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Kompott ‘robotic agent’ helps the elderly stay connected, enjoys a nap
Full-fledged humanoid robots helping the elderly are certainly well and good, but what about somebody that just needs a little help staying in touch with their family?
Twitter for BlackBerry shakes the beta label
Though RIM’s official Twitter client for BlackBerry devices has been slinking around in public beta form for a solid three months now, we understand — not everyone is okay using software that’s rough around the edges.
iOS has a bigger dev army than Android, but will cross-platform apps rule the day?
We oftentimes hear raw numbers of apps bandied about in mobile OS comparisons , but we rarely get any idea of just how many developers are behind the scenes working for each platform.
Prototype car with tactile feedback challenges the blind to drive (update)
We can already imagine just what you’re thinking — the blind have no place behind the wheel, right? As it turns out, though, cars can steer themselves these days , so there technically no reason why (save a few laws) a computer-assisted blind person couldn’t drive.
Does adjusting or trimming the iPhone 4′s micro SIM fix the antenna issue? Probably not.
Ever since Apple decided to do little about the iPhone 4′s pronounced reception issues except suggest that users hold the thing differently and / or buy a nice case , the voodoo engineering remedies have been flying in full force — sure, we’ll admit we tried sticking some tape over the side of our phone (no dice), but we stopped short when people suggested we try a couple coats of nail polish (insanity). Even we have limits, after all. But the latest snake oil fix is definitely the craziest we’ve heard so far: according to a 13-page (and growing) thread at MacRumors , the iPhone 4′s reception issue can be fixed by adjusting or even trimming the micro SIM so the contacts don’t touch the metal tray.
Microsoft hints at touchless Surface combining camera and transparent OLED (video)
We’ve always wondered whether Microsoft’s multitouch table would actually ever arrive , dreaming of Minority Report hijinx all the while, but after seeing what the company’s Applied Sciences Group is currently cooking up — a touchless telepresence display — we’d rather drop that antiquated pinch-to-zoom stuff in favor of what might be Surface’s next generation. Starting with one of Samsung’s prototype transparent OLED panels , Microsoft dropped a sub-two-inch camera behind the glass, creating a 3D gesture control interface that tracks your every move by literally seeing through the display. Combined with that proprietary wedge-shaped lens we saw earlier this month and some good ol’ Johnny Chung Lee headtracking by the man himself, we’re looking at one hell of a screen.
