ARM's Mali-T604 makes official debut, we get a first look at the next-gen GPU (hands-on video) (update: it's the Exynos 5)

Think those are some pretty slick graphics in your Galaxy S III? Samsung's latest smartphone packs some mighty graphics prowess of its own, thanks to the Mali-400 MP GPU, but once you spend a few minutes with the Mali-T604, the company's next-generation chipset, the improvements become quite clear. After seeing the Mali-T604 in action, as we did at SIGGRAPH today, the capabilities leave us hopeful for the future, and perhaps feeling a bit self-conscious about the silicon currently in our pockets. The reference device on hand was operating in sync with a variety of unnamed hardware, protected from view in a relatively large sealed box. We weren't able to squeeze many details out of ARM reps, who remained mum about the demo components, including clock speed, manufacturer and even fabrication size. What we do know is that we were looking at a quad-core Mali-T604 and dual-core ARM Cortex-A15 processor, with a fabrication size in the range of "28 to 40 nanometers" (confirming the exact size would reveal the manufacturer). Clock speed is also TBD, and the early silicon on demo at the show wasn't operating anywhere close to its top end.

In order to experience the T604, we took a look at three demos, including Timbuktu 2, which demonstrates elements like self shadowing and depth of field with OpenGL ES 3.0, Hauntheim, which gives us an early look at physics simulation and HDR lighting with OpenCL, and Enlighten, which rendered silky smooth real-time illumination. You can see all of the demos in action after the break, and you can expect T604-equipped devices to make their debut beginning later this year -- ARM says its working with eight manufacturers to get the licensed tech to market as early as Q3.

Update: ARM has just confirmed to us that this reference device is running off an Exynos 5 Dual chip, which means the following video is also a heads-up on what Sammy has in store for us in its forthcoming devices.
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Posted in: debut,Exynos,First,handson,makes,MaliT604,nextgen,official,update,video

Logitech launches TV Cam HD for living room video chats: built-in Skype, 720p, $200

Logitech to Deliver True-to-Life Skype Video Calling in the Living Room

Logitech TV Cam HD Brings Skype Video Calling to Your HDTV

NEWARK, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Today Logitech (SIX: LOGN)(NASDAQ: LOGI) and Skype announced the new Logitech® TV Cam HD, a high-definition TV camera with built in Skype™ capability that operates on any HDTV with HDMI® input, making it easier than ever to share everyday moments through HD Skype video calls from the comfort of your own living room.

With Skype built in and using Wi-Fi® or Ethernet connectivity with your HDTV, there is no additional software or computer required, making installation and use quick and easy. Using a simple, bundled remote controller, the Logitech TV Cam HD lets you call anyone using Skype on any platform, whether they are on their smartphone, tablet, HDTV or computer. Simply sign into Skype with your existing Skype Name, or create a new account on your HDTV, and you are a few clicks away from making a Skype video call from the comfort of your couch. You can also use Skype on the Logitech TV Cam HD to call landline or mobile numbers using your account's Skype Credit or calling subscription. Plus, the Logitech TV Cam HD is Skype Certified™, ensuring you will have the best-possible Skype calling experience.

"Amazing connections happen when the video calling experience moves to the TV in the living room: the most popular and comfortable place in the house," said Joerg Tewes, vice president of Logitech's digital home business group. "Because of the size of the TV screen and the quality of the video, the new Logitech TV Cam HD with Skype brings a whole new social element to the living room, helping you feel like your family and friends are right there with you. It's a transformative experience."

"Our mission is to make Skype calling part of consumers' everyday routine by ensuring it is accessible to everyone at any time and from anywhere," said Bob Rosin, head of business development for Skype. "The affordable and simple-to-use Logitech TV Cam HD is a great way for the whole family to share everyday moments through Skype with others near and far – right from their living room."

The Logitech TV Cam HD is easy to set up and works with any HDTV with an available HDMI input. The camera also offers a wide-angle lens developed in conjunction with the German optics specialist Carl Zeiss that gets the whole family in the video call, so everyone from grandparents to grandchildren can move around naturally, compared to a regular computer webcam experience. Thanks to Logitech Fluid CrystalTM Technology and Carl Zeiss® optics, you'll experience crystal clear sound and sharp, rich video images – even in low light.

