If you saw The Polar Express, which came out 10 years ago last month, you may remember thinking to yourself: "what the hell is wrong with CGI Tom Hanks' eyes?"
Despite many advances in CGI in the decade since, we're still stuck with the "Uncanny Valley" problem, common to all realistically-rendered human CGI characters: every detail is spot-on, except for the eyes. Now, finally, we may be able to say goodbye to dead-eyed characters — thanks to some new eyeball capturing and rendering technology from Disney Research in Zurich, Switzerland, outlined in a paper published on Thursday.
Runtastic has all sorts of apps (many of which have absolutely nothing to do with running) – everything from cycling, to heart rate monitoring, to abs, and so much more. Its newest app, however, really wants to help users get their ass in shape... literally. It's called Butt Trainer, and well, the name speaks for itself. (For the record, I suggested "RuntASStic," but they didn't go for it.)
If you've used any of Runtastic's other training apps – like Six Pack Abs, for example – then you're already familiar with how Butt Trainer works.
If you've been on the fence about trying Spotify Premium, here's your chance to test out the service for three months for half the price of a cup of coffee.
Starting Thursday through Dec. 31, users who haven't tried Premium or Unlimited before, can sample Premium. Unlike Spotify's standard service, which offers stations related to an artist or song à la Pandora, Premium lets you hear the specific song that you choose. You can also download up to 3,333 songs on your device, so you can listen even when there's no Internet connection. (Spotify Unlimited, a mid-tier offering, lets you stream songs on any device, but won't allow you to download them; that service costs $4.99 a month.) Read more...
AirDroid 3 has found its way into Google Play, and if you didn’t already use this must-have app before today you’ll probably have great incentive to start now. The biggest change by far is the addition of new native applications for Windows and Mac OS. Whereas before you’d need to log into your AirDroid server through a web browser, this will give you a native interface that should be a lot more fast and open up a few new possibilities.
One of those possibilities? The ability to mirror your Android phone on your PC. AirDroid has always facilitated alerts about incoming calls and the ability to view and, but this update takes it a step further by allowing you to respond to incoming text messages or answer, dismiss or mute a call from your PC.
Otherwise, AirDroid 3 grants access to your phone as if it were shoved inside your computer display. The feature does require root, but that’s a small price to pay for sweet functionality like this.
Also featured are end-to-end encryption, notification mirroring (in case mirroring the entire phone doesn’t do it for you), a tweaked user interface for the Android app, improved file transfer and, of course, your usual round of bug fixes and performance improvements. Google Play has everything you need right here, but be careful — the burst of awesomeness headed to your phone could cause fainting.
The UFC just got in bed with Reebok, and in doing so, threw out a load of its old sponsors. It's the sort deal a grown-up company makes, and also the sort of deal that reminds you that the UFC has some growing up left to do.
If you’re anything like us, you’re constantly changing up the look of your phone’s home screen to better suit your mood. There’s no easier way to do that than by swapping out your wallpaper, but if you don’t have time scouring the net for one that compliments the new “paper” look of Android 5.0 Lollipop, than you might want to check out Papuh Walls by AlexCruz.
There really isn’t too much to the app, it’s merely a quick and easy way to gain access to more than 1,000 wallpapers curated by the developer himself. The UI of the app itself is clean and minimal, with a pull out navigation drawer to access the different wallpaper categories. Best part is you can apply your wallpaper directly from the app, no downloading and applying manually (although that’s an option as well).
You can find Papuh Walls in both free and paid varieties in the Google Play Store via the link below, or visit the thread on AndroidForums for general feedback.
Remember YotaPhone, a dual-screen phone with an LCD screen on one side and an e-ink one on the other? Russia's Yota announced its successor, the YotaPhone 2, back in February 2014, but now it finally has a release date — December 2014
While the company's website currently only sports the aforementioned release time frame and an image of the phone (we had a hands-on with an early prototype at the 2014 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona), Android Police has some more info about the upcoming device
The YotaPhone 2 should go on sale in 20 European countries in December, at the price of 33,000 Rubles or approx. $610. It will have a 5-inch AMOLED screen on one side and a 4.7-inch e-ink touchscreen on the other. Other specs of note include a Snapdragon 800 processor, an 8-megapixel rear camera and 32 GB of storage Read more...
Apple was granted a patent on Tuesday (first reported by AppleInsider) that outlines technology that would change an iPhone's angle if it's in free fall. The goal would be to break the fall and protect sensitive components like phone screens
According to the patent, built-in technology could estimate a point of impact and then shift the device's center of gravity to save iPhones from an early grave. This would work by using the iPhone's inner vibration motor and processor. The motor, in theory, would shift the device's mass to rotate it before impact and would work in tandem with the phone's sensors (like accelerometers and gyroscopes) to keep an eye on the phone's positioning. Read more...
by Shep McAllister, Commerce Team on Deals, shared by Shep McAllister, Commerce Team to Deadspin
If you're still checking the temperature of your food by opening up the oven or grill to look at a thermometer, it's time to level up. This wireless thermometer from Maverick is only $50 today with promo code EDYPAZML, and it comes packed with features:
We've gushed about Mike Evans's ability to get physical before, but that was mainly focusing on him pushing defenders around as he ran routes. Here's Evans using his muscle to take down Bengals corner Terence Newman in today's game.
by Kyle Wagner on Regressing, shared by Kyle Wagner to Deadspin
Poor Matt Schaub found himself back in the funny pages yesterday. With Oakland already trailing St. Louis 42-0 in the fourth quarter, Schaub entered in relief of Derek Carr and promptly fumbled on a sack for a turnover, threw yet another pick-six on the following drive, and fumbled again for good measure on the next. The Raiders would run three times to end the game on their final possession, but the Matt Schaub cameo in the mollywhopping of the week was already in the books. The subtext to the punchline is that the league has never been more ready for a run like this, and by the height of the trend, Schaub had evolved into just the right sucker to eat it.
