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- Apple patent filings outline input device gestures, solar iPods and iPhones
Filed under: Odds and ends, Apple
Apple's reputation as an innovator doesn't seem to be waning at all. Two recent patent applications published Thursday on the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's Web site show that Apple is dreaming of new gestures using input devices and solar-powered iPods and iPhones. These applications are just a few of a recent parade of patents we've been following.
While these are just filings for patent protection and not actual products, Thursday's "Methods and Apparatus for Processing Combinations of Kinematical Inputs" filing is very intriguing in light of the upcoming announcements. As described in the filing, "Some embodiments of the present invention therefore enable a user to provide a series of gestures as input to the receiving device. Such gestures may include, for example, brushing motions, scooping motions, nudges, tilt and slides, and tilt and taps. The application can then respond to each gesture (or gesture combination) in any number of ways."
Hmmm... using a mouse on a "receiving device?" That could be an interesting way to perform tasks on a tablet device. We've heard some rumors about the tablet that describe new gestures that may take a bit of getting used to, and perhaps some of those are made to use a mouse in the manner described in the filing.
It's also apparent that Apple is quite interested in making devices with virtually unlimited battery life. Another filing unveiled on Thursday, titled "Power Management Circuitry and Solar Cells," describes power management circuitry allowing portable devices like the iPod and iPhone to operate on solar power.
The application details how both solar and battery power sources can be used to power the devices, using switches to reconfigure solar cells on the fly so that the device receives a constant voltage even when some cells are "shadowed" by a hand.
How about it, TUAW readers? Are you ready for a solar-powered tablet you can tap, brush, and nudge with a solar mouse? It could happen some day, although these are patentable ideas and not actual products.
[via MacRumors]TUAWApple patent filings outline input device gestures, solar iPods and iPhones originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 16:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Apple - iPhone - iPod - Solar power - Patent application
Переслать - Apple and the Rise of the Machines: Don't worry, they're just here to rock
Filed under: Multimedia, Music
Whenever I heard "robots" and "Los Angeles" used in the same sentence, I thought of only one thing: the end of the freaking world as we know it. But all that's changed after I was lucky enough to get a sneak peak at a current rise of a group of machines happening at a company called KarmetiK, and what I saw there literally rocked me.
If you're into Macs and music and live in the LA area, I've got a treat for you. The world premiere of The Machine Orchestra will take place at REDCAT Theater in downtown LA on Wednesday, January 27th at 8:30pm. If you're in the area, I highly recommend you check it out.
What is a machine orchestra, you ask? Imagine a crate full of Apple computers, musical instruments, Terminators, and cutting edge technicians and musicians. Now take that crate, shake it up, and spill it out onto a stage. What you're left with is a group of robotic machines that play musical instruments alongside human artists - all controlled by software written for and running on Macs.
The Machine Orchestra is the brainchild of Ajay Kapur, Director of Music Technology at CalArts who wanted to breathe new technological life into the instruments and music normally found playing in traditional World Music ensembles.
Students from the emerging Music Technology program at CalArts will not only play alongside audio pioneers like Perry Cook and one of the most famous North Indian Classical musicians, Aashish Khan, but alongside robots as well. Man and machine work together to give the listener not only an auditory experience of the fusion between electronic and world music, but a visual one as well.
Electronic music is computer-based by its very definition. The audience can't see the instruments used to create the original sound. What's so cool about The Machine Orchestra is that it allows for the creation of electronic music using actual instruments controlled via Macs, all in front of a live audience.
On the robot front you've got three stars: GanaPatiBot - a drum robot with multiple solenoid systems for striking. The back of GanaPatiBot is a "propeller Leslie system", where two speakers are placed at either side of a spinning bar, which plays sounds and drones from an iPod Mini. MahaDeviBot is another drum robot with the ability to strike 12 different percussion instruments gathered from around India, including frame drums, bells, finger cymbals, wood blocks, and gongs. MahaDeviBot even has bouncing head which can portray tempo to the human. Last but not least is (the simply-named) Tammy. Standing at six feet tall, Tammy plays instruments including the hand-crafted marimba, drone string, and bells.
