware, the foundation behind the project has actually whipped up an option to add the failing to see codec. For $ 3.79, individuals can purchase an individual MPEG-2 certificate for each of their boards on the organization’s online store. Partial to Microsoft’s VC-1 criterion? Rights to making use of Redmond’s codec can easily be bought for simply under 2 dollars. H. 264 encoding is also in the cards because OpenMax parts needed to establish applications with the functionality are now allowed by default in the tool’s most recent firmware. With CEC support thrown into the Raspbmc, XBian and OpenELEC operating systems, a solitary IR remote can control a Raspberry Pi, a TV and other connected devices. If you’re ready to load up your Pi with its newfound abilities, hit the source link below.

Filed under: MiscRaspberry Pi lands MPEG-2 and VC-1 decoding with personal licenses, H. 264 encoding and CEC tag along initially appeared on Engadget on Sunshine, 26 Aug 2012 07:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for usage of feeds. Permalink|Raspberry Pi|Email this|Remarks

Nokia Alpha, Phi, PurePhi and PureLambda pop up in tests, bring Windows Phone 8 along for the ride

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Author: Janet Odell

Not long after the Lumia 900 surfaced, Nokia’s Windows Phone roadmap appeared to have come screeching to a halt — official and otherwise. However, the first signs of Nokia’s second wave may have just surfaced in WP Bench’s testing leaderboards. The Nokia Alpha, Phi, PurePhi and PureLambda have all shown up at varying points in the chart; we’ve seen them for ourselves, although you’ll need WP Bench on a Windows Phone to see them first-hand. Not much is visible without seeing the devices themselves, but the PureLambda appears to be running a build of OS 8.0 — better known to most as Apollo, or possibly Windows Phone 8. As long as these aren’t elaborate pranks, they could represent entry, mid-tier and high-end phones; we’re wondering if the Pure tag isn’t a reference to the PureView-equipped Lumias Nokia said were inevitable in the long run. No matter what the four phones turn out to be, any real devices will show us what Nokia can do with Microsoft’s OS now that it’s had time to strategize.

Nokia Alpha, Phi, PurePhi and PureLambda pop up in tests, bring Windows Phone 8 along for the ride originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 25 May 2012 03:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink My Nokia Blog | source WP Bench | Email this | Comments

Firefox native version hits Android in beta, new UI and speedups tag along

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Author: Stefanie Jenkins

Those who’ve liked Firefox for Android but have been clamoring for a native version can rest easy, as there’s now a truly optimized version waiting for you in Google Play. Mozilla’s new Firefox 14.0 beta now looks like, and importantly runs like, a full member of the Android family. Making the leap also affords it Flash support, a new starting page with top sites, secure Google searches and a slew of load time and responsiveness upgrades over the creakier, XUL-based version. Beta status should still trigger a moment of pause if you’re not ready to accept a few bugs, but if you’ve got Android 2.2 or later, you’re welcome to give Firefox a shot.

Firefox native version hits Android in beta, new UI and speedups tag along originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 May 2012 14:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Android Central | source Google Play, Release notes | Email this | Comments

Posts Tagged ‘along’

There Was A ‘Glass’ Before Google Came Along, And It Was Used In Antarctica In 2001

“Cool, maybe the time has come for this tech”

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Lamaze Play & Grow Rusty the Robot Take Along Toy

Lamaze Play & Grow Rusty the Robot Take Along Toy

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Siri Eyes Free coming to 2013 Honda Accord, along with Acura RDX and ILX

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Polymer Vision reportedly shut down, along with its dream of rollable e-ink displays

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Which two teams won the FIRST Robotics National Championships in 2001 along with TechFusion 279?

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“Bounce” Along To Apple’s Latest iPod TV Ad

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‘Minecraft’ creator Notch may not ‘play along’ in putting game on Windows 8

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Raspberry Pi lands MPEG-2 and VC-1 decoding through personal licenses, H.264 encoding and CEC tag along

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Nokia Alpha, Phi, PurePhi and PureLambda pop up in tests, bring Windows Phone 8 along for the ride

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Firefox native version hits Android in beta, new UI and speedups tag along

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