Straddling the Idaho/Oregon border, Hells Canyon is a rarely run rim-to-rim that drops more than 8,000 feet to the Snake River, making a challenging and rewarding adventure. Here’s how to do it.
The result of over 10 years of research and travel, The Oldest Living Things In The World is an ode to organisms that were on the planet long before us....
ABC News is giving its journalists the ability to live stream video to viewers, embracing a popular tool among citizen journalists.
The project, called GoStream, will allow any of ABC's field journalists to fire up an app and begin sending raw video to ABC News, which will then disseminate the streams. Viewers will be able to choose from any number of feeds during major events, which will not air with a delay. The program could be broadened to include civilians that live stream as well.
"From the streets of Ferguson to the Pope’s daily mass, everyone at ABC News now has the ability, using the app LiveU on their mobile devices, to live stream what’s happening on the ground across our digital, broadcast, and Apple TV platforms at anytime from anywhere," ABC News President James Goldston wrote in a memo to staffers. Read more...
The power-hungry Underwoods make their ascent to board Air Force One in the extremely short first teaser for the third season of House of Cards.
In the teaser, we learn Netflix's political thriller, starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright as the nation's newly appointed president and First Lady, will premiere Feb. 27, 2015. As with past seasons, all 13 episodes will immediately become available for binge-viewing.
Netflix had warned fans on Twitter and Facebook that Frank and Claire Underwood would be making an announcement Monday before unveiling the teaser and premiere date. Read more...
Those holiday gifts you’re expecting this year will come from Santa’s workshop, if you still believe in that kind of thing. More than likely, though, you realize they’re shipping out from Amazon
But what you may not know is there’s a dead ringer for Mrs. Claus packing the boxes.
Amazon, which recently fell behind Alibaba to become the world’s second-largest e-commerce company, is in the throes of its annual temporary seasonal worker program that includes a few thousand graying retirees in its giant warehouse facilities around the U.S
The employees live full-time in recreational vehicles, following mostly low-paying, strenuous jobs around the country instead of enjoying those golden years on the golf course. Read more...
Despite being months from the spring 2015 premiere of Game of Thrones' fifth season, HBO is teasing us with snippets of it
In the 10-second clip, below, we get a glimpse of Arya Stark (Maisie Williams) running, stabbing and hiding, as Melisandre's ominous voice echoes, "I see a darkness in you." (Season 4 ended with Arya setting sail to Braavos.)
Christian Poincheval is a 65-year-old French inventor who has dedicated the past eight years of his life to making farts smell better.
He claims that his Lutin Malin — which translates to "crafty imp" — line of pills ease digestion and "perfume" farts into smelling like roses or violets. Poincheval claims that his newest creation, just in time for the holidays, makes farts smell like chocolate.
According to Poincheval's website, the idea for the pills apparently came from a dinner with friends during which nobody could stop farting. Read more...
GoPros are already often used with drones to capture unique videos and perspectives. Naturally, GoPro is cutting the middle man and trying its hand at developing its own drones.
The company, known for its high-durability action cameras, is putting together a line of multi-rotor helicopters that carry high-definition cameras, according to a report from The Wall Street Journal. The price tag will be between $500 and $1,000
Due to drones' current popularity, consumers have some pretty cheap options to play around with. DJI's Phantom Drone, for example, retails at about $579, and the even cheaper Parrot MiniDrones sell for as cheap as $99. But GoPro's expertise in action cameras could be a game changer for the market. Read more...
James Cameron has one word to describe the next three Avatar sequels: "bitchin'."
The director told Empire magazine in an interview that he's hard at work on scripts for three sequels to Avatar, the most successful movie in history (unadjusted for inflation).
Cameron, whose credits also include Aliens and Titanic, declined in the interview to share plot details following the end of first movie, in which (spoiler alert if you're one of the several hundred people who haven't seen it yet) the native Na'vi expel the corporate evildoers back to Earth. Read more...
Although microwaving a turkey isn't the ideal way to cook poultry, the USDA approves of the cooking method. It cooks quickly and is extremely easy
Disasters happen, ovens break and some people don't have the luxury of owning an oven (college students, we're looking at you,) so in a pinch, a microwave can actually save the day and deliver a turkey that is surprisingly edible. Just be sure you read your microwave's manual to ensure it can handle a small turkey (8-10 pounds.)
It's worth prefacing that we had very low expectations for a microwaved turkey, but, surprisingly, the end result was a moist and flavorful bird Read more...
Paul Rudd's acting career took off in the '90s, but his hair peaked in the '80s
Fans who've followed Rudd's 22-year acting career know that the actor is a time-turning warlock, incapable of aging in any discernible way. Since adolescence, the changing feature of Rudd's appearance is the cut of his dark, flowing mane. But never have Rudd's locks looked quite as good as they did in this photo from his days at the University of Kansas
Reddit user SmoothBread dug up the photo from his old yearbook, and we are eternally grateful. If only he'd had this hair in Wet Hot American Summer. Read more...
The result of over 10 years of research and travel, The Oldest Living Things In The World is an ode to organisms that were on the planet long before us....
