The Weekly DT: THE OM/ONE SPEAKER LITERALLY LEVITATES

This post originally ran on our brother site Digital Trends:
Firing up a good flick or video game can be an escapist treat that helps alleviate the stresses of the outside world, if only for a few short hours. But those looking for a simple way to enhance the experience, and ease the strain on their eyes, may want to look into a new device from Antumbra called Glow. For $35, this simple device is designed to sit behind a computer monitor (or a TV) and project ambient light that flows in tandem with the images on screen.
Related: Philips shows off 4K TVs with Ambilight
Glow is designed to be as simple as it is affordable. Comprised of a small rectangle with an RGB LED on board, Glow straps to the back of a monitor or TV and follows commands from your Mac or PC via USB connection to splash light along a back wall. At 1.5 inches along each border, the tiny device is designed for use with screen sizes of 30-inches or smaller, making it most appealing to gamers of the PC variety, and those who watch a lot of movies on their computer.
As the video above shows, Glow seems to work dynamically in real time with the color scheme of your media, which Antumbra claims not only gives the user a more immersive experience, but also makes long sessions in front of the screen easier on the eyes, as the lighted back wall constricts your pupils and limits the amount of light that comes in from the source screen. Plus, it looks pretty damn cool, too.
Setup for Glow is claimed to be incredibly easy, taking only 30 seconds — not including the velcro used to stick it to your screen, we’re guessing — and Antumbra says the device can then be configured for your machine in just a few minutes. Since it conforms to the same USB protocol as a mouse or keyboard, it should work with any PC or Mac, requiring a minimum of Windows Vista or Mac OS X 10.7 respectively.
Perhaps most intriguing, Glow is open source, so apart from following the color scheme of whatever media you’re diving into, with up to 16 million discrete values, it offers a wealth of untold options for those who like to play around. Antumbra promises that all of Glow’s code and hardware designs will be released with the unit, so those who know how to dig deeper will have free reign.
Related: Philips Hue tap review
Antumbra | Glow Promo from TeamAntumbra on Vimeo.
Glow is currently in beta form, and it should be noted that Antumbra offers no warranty, or guarantee, meaning buying in requires the user to be willing to take some risk. But at $35, it’s not the kind of risk that puts up a big red warning sign for most of us. Antumbra hasn’t yet given any release date for Glow, saying only that the units will be shipped “after beta sells out,” with manufacturing currently underway.
If you need a little more color in your life, and you don’t mind being a beta tester, you can pre-order your own Glow now at Antumbra’s website.

This post originally ran on our brother site, Digital Trends:
Google Maps is useful for finding your way from Point A to Point B, but Google has been updating it continuously to make it more than just about navigation. The latest upgrade is a newish feature called My Maps, which lets you create custom detailed maps using Google’s location and mapping info. These maps can then be shared with other users via Google Maps Gallery.
The two features aren’t exactly brand new, but today’s announcement is all about the enhancements and tighter integration between the two services. Gallery was previously limited to select partners, like NASA, World Bank, and National Geographic, but anyone can now contribute their custom maps, no matter how big or small. And if you want to participate, you can share a map you’ve created with My Maps, either with the general public or select friends.
“If you’ve already been creating custom maps with classic My Maps, today you can upgrade all your content to the new My Maps, and enjoy these new options. You can import spreadsheets, easily include images and YouTube videos, and organize your locations and routes however you want,”writes Heather Folsom, Google product manager for My Maps.
For example, maybe you’re a vegetarian who has sampled a ton of vegetarian-friendly restaurants in a particular area, like this user in San Francisco. The information can be “jotted” down in My Maps and then made public through Gallery as a resource to other vegetarians who are looking for places to eat. Or, you’re planning a vacation and need some help planning an itinerary. Type in a location, and you can choose from the various maps that pop up, that fit the type of holiday you’re looking for. Google says the types of maps you can create or find are endless, which can be anything fromplaces in Sherlock Holmes books or the Sex and the City TV show, to where Nelson Mandela made his speeches and rallies, or hiking trails around Los Angeles.
The new My Maps isn’t bound to your desktop. You can plan a map on the go or view maps made by others via the My Maps app for Android. Even if you have no plans to visit anywhere, you can pull up user-generated apps for entertainment or research purposes.
You can start playing with the new My Maps today, but all classic custom maps will automatically upgrade to the new version by year’s end.

This post originally ran on our brother site, Digital Trends:
Dolby Atmos, the powerful cinematic audio format Dolby calls “all-around sound,” has been stunning audiences in theaters for a couple of years now. But today, the company announced that the system will finally make its home theater debut with the release of Transformers: Age of Extinction on Blu-ray September 30. The release will be the first of a slew of new Dolby Atmos-ready Blu-ray discs from Paramount and Warner Brothers this fall, as well as movies online through a new partnership with Vudu.
Today’s news comes on the heels of the recent announcements of several Dolby Atmos-ready receivers from top names in the industry, including Pioneer, Onkyo, Marantz, Integra, Denon, and Yamaha, with several more on the way. Existing Blu-ray players will be able to translate the Dolby Atmos mixes, but users will need to purchase one of the new receivers, and add special Atmos speakers, or in some cases convert current speakers, to take advantage of the new format.
Related: Dolby Atmos for home theaters: Everything you need to know
As one might imagine, Atmos for the home will not be the same experience movie enthusiasts have been treated to in theaters. The professional format is designed around theater configurations able to process up to 128 channels of sound, routed to as many as 64 speakers. That allows audio engineers and sound mixers to place audio effects from objects on the screen in extremely discrete positions, including along the ceiling for what is sometimes called the “voice of god” effect.
Home theaters equipped with Dolby Atmos will not be nearly as complex – but then again, most of us don’t have room for 64 speakers, no matter how much we want to knock out Grandma’s spare bedroom and turn the entire basement into an audio/visual playhouse. The home theater systems that have been released so far include configurations for 7, 9, and 11 channel systems, along with the all-important “.1” low frequency channel.
But what makes the Atmos setups more intriguing than current multi-channel home theater configurations are the aforementioned ceiling speaker channels, which are designed to take advantage of the more complex audio mixes to emit sound from above. Adding the new channels to users’ existing stable of surround sound speakers, Atmos systems are poised to create a more spherical, and theoretically much more realistic surround sound experience. Users can hear effects like rain, aircraft fly-bys, or explosions in space as if they are directly above them.
The extra speakers can be mounted on the ceiling, or for those less inclined to delve into some minor carpentry, the can also be placed on stands or atop tower speakers to shoot sound off the ceiling, and reflect it back to your ears. Manufacturers of speakers specifically designed for the Atmos format include Atlantic Technology, Definitive Technology, KEF, Onkyo, Pioneer USA, Teufel, and Triad Speakers.
Users still curious about the new home theater technology who want to hear it first hand will be able to check out live demonstrations in select stores including hhgregg, Future Shop, Crutchfield, Bjorns, and Best Buy Canada this fall.