With global smartphone sales decidedly flat, how can companies push new device sales? As expected, Samsung is following in Apple's footsteps by launching an upgrade program that will motivate users to get fresh models. According to Reuters, customers...
Unlike many of its predecessors, Street Fighter IV and its updated versions change the in-game camera’s perspective when characters perform their finishing moves. This is of course done to take advantage of the games’ awesome visuals. But you can view all those finishers from a zoomed out perspective – and many other angles – thanks to a Windows program called SF4 Cameraman.
Made by programmer Lullius, SF4 Cameraman lets you control the in-game camera angle and zoom in Super Street Fighter IV: Arcade Edition and Ultra Street Fighter IV. One of the things it can do is let you lock the camera in place, and that’s just what YouTuber moo422 did. He set the camera up in full stage view so that we could see just what the heck is going on in Ultra Combos. Utter a prayer for Dan before you click play.
Moo422 also uploaded another video without the HUD and with a few more Ultra Combos included:
Makoto is so strong that she can punch through the game’s boundaries, but Zangief is even stronger. He just plain breaks worlds. You can download SF4 Cameraman for free from Lullius’ website.
Did you know that you can use your Wi-Fi network as a lookout? Pescimoro Mattia’s WiFinder is a short Python script that continuously scans your Wi-Fi network. When a new device joins the network, it will display a message on your computer, hopefully buying you enough time to erase your browsing history. Or at least Alt-Tab to the desktop. Or run to the bathroom. Whaaaat? I don’t know what you’re talking about. No, you sound guilty. Here’s the Wi-Fi logo!
You can download WiFinder from Pescimoro’s Github page. You’ll also need Python and Nmap to run the script. As Hack A Day readers have pointed out, it would’ve been better if WiFinder checked for MAC addresses, that way you can also pinpoint exactly who violated your me time. It goes without saying that you’re also toast if the intruder doesn’t have a device that can connect to your network. But it’s not like Pescimoro is in the NSA; he made WiFinder while working on his Python skills.
[via Hack A Day]
Just because virtual reality displays let us interact with 3D interfaces doesn’t mean there isn’t room for the ol’ two-dimensional view inside of them. Oliver Kreylos, a developer who’s been working with 3D software for nearly 30 years, recently demonstrated a Virtual Network Computing (VNC) client that sends a 2D feed of a desktop computer to a 3D virtual reality environment.
Oliver’s VNC client allows him to open and interact with any number of 2D desktops on a virtual reality environment. Why would you want to do this? Well for one, you can reverse telecommute: imagine working in an island paradise environment while you’re actually in the office. Because you can (theoretically) open multiple desktops at once, the setup also supercharges multitasking and group meetings. You can watch a video walkthrough while playing a 3D game, look at a hundred fullscreen documents at once, have multiple large video chat screens like they do in science fiction flicks and more.
As you’ll see in Oliver’s demo video, developers can also make 2D applications that interact with the 3D environment. In his demo he measured a table that was in his virtual space and then used a Razer Hydra to send those measurements to Microsoft Excel on his 2D desktop.
We really don’t know how far the rabbit hole goes with this one. Note that the video below may cause dizziness because of the constant change in perspective. It almost made me throw up to be honest. I’m ill-equipped for the future.
Head to Oliver’s blog for more on his custom program. I wonder if you can emulate this feature on the same computer that’s running the VR environment. That would be more useful, although it would probably take a beefy computer to pull it off. Also, watching Oliver’s demo, I can almost – almost! – visualize a four-dimensional space, where you can fit infinite 3D environments. Now I’m really dizzy.
[via Fast Co. Design]
Everyone has those days when they really don’t feel like showing their face, whether it’s in person or online. It doesn’t make sense to cancel for this reason alone when you’ve already made an appointment with someone over Skype, so the next best thing at this point is FaceRig. It’s a neat program that replaces your image with that of another person, animal, or character, so you can chat away without having to shave, shower, or get dressed, even.
This wasn’t the actual reason FaceRig was created, but I know a lot of people who would use it in that manner. FaceRig was actually developed to give people total freedom when it comes to expressing themselves in real time via video chat services, including Skype and Twitch.
Think of FaceRig as literally allowing you to take on a different role onscreen–not just in terms of appearance, but in your voice as well. It’s like digital cosplay, but a bit better. All you’ll need to achieve that is this program and a webcam, and you’re good to go.
FaceRig uses state of the art real time image based tracking technology provided by Visage Technologies from Sweden, and combines it with a cross-platform real-time animation and visualization framework developed by indie-powered Holotech Studios and its partners from the games industry
FaceRig will be launched in five versions: Classic (non-commercial), Pro (commercial), Studio (for businesses and game developers), AudioLite (only includes the audio mask/mixer), and Mobile. It’s currently up for funding on Indiegogo.
[ FaceRig on Indiegogo ] VIA [ Red Ferret ]
Writing a decent story is hard enough, but taking that story and turning it into a watchable film is even more complicated. But new software called Plotagon aims to turn anyone into a one-man movie-making machine. It uses a simple menu-based interface that helps you build a script, which turns into a computer-animated video as you’re writing it. Is it perfect? Nope. Far from it. It looks really fun though.
As you can see in the image above, Plotagon is divided into two parts: on the left is where you’ll write your manuscript, and on the right is a video player that shows you what your movie looks like. You don’t need to know the proper format for a manuscript or even have a deep vocabulary, because Plotagon cheats.
Since it would take an insanely complex program to read your mind or even parse your paragraph and figure out what you’re describing, Plotagon instead has a bank of scenes, characters, actions and more. As you pick out each element, it appears on your manuscript and is visualized in the video player almost instantaneously. It’s a bit like playing The Sims.
The only thing you can’t pick from Plotagon’s stock is the dialogue, which your digital actors will speak in silly synthesized voices. I don’t know if it supports other languages besides English though.
Plotagon is currently in beta, and is available for both Windows and OS X. You can download a free trial version on its official website, where you can also see a few short films made with the program. Plotagon will make money from its store, which will sell more characters, settings, etc. Imagine a Marvel character pack or a Star Wars location bundle. In fact, Stan Lee is going to make four new superheroes just for Plotagon. Imagine sharing co-creating duties with Stan the Man himself!
[via Mashable]
When we originally reported on Apple's replacement program for third-party USB chargers, we only knew for sure that it covered the US and China. As 9to5Mac has spotted, however, the official webpage for the scheme now lists a number of other countries in which Apple will start accepting trade-ins on Friday, August 16th. These include the UK, where an official first-party charger will be reduced to £8 (from £15) when you hand over a third-party charger you have concerns about -- and some Brits will indeed have concerns, as local Trading Standards agencies have issued warnings about knock-off chargers posing a risk of electrocution. Australia (where a new charger will cost $14 AUD), Canada ($11 CAD), France, Germany (10 euros) and Japan (1,000 yen) are also on Apple's updated list. Head to the source link to find your nearest participating store or service provider, and just as a quick heads-up: it's one replacement per device you own (a store rep will record your serial number) and the scheme will end on October 18th this year.
Filed under: Cellphones, Tablets, Mobile, Apple
Via: 9to5Mac
Source: Apple
