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Domino's and IFTTT make getting takeout even lazier
Domino's Pizza has already enabled people to track the location of their pizza as it comes from the shop to their home. But that's not enough for the company, which has teamed up with IFTTT, to connect the platform to your smart home. Yes, it's a publicity stunt, although it's one that has a couple of useful applications if you're rocking a sufficiently futuristic abode.
IFTTT's automation app can watch your Android phone's battery
Thanks to a slew of updates, IFTTT's automation apps just became decidedly more useful -- especially if you're religious about your smartphone's battery. If for Android now includes a battery channel, so you can tell your phone to perform certain duties depending on your charge state. You can have the app mute your phone as soon as you plug it in, for instance. Also, the existing device channel now works with Bluetooth, music, navigation and WiFi, so you can turn off wireless features when your power is low or get directions to your favorite fishing spot every weekend.
Sony announces Xperia T,V, and J smartphones at IFA
Kaz Hirai is live on stage at Sony's press even at IFA, and has just announced three new Xperia phones -- the T, V, and J. The Xperia T is the new flagship and sports a 1,280 x 720 4.6-inch display, a 13-megapixel camera, a dual-core Qualcomm Krait 1.5GHz processor, PlayStation certification and one touch NFC connectivity. There will also be an Xperia TX in some markets. The Xperia V is confirmed as being LTE-enabled, as well as highly water resistant, plus a 1.5GHz dual core Qualcomm processor a 4.3-inch display, and a similarly megapixel-endowed (13) camera, and is also bestowed with PlayStation certification. The Xperia J is the more budget focused of the three, and also the smallest, with a 4-inch screen, a 1GHz core and just 5-megapixels on the camera front. All the new phones will launch with Android 4.0.4, with a Jelly Bean update already confirmed to be on the way for the lucky T and V. The flagship Xperia T will be available in the next few weeks, with the other two arriving some time in Q4 this year. All will be available in a variety of colors
Visualized: if the iPhone had happened in an alternate reality
This collection of devices -- from Germany's SKS Hinkel, and winner of an iF Product Design Award this year -- is really a video intercom system. But if you use your imagination, from left to right, it looks like an iPod shuffle, an iPod classic, an iPhone shuffle, and an iPhone classic all developed in some awesome alternate dimension where coiled phone cords are still cool. Admit it: you miss the click wheel.
Wistron's WiGO 1 and 2 streamers win iF design awards, presumably for strangeness
Though it could easily be mistaken for a dinosaur egg trapped in some prehistoric block of ice, what you're looking at here is actually a set-top box. A media streamer, to be specific. Details are light, but Wistron's so-called WiGO 1 and 2 have showed up at the presentation of iF's annual Product Design Awards at CeBIT, described as "multimedia centers" with HDMI connections that can browse local, networked, and internet content. In the case of the WiGO 1 (pictured above), it looks like the inner "egg" -- where the electronics lie -- has literally no accessible connections, but the reality is that the iF folks simply set it in its display case with the rear facing down. The WiGO 2 is a little more traditional in appearance; the meat of the device is a normal black box at the bottom, topped with a large cube of clear acrylic that gives the package a less geeky, more fashion-forward appearance. See shots of both units below.
Eco urinal concept saves time and the environment
You do wash your hands when you're done, don't you?
Qisda's ultra high-res QCM-330 smartphone and more surface ahead of iF awards
The iF Design Awards won't officially be handed out until the big ceremony at CeBIT next month, but some of the winners have now already been announced, and they include a few surprises. One of those is this new Qisda QCM-330 smartphone, which is said to be Android-based, and packs a 4-inch, 1,280 x 1,024 screen (supposedly, although the actual resolution will likely differ given the aspect ratio), WiFi and HSDPA connectivity, a 3 megapixel camera, and an accelerometer, among other, as yet unnamed specs. It's joined by the LG GD880 we previously spotted in the wild, along with a slew of phones headed for Vodafone, including the Compass slider, and the Krystal (pictured after the break), which apparently packs displays on both sides and some augmented reality-type features (like on the fly translation of newspapers). Rounding out the lot are the decidedly more ordinary Vodafone Sting, Shilpa, Quincy and, our personal favorite, the Larry. Hit up the link below for a closer look at those.