The Logitech TV Cam HD features a built-in ringer, so you'll know when someone is calling – whether your TV is on or off – and the dedicated power supply helps ensure the camera is ready for a call. The Logitech TV Cam HD provides four microphones to help reduce noise and echoes for enhanced audio quality.

Pricing and Availability

The Logitech TV Cam HD is expected to be available in the U.S. and Europe beginning in August and September 2012, respectively, for a suggested retail price of $199.99. For more information please visit www.logitech.com or visit Logitech's blog.

About Skype

Skype is communications software whose purpose is to break down barriers to communication. With an Internet-connected device, families, friends and colleagues can get together for free with messaging, voice and video. At low cost, they can also call landlines or mobiles virtually anywhere in the world. Skype has recently introduced group video, allowing groups of more than two people to do things together whenever they're apart.

Founded in 2003 and based in Luxembourg, Skype is a division of Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ: MSFT). Skype can be downloaded onto computers, mobile phones and other connected devices for free at www.skype.com.

You can get news and updates from Skype on its Blog: http://blogs.skype.com, Twitter: twitter.com/skype or Facebook: www.facebook.com/skype.

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Posted in: builtin,chats,launches,living,Logitech,Skype,video

Extra footage of record-setting Yates electric plane flight shows power loss, dramatic deadstick landing (video)

We've chronicled Flight of the Century
founder and CEO Chip Yates' record-breaking 202.6MPH flight in his Long-ESA EV craft before. What we didn't quite touch on, however, is the power loss Yates' aircraft suffered after earning that electric plane speed record. Now Yates has released new video of the flight, which includes the moment his aircraft breaks the record, the ensuing power loss and his dramatic deadstick landing. That smile you see in the photo up there is the smile of a man who just made history and is also happy to be alive. Hey, we're glad he's safe, too. You can witness the close call yourself by checking out the video after the break.
[Image credit: Flight of the Century]

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Posted in: deadstick,dramatic,electric,Extra,flight,footage,landing,plane,power,recordsetting,shows,video,Yates

Tokyo bakery's visual recognition checkout sorts the sandwiches from the croissants (video)

We've seen food recognition tools in the past, but none as slick as this one being trialed at a Tokyo bakery. Co-developed by Brain Corporation and the University of Hyogo, the camera-equipped, automatic checkout is not only quick, but also accurate -- it's even able to distinguish different types of sandwich. And, if it can't tell exactly what's on the tray, it'll give you a list of suggestions and then use your selection to inform later scans. Currently, the system is said to be particularly useful for part-time staff that aren't completely familiar with the bakery's offerings, but it also has potential in all kinds of retail situations, much to the disappointment of the trusty barcode. Combine this system with Bakebot, however, and staff won't be needed at all. If you're hungry to see the checkout in action, head past the break for a visual snack.

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Posted in: bakerys,checkout,croissants,recognition,sandwiches,sorts,Tokyo,video,visual

Amazon, Warner deal brings Fringe, The West Wing to Prime Instant Video exclusively

On Prime Instant Video First: Amazon Announces Digital Video License Agreement with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, Bringing Acclaimed TV Shows Exclusively to Kindle Fire and Prime Customers

New licensing agreement brings Emmy award winning, The West Wing and fan favorite, Fringe to Prime Instant Video, along with other popular TV shows

SEATTLE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--(NASDAQ: AMZN) – Amazon.com, Inc. today announced a licensing agreement with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution to add popular TV shows, including Fringe and The West Wing to the Prime Instant Video catalog. Millions of customers are already enjoying more than 18,000 Prime Instant Videos on Kindle Fire and hundreds of other compatible devices, and this agreement adds a variety of fan-favorite TV shows including Dark Blue, Alcatraz, and The Whole Truth.

