Archive for the ‘Technology’ Category

SMS Washing Machines

Thursday, July 27th, 2006

Your washing machine is getting smarter... Scott at TMTW writes of a pilot test of intelligent washing machines designed to alert you via WiFi and/or SMS to inform your that your laundry is done. But like Scott wrote: Isn\'t that what the buzzer is for? Potentially good for those who can\'t keep track ...

National emergency alerts coming to your cell phone

Wednesday, July 12th, 2006

Last we heard, Kevin Martin, the current FCC chairman has not commented on including mobile devices as part of the nation's emergency alert system. However it seems that the Department of Homeland Security is taking matters into its own hands. By the end of 2007, the Homeland Security Department expects to ...

Teen Buzz: A Ringtone Adults Can’t Hear

Tuesday, May 30th, 2006

Back in November I posted about The Mosquito, a device which emmitted an unpleasant sound only teenagers could hear. The device was introduced outside a UK storefront to prevent teenage loitering. Well, the same science is used to create a ringtone which only teenagers can hear. Now, unbenknownst to their ...

Unstrung - Handhelds - BroadVoice Unveils Falcon - Wireless Networking News Wire

Wednesday, May 24th, 2006

BroadVoice is planning on releasing a WiFi phone which also can access the GSM network. T-Mobile and Verizon already offer smartphones with WiFi capability, however they aren't necessarily designed for VoIP applications. Companies such as Nokia and T-Mobile have already successfully tested seamless cellular-to-wifi handoffs; allowing the caller to "roam" ...

Pantech PG-2800 finger-writing recognition phone

Tuesday, May 9th, 2006

Pantech has released a new phone which allows for "finger writing" recognition. No one is quite sure what this means or how well it works, but from my take it seems that it is not different than the type of input you get on a pda. According to the press release: Consumers ...

New 3D antenna to increase mobile phone bandwidth

Monday, May 8th, 2006

If you've ever wanted to talk on your mobile phone while at the same time, download music or games; you probably realized that this was impossible. Fractus, from Barcelona, has developed a new 3D antenna which uses a technique called BandXpand to improve performance and bandwidth response of mobile phones. Simply ...

Forget ‘vibrate’, set your phone to ’shock’

Friday, April 21st, 2006

Keep missing phone calls because you can't feel your phone vibrate? We'll Motorola has patented a new type of silent alert using electric shocks! The system, not unlike the massage and weight loss systems currently available on the market today, uses a small pad containing electrodes that are wirelessly linked to ...

Google Voice Next?

Friday, April 14th, 2006

Via MocoNews.net, we learn that Google has won a patent for voice enabled search. That beats T9 or iTap for sure! Too bad my deep voice doesn't jive well with most voice recognition systems. Read: MocoNews.net

Big Mother is Watching: Sprint Launches Family Locator Service (MobileBurn)

Thursday, April 13th, 2006

Children beware! Parenting by remote... Signup requires permission from both the parent/guardian and the person being tracked. Sprint seems to be pushing the need for "open communication" between both parties, and as such sends a text message to any handset that has been located to let its owner know that somebody ...

Bluetooth Hug Shirt: Give your loved one a hug via SMS

Thursday, April 13th, 2006

Not terribly dissimilar to a Bluetooth vibrator, comes the Hug Shirt. F+R Hugs (Hug Shirt): is a shirt that allows people to exchange the physical sensation of a hug over distance. Embedded in the shirt there are sensors that feel the strength of the touch, the skin warmth and the heartbeat ...