Summit

'Ender's Game' trailer debuts; fans seem hyper, skeptical

If you've ever read "Ender's Game," you should probably find a new pair of underpants before watching the newly released trailer for the upcoming movie -- it's chock full of lush CGI and epic spaceship battles.

The film, which arrives on November 1, features Asa Butterfield as Ender Wiggin, and also includes some pretty heavy hitters such as Harrison Ford (Colonel Graff), Ben Kingsley (Mazer Rackham), and Viola Davis, as well as up and coming stars Aramis Knight, Abigail Breslin, Hailee Steinfeld, and Jimmy Pinchak. Gavin Hood directs the movie.… Read more

NASA's asteroid lasso mission said to halt Apocalypse scenario

Shortly after a large meteor hit Russia in February, injuring about 1,000 people, President Obama's administration announced that the U.S. would work on asteroid tracking technology to avoid potentially more severe Earth collisions. On Monday, top NASA administrator Charles Bolden reiterated this pledge.

Bolden spoke at the Human to Mars Summit in Washington, D.C. on Monday and said that a robotic spacecraft mission currently being planned will "prepare efforts to prevent an asteroid from colliding with devastating force into our planet,"according to U.S. News & World Report.

The government's plan is … Read more

Future of 3D printing is bright, says SXSW panel

AUSTIN, Texas -- The future of 3D printing, a technology that's rapidly maturing and enabling a wide variety of people and companies to rapidly design and create physical products, is very bright.

That was the conclusion of a panel of experts who spoke at SXSW yesterday: while there are certainly limitations to the technology, the opportunities that 3D printing offers everyone from garage entrepreneurs to large corporations will be be plentiful, and often economically advantageous.

Today, the technology is already considered one of the hottest around, but during the talk -- which was moderated by CNET's Rich Brown … Read more

Ms. Pac-Man gets full-room 3D treatment

The phrase "immersive experience" gets bandied about quite a bit, but it's often an overstatement -- unless you happen to be in a room completely surrounded by a fully playable Ms. Pac-Man game.

Keita Takahashi, the creator of Katamari Damacy, got to experiment with a variety of video games for the recent Babycastles Summit at the Museum of Art & Design in New York.

Takahashi's new take on Ms. Pac-Man involved projecting it onto the walls and ceiling of a room. It looks like what would happen if Tron and Ms. Pac-Man got together, minus the glowing skin-tight suits.… Read more

Microsoft posts video of Windows Phone Summit

Microsoft took the wraps off Windows Phone 8, the next iteration of its mobile software for smartphones, during the Windows Phone Summit in San Francisco today.

Windows Phone 8 promises to get people talking with its hardware implications, mobile payments, and tighter relations to the Windows platform. But if you weren't one of the few in attendance or just want to see the event again, Microsoft has posted a video of the announcements made at the event.

Microsoft teases 'sneak peek' of Windows Phone's future

Microsoft is ratcheting up its push for developers, and now we know specifically when Redmond will make its foray.

The software giant announced last month that it would hold a Windows Phone developer summit on June 20-21, but now it appears we will be getting a taste of its next-generation mobile operating system. Microsoft sent out invitations to the press today for a June 22 event in San Francisco that promises "a sneak peek of the future of Windows Phone."

While the invitation doesn't specifically mention Window Phone 8, the connection is pretty clear. Sources have told The VergeRead more

Wine fridge stands bottles on end

Opening a second bottle of wine takes careful consideration. Not surprisingly, these considerations can be somewhat clouded. We are talking about another bottle of wine, after all. Yet, despite these hesitations that commonly vex oenophiles, the real question isn't whether to open the bottle, but what to do with it after.

The Summit Appliance STC1 Thermoelectric 8-Bottle Wine Cooler stores either open or closed bottles of wine. The impressive display is wider than it is tall, with the tops of bottles exposed, allowing room for corks or other wine sealing solutions. A large front-viewing window and LED lighting add … Read more

Robot takes your protest tweet to the street

While protesters have long taken to the streets to broadcast their messages, their words are now hitting the pavement, literally, thanks to a mobile robot that paints their tweets right on the road.

Meet the ultimate early 21st century protester, ONE Street Tweeter, a hydraulic robot that uses nontoxic, water-soluble paint to print nearly real-time tweets onto street surfaces.

One, a grassroots advocacy group that fights poverty and preventable disease, created the robot as a way to "maximize the impact of member voices to push for the positive changes we are all seeking to achieve." The Street Tweeter made itself known to the world at the G8 Summit in Camp David, Md., last week. … Read more

Mobile apps reshape toys and learning

CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--While older generations simply had to memorize facts at school, today's children and young adults learn best by playing, often with digital gadgets, according to experts at the Sandbox Summit.

Held at the MIT Media Lab, the conference brings together educators and technologists seeking ways to better reach Generations Y and Z--groups ranging from toddlers to 20 somethings--and equip them with skills for the digital lifestyle of the 21st century. In additional to making compelling online games and educational content, they are also trying to design toys which bridge offline play with online apps.

New technology, particularly … Read more