All the music and robots are performed and controlled via custom controllers and modified instruments like Arduinome and MLGI. "The ensemble is really an Apple powered beast, with over 10 performers (including our robotic counterparts) running on Apples," says Jordan Hochenbaum, one of the musicians in the show, who is currently a PhD student in Sonic Arts at the Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.
"We mostly use Macbook Pros, although there is one Macbook, and we also have an iMac server which sends out 'sync' signals to keep everyone's Macs and robots in time with each other. We wrote custom client/server software to help address some sync issues we had using standard sync from our music software, Ableton Live."
Wednesday is going to be a big day for the Mac if that rumored tablet appears. If you're in LA, why not go out and celebrate by rocking to a bunch of Mac-controlled machines? Besides, when was the last time you saw a robot play a killer drum beat? Let's see the T-800 do that.
Tickets can be bought here for $20 general admission/ $16 students.TUAWApple and the Rise of the Machines: Don't worry, they're just here to rock originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 14:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - A DIY iPhone car mount for just $2
Filed under: Hacks, Tips and tricks, Odds and ends, iPhone
So, like me, you've been doing a lot of driving around with your iPhone lately, and you've come to the conclusion that just having it sit next to you on the seat isn't the best way to do things. You need an in-car mounted dock, but you're not ready to shell out a bunch of money for something with "premium" in the title. Solution? Follow these directions and make your own. For just a couple of bucks in materials, you can build what looks like a pretty worthwhile way to mount your iPhone in the car.
It's basically a little PVC pipe with some foam to hold it in place on whatever extra ridges or slots you might have free in your dashboard, and some plastic coated wire at the top to hold your phone for you. Hey, you get what you pay for -- it won't pair with your iPhone, and any charging it provides will have to come from an external charging cable that you buy. But if you just want something to keep your iPhone handy and up off of the seat next to you -- or out of the cupholder, I do that one a lot, too -- this weekend project might just do the trick.
[via Lifehacker]TUAWA DIY iPhone car mount for just $2 originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - Cogs for iPhone, a mechanical puzzle game
Filed under: Gaming, Software, Developer, iPhone, App Store
Cogs is a brilliant game that's had an award-winning run on the PC, and it's due out on the iPhone any day now, say developers Lazy 8. If you like puzzle games, you'll probably see in the trailer above why this one is so fascinating: it takes the old idea of slide puzzles (moving a grid of pieces around one by one) to form actual machines of all kinds, from pipes that blow up balloons to actual gears that run simple engines and even more complex mechanical designs. The core gameplay is simple -- just move those pieces around by switching them -- but you're always building towards an overall picture that pays off with a nice mechanical reward.
Good stuff. The game is apparently up for approval right now and will be out very soon. There's no word on price yet -- the PC version of the game sells for about $10 as a digital download, but we've contacted Chillingo to see how much they'll be charging on the iPhone. We'll keep our eyes out for it and try to get you a hands-on review when it releases.TUAWCogs for iPhone, a mechanical puzzle game originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Переслать - University of Oregon shows off engraved MacBook Pros
Filed under: Hardware, Apple, Macbook Pro
I've always been jealous of the folks who get free laptops from their work or school (back when I was in school, I used a paper notebook and a pen and liked it!), but I'm especially jealous of the folks from the University of Oregon's Center for Student Athletes, who not only get some sweet MacBook Pros to use courtesy of Apple and Nike, but have each one laser engraved with the school's symbolic O.
The engraving isn't just aesthetic; it's useful, too. In addition to the school branding, each laptop has a specific number engraved on the bottom of it, which helps prevent theft and helps the school track down wayward laptops. Cult of Mac has a great little interview with the engraver, with some fun insider info about how this is all done (he's even engraved fingernails, which sounds a little gross). We've seen some cool engraving projects before, but I like this one; functional and good-looking.TUAWUniversity of Oregon shows off engraved MacBook Pros originally appeared on The Unofficial Apple Weblog (TUAW) on Sat, 23 Jan 2010 03:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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