Both Fringe and The West Wing will be available exclusively on Prime Instant Video for the summer, giving Prime members and Kindle Fire customers exclusive access to favorite titles that have been previously unavailable. Prime Instant Video includes more than 18,000 movies and TV episodes available for Prime members to instantly stream and enjoy at no additional cost. To start watching Prime Instant Video now, visit www.amazon.com/PIV. Customers who are not Prime members can enjoy a free one month trial of Prime and all Kindle Fire customers enjoy a free month of Prime right out of the box.

"Since launching Prime Instant Video, we've continued to expand both the quantity and quality of video content for our Prime members," said Brad Beale, director of digital video content acquisition for Amazon. "Bringing Fringe and The West Wing – two shows with a devoted fan base – to Prime Instant Video first, is another way for us to add value for Prime members and to continue to give customers content they love."

"We are thrilled to count Amazon as a digital distribution outlet for our television group," said Ken Werner, President, Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution. "As more and more television content is enjoyed by fans across a myriad of subscription channels and platforms and on numerous devices from televisions to tablets, deals such as this give consumers the opportunity to discover, catch-up, or simply enjoy a favorite series again and again."

Prime customers can access Prime Instant Video on Kindle Fire or any of the hundreds of compatible Amazon Instant Video devices, including the Roku, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 gaming console. For a list of compatible Amazon Instant Video devices visit here.

About Amazon Instant Video

Amazon Instant Video is a digital video streaming and download service that offers Amazon customers the ability to rent, purchase or subscribe to a huge catalog of videos. Customers can choose from more than 120,000 titles to purchase or rent and content ranges from new release movies to classic favorites, major television shows, entire seasons, or even day after air TV. Prime Instant Video is Amazon's video subscription offer-it includes more than 18,000 movies and TV episodes selected from the full assortment available at Amazon Instant Video. This subscription offer allows US Prime customers to stream as many Prime Instant Videos as they like, at no additional cost.

About Prime

Amazon Prime is an annual membership program for $79 a year that offers customers unlimited Free Two-Day Shipping on millions of items including books, home and garden products, electronics, video games, clothing, and much more. Amazon Prime members also get access to unlimited instant streaming of thousands of movies and TV episodes and access to tens of thousands of books to borrow for free, as frequently as a book a month, with no due dates from a Kindle device. Customers who receive free Prime shipping benefits through our Amazon Student or Amazon Mom programs can upgrade to an annual paid membership to receive Amazon Prime's digital benefits.

About Warner Bros Domestic Television Distribution:

Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution (WBDTD) is one of the leading suppliers of entertainment programming to the domestic television marketplace, distributing first-run syndicated series, off-network television programs and theatrical motion pictures to local broadcast television stations, as well as to pay, cable, satellite, broadcast networks and digital platforms throughout the U.S. WBDTD handles the domestic distribution of television series produced by Warner Bros. Television, Telepictures Productions, Warner Bros. Animation and Warner Horizon Television; selected HBO Independent Productions and the Lorimar Television library; current feature films from Warner Bros. Pictures; and the Studio's unmatched motion picture library.

About Amazon.com

Amazon.com, Inc. (NASDAQ: AMZN), a Fortune 500 company based in Seattle, opened on the World Wide Web in July 1995 and today offers Earth's Biggest Selection. Amazon.com, Inc. seeks to be Earth's most customer-centric company, where customers can find and discover anything they might want to buy online, and endeavors to offer its customers the lowest possible prices. Amazon.com and other sellers offer millions of unique new, refurbished and used items in categories such as Books; Movies, Music & Games; Digital Downloads; Electronics & Computers; Home & Garden; Toys, Kids & Baby; Grocery; Apparel, Shoes & Jewelry; Health & Beauty; Sports & Outdoors; and Tools, Auto & Industrial. Amazon Web Services provides Amazon's developer customers with access to in-the-cloud infrastructure services based on Amazon's own back-end technology platform, which developers can use to enable virtually any type of business. The new latest generation Kindle is the lightest, most compact Kindle ever and features the same 6-inch, most advanced electronic ink display that reads like real paper even in bright sunlight. Kindle Touch is a new addition to the Kindle family with an easy-to-use touch screen that makes it easier than ever to turn pages, search, shop, and take notes – still with all the benefits of the most advanced electronic ink display. Kindle Touch 3G is the top of the line e-reader and offers the same new design and features of Kindle Touch, with the unparalleled added convenience of free 3G. Kindle Fire is the Kindle for movies, TV shows, music, books, magazines, apps, games and web browsing with all the content, free storage in the Amazon Cloud, Whispersync, Amazon Silk (Amazon's new revolutionary cloud-accelerated web browser), vibrant color touch screen, and powerful dual-core processor.

