Consumer
To save endangered languages, tribes turn to tech
April 17, 2013 9:30 am | by MICHELLE RINDELS, Associated Press | News | CommentsIn a windowless conference room in a Las Vegas casino, about three dozen people are swishing their fingers across iPads, trying out test versions of new apps and screening for glitches. But these are no Silicon Valley techies in town for one of the city's massive electronics shows.
CNET update - U.S. Navy uses laser to take down drone
April 17, 2013 9:16 am | Videos | CommentsOn this edition of the CNET update, the Navy plans to put the first laser weapon on a ship, the Galaxy Note 8 rivals the iPad Mini, and Starbucks offers a new way to get iTunes freebies. Check out more here: http://news.cnet.com/8301-33692_3-57578725-305/u.s-navy-uses-laser-to-ta...
Why the government should ban cellphones while driving
April 16, 2013 10:28 am | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsThis term “nanny state” is an interesting one. It’s a term people throw out when they feel the government is infringing on their right to do something stupid. Frankly, if people could be trusted to police themselves, we wouldn’t have any laws at all.
ORNL leading study focused on afterlife of electric vehicle batteries
April 16, 2013 9:25 am | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsOnce they've finished powering electric vehicles for hundreds of thousands of miles, it may not be the end of the road for automotive batteries, which researchers believe can provide continued benefits for consumers, automakers and the environment.
Glasses read to the blind
April 16, 2013 9:14 am | Videos | CommentsA unique pair of eyeglasses developed by a Florida International Univ. (FIU) student team could revolutionize the lives of the blind, enabling them to walk into a library or a store, pick up any book or a can of soup and read it. The Eyetalk concept, initially conceived for a student competition in social entrepreneurship...
We all need Google Fiber
April 15, 2013 1:16 pm | by Joel Hans, Managing Editor, Manufacturing.net | Blogs | CommentsAlmost a year ago, Google launched its first broadband internet network, Google Fiber, in Kansas City (the Kansas and Missouri versions both), with speeds that severely overshadowed currently-available cable and DSL providers for a fraction of the cost. Consumers were able to sign up for 1 gigabit download speeds for a mere $70 a month.
Computers are the new Freud of dreams
April 15, 2013 9:25 am | by Stephanie Carmichael, Contributor | Blogs | CommentsWe use computers for just about everything: communicating, avoiding long lines at the mall, and even ordering pizza. Thanks to new research, their presence is extending beyond our waking lives. It might sound like something out of science fiction, but scientists have discovered a way to use computers to read people’s minds.
The nanny state should loosen its grip on cell phones
April 11, 2013 3:24 pm | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsWe’ve written a lot on ECN about automotive safety and its intersection with cutting-edge technology. Texting, Facebooking, and web surfing pose an existential concern for distracted drivers (not to mention pilots, train conductors, and boat captains), but the nanny state has really overreached on this one: A California court recently found a motorist guilty of distracted driving for checking a map on his iPhone.
Engineering Update #8: Glasses-free 3D and a near replacement for Knight Rider
April 11, 2013 10:04 am | Videos | CommentsA new screen protector from Nanovue, called the EyeFly, gives mobile devices a glasses-free 3D display. Made out of a thin, transparent film, the nano-engineered EyeFly is essentially a piece of plastic film with thousands of finite lenses on the surface that use nano-imprinting technology.
Who’s the fool? – Profound discoveries or elaborate pranks
April 11, 2013 9:44 am | by Chris Fox, Associate Editor, PD&D | Blogs | CommentsWe all know the old adage that surrounds the first day of April. We’ve all taken part in or fallen victim to an April Fools prank at some point. In the contemporary realm, April Fools has taken on an entirely different persona. April 1 used to be a day where the bully in school could yell out the hallmark and get away with tripping you in the hallway (kind of)....
Cellular router includes 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity technology
April 10, 2013 2:45 pm | B & B Electronics | Product Releases | CommentsB&B Electronics announces that it has added 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi connectivity technology to its rugged SPECTRE 3G cellular router. Called the SPECTRE3G-W, this new wireless cellular router is a single box solution that provides local machine-to-machine (M2M) network connectivity via its built-in Wi-Fi Hotspot, Ethernet 10/100 and I/O ports....
Art exhibit pushes boundaries of online privacy
April 10, 2013 12:34 pm | by BARBARA ORTUTAY, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsImage after image splashes on the wall of the art exhibit - a snapshot of young people laughing and drinking, a picture of an elephant, an exposed belly of a woman barely covering her breasts with one arm. The photos were taken from their computers without their knowledge through a technological glitch.
