3D

TV buying guide

Shopping for a new television can be an overwhelming experience. Confusion plagues even the most careful shoppers, and TV manufacturers, retailers, salespeople and numerous Internet sources can create more uncertainty as they push extra features, new technologies, and add-ons in the incessant pursuit of profit.

I hope that this guide, which I created in 2002 and have updated every year since, will help you cut through the confusion with unbiased information so that you can select a new television. It won't answer every question, and when you read it, it won't tell you "the perfect TV for … Read more

Purported catalog pic shows 46-megapixel Canon 3D

Studio photographers dissatisfied with recent events in the world of Canon SLRs might take heart at a fleeting glimpse of a possible 46-megapixel Canon EOS 3D.

That glimpse came from Nine Volt Photo, a maker of equipment to help photographers help take photos with cameras tethered to computers. It said it found a reference at retail powerhouse B&H Photo after an "inadvertent search for a Canon 3D."

The company shared a screenshot of the page list with specifications including a 46.1-megapixel CMOS image sensor, dual Digic 5+ processors, a 3.2-inch LCD, and dual CompactFlash … Read more

Create a 3D cardboard avatar mini-me for 12 bucks

The same people who brought you Olly the smelly robot have taken the next logical step into creating miniature 3D cardboard avatars. Yep, I said "huh?" when I heard that, too.

But "huh?" isn't a bad thing. Mint Digital's Foldable.Me is an online design tool that lets you customize your blocky little avatar. Next, you pay $11.99 and your little friend shows up in the mail a few days later. The avatar comes flat for you to fold into shape.… Read more

Report: 3D-printed handgun project faces setback with revoked printer lease

When I last spoke with Cody Wilson, Defense Distributed had just met its $20,000 funding goal, and he had taken delivery of his Stratasys uPrint SE 3D printer. Fast forward nine days and the outlook for his 3D printed firearm project looks less positive.

As reported here in September, Defense Distributed, a group headed by University of Texas graduate student Wilson, began navigating the uncharted material and regulatory waters around designing a gun to be printed from common plastic on a relatively low-cost 3D printer like the MakerBot Replicator.

Now, Wired's Robert Beckhusen reports that Stratasys has voided … Read more

Popular Mechanics honors breakthrough innovations

What do Elon Musk, Leap Motion, Microsoft Surface and Windows 8, Autodesk 123D, and Dow Solar's PowerHouse Solar Shingles have in common?

They are all among the winners of Popular Mechanics magazine's eighth Breakthrough Awards. Awarded each year by a panel of the magazine's editors, the honors go to people and products that are seen to be leading the world of science and commerce forward.

This year's product winners are: The North Face Powder Guide ABS Vest and Backpack; the Lytro camera; Autodesk 123D; Microsoft Surface and Windows 8; Ford's 1-liter EcoBoost engine; Dow PowerHouse … Read more

Pulling back from open source hardware, MakerBot angers some adherents

You likely know MakerBot Industries as the poster child for the new era of 3D-printing. You might not know that, until last week, the company and its CEO, Bre Pettis, were considered shining lights in the open-source hardware movement.

Think of open-source hardware, OSHW, as the physical equivalent of open source software. The Open Source Hardware Association, founded just this past March, offers an extended definition for OSHW. Its Statement of Principles sums things up thusly:

Open source hardware is hardware whose design is made publicly available so that anyone can study, modify, distribute, make, and sell the design or … Read more

Retro-cool sunglasses put pixels on your face

If you used to build with toy bricks and play 8-bit video games, check out these $250 Hal Pixel sunglasses from Protos, with aesthetics inspired by Lego (or perhaps Minecraft terrain).

Fortunately, the glasses don't crumble easily like those Lego sets my friends would accidentally step on. … Read more

The 404 1,134: Where it's safe to drink the water (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Amid weak reviews of Apple Maps, Google offers alternative.

- iOS 6 Maps has a bit of a ways to go.

- Apple Maps shows a post-Cloverfield NY, sans Lady Liberty.

- Fox 5 NY broadcasts fake iPhone 5 concept video

- Internet Archive launches TV News search database.

- First level from Super Mario printed as a Mobius strip.

- MakerBot revamps Replicator 3D printer, adds retail store.

- Low Latency No. 38: The waiting game.

Bathroom break video: DMX's first encounter with Google.… Read more

Become the best sniper

iSniper 3D: Arctic Warfare is a well-designed, first-person shooter iOS game that has all the necessary parts to become both awesome and addictive. With clear onscreen tips at first launch, the sniper's controls are intuitive enough to create a fun gaming experience. However, we get the feeling that the developers are pushing for in-app purchases.

We like that the game had a story to get you into the role. However, the graphics don't have too much detail, so you will just have to focus on improving your score, which is needed throughout the app if you want to … Read more

Getting to know Maps on iOS 6

One of the biggest changes users will notice in iOS 6 is the Maps app. As you may be aware, Apple has stopped using Google Maps to power it, opting to go with its own solution.

You're still able to search for venues or points of interest, find phone numbers, and get directions and drive times. In addition, you'll now also have access to Yelp reviews and voice-guided turn-by-turn directions and a new 3D map view.

Editor's note: Not long after the iOS 6 download became available, many people began noticing significant problems with the new mapping app, … Read more