Amazon and its affiliates operate websites, including www.amazon.com, www.amazon.co.uk, www.amazon.de, www.amazon.co.jp, www.amazon.fr, www.amazon.ca, www.amazon.cn, www.amazon.it, and www.amazon.es. As used herein, "Amazon.com," "we," "our" and similar terms include Amazon.com, Inc., and its subsidiaries, unless the context indicates otherwise.

Forward-Looking Statements

This announcement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. Actual results may differ significantly from management's expectations. These forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties that include, among others, risks related to competition, management of growth, new products, services and technologies, potential fluctuations in operating results, international expansion, outcomes of legal proceedings and claims, fulfillment center optimization, seasonality, commercial agreements, acquisitions and strategic transactions, foreign exchange rates, system interruption, inventory, government regulation and taxation, payments and fraud. More information about factors that potentially could affect Amazon.com's financial results is included in Amazon.com's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent filings.

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Posted in: Amazon,brings,exclusively,Fringe,Instant,Prime,video,Warner

Nokia Drive 3.0 arrives with My Commute, your Lumia is no excuse for being late (video)

Reception and call quality 9.5 Display 9.2 Battery life 8.5 Camera 7.8 Ease of use 9.4 Design and form factor 9.3 Portability (size / weight) 9 Media support 8.8 Durability 9.3 Ecosystem (apps, accessories, etc.) 8

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Posted in: arrives,being,Commute,Drive,excuse,Lumia,Nokia,video

Qantas to hand out free iPads to all passengers on Boeing 767s, save fuel and our sanity (video)

Features 9.1 Display 9.8 Battery life 9.1 Ease of use 9.6 Storage capacity 8.3 Design and form factor 9.3 Portability (size / weight) 8.4 Durability 8.4

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Posted in: Boeing,iPads,passengers,Qantas,sanity,video

Ikea beefs up 2013 catalog with companion AR app, doesn't translate Swedish furniture names (video)

Features 9.1 Display 9.8 Battery life 9.1 Ease of use 9.6 Storage capacity 8.3 Design and form factor 9.3 Portability (size / weight) 8.4 Durability 8.4

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Posted in: beefs,catalog,companion,doesnt,furniture,names,Swedish,translate,video

KDDI unveils ICS 'Smart TV Box' for cable providers in Japan, available later this year (video)

Ease of use 9.4 Speed 9.3 Configurability 9.4 Ecosystem (apps, drivers, etc.) 8.6 Openness 9.3

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Posted in: available,cable,Japan,later,providers,Smart,unveils,video

BlackBerry 10 gets voice commands in latest dev update (video)

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Star Trek: The Next Generation Comic-Con trailer tries to make season one (and two) look exciting (video)

Undecided about buying the first season (or two) of the remastered Star Trek: The Next Generation? We understand, but perhaps this pair of trailers will change your mind. The increase in quality is obvious to see, with the recomposed special effects and 7.1 DTS HD even offsetting the pain of re-watching episodes like Shades of Gray and Haven. The second set also includes a reunion talk, interesting just to see how much the stars of the show have changed in the intervening two-and-a-half-decades. You can watch both after the break, but if you decide to hold off until season three, we won't tell anyone.

