Amid questions to Google from Congress about privacy concerns related to Google Glass, a San Francisco startup is preparing an API to recognize faces with the controversial gadget.
The Google Glass Face Recognition API (application programming interface) from Lambda Labs will be available to developers within a week, TechCrunch tells us, quoting co-founder Stephen Balaban. … Read more
Leaked from today's 404 episode:
- Amazon's Kindle Worlds will pay writers to write fan fiction.
- Hire your favorite musician to write you a song .
- And now a reading from the worst fan fiction I've ever read.
Microsoft will finally deliver a Kinect sensor for Windows sometime next year.
The company announced Thursday that the Kinect for Windows sensor will use the same set of technologies key to the new Kinect sensor for the Xbox One, both of which will allow people to issue commands using voice and gestures.
The sensor will include a high-definition color camera and a noise-isolating multi-microphone array. Also part of the system will be a technology called Time-of-Flight, which measures how long it takes for photons to bounce off a person or object. Combined, these features promise greater accuracy and precision in … Read more
Leaked from today's 404 episode:
- All of CNET's coverage of yesterday's Xbox One event.
- Here's what we know about Xbox One games.
- Microsoft talks Xbox One naming, privacy and more (Q&A).
- Sharon Vaknin and CNET Reviews' John Falcone at last night's Webby Awards.
- Courts turning to UrbanDictionary as an authoritative source on slang. And here's The 404's contribution to UrbanDictionary.… Read more
Microsoft on Tuesday unveiled its newest gaming console, the Xbox One, with a slew of new capabilities. But one thing it won't do is play Xbox 360 games.
Because the new gaming system has a different chip architecture -- Advanced Micro Devices' x86 instead of IBM's PowerPC -- the Xbox One won't have native compatibility with 360 games. It's unclear at this time whether Microsoft will create a solution for that, such as making some of the more popular games compatible through emulation or allowing users to access older titles through a cloud-streaming system. But it … Read more
Leaked from today's 404 episode:
- Yahoo confirms $1.1B Tumblr buy, promises "not to screw it up."
- WordPress: 72K blog posts exited Tumblr in one hour over Yahoo deal.
- Tumblr CEO David Karp was on the 404 almost five years ago to the date.
- Australian politician sorry for "liking" Facebook photo of teenager's genitals.
- Nintendo claims ownership over gamer fanvids on YouTube.
Bathroom break video: Smooth McGroove sings an a capella cover of the Chemical Plant Zone music from Sonic the Hedgehog 2.… Read more
If you feel bad about leaving Fluffy home alone, consider giving her the laser treatment.
Petcube is stylish box that lets you play with your pet when you're away. It beams leasers around the room while you control it from afar via smartphone.
Connected to your home Wi-Fi network, Petcube is a 4-inch cube that has a wide-angle camera, microphone, and low-intensity laser pointer.
The prototype is made of glass and aluminum and is being developed by robot enthusiast Alex Neskin, along with Yaroslav Azhnyuk, and Andrey Klen. The Ukranian startup recently showed it off at Seedcamp Week Berlin. … Read more
Apple may be checking out displays for its much-rumored smartwatch.
The company has reportedly been examining 1.5-inch OLED screens built by Ritek subsidiary RiTdisplay, a Taiwan-based manufacturer of display panels, according to Taiwanese news source Economic Times. Apple reportedly was initially eyeing a 1.8-inch display but felt that was too large and switched to a 1.5-inch size.
CNET contacted Apple for comment and will update the story if the company responds.
RitFast, a joint venture between Ritek and Taiwan's YoungFast, would supply the touch technology for the so-called iWatch, the Economic Times added.
Another story from … Read more
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This week on Crave, we take a look at Tim-e, an iPhone dock that wakes you up in the most annoying ways possible. We salute Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield on making space travel cool again, and demonstrate Petswitch, which lets you put your face on your cat's visage. … Read more
ORLANDO, Fla. -- Irony may be funny to the gods of Olympus, but it's a cruel lesson for us mortals. I found this out the hard way at BlackBerry Live 2013. Within minutes of arriving at my hotel I managed to misplace my lovely HTC One test unit. As a result, my backup BlackBerry Z10 was suddenly promoted to first-string smartphone duty. … Read more
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