If you’ve given up on your local movie theater due to its lack of comfort and not the ever-increasing expense, AMC has a plan to lure you back. The second largest movie chain in the US is shelling out $600 million to rip out old seating and replace…
Technical
Gadget Rewind 2005: Nabaztag
If robotic rabbits could multiply, we’d be overrun by “kawaii” (the Japanese word for “cute”) by now. Thankfully, Violet’s 2005 Nabaztag robo-bunny has kept its socializing strictly to the digital realm. This adorably designed, WiFi-enabled…
Inhabitat’s Week in Green: solar homes, ‘Soofa’ benches and a levitating transportation system
Solar Decathlon Europe is officially underway in Versailles, where 20 teams of students from 17 different countries are competing to build the world’s most efficient solar-powered homes. Like the American version, the European Solar Decathlon has…
There can’t be only one: Technology’s singular obsession
Last week, Google announced the aptly named Android One, a plan to unite the myriad budget devices running its mobile operating system. But Sundar Pichai and crew aren’t alone in banking on the singular power of one. No, Google’s One is just one of…
Sunrise’s social calendar app reaches the Mac
Sunrise has quickly become the calendar app of choice for some people, and for good reason. Besides its straightforward interface and support for all your social networks, it’s one of the few truly multi-platform schedulers you can find — as of this…
China’s scalpers force Oculus to suspend Rift sales
With over 100,000 developer kit sales logged in its docket, it’s fair to say interest in the Oculus Rift is high. While we wait for the inevitable release of the consumer model, scalpers in China snapping up developer versions at such a rate that the…
Mythbuster Adam Savage explains how to bring cartoons to the real world with an iPhone
Last month, you might remember seeing the work of storyboard artist Marty Cooper (aka Hombre McSteez). If you didn’t (then go watch it right now), he’s the man behind “Aug(De)mented Reality,” a three minute collection of entertaining stop-motion…
London’s black cab body takes Uber drivers to court but delays chance of making real change
If last month’s protest wasn’t a big enough hint, London’s black cabbies are far from pleased with losing business to disruptive competitor Uber. The Licensed Taxi Drivers Association (LTDA) is adamant that Uber operates outside the law, as private…
This is what a day’s worth of transatlantic air travel looks like (video)
The seas between Europe and North America are mighty quiet on any given day, but 30,000 feet above some 2,500 planes follow tracks (like invisible highways) between both continents, landing in gateway cities like London and New York or flying far…
Chumby’s smart alarm clock relaunches with 1,000 apps
Remember Chumby? You probably haven’t heard much about the snuggly tiny computer/smart alarm clock since its makers’ company disbanded, but now it’s back from its semi-retired state. Its current owner, Blue Octy LLC, just announced that it’s…
Google’s trippy Cube experiment lets you play DJ with six videos at once
If you’re bored with regular music videos, there’s now something a little more interactive from Google called The Cube. It sprang from the Creative Labs division, which has done similar experiments in the past. As shown in the embed below, you can…
OUYA’s new subscription model gives you ‘everything’ for $60 a year
When the developer of your platform’s most popular game says “being the best game on OUYA isn’t a huge deal,” it might be time to innovate. OUYA is trying. Earlier this year it announced plans to bring its gaming platform to smart-TVs and set-top…
Samsung’s Galaxy S5 mini keeps the sensors but not the specs
Samsung has revealed the smaller-sized update to its latest flagship smartphone: the Galaxy S5 mini. While it’s often expected that the company will scrimp on sensors to save on price, the S5 mini includes many of the same features as it’s sibling,…
LA school officials shift scheme from free iPads to laptops and hybrids
An iPad for every student was the plan. Then, some students were too smart for their own good, quickly enabling their for-learnin’ iPads to access to anything on the web, including Twitter, Facebook and all that other fun stuff. LA’s school district…
Google drops Quickoffice now that its own apps can handle your work
Google bought Quickoffice to boost the productivity of its Apps suite, and it clearly accomplished that mission when it released a slew of mobile editing tools that merge Quickoffice’s file tech with Google Drive. Accordingly, the search firm is…