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Posted in: ComicCon,exciting,Generation,season,trailer,tries,video

Veho Muvi HD 'NPNG' Edition action camera impressions (video)

Action cameras. We love 'em. Much like buying new sports gear, owning one makes you feel one step closer to the adventurer you know your true self to be. While we're familiar with more than one contender for the "gnarly throne", who said there wasn't room in the rankings for one more? Veho's been making pocket-friendly cameras for some time, even of the action variety, but this latest edition -- in conjunction with No Proof No Glory (an extreme sports video hub) -- sees it making the clearest move yet towards carving its own slice of the high-octane pie.

The latest member of the Muvi HD family will do you full HD at 30fps, along with 720p (at both 30 and 60 fps) plus the usual other resolutions -- 960p, WVGA, etc. Of course, it'll also do stills (if you don't mind them all being wide-angle) and it'll even just record audio if you like. So far, so good. What really got us interested, though, was that Veho has squashed two of our most common bug-bears with action cameras by including a viewfinder / screen and a remote control as standard. So, with hope in our hearts and glory to prove, we strapped one on and took it for a ride. Scoot past the break for the impressions.

Hardware-wise, the first thing you'll notice is the size. Initially it seems a bit bigger than, say the Contour or the GoPro, but at 2.85 oz., compared to the GoPro's 3.35 oz. (cameras-only), you realize that it's just the layout of the device that gives it that appearance. While the Muvi looks broader, it's slimmer, like a small deck of cards. As for the body itself, you'll find all the things you need around the sides, such as a microSD card slot (it comes with an 8GB card), a voice activation control, HDMI, USB and AV out.

At the bottom is a handy tripod connector so all your existing photography gear will work right away, a simple addition missing in some of its competitors. While the front part just sports the lens, it's the back that will interest some of you more. A small screen means you can actually view what you just shot (or are about to shoot) without reaching for an accessory -- bliss. Underneath this are some touch controls and a click button. The 1,400 mAh battery means you should be good for about three hours of filming, but it's non removable, should you wish to go beyond that.

What is an action camera without accessories though? Nothing, right? Well, it's good then that the Muvi HD NPNG comes with a stack. When we opened the box, our first thought wasn't, "Oh cool." It was more a case of, "Ah man, we'll never get these to fit back in." Mild compulsion for orderliness aside, it is nice to see that you get a bunch of straps, clips, mounts, sticky plates and tools. You can still go and buy more specific additions (like a surfboard attachment) if you need to, but the standard pack will see most people ready to film right off the bat.

As for the interface and software, it's pretty standard. The UI isn't anything special, but it's easy enough to browse settings and options, and all the better for having a screen to do it with. No fiddling with clicking in and out of menus, cycling through options on a tiny monochrome display, or having to use external software. On the downside, you can't access the menus while the camera is in the housing, meaning you'll have to pop it out if you want to view a video, or change a setting. The same is true if you want to take some photos, as the central button, is also the shutter control.

What about those settings? Well, as briefly mentioned before, you can choose 1080p, 720p, 960p, and WVGA at 30fps, with 720p and WVGA also having a 60fps option, all at 160 degrees FOV (non-changeable). The bitrate has been jacked up to 16mbps when shooting in 1080p (up from the previous model's 12mbps), but if you want to save some disk space, this can be dropped to 8mbps. Camera mode will take snaps at eight megapixels with a variety of timer and multi-shot modes. If you want, as mentioned before, there's even an audio-only mode should you find yourself up a mountain without your Dictaphone, but luckily we didn't.

This moves us swiftly onto actually using the thing. The inclusion of standard tripod connections (in both the device itself, and the waterproof housing) meant that we could use it with a monopod, which makes self-filming that much easier. The included remote control is also a godsend. Being able to set your shot up (at arm's length) and then just set it recording is just a gift. Okay, it may only take a second to edit out some fluff at the beginning of a video, but not having to do that, and more importantly, being able to get into position first, then set recording later takes the "go go go, we're filming" pressure off.

We also attached the camera to a skateboard by using one of the elastic straps pulled tight around it and clipping the camera in with one of its mounts. It worked out okay and it's a decent enough option for those times when you don't want to, or can't, use one of the 3M sticky pads, but still want to get that sort of perspective. When talking about video, words are great and all, but some sample footage goes a lot further. In the video below, we shot two runs and edited them together to show the difference a closer point of view (from the board) gives compared to the wider, full-body shot.

