Latest Digital Home News

• 23 May 2013

• News: The 2013 Toyota RAV4 EV is the all-electric SUV I want with the range issues I can't have

  At Maker Faire, not far from the 3D printers and robotic bartenders, I found Toyota's RAV4 EV. It might have a bit more spit and polish than the typical DIY project at Maker Faire, but it's definitely the result of some art and craft.

• News: Electricity's in the air: Powermat ties the knot with PowerKiss

  Two leading wireless power companies, Powermat and PowerKiss, have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to merge.

• 22 May 2013

• News: No Nexus-like Galaxy S4 for overseas users

  Android fans outside the United States won't be able to enjoy the pure Google experience on Samsung's Galaxy S4 smartphone--at least not yet.

• News: Amazon's Kindle Worlds to publish officially licensed (but probably still insane) fan fiction

  Online fan fiction (or "fanfic") has long been a bizarre literary sideshow where crazy people go to explore completely impractical scenarios and insane sexual fantasies involving established characters from all the branches of the pop culture tree. All the branches. However, this darkened surreal corner of the Internet may soon find itself dragged out into the light of legitimacy. Amazon has announced that it is jumping into the officially licensed fan fiction business with its new Kindle Worlds publishing platform.

• News: New Microsoft Kinect enters PC motion-controller wars

  Microsoft isn't going to sit idly by as companies like Leap Motion and Thalmic Labs bring motion control to PCs.

• News: Does the Xbox One have to be online?

  Last night Microsoft unveiled its Xbox One, aka the Xbox 720 and successor to the Xbox 360. Prior to its announcement the Xbox One was rumoured to demand an always-on internet connection, and much of the games console's new functionality does indeed require you to be online. But does the Xbox One have to be online at all times?

• News: Sony to stream PlayStation games to non-consoles as part of turnaround

  Sony will leverage its streaming technology to bring PlayStation games to devices other than dedicated consoles as part of its ongoing turnaround, but said gaming profits will still suffer and lowered sales targets for its smartphones and cameras.

• 21 May 2013

• News: New Intel CEO creates 'New Devices' division focused on 'cool technology'

  Well, that didn't take long. A mere five days after Brian Krzanich took the reins as the new CEO of Intel, he's shaking things up at an organizational level.

• News: Cyborgs arrive! Scientists build 3D printed ear

  Merging electronics with human tissue, scientists at Princeton University have used 3D printing tools to build a functioning ear. Yes, an ear.

• News: OpenGL developer to create API for controlling smartphone cameras

  The Khronos Group has announced plans to create an open and royalty-free application programming interface for controlling mobile and embedded cameras and sensors, giving developers access to features such as burst modes and flash.

• News: Hacked lamp changes color based on your mood, warns others to leave you alone

  When it comes to feelings and facial expressions, many of us can associate a certain color with the mood. For instance, we typically associate blue with sadness(as in, "feeling blue"), red with anger, and green with jealousy. What if you could use these color associations to tell others to leave you alone?

• 20 May 2013

• News: Teen invents tech that fully charges phone batteries in less than 30 seconds

  It's become part of the daily ritual: Get home, plug in your phone, wake-up to a full battery, repeat. Our poly-gadget lives depend on our batteries having enough juice for the day, and depending on how we use them, they're usually good for just about one workday of use. However, a new nanochemical innovation from an 18-year-old California teen may throw this whole ritual on its head.

• News: Flyknit uses a Kinect to turn your movement into colorful swirls

  When you think of Nike, you may only imagine exhausted runners throwing up on their shoes, but UK digital art studio Universal Everything has something just a bit more elegant in mind. Commissioned by Nike, they've created a breathtaking art installation called Flyknit that dynamically uses the human body to generate beautiful images.

• News: TechHive's Wireless Week: Testing America's networks

  Our Internet experience has become irreversibly mobile, and the stakes couldn't be higher. It's not unusual for a family to pay $2000 a year in wireless-service bills alone. For anyone living in the United States, in fact, the cost of moving 1MB of data over a cellular network is among the highest in the developed world.

• News: What we do (and don't) know about the new Xbox

  On May 21st at 10am Pacific time, Microsoft will unveil its next-generation Xbox console. And if this article were titled "What we know for sure about the next Xbox," we could end it here. Microsoft has been very tight-lipped about the successor to the Xbox 360, but that's about to change.

• News: Electronics deals are skimpy on the eve of Memorial Day sales

  Memorial Day may mark the beginning of summer in some ways, but it's winter for electronics shoppers, seeking bargains on TVs, computers, and other gear.

• 19 May 2013

• News: Bitcoiners rally to enlighten Washington

  Washington's biggest problem when it comes to Bitcoin may just be that policymakers on the Hill don't know enough about it, yet.

• News: Bitcoiners crave coders to cope with demand

  Bitcoin is not going away, the digital currency's developers say, and they're craving more technically savvy people to support its use.

• 18 May 2013

• News: Bitcoin's rollercoaster ride is not slowing down

  More bumps in the road are probably in store for Bitcoin. The virtual currency has seen some massive swings in value over the last several weeks, but that volatility is not likely to end soon, its lead developer suggested on Saturday.

• News: Google Glass Explorer edition pops up on San Francisco Craigslist for $6500

  A lot of people were confused at the seeming randomness of who Google picked for the privilege of paying $1500 to get their heads into the Google Glass Explorer edition. But for those who can't wait until Google decides to release Glass to the masses early next year, the Internet has come to the rescue.

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