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Wireless body area network allows your body to send status updates to your cellphone

leo_arce@hotmail.com (Administrator) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 06:00:29 +0000

Dutch researchers recently demonstrated a new type of wireless body area network, or BAN for short. A BAN essentially gives the human body its own IP address, and the new techniques demonstrated at IMEC based in Eindhoven incorporate a dongle that plugs into the SD card slot of a cellphone, enabling the streaming of data from the sensors to the cellphone in real time. The demonstrated software, which runs Android OS and uses the nRF24L01+ radio wireless standard rather than Bluetooth. So what does this mean for the future of medicine? Well, with just a few EKG-like sensors, people with medical conditions such as heart problems, or athletes in training, will be able to monitor their own body on their cellphones. The technology is still in the demo phase, but it's one we look forward to seeing in practice. Video is below.

Continue reading Wireless body area network allows your body to send status updates to your cellphone

Wireless body area network allows your body to send status updates to your cellphone originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Oct 2010 03:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Rowheel: the wheelchair you row to go

leo_arce@hotmail.com (Administrator) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 06:00:27 +0000

We like to joke about reinventing the wheel, but that's kind of what NASA engineer Salim Nasser has done -- he won a $20,000 innovation prize earlier this month for designing a wheelchair where the occupant can pull, thus avoiding repetitive stress injuries associated with pushing by using the (typically) stronger biceps and upper back muscles. The prototype uses a planetary gear system to drive the specially-designed wheels, which Nasser claims can be easily attached to existing wheelchair frames. There's no telling whether it'll see the mass market, but we wouldn't be surprised given the simplicity of the design, unlike some of the robotic models we've seen. So... how's that for a new spin on things?

Rowheel: the wheelchair you row to go originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Oct 2010 06:06:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sharp shows off 35mm thin BDXL recorder at CEATEC, world doesn't stop to wonder why

leo_arce@hotmail.com (Administrator) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 06:00:26 +0000

Thinness in a portable device is an attribute worth coveting. Thinness of yet another layer in your home entertainment center hoagie, however, is a little bit less attractive -- at least it is when it comes with a big compromise. Such is the case with Sharp's thinnest Blu-ray recorder, just 35mm thick yet capable of writing to BD-R discs or the newer, pricier, 100GB BDXL discs. So far so good, but rather sadly to make that magic happen in a package so svelte the company has had to ditch the internal HDD that's common in these devices, the idea being you'll just write to BDXL's instead. Even with a stack of re-writeables at your disposal that's going to be a lot less convenient and a lot more expensive than having a good 'ol pile of platters spinning inside. Of course, with no price or release date given, it's possible that this reduction of internal hardware also comes with a reduction in cost, but as we all know it's pretty rare that a skinnier device costs less than its bigger boned brethren.

Sharp shows off 35mm thin BDXL recorder at CEATEC, world doesn't stop to wonder why originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Oct 2010 09:07:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Lego Mindstorm NXT enlisted for shirt-folding robot

leo_arce@hotmail.com (Administrator) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 06:00:24 +0000

All we have to say about this shirt-folding robot is that it does a better job than we could ever hope to. And for that, we love it. Video is below.

Continue reading Lego Mindstorm NXT enlisted for shirt-folding robot

Lego Mindstorm NXT enlisted for shirt-folding robot originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Oct 2010 11:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Angry Birds developer claims Microsoft jumped the gun, Rovio 'not committed' to Windows Phone 7

leo_arce@hotmail.com (Administrator) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 06:00:23 +0000

Software developers make or break a platform, as Microsoft's Steve Ballmer once famously stressed, but that shiny new Windows Phone 7 site has angered a mildly important one. Rovio Mobile, developer of the wildly popular Angry Birds game, tweets that it's presently 'not committed' to bring the game to Windows Phone, and that the above icon is being used in Microsoft marketing completely without permission. While it's possible this is just some sort of mix-up and Rovio just wanted to make its own announcement ("nothing to do with if we do or don't, it's just that we decide that ourselves," the company added in a later tweet), it wouldn't be the first time Microsoft's engaged in shady business to inflate its new app store.

Update: Microsoft sent TechFlash the following statement: "It appears information was mistakenly posted to Microsoft's website, and has been removed." Sure enough, the offending logo is gone now.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Angry Birds developer claims Microsoft jumped the gun, Rovio 'not committed' to Windows Phone 7 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Oct 2010 12:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ubuntu 10.10 'Maverick Meerkat' officially released: get your cloud storage, paid apps and Unity UI now

leo_arce@hotmail.com (Administrator) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 06:00:21 +0000

On the tenth day of the tenth month in the tenth year (read: today) Ubuntu Linux has hit its 10.10 revision, though it's mostly more of the same. The new Unity desktop interface makes cramped netbook screens more organized, software purchase support might legitimize Ubuntu as an app platform, Ubuntu One brings a free 2GB of Dropbox-like cloud storage to automatically synchronize files and folders, and streams music to Android and iPhone devices too... for a price. There's also full multitouch support, if you've got the hardware. "There's never been a better time to try Ubuntu," the open-source community cries, and they're probably right -- early reviewers claim this Maverick Meerkat build is one of the best they've tried. Find the 700MB downloads at our source link, or in torrent trackers all around the world.

