Wednesday, October 3, 2007
_
Nokia Develops Eyes-Free Touchscreen Controls
11:45PM Charlie White | Nokia has invented a way to let you use a touchscreen on a mobile device without looking at it. It’s done with this special lid that has a slot in it with slightly raised places on it that you can use as a guide. Working with the software on the screen underneath, certain spots of that slot coincide with various functions on the touchscreen, giving you eyes-free control of that user interface. Notice in the picture there’s also a version of the idea with a “rotator lid,” apparently with click stops to guide your fingers to certain locations on the touchscreen. These are some great ideas for those who insist on driving while dialing. [US Patent and Trademark Office, via Unwired View] More »
_
Apple Eyes Intel Chips For iPhone?
11:29PM Mark Wilson | We’re pulling out our new SuperRumor™ for this news, but according to DigiTimes, Apple is considering the recently announced Intel Mooretown chips for the iPhone. Since these Intel chips won’t see the light of day until 2009, it would certainly represent (at the very least) a second iteration of iPhone hardware. But given the specs of Intel’s new chips, we’d be pretty excited: Because these new Mooretown MID (mobile internet device) chips are an improvement on the ultraportable Menlow chips we have now—smaller, faster and consuming far less power while idling, many are saying that Mooretown’s power to efficiency balance in Apple’s true ultraportable could help bridge the application gap of phone and laptop. And while the fabled Mac tablet finding its home in the iPhone sounds great, honestly, it seems like the public is waiting on Apple to evolve more than the iPhone’s current ARM processor. [digitimes via macworld] More »
_
Tiny Chairs Let Your Gadgets Have A Meeting
11:03PM Charlie White | Looking for a place to park that new Zune? Brando suggests pulling up The Chair, a $US6 gadget stand that looks like those stackable chairs you lugged outside to the church picnic back in olden times. Now when you play Bag Lady Barbie with those mini shopping carts Jason introduced you to last week, at least Barbie will have a tacky old-fashioned 6-inch-high chair in which to sit. [Brando] More »
_
Beyond TV Adds iPod/iPhone Auto Sync
10:52PM Mark Wilson | We haven’t paid much attention to Beyond TV in the past, but the new 4.7 update has caught our attention with a sweet new feature: iPod and iPhone auto syncing. While competitors like TivoToGo will allow you to convert recorded shows to iPod-ready H.264 compression, it’s a tedious process that tends to pull the convenience right out of the convenience. And Beyond TV 4.7 will not only auto sync your favourite shows, but also import your iTunes podcast RSS for syncing…which may be useful for those looking to circumvent Apple software altogether. There’s no OSX support, but the latest version will run those of you Apple-using, self-hating PC users $US70 (or what, like 35 iTunes show downloads). [beyondtv via Electronista] More »
_
Gates Talks Zune 2
10:49PM Charlie White | So let’s hear it from the main man himself, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates, introducing his new Zune babies and ticking off the new features and interface in this Microsoft-produced video. Although Gates mentions a November ship date, he’s not as specific as Amazon’s precise November 13th rollout day. The MS chief also touts wireless auto syncing on the new Zune, one of our fave features, too. [Zune Online] More »
_
Nail Assist Is Sadly Not What You Think
10:37PM Addy Dugdale | This one’s going out for all the clumsy DIY freaks, people who aim for the nail, honest, but just end up playing Test Your Strength on their thumbs. Insert the nail head into the collar, so that the head is resting on the red vagina-y part. Then pull down the perspex tube so that it covers the nail, and hammer away, enjoying both pain-free home improvement and straight nails. [Yanko] More »
_
nTren’s Bluetooth MP3 Watch Sets Your Wrist Free For Other Uses
10:30PM Haroon Malik | The trouble with MP3 watches, like your manhood, is they are small beyond usability and, annoyingly, they require a physical attachment to your wrist to be of any use. The nTren Bluetooth MP3 Watch corrects part of the problem by adding in holy Bluetooth goodness. The new model will be available in 1GB or 2GB flavours and will ship with a wireless Bluetooth headset, so you can enjoy your music wire free. More »
_
Omnidirectional Speaker Works as Jedi Training Drone Too
9:53PM Addy Dugdale | This is actually a 32-sided speaker from CEATEC, although I think it would work very well as either a steampunk microphone, a glitter ball for the Tin Man, or a lollipop for Ro-lita, a sexy underage she-bot. [Gizmodo Japan] More »
_
DocoMo Shows off a Halitosis- and Fat-Detecting Concept Phone
9:28PM Addy Dugdale | The Wellness phone is about as mean as you can get. A concept that DoCoMo has been only too happy to show off at CEATEC this week, the mobile measures how bad your breath is on a scale of 1 to 10 — zero presumably means you’re dead — and how overweight you are. There are other health-related features as well, such as a calorie counter and pedometer. Is this the saddest phone concept ever made? Probably. [GearFuse via MobileMentalism] More »
_
