With cameras becoming ever smaller and storage becoming ever cheaper, there will come a day when all of our life’s memories are digitally preserved.
Memoto, a Stockholm-based startup inspired by the Quantified Self movement, is taking a stab at this opportunity with a postage-sized camera that wearers will carry around with them constantly.
It snaps a photo every 30 seconds, keeping a visual trail of your everyday life. A companion online service will store everything, catalog it by time, date and place and even help you pick out the most visually interesting moments.
The company’s launching a campaign on Kickstarter to draw interest. They’re hoping to retail the camera for $ 279 next year in three colors of graphite grey, white and bright orange. Early backers will get the camera and a one-year web subscription for $ 199.
So questions: Isn’t that creepy?
Maybe, but actually the company behind Memoto thought about voyeuristic or awkward social situations carefully in designing the camera. For one, the camera doesn’t turn off unless you put it away in darkness. That’s so friends, family or bystanders know with certainty about whether they’re being recorded or not. That’s different from other wearable devices (potentially like Google Glass), where it might not be so clear if you’re being recorded or not.
Co-founder Martin Källström started Memoto after transitioning out of his last startup, Twingly, which monitors blogs, tweets and more to track what customers are saying about a company’s products.
He became passionate about the Quantified Self movement and the ideas of Gordon Bell, a Microsoft researcher well-known for his experiments in life-logging.
Kallstrom wanted a way to record unexpected moments in his life, like his children’s first steps. He pointed out that we don’t often remember to record moments or shoot videos as these memories are happening. At the same time, things that don’t seem important at the moment become profoundly meaningful as we look back. Memoto is about being able to retrieve these memories, even if we can’t completely appreciate them as they pass.
As for the camera itself, it takes 5 megapixel resolution images and logs GPS positions and timestamps. It also has a built-in rechargeable battery, which can last up to two days. You wear it with a small, stainless steel clip that attaches to your clothing.
The last time we saw an EV pit itself against a BMW, it wasn’t a good day for the German car. On this occasion, the beemer is the EV, and it’s one that all the others will officially have to enjoy viewing from behind. The car in question is the Rimac e-M3, the fledgling EV-firm owner’s personal custom ride, and it’s just been officially acknowledged as the fastest accelerating electric vehicle (with some category caveats). The record-breaking run actually happened April 2011, but it seems the FIA isn’t quite so fast when it comes to making things official. The Croatian driver covered the first eighth of a mile in 7.549 seconds, needing less than five more for the same distance again (1/4 mile in 11.808 seconds). This is where the official-dom ends, but the total mile was completed in 35.347, which is still pending the FIA nod. Happy as driver Mate Rimac is, he already thinks there’s something faster. What might that be? His new pre-production Concept_One of course. Catch the car in action after the break.
Filed under: Misc, Transportation
Rimac e-M3 breaks EV acceleration records, soon to be dethroned by its own creator (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 14 Oct 2012 05:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Citing poor sales of the Nintendo 3DS and “the stronger yen against the euro was also another reason,” Nintendo posted its first-ever loss – $ 534.6 million on revenue of $ 8 billion. This is down from $ 12.6 billion in revenue last year with $ 960 million in profit.
But, as they say, it’s dangerous to invest alone. Here, take this: the company is predicting a profit of $ 429 million next year.
Nintendo bet big on the 3DS and the forthcoming Wii U, a superior console designed for clever multi-player gaming. Although the Wii is the best-selling console in the world, it’s clear that demand has slowed with the launch of Kinect from Microsoft and the PlayStation Move.
We’re expecting to her much more about the Wii U launch this summer at E3 and, provided they can get a product out the door by the holiday, expect these numbers to rise skyward. It’s a little sad to see Mario stumble like this, but here’s hoping he regroups.
You could mark the 100th anniversary of Titanic by going to see a 3D version of a 15-year-old film. Or, if you’re so inclined, you can do some more serious research on the matter, checking out what Ancestry.com claims is “the most comprehensive online collection of records relating to the passengers and crew aboard the legendary luxury liner.” The genealogical site is opening up records relating to the famous ship for free searching from now until April 15th. Thousands of records on the subject are available, including passenger and crew lists, deaths and headstones. It’s all a bit morbid, but it certainly beats sitting through the James Cameron movie again. More information is available in the press release after the break.