Samsung F700, others to sport "Croix" interface concept
Okay, so we've gathered a little more intelligence since our last run-through on the topic, and it turns out that Samsung's Ultra Smart F700 has not been dubbed "Croix." Croix is still alive and well, but it's actually the F700's underlying user interface paradigm, a paradigm based on crosses used for navigation ("croix" is French for cross, after all). It's the first time we've really seen the F700 in action, come to think of it, since we've only managed to get our hands on nonfunctional units at events so far. If the platform turns out to work as nicely as it looks, this is all great news, because Samsung's freshly-issued iF Communication Design Award indicates that "Croix is the backbone of a series of finger touch-based mobile phones with full touch screens." Let's worry about getting some F700s out in the field first though, eh, Samsung?[Thanks, Gary C.]
Interactive fiction writer Emily Short talks about her craft
Emily Short doesn't design dull or formulaic interactive fiction. Each one of her releases is remarkable in some way, whether it's a technical achievement or artful storytelling. Her 2000 title Galatea centered around player and non-player character interaction, creating one of the most believable NPCs ever. Her latest work, Floatpoint, won the 2006 Interactive Fiction Competition and was top in several categories in the annual XYZZY awards.Gamasutra recently interviewed Emily about one of her games, Savoir-Faire, and the process of creating interactive fiction. The interviewer gives a fascinating example of Emily's programming prowess. Savoir-Faire features an intricate linking system where similar objects can be tied together through the use of spells. The interviewer linked a cuckoo clock with a snuff box. A few turns passed and a message popped up saying the box had opened -- and then closed. A bit later, the same message appeared. Random coincidence or unsightly game glitch? Far from it. By linking these items together, the box was "programmed" to open every time the clock struck the hour. That sort of logical creativity is what keeps Emily's interactive fiction at the top of our must-play list.
The LG KE850: touchable chocolate
Little is known about the KE850 from LG, but the folks over at International Forum Design must know a thing or two about it, seeing how they just hooked it up with a Product Design Award for 2007. And hey, with those hot Chocolate-esque looks -- though we have no proof this one'll actually be branded as a Chocolate -- who can blame them? The big draw here, of course, is a 400 x 240 touchscreen that takes the place of virtually every hard button you might find on a more traditional handset, save for Send, End, and a handful of keys on the sides. The posterior reveals a cam, though its specs remain a mystery. Does someone at LG (or iF) want to spill the beans for us?[Via Slashphone]
Text-based game used to promote book
Using interactive games to promote products online is nothing new, as anyone whose ever had to "punch grandma to win a FREE PSP*" well knows. But Random House is taking a bit of a different tact, using an interactive fiction game to promote their new title The Glass Book of Dream Eaters.The two text-based mysteries, coded using the INFORM engine, let players take control of either wealthy plantation heiress Celeste Temple or assassin Cardinal Chang. It may not be quite as thrilling as boxing grandma, but both games provide some engaging, super-old-school fun for a lazy Thursday afternoon.* - Free PSP requires signing up for like a million free trials and promising us your first born child.[Via Grand Text Auto]
Stuck on hold? Zork is the new soft jazz
Forget Michael Bolton, Zork is the best hold music ever! From Zasterisk:"I was tinkering with Asterisk and the Festival text-to-speech engine, and wrote some short Asterisk::AGI scripts to read back live weather reports. After that, I thought I needed something more interactive to work with..."Now Zork is back! Listen as the eerie voice of Festival takes you into the Underground Empire, and marvel as you explore this world with your dial pad, unlocking the secrets within!"You'll need to install the Asterisk open source phone-switcher (*NIX only, that includes you Mac users), the Festival text-to-speech application, and then let Zasterisk work its special brand of magic, turning that boring phone tree into a maze of twisty little passages, all alike. Too much work, you say? Good news! On March 13th the project's creator, simon, announced "over the next few weeks I'll be putting a public beta online for you to call in to." A few weeks is, like, right now! We're officially on the lookout.[Via Boing Boing]