Read (1), (2) - Expert Reviews
Read - ExtremeTech

[Thanks, Bobby]

Ubuntu 10.10 'Maverick Meerkat' officially released: get your cloud storage, paid apps and Unity UI now originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Oct 2010 13:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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HTC HD7 (aka Schubert) pictured in glorious monochrome, headed to T-Mobile for $200?

leo_arce@hotmail.com (Administrator) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 06:00:20 +0000

We've seen O2 Germany's HTC Schubert and a Chinese HD3, but here's a giant Windows Phone 7 device with "T-Mobile" clearly painted on the upper right-hand corner of the screen. TmoNews got these alleged images of the HTC HD7 from their usual anonymous source along with a partial spec sheet, which actually claims slightly different dimensions for the phone and double the amount of flash memory (16GB in all) than we heard before. Different strokes for different folks, or is one of these two rumors totally off? You'll probably want to keep both possibilities in mind before considering this last tidbit from the very same source: the phone will reportedly cost $199 on a two-year contract. Or you could just wait for us to blow out all the Windows Phone 7 details tomorrow, of course.

Update: Enjoying the look of this phone from your vantage point in Great Britain, are you? You might be able to pick one up as well -- 911sniper apparently found a O2 UK version of the HTC Schubert's ROM, as reported by Pocketnow below.

HTC HD7 (aka Schubert) pictured in glorious monochrome, headed to T-Mobile for $200? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Oct 2010 15:03:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pioneer's prototype laser HUD could help you drive home, connected to an Android smartphone (video)

leo_arce@hotmail.com (Administrator) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 06:00:18 +0000

Another year, another attempt to project light onto transparent screens, but Pioneer's Network Vision HUD is one of the cooler prototype heads-up displays we've seen. First off, it uses lasers to generate its ethereal navigation images -- lasers make everything better -- and second, it's presently sourcing that data from a Android smartphone, making it a fantastic potential addition to infotainment ideas like Nokia's Terminal Mode. Pioneer told Network World that it's planning to actually sell a version of the technology by 2012, but that it might be an aftermarket product rather than an integral part of your car's windshield. They are, of course, entertaining deep-pocketed auto manufacturers as well.

Continue reading Pioneer's prototype laser HUD could help you drive home, connected to an Android smartphone (video)

Pioneer's prototype laser HUD could help you drive home, connected to an Android smartphone (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Oct 2010 16:58:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Switched On: A Looxcie into lifecasting's future

leo_arce@hotmail.com (Administrator) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 06:00:16 +0000

Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

Remember those early wireless headsets, the ones that made people look like they had been assimilated by The Borg? Few would seek to return to those days for the benefit of bridging a handset and one's ears. But what if one could also bridge a handset and one's eyes? That's essentially the promise of Looxcie, a Bluetoooth headset that integrates a video camera to enable passive video capture.

Looxcie's creators note that using the device requires less encumbrance than even a Flip camcorder. Still, there's no getting around it -- the Looxcie is no spy gadget. Accepting the state of the technology for what it is, the designers chose to embrace its size rather than try to minimize it. The protuberance that houses the boom mike and lens of the product swells toward an end that includes a red recording light. The extension in a glossy white, perhaps an homage to massive telephoto zoom lenses like those from Canon.

Continue reading Switched On: A Looxcie into lifecasting's future

Switched On: A Looxcie into lifecasting's future originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Oct 2010 18:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 launch event is tomorrow at 9:30AM ET, and we'll be there live!

leo_arce@hotmail.com (Administrator) — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 06:00:14 +0000

As you may have heard, Microsoft is having a major event tomorrow in NYC to announce details surrounding Windows Phone 7 launch dates and devices... and Engadget is going to be there delivering the best live coverage in the universe. In case you don't already know, Steve Ballmer and AT&T's Ralph de la Vega will be on stage to delight your senses, and there will likely be lots of new hardware we'll be getting our hands on.

You can see all of the news unfold in realtime right here at our liveblog post, and the whole thing starts tomorrow, October 11th, at the times listed below. Don't miss it!

03:30AM - Hawaii
06:30AM - Pacific
07:30AM - Mountain
08:30AM - Central
09:30AM - Eastern
02:30PM - London
03:30PM - Paris
05:30PM - Moscow
10:30PM - Tokyo

Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 launch event is tomorrow at 9:30AM ET, and we'll be there live! originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 10 Oct 2010 19:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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