Personal Computing

For many people with motor disabilities, the task of precisely moving a mouse cursor around a screen can be incredibly frustrating. While controlling a mouse cursor with the power of thought looks likely to be possible in the not too distant future, researchers at the University of Washington's (UW) AIM Research Group have created two mouse cursors designed to make homing in on onscreen targets much easier. Neither requires additional computer hardware and all the researchers are hoping for in return for the freely downloadable software is some user feedback. Read More

It is a commonly held myth that much of the effectiveness of communication is determined by nonverbal cues, but try telling that to someone who has lost the power of speech due to brain injury or damage to their vocal cords or airway. In a move that could help restore communication for in this situation, researchers at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis have successfully used regions of the brain that control speech to “talk” to a computer through the implantation of a temporary surgical implant. The patients were able to manipulate a cursor on a computer screen simply by saying or thinking of a particular sound. Read More

Sweden's eye tracking and control innovator Tobii has announced the release of a stand-alone eye control device called PCEye. Like the laptop-based prototype system demonstrated at CeBIT last month, the device tracks eye movement and translates it into mouse cursor action onscreen. Positioned in front of a PC monitor and connected via USB, the company says that the technology is compatible with a wide range of software and has been primarily designed to improve computer interactivity for users with impaired motor skills, such as stroke victims. Read More

Last week, Google announced Gmail Motion, a system which promised motion control for the company's free webmail service using a computer's built-in webcam and some nifty spatial tracking technology. Using Gmail Motion users would be able to not only control Gmail actions but also compose emails using gestures that would be translated into common phrases. It was of course an April Fool's Day joke, but Evan A. Suma, a postdoctoral research associate at the University of Southern California's (USC) Institute for Creative Technologies, immediately set to work in demonstrating that the technology to run such a system already exists. Read More

Protecting computer systems from malicious attack using complex software solutions is a constant, but necessary, struggle. As threats become more sophisticated, the technology used to fight them off can impact more and more on system performance. According to researchers from North Carolina State University, programs that have built-in safety features can be slowed down by as much as a 1,000 percent. To combat this issue they have developed technology that helps such programs to run more efficiently without sacrificing effectiveness. Read More

The fact that Solid State Drives (SSD) offer significantly better performance over hard disk drives is now well established. They're faster, require less power to run and – as they contain no moving parts – offer a more rugged storage solution. At the moment, though, HDD solutions are much cheaper and can store more data on a single device ... but the gaps are closing. Intel has now upped the available storage capacity on its new third generation SSD 320 Series to a spacious 600GB, and has managed to lower the cost by 30 percent. Read More

With so many of our pictures, videos and documents now stored in digital format, the prospect of precious data disappearing forever in the misstep of a HDD read/write head or infection from a nasty virus is even more catastrophic. About a week ago it was proposed on social networking site Reddit that a World Back-up Day would be a good idea to remind everyone of the importance of backing up irreplaceable data. The date of March 31st was chosen and, although that didn’t leave much time to spread the word, the idea quickly gained traction. Read More

The clicking sound we hear when we press a mouse button is part of the device's switching mechanism, that has also become a kind of audible comfort cushion for computer users. However, Dutch component manufacturer Nexus believes that in these days of notebook trackpads and tablet touchscreens, we no longer need the audible confirmation that a requested action has been performed – we can see it onscreen. The company has now discovered some silent switching technology and installed into a couple of its input peripherals, so that they operate without so much as a squeak. Read More

Californian SSD manufacturer Foremay has announced a new addition to its OC177 storage family. Despite being smaller than a U.S. quarter coin, the company's first disk-on-chip (DOC) solution will be available in capacities up to 64GB, supporting both standard IDE or SATA host interface, in addition to complying with ATA-7 specifications. The new DOC drive is mounted directly onto a motherboard which, the company says, negates the need for a separate storage drive while offering devices some rugged credentials. Read More