The verdict? We think the results are very respectable, with decent color contrast (filming was on a cloudy day) and no rolling shutter effect (which can often be a problem). Around the edges, some pixelation can be noted, but not to the level of distraction. At some of the faster points, there are noticeable wobbles, but that's also likely as attributable to the monopod / self-shot nature than the camera itself. Certainly, given the nature of the filming, it wasn't beyond anything we expected, and in fact came out steadier, if anything. Besides the straight action stuff, we also thought it might be fun to put it through another extreme -- though this time an elemental one. The video below shows us testing out the waterproof case. Sadly, there's not all that much to see in the cloudy drink, but with the lens part of the outer casing being flat, it should be able to get some interesting underwater clips in clearer waters, should the occasion arise.

Now that you've seen what it can do, what it looks like and how it can decorate your attire and equipment, the big question is whether you will be replacing (or reconsidering) your current HD action camera of choice. A lot of that will come down to cost, of course. The Muvi HD NPNG comes in at £199 (about $230 in the US), which puts it some way under the GoPro Outdoor Edition (based on the like-for-like UK price) and that's without factoring in the remote and viewfinder accessories. Sure, you might get a few other options (FOVs and so on), but in terms of the value-to-results ratio, the Veho is holding its ground. The other consideration will be the form. We noted earlier there was more surface area on the front side, and this caused us no problems in use at all. But for some helmet uses, it might be just a little too tall. The GoPro is not much better, but compared to the iON's and Contours, the more cuboid models are a bit of a heave at times.

With size and price down, the main thing left is the quality of the footage. We didn't get time (nor did the miserable London weather permit us) to try the Muvi HD out in the full gamut of situations that we'd like, but from what we did manage, we were generally pleased. The still photos came out a bit on the washed-out side at times, but this can often be a hit-and-miss feature of sports cams. The main thing, and this is our inner adventurers speaking again, was that it made us want to go out more and try it. We wanted to see what other cool shots we could take, or what sports we might try, and in many regards, that makes it priceless. Of course, it's not priceless, it's $230 / £199 and available in the UK now, and the US starting next week.

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Posted in: action,camera,Edition,impressions,video

XBMC for Android app revealed; source code available now, beta APKs soon (video)

By Richard Lawler posted Jul 13th 2012 11:28PM

Surprise surprise, after popping up on the iPad last year, XBMC developers revealed tonight that they've created a version of the media center that runs as an Android app. Currently the team has it stable on the Pivos XIOS DS set-top box, and posted a video (embedded after the break) showing it running on a phone and a tablet. Of course, the different varieties of Android hardware audio and video decoding is mostly a software only affair, but universal hardware decoding is in the plan. The truly dedicated can dig up the source code right now, but APKs for beta testers are promised "in the coming weeks." According to the blog post, it currently includes a community member created touch oriented skin and hopes to have more available before any version of this hits Google Play officially.

[Thanks, Bharath]

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Posted in: Android,available,revealed,source,video

Researchers use off-the-shelf parts to let you write emails with your eyes (video)

There's a lot of research to help the spinal cord or stroke-injured become more self-sufficient, but it often takes some exotic paraphernalia. To buck that trend, scientists from Imperial College London showed that subjects could perform relatively hard tasks like writing messages and playing Pong using eye movement -- with a mere $35-worth of parts. They even showed how well the system worked, with subjects scoring within 20 percent of an able-bodied person after a scant 10 minutes of practice. The tracker works with two video console cameras and a pair of eyeglasses that, after calibration, can precisely track the pupils -- allowing them to control a cursor or move a paddle. The researchers also figured out how to "click" the eye-mouse by winking, and can even use more precise adjustments to calculate gaze depth -- meaning subjects will be able to perform more complex tasks in the future, like guide a motorized wheelchair. While by no means the first eye-tracking system we've seen, it's by far the most economical. Check the video after the break to see how it works.

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Posted in: emails,offtheshelf,parts,Researchers,video,write