Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

Nokia developed and licensed a technology called Wibree a few years ago, and intended it to be an alternative for the current generation of Bluetooth technology. Wibree requires only a tenth of the energy consumed by its counterparts, and was developed for short distance communication between two devices, like say a Bluetooth headset and a mobile phone. And recently, a company called CSR demoed a new device powered by Wibree at a medical conference in Luxembourg.

What exactly did CSR demonstrate? Well, for one, they demoed an “ultra-low-power” version of the Bluetooth system required in pairing a BT headset and a mobile phone, claiming that their device can run up to 10 years on one button cell battery. Now while this is certainly not the first time that we’ve heard of something that last for years without charging, it’s hard to say something developed by Nokia would be bogus or unreliable.

Still, it would be interesting to see this technology developed in its full potential, since the current generation of BT headset’s batteries could really use a boost. Maybe we may even see the day of disposable BT headsets. That’s worth a try.

Via [Crave]

Need to open a folder on your computer but you’re feeling a bit too lazy to move your fingers? Tobii Technology is here to the rescue, with the introduction of their OEM eye tracking technology during this year’s annual CeBIT trade show. This technology can further be applied to gaming, medical and vision diagnostics, market research set-top boxes, 3D displays, and as well as in automotive safety. The list goes on to include computer interfaces in medical, industrial and military environments.

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A UN report has stated that because of mobile phones and internet access the gulf between rich and poor nations is narrowing, with 58% of cell phone subscribers world wide coming from the developing nations.

This should only be seen as the green shots of recovery though as while technology is credited with boosting development in poorer countries, according to the UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), it also warned that the digital divide still meant the gap between the rich and the poor is still a big divide.

Examples in the report include:

• In Africa, where the increase in terms of the number of mobile phone subscribers and penetration has been greatest, this technology can improve the economic life of the population as a whole.
• In rural communities in Uganda, and the small vendors in South Africa, Senegal and Kenya mobile phones were helping traders get better prices, ensure less went to waste and sell goods faster.
• A study of Thai manufacturing firms showed that a 10% increase in computer literate staff produced a 3.5% productivity gain.

Via [BBC]

For the technologies that fall into the catapult category, enter Robopult, the newest and most terrifying metallic sight since Godzilla crushed a city that got in the way of his last good will tour fifty some odd celluloid years ago. Robopult is unlike the others of its ilk; namely, the ballista and the catapult, as Robopult is perfectly capable of flinging fireballs and just about anything else you can imagine in the air! This industrial robotic arm that is transformed into a computerized demon hurler is not for everybody in more ways than one. 

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Have you ever dropped something or committed some other social faux pas while searching for your cell phone in order to turn the damn ringer off? Well, drop no more when incoming calls arrive, as so has help in the form of FlipSilent, a small software that helps you “use your phone naturally.”

FlipSilent utilizes accelerometer technology, which is the very same that is used to re-orient phone and camera displays horizontally or vertically. FlipSilent transforms the process of quieting an incoming call to an action as simple as flipping the phone from its back to its face (assuming of course, that you know where your phone is to flip, a malady that sometimes befalls a small segment of our population).

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Korea seems to be the launching pad for innovation when it comes to new technology and the world of portable navigational devices (PND’s) is currently madly spinning. Computer Telephone Technology (CTT-Net) is now ready to launch its two newest PND’s to a waiting world.

The CSN-7040 is the very first portable navigation device to incorporate Immersion’s TouchSense system, which enables tactile feedback on touch-screens. The CIN-7000 is a built-in car navigation system that also uses the TouchSense technology and improves general safety by reducing the “glance-time” while driving. Both navigation units have a 7-inch touch screen and a DMB receiver for satellite downloads.

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We will all have our own views on what will be hot or not in 2008, but this list of 5 areas to look at seems pretty spot on to me:

• The Web To Go - The year for Gears, Air and Silverlight.
• Ultra Mobile PC’s - Building on the Asus EEE, and utilizing flash memory.
• IPTV - With the growth of broadband accessibility and speed expect to see Internet TV grow and grow.
• WIMAX - City, or even country wide high speed wireless connectivity.
• Mobile VOIP - Seamless switch between VOIP, landline and cell phone to get the cheapest calls all the time from one hand set.

Via [BBC]

Griffin Technology is quite famous for its many iPod accessories, more specifically it’s iPod docks. Well it seems Griffin has another item to add to the list, the TuneFlex Aux. The Griffin TuneFlex Aux is a dock, charger, and direct line-in connection to your car’s stereo.

The TuneFlex plugs right into your car’s 12 volt accessory outlet to power and charge your iPod with it’s flexible neck. The TuneFlex is also very flexible when it comes to playing your music through your car’s stereo with it’s built-in 1/8” stereo line-out audio jack. Don’t have an aux-in on your car stereo? No problem. You can use a range of other Griffin products to listen to your music, including: the iTrip FM transmitter, SmartDeck cassette adapter, as well as a slew of other options.

The TuneFlex Aux is compatible with both 4th and 5th Gen iPods, and the TuneFlex Aux nano is nano-sized and made specifically for your 2nd Gen iPod nano. There is no release date for the TuneFlex Aux current so in the mean time, check out the site.

Written by Paul Petersen for The Final Sprint.

MotionLingo’s Adeo has garnered much attention this year as an innovative GPS-based fitness trainer that not only tracks your speed and distance, but also accommodates full integration with any mp3 player.

I have run with many other GPS products, but the Adeo is the first to provide workout feedback via audio messages rather than a visual watch interface. This sounded like a great idea to me right off the bat and I enjoyed putting putting the Adeo to the test.

Product: MotionLingo Adeo Fitness Trainer
Price: $149.95
Rating: Good 7.1/10.0
Pros: Hands-free GPS updates; Works with all mp3 players; Lightweight; Considerably more affordable than other GPS units, Easy to configure workouts and view data; Rapidly-evolving online training log; Affordable cost compared to other fitness GPS units; Multisport support; Excellent, frequently updated software package
Cons: Often takes several minutes to connect with satellites; Unstable, GPS connection could be improved; Small, unresponsive buttons
Overall: The Adeo is a very innovative and exciting concept; one that true audiophiles will want to immediately add to their running rig.  However, others may want to wait for the next generation of Adeos (to be released later this spring) because like most first generation products, there are a few issues (i.e. - GPS performance) that could use an upgrade.

Read the rest of this entry at The Final Sprint »

I am not really sure how to explain this. No it isn’t that it is so techie that it doesn’t make sense, rather I am speechless.  For those of you who watched Minority Report and were drooling over the glooves Tom Cruise wore to control the computer, this is a must see.

Jeff Han is a research scientist for New York University’s Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences. Here he demonstrates—for the first time publicly—his intuitive, “interface-free,” touch-driven computer screen, which can be manipulated intuitively with the fingertips, and responds to varying levels of pressure. (Recorded February 2006 in Monterey, CA. Duration: 09:32)

View it or download [TED]