This Doctor Who series Blu-Ray set not only comes with all of the episodes from series 1 through 7, it also comes with a remote control that looks like the sonic screwdriver. Shut up and take my money.
This is the first time that BBC Home Entertainment has created a Blu-ray box set that includes all seven new Doctor Who series, by the way. You get Christopher Eccleston, David Tennant and Matt Smith. But the best part is the Sonic Screwdriver!
The gift set can be pre-ordered on Amazon and will ship on November 5, 2013, just in time for the holidays. The price for the set is $314.95(USD) Set aside a few days to marathon the whole thing.
Remember Autonet? The company -- which is best known for providing manufacturers like Chrysler with in-car WiFi hotspot solutions -- is launching a new product designed to replace the key fob and enable low-latency remote vehicle control and diagnostics from any smartphone. Of course, this is nothing new -- car makers have been featuring apps to unlock doors, start the engine and monitor vehicles for some time now. Still, most existing solutions rely on satellite or 2G connectivity and often require the car's computer to be fully booted before responding to commands, which makes for a slow and unreliable experience. Autonet's new system combines in-vehicle hardware, mobile software and cloud services to streamline this process for both manufacturers and owners. More after the break.
Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation, Software, Mobile
Yes, there's a fleet of camera-equipped, remote-controlled blimps live-streaming a bird's-eye view of Google I/O on YouTube, right now. It's called Google AirShow and it's taken over the airspace within Moscone Center. We briefly chatted with Chris Miller, a software engineer with AKQA (the company that put the dirigibles together for Google), about the technology used in each aircraft. It all begins with an off-the-shelf model airship that's flown manually via standard a 2.4GHz radio. Each blimp is outfitted with a servo-controlled USB camera and 5GHz USB WiFi dongle which are both connected to a Raspberry Pi board running Debian, VLC and Python. A custom-designed Li-polymer battery system powers the on-board electronics. The webcam encodes video as motion-JPEG (720p, 30fps) and VLC generates a YouTube-compatible RTSP stream that's broadcast over WiFi. Python's used to pan the servo-controlled camera via the Raspberry Pi's PWM output. The result is pretty awesome. But don't just take our word for it -- check out the gallery and source link below, then watch our hands-on video after the break.
Filed under: Cameras, Misc, Transportation, Internet, Alt, Google
Source: I/O AirShow 2013
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On second thought, I guess it still might be possible to let this chunky remote control slip between the couch cushions, but it certainly wouldn’t be very comfortable if you sat on it. What you’re looking at here is a hacked together remote control that started its life as a cheap universal remote control.
Modder Bigape decided he had enough of cheap plastic remotes which wear out all of the time, and built this heavy-duty remote to replace his parents’ old broken Sony TV remote. He Frankensteined together the electronic components of the universal remote with the a sturdy industrial case designed to control construction equipment.
Since he wanted the remote to control channels, volume and power, he had to add a couple of additional buttons into the case as well. In true MacGyver fashion, he built the caps for the volume buttons from retractable ball-point pen parts. The large red power switch actually was made from the button from an a light bulb socket, a sweater button and an old spring switch. The giant orb that holds the large IR diode is actually the cap from an old bottle of perfume if you can believe it.
Want to build your own industrial-strength remote control? You can find a similar control box over on eBay, and then check out the full build log over on Instructables.
I don’t have a complicated home theater system in my home, but we do have several components that require you to change inputs to be able to play games, watch movies, or check out Netflix. The problem I always had was that nobody seemed to be able to remember which input went with which device but me. That meant I always had to come change inputs for everybody and that got really irritating.
I ended up buying a Harmony One universal remote control that had macros with a single button you press to change all those inputs depending on what you want to do. It continues to be one of the best things I ever purchased. Logitech has unveiled a new generation Harmony remote control called the Harmony Ultimate.
The Ultimate shares many of the same features as my Harmony One including those one-button macros. It also has a 2.4-inch color touchscreen. The Harmony Ultimate also has some other cool tricks up its sleeve. For instance, it will work components even behind closed cabinet or closet doors. The best part is that it also supports Bluetooth so you can use this remote control your PS3 or other game console. It also supports control of Philips Hue LED light bulbs to allow you to control brightness and color of the wireless bulbs.
Logitech plans to launch the Harmony Ultimate this month in the US for $349.99(USD).
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Nero has announced a remote shutter trigger for photographers that has some very interesting tricks up its non-existant sleeves. Rather than simply allowing you to remotely trigger the shutter, the Nero Trigger has the ability to automatically trigger your camera and flash under a variety of different conditions. For instance, it has a special Lightning Mode that will snap a photo when lighting conditions in the environment change.
That means if you’re trying to get an image of lightning during a storm, fireworks, or sparks, the trigger will automatically set off your camera precisely when needed. The camera also has a special Sound Mode that will trigger the camera when a change in ambient sound and the environment is heard. The trigger can also activate a time-lapse mode snapping pictures at pre-determined intervals.
Another really interesting feature of the Nero is called Laser Mode. With this mode you can aim a laser at the Nero Trigger and the beam is broken, the camera will automatically activate the flash and the shutter. The trigger also offers an HDR mode and DIY mode. The DIY mode is interesting because it allows you to create just about any sort of trigger by connecting a triggering source to the device. Check out a number of images which were captured using the Nero’s triggering in their image gallery.
The Nero Trigger and required flash cable is available now for $199(USD).
