floor

Bitcoin exchange BitFloor halts operations, shuts down

The recent Bitcoin rollercoaster ride has come to an end for one exchange.

Bitcoin exchange BitFloor announced Wednesday it is closing its trading operations and plans to return its remaining funds to its users.

The New York-based exchange, which specialized in trades of the digital peer-to-peer currency, announced the closure with a note on its home page penned by its founder, Roman Shtylman:

I am sorry to announce that due to circumstances outside of our control BitFloor must cease all trading operations indefinitely. Unfortunately, our US bank account is scheduled to be closed and we can no longer provide the … Read more

Is this 'Tron'-style floor the future of basketball?

Painting lines on a floor for team sports is so old school. Why not use programmable LED lights under a glass surface?

That's what Germany's ASB Systembau is doing with its ASB GlassFloor. With a frame of aluminum supporting a glass floor, it can be set to display lines for sports like basketball, handball, volleyball, or whatever else you want to play.

Ceramic dots on the glass re-create the feel of a wooden surface, while special etchings diffuse the LED light and prevent glare from bothering athletes.

That means you can also have all manner of ads, scoreboards, and graphics on the floor. … Read more

Bitcoin exchange BitFloor shuttered after virtual heist

Bitcoin exchange BitFloor has shut down operations while it investigates the theft of nearly a quarter million dollars' worth of the virtual currency.

The heist occurred last night when an attacker accessed an unencrypted backup of wallet keys and made off with 24,000 BTC. This led BitFloor founder Roman Shtylman to suspend the exchange's operations. As of this writing, a Bitcoin is worth $10.40, making the heist's haul worth $249,600, according to Bitcoin converter Preev.

Shtylman revealed the break-in today in a Bitcoin Forum post that pleaded for Bitcoin users' help in resurrecting the exchange: … Read more

IBM-patented floor could detect a heart attack, call the cops

File this under the bizarre but potentially life-saving category of new tech: an intelligent floor that knows who is doing what on a given surface, and can alert police or first responders in the event of an intrusion or medical emergency.

IBM, which filed for a patent describing such a system in February 2009, is now, just more than three years later, the proud holder of said patent. What it does with it remains to be seen, but the initial vision is clear.

From the patent abstract, IBM reports on an approach that "uses an electronic multitouch floor covering that has numerous sensors to identify shapes."… Read more

Dyson's new DC39 is company's first canister vac with Ball technology

If you're a fan of Dyson's bagless vacuums but always wished that the company made a canister model that was powered by its Ball technology, that day has arrived: Dyson has introduced the DC39 Multi-floor and DC39 Animal canister vacs.

Dyson vacuums have never been cheap, and the new models, due out in mid-March, cost $449.99 and $499.99, respectively. Aside from its color and higher price, what distinguishes the Animal from the Multi-floor is the inclusion of an accessory that's specially designed for picking up pet hair. Both models are being marketed as "smooth … Read more

Buzz Out Loud 1575: What mattered at CES day 1 (Podcast)

After our first day of CES we discuss what tech is making waves in Vegas. What grabbed your attention and which products will never see the store shelves. Molly breaks down her interview with Google's Eric Schmidt and Brian Tong reflects on his time with LL Cool J live on the CNET stage.

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Microsoft's CES floor space for 2013 sold in just 45 minutes

The Consumer Electronics Show may be able to do just fine without Microsoft.

The software giant's former prime floor location at the tech confab sold during the first day of 2013 space selection in an "amazingly quick" 45 minutes, a source close the conference told CNET. The space was sold to Dish and Chinese electronics maker Hisense for the same price Microsoft would have paid had it opted to attend next year's show, the source said.

Space selection for the 2013 CES, which began today, is a three-day process, so it's unknown how many exhibitors … Read more

SwingHolder stand holds your iPad so you don't have to

The SwingHolder is an iPad stand designed to keep your tablet at eye level, whether you're lying in bed, sitting on the couch, cooking in the kitchen, or even standing on a stage.

The applications here are fairly endless. You could position your iPad in front of a treadmill or elliptical exerciser, making it easy to watch TV shows or movies. You could practice an instrument while reading onscreen sheet music. You could read an e-book without the muscle strain that often accompanies it.

What's more, the SwingHolder offers obvious benefits for the physically challenged.

The design borrows heavily from microphone stands, starting with a weighted base and fully adjustable swing arm that can raise, lower, and pivot to just about any position.… Read more

Nyko Zoom delayed, Kinect floor space optimizer pushed to September

At E3 2011 Nyko successfully convinced us that all of our Kinect floor spaces issues would be fixed thanks to the company's Zoom optical Kinect attachment originally scheduled to debut this month.

Unfortunately Kinect owners living in close quarters will have to wait a bit longer for the 40 percent increase in surface area requirements. MTV Multiplayer is reporting that the Nyko Zoom has been delayed about a month to September 13, though the $30 price tag remains unchanged.

MTV Multiplayer says Nyko blames an "overwhelming demand from consumers and retailers" as the cause for a delay. … Read more