i3D’s glasses-free prototype screen aims to take on all of 3D’s problem areas

i3D’s glasses-free prototype screen aims to take on all of 3D’s problem areas — Engadget

Uncomfortable, expensive glasses and a lack of 3D content — that’d be the short list of stuff we dislike about current 3D TVs, but coincidentally it also happens to be the exact issues i3D is determined to wipe out with its glasses-free technology. We stopped by to meet with the young, Los Angeles-based company last week, and though it obviously isn’t the first to develop spec-less displays, its proprietary hardware and software combo was really impressive. The demo of a 7-inch prototype really tells the whole story — and we encourage you all to see it for yourself in the video after the break, though obviously you won’t be able to experience all three dimensions from your standard LCD. Our time screen-gazing was pretty breathtaking, even though the smaller display was far from immersive. As for the viewing angle issue that’s the Achilles’ heel of the others, i3D claims its technology allows for three-dimensional viewing at close to 90 degrees, though it was hard for us to really evaluate that on such a small screen.

The coolest thing by far is the software’s ability to convert 2D to 3D content on the fly.

Eye-Tracking Tablets and the Promise of Text 2.0

Eye-Tracking Tablets and the Promise of Text 2.0 | Epicenter | Wired.com

With eye-tracking technologies already in Apple’s possession, e-readers more popular than ever before, and Apple set to unleash an e-reader that’s more computer than it is book, the stage is set for eye-tracking technology to appear on next-generation tablets. This could present incalculable opportunities to reinvigorate the written word, and become a key differentiator from print — a positive one.

Review – Nvidia GeForce GTX 480

bit-tech.net | Review – Nvidia GeForce GTX 480 1,536MB Review

Having waited over six months for Nvidia to deliver a DirectX 11 graphics card we can’t help but feel shocked by the GeForce GTX 480. While offering performance superior to the HD 5870 in some situations, most notably Battlefield: Bad Company 2 and Dirt 2, the GTX 480 is unable to conclusively claim the title as fastest single GPU graphics card, with Crysis a dead heat and the Radeon HD 5870 cards offering much better performance in STALKER.

Even when ahead, at the high resolutions and demanding settings this kind of top-of-the-range card should target, the GTX 480′s performance advantage is rarely more than ten percent. Considering the six month wait since the release of the HD 5870 this is deeply disappointing, and we certainly hoped and expected more.

It’s hard to back the GTX 480 elsewhere though as it brings with it incredibly high power consumption, high running temperatures and a noisy stock cooling solution which really spoil the party.

The bad news continues. Nvidia has chosen to launch the GTX 480 quoting a price thirty per cent higher than that of its direct competitor. While you can find a HD 5870 1GB for around £310 in stock without too much effort, the GeForce GTX 480 1,536MB will hit e-tailers shelves on April 6th at an MSRP of £420 ($450). Even if you value the Nvidia exclusive features like PhysX, 3D Vision and CUDA support, such a high price will be tough to stomach.

Yes, the GTX 480 offers great performance in our test games, especially in Dirt 2 and Bad Company 2, but compared to the competition, it doesn’t make a strong enough case for itself, especially when you consider that there are just so many caveats involved with buying this card. The higher price, the 100W of extra power consumption, scorchingly hot temperatures and a much noisier stock cooler are all extremely detrimental to its desirability. The HD 5870 remains a far better choice if you’re a gamer; while we’ve yet to see how the GTX 480 performs with CUDA apps and Folding, at this stage Fermi looks like a flop.

HP Demos Rollup Flexible Displays (w/ Video)

HP Demos Rollup Flexible Displays (w/ Video)

(PhysOrg.com) — The Flexible Display Center, at Arizona State University, hopes to have flexible displays ready for test trials in approximately three years. The possibilities of using flexible displays are endless and one day will be used in many portable devices such as e-readers, cell phones, and tablets.

New period of brain ‘plasticity’ created with transplanted embryonic cells

New period of brain ‘plasticity’ created with transplanted embryonic cells

UCSF scientists report that they were able to prompt a new period of “plasticity,” or capacity for change, in the neural circuitry of the visual cortex of juvenile mice. The approach, they say, might some day be used to create new periods of plasticity in the human brain that would allow for the repair of neural circuits following injury or disease.