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Microsoft isn’t out of the entry-level market yet, after announcing a $25 Nokia feature phone

Aug11
by on August 11, 2014 at 7:48 am
Posted In: Around the Web

Screenshot 2014-08-11 14.35.07

Fresh from a change of direction which will mean an end to Nokia X, Asha and S60 devices, Microsoft has pulled a bit of a surprise with the announcement of a €19 ($25) device aimed squarely at first-time phone buyers across the world. The company is putting all its smartphone efforts into the Windows Phone platform, but the new Nokia 130 bucks that trend since it is built on Nokia’s Series 30 software. Microsoft says the device is “the most affordable mobile phone with video and music player,” but it is certainly limited in its functions. The Nokia 130 sports an MP3…

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This water-based tractor beam could be used to contain oil slicks in the future

Aug11
by on August 11, 2014 at 6:26 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Shareables

A tractor beam could be the future of containing oil slicks. That’s according to professors at Australian National University (ANU) who have shown off a prototype that moves objects floating on the surface of water independently of waves. The group’s advanced particle tracking tools were able to move a ping-pong ball in a wave tank in a range of directions, or keep it entirely still. The technology uses simple wave generators which could be scaled to tackle more serious problems in the ocean, such as collecting floating objects, moving small boats or containing oil slicks, so says ANU professor Michael Shats….

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This amazing Microsoft technology turns shaky first person videos into smooth timelapses

Aug11
by on August 11, 2014 at 4:48 am
Posted In: Around the Web, Shareables

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Last week, it was reconstructing sound using tiny vibrations on objects — this week’s science wow comes from Microsoft Research, which showed off a technology that turns shaky first-person video into beautifully smooth timelapse footage. The growth of wearable video cameras — from Google Glass to GoPro and more — has led to a boom in first-person videos, most of which are overly long and uneventful. When you speed them up into to timelapse video, however, they can become more palatable and entertaining, but a person’s movement means the footage is rarely steady. That problem is exacerbated when videos are accelerated. Until now, perhaps….

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