Continue reading Ancestry.com offers ‘most comprehensive’ Titanic records, not in 3D
Ancestry.com offers ‘most comprehensive’ Titanic records, not in 3D originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 10 Apr 2012 11:16:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Two US startups are breaking solar efficiency records in their quest to bring clean, cost-effective, eco-friendly energy to a power grid near you. Alta Devices, based in Santa Clara, CA, has achieved a 23.5 percent efficiency rating with its standard solar panel, while Semprius, a Durham, NC company, has achieved a rating of 33.9 percent with its concentrated photovoltaic offering — besting the previous records of 22.9 percent and 33 percent, respectively. Interestingly enough, both outfits chose to utilize a new material to construct their sun-sopping cells: gallium arsenide. The material, while more expensive, is better suited for absorbing the sun’s energy, especially when compared to silicon, the cheaper element typically used. Alta and Semprius are looking to proliferate solar power by further refining the technology, making its price per kilowatt equivalent to that of fossil fuels without the use of government subsides. Here comes the sun…
Two US startups break solar efficiency records, aim to light up your life originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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In the market for a new case for that iPhone 4S? A fan of all things Jack White? If so, Griffin and Third Man records have teamed up to put a vinyl spin on your next Apple-friendly smartphone case. The pair has introduced a set of accessories that make use of a legit 7-inch record die-cut to protect the back of your mobile device, blending analog and digital without making a sound. Each case is comprised of a two-part frame that wraps those precious edges — with openings for controls and jacks, of course — and a piece of genuine vinyl, pressed right in Nashville. You’ll have your choice of three color variants that come with a Third Man-branded vinyl. If that’s not enough, you can spring for a set of three inserts, one from each of Mr. White’s musical projects. Protip: If you happen to opt for the extras and snag The Racounteur’s insert, this collaboration marks the first pressing of “Steady, As She Goes.” Each case is $ 30 and the set of extra inserts will set you back another Jackson. If you want a closer look before parting with fifty bucks, hit the gallery below.
Gallery: Griffin / Third Man Records vinyl iPhone 4S cases
Continue reading Griffin and Third Man Records team up for add vinyl to your iPhone case
Griffin and Third Man Records team up for add vinyl to your iPhone case originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Dec 2011 06:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Do you like to play rough? Good, then this Kodak’s for you. Up for pre-order on the imaging company’s website, is an update to the Playfull we got eyes-on with at CES earlier this year — except this handheld camera’s waterproof, as well as dustproof and drop-proof (although, only “onto plywood”). The slim 720p shooter weighs in at about 85 grams and sports a 2-inch LCD display, HDMI out, pop-out USB 2.0 and an SD card slot expandable up to 32GB. Kodak’s offering this pocket and pool-friendly portable in mid to late October with a premium $ 120 price tag set for the black version, and the white at a lesser $ 100. If your high-end smartphone’s just not cutting the HD-recording mustard, go ahead and hit up that source link below.
Kodak’s Waterproof Playfull records your pool parties in 720p, lets you relive that belly flop originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Oct 2011 07:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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And $ 0 of that was mine. You hear me, Jorge?! ZERO!
Because people will bitch nonstop but still do what they claim they hate, over a million Star Whores ran out and bought (read: ordered online) the Star Was original trilogy Blu-Ray set this week, breaking the record for sales in Blu-Ray format. Me? I still have that shit on LaserDisk. F*** you, George!
Read more over at Geekologie’s sister site (no you can’t bang her!), IWATCHSTUFF.
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Most folks would be content if their jet-powered vehicle did nothing but break land speed records, but not so with the team behind the North American Eagle project. They’ve gone and also stuffed some WiFi equipment inside the nose of the vehicle, which they hope will be able to transmit data back to an experimental mesh WiFi network set up around the dry lake bed while the vehicle is in the process of breaking the sound barrier. That hasn’t happened just yet, but the vehicle itself has already topped speeds of 400 miles per hour — which is only half of what the team eventually hopes to reach.
North American Eagle project pumps out WiFi, takes aim at land speed records originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 03 Sep 2011 13:51:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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According to a recent Penn State study that uses a new way to calculate time-telling precision, the CsF2 cesium-based atomic clock at the UK’s National Physical Laboratory is almost twice as accurate as originally thought — meaning it will only gain or lose one single second over the course of 138 million years. This atomic clock isn’t the only competitor for best-in-show, as researchers at the University of Tokyo have also announced a new record, claiming their optical lattice atomic clock observes atoms a million times faster than a traditional atomic clock — achieving accuracy up to 18 digits in a one second measurement. Although researchers say the technology would gain or lose a second significantly faster than the cesium-based variety (31.7 million years), it could change the way scientists perceive time and space, giving us new insights into fundamental constants of physics.
“Until now, clocks have been thought of as tools for sharing common time. But with clocks like this, conversely, we can understand that time passes at different speeds, depending on the time and place a clock is at,” said Hidetoshi Katori of the University of Tokyo. Of course, both atomic clocks can help us stay timely, but they also have practical applications for everything from deep-space networking, to predicting earthquakes and GPS navigation. With this type of accuracy, looks like none of us will be getting away with showing up late to work anymore. Check out a video about the optical lattice clock after the break.
Continue reading New developments in atomic clock technology beat accuracy records, may inspire Ke$ ha’s next hit
New developments in atomic clock technology beat accuracy records, may inspire Ke$ ha’s next hit originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Aug 2011 01:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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