HotSpot Episode 7: The future of Apple's iPhone
April 10, 2013 9:23 am | Videos | CommentsA new release by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office might just provide a glimpse of the future of Apple's popular iPhone handset. The product detailed in the patent, features a flexible AMOLED display "rolled up" and placed inside a conical transparent enclosure.
Tactile switch rated to 10 million life cycles
April 9, 2013 5:07 pm | E-Switch | Product Releases | CommentsE-Switch announces a new long life sealed tactile switch, the TL6200. The TL6200 series tact switch offers a long operating life of 10 million cycles and is rated to IP67 standards. This tact switch comes in both SMT (gullwing) and thru hole termination options, and offers multiple actuator lengths.
The creepiest robot yet
April 9, 2013 2:28 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsThere is an interesting inverse phenomenon involved in creating humanoid robots: The more lifelike they are, the creepier they become. It’s not something that makes complete sense if you think about it. Theoretically, as robots become more human-like, they should begin to blend more into society and become less weird.
Broadcasters worry about 'Zero TV' homes
April 9, 2013 9:24 am | by RYAN NAKASHIMA, AP Business Writer | News | CommentsSome people have had it with TV. They've had enough of the 100-plus channel universe. They don't like timing their lives around network show schedules. They're tired of $100-plus monthly bills. A growing number of them have stopped paying for cable and satellite TV service....
LCD, LED, Plasma, OLED TVs as fast as possible
April 9, 2013 8:56 am | Videos | CommentsLCD, LED, Plasma, OLED - These terms get uses by sales people at your local TV store, but do you REALLY understand what they mean? Learn the basics in under 3 minutes! Linus Sebastian of Techquickie gives a good primer on these common display technologies.
TVS diode designed for protecting sensitive electronics in consumer products, handhelds
April 8, 2013 3:44 pm | Stmicroelectronics | Product Releases | CommentsSTMicroelectronics has introduced the world’s smallest TVS diode for protecting sensitive electronics in consumer products and handhelds. As the first such device to be offered in the industry’s smallest standard surface-mount outline of 0.45 x 0.2mm, the ESDAVLC6-1BV2 is one size smaller than today’s 0.6 x 0.3mm devices.
The Facebook "phone" that no one wants
April 8, 2013 2:56 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Articles | CommentsWell, well, well. It looks like Facebook has finally decided to join the big boys and create their own phone. It’s the phone that absolutely no one was waiting for. To quote the parody video below, “Stop. Don’t do that. Nobody wants it.”
Race to build driverless cars is in full throttle
April 8, 2013 10:41 am | by Rick Montgomery, The Kansas City Star | News | CommentsTo call Tim Sylvester a road builder misses the point. The streets he intends to build are embedded with electronic sensors that may keep cars of the future from speeding, veering and crashing. Doctoral candidate Amol Khedkar is toiling on his own prototype for a software system that would let cars talk to one other....
Should a computer grade your essay?
April 8, 2013 10:09 am | by Jason Lomberg, Technical Editor | Blogs | CommentsOne should never swap quality for instant gratification. Yet that’s exactly what EdX, a nonprofit educational organization founded by Harvard and MIT, is doing with their automated grading software that promises “instant feedback” on students’ essays. Creativity need not apply.
An engineer's wishlist for car infotainment systems
April 5, 2013 2:51 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsWith Google's self-driving car hitting the road and all sorts of driver-assistance features hitting the showroom, it's a crazy time for drivers and designers alike. Cars are practically overflowing with (good and bad) attempts to integrate outside technology (smartphones, weather apps, virtual assistants) into vehicles interfaces.
HotSpot Episode 6: Phantom Quadcopter
April 5, 2013 9:30 am | Videos | CommentsThis week on WDD's HotSpot: DJI's new GPS equipped Phantom is an aerial platform for the FOPRO HERO action cam. Featuring a lithium polymer battery, an RGB LED indicator, an Enhanced fail-safe feature, and an Intelligent Orientation Control, this quad-copter makes one nifty little radio-controlled aircraft.
Engineering Newswire 32: Ben Heck, and the iWorm straps to your back
April 4, 2013 12:48 pm | Videos | CommentsToday on Engineering Newswire, brought to you by Interpower, we're building an internal suspension system for your brain, designing an endoscope as thin as a hair, and using a worm to go hands free. This week we welcome Ben Heck to the Engineering Newswire as we feature...
Television's next big thing: Smell-O-Vision (again)
April 3, 2013 3:44 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Managing Editor | Blogs | CommentsNow that 3D television has failed to take off the way designers were hoping, companies have moved on to a newer, better, greater, bound-for-failure idea: Smell-O-Vision. Haruka Matsukura and a team from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology have designed an olfactory display system that can work in conjunction with a 2D display.
