Technabob » stars

Stellarwindow Turns Tablet Pcs Into a Virtual Planetarium

Technabob — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 04:02:03 +0000

This intriguing hardware/software combo from Japan’s Fairy Devices lets you turn a tablet PC into a veritable “window to the stars”.

As you hold your PC up and move it around, the highly-sensitive motion-sensor USB module sends position data to the StellarWindow’s planetarium software, adjusting the viewport to match the angle of your screen. The motion sensor module detects both acceleration and earth magnetism on X, Y and Z axes.

The stunning star maps include a combination of photographic and CGI images, including are over 2.6 million stars and other celestial bodies cataloged and overlayed onto the display.

The software also includes a voice guidance capability that helps you position the sensor in the right direction. This video clip really shows off the StellarWindow in action…

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

If you don’t happen to have a tablet PC lying around, you can also attach the sensor to a pair of binoculars and view the feedback on a connected Windows PC (a Mac OS X version is coming soon).

While casual stargazers can do something similar on iPhones with Craic Design’s Pocket Universe, that doesn’t really compare to the high resolution imagery and sheer volume of data you’ll find in this software. If you’re seriously into astronomy, there’s no comparison. Then again, StellarWindow costs 100-times more than Pocket Universe.

Fairy Devices sells the StellarWindow for $299 (USD), but only accepts PayPal. But if you want to pay by credit card, the guys over at the Japan Trend Shop have them for $338 (USD).

Do a Little Stargazing With Your Nintendo Ds

Alisha K. — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 13:30:58 +0000

Between the inventive homebrew community and all the “practical” software titles available at retail, you can do just about anything with a Nintendo DS these days, and in March, you’ll even be able to use your DS as an interactive star chart. Provided you can read Japanese, of course.

The Hoshizora Navi (roughly Sky Navigator) cartridge contains a positional sensor that follows your movements and the DS, and the software will update the screen as you move, to reflect your current view of the sky and stars. The app is packed with information, too, with a dictionary of terms, guides to our sun and moon, thousands of stars and various constellations. Nor are you limited to the current sky; the app allows you to view any sky between the years 1900 and 2099. That’s the future, folks… but it doesn’t come cheap: Hoshizora Navi sports a hefty price tag at ¥8,190 (more than $90 US). That’s how they’re adding a “gaming” aspect to the software: it’s so pricey that you’ll have to go on some sort of crazy money-finding adventure just to buy the thing.

[Official site via DSF]

Turn Your Walls Into a Starfield

Technabob — Thu, 18 Jan 2007 13:38:05 +0000

Sick of the same four white walls? This new projection gadget might just help you make that room a little less drab. The Laser Stars Projector will take a plain white room and turn it into a twinkling, ever changing starfield (assuming you turn off the lights.)

The 10-inch tall projector uses a bright green laser and other holographic tricks to create a panorama of thousands of stars. The stars and clouds are constantly changing, creating a truly unique visual effect. When placed properly in your room, its beam is wide enough to cover several walls and an entire ceiling (in a small room). There’s also an option to turn adjust the intensity (or turn off) simulated blue vapor clouds, completing the effect. The Laser Stars Projector is available now for around $180.