Accelerometers
Obesity rates are on the rise in most western countries where sitting at a computer all day (and sometimes into the night) is commonplace. Low activity levels, in many cases, combined with poor diets, have been blamed for almost two-thirds of Americans being overweight or obese. To help address the problem, health researchers have developed an iPhone app designed to monitor your physical activity and motivate you to do that little bit more. Read More
AllThingsDigital brings news of yet another patent issued for technology we've been using for years. The patent, Method and apparatus for controlling a computer system, which was filed in June 2006 and granted last week, is shockingly broad - essentially describing any means of using an accelerometer to control a computer. Read More
Epson Toyocom Corporation has produced what it claims is the world’s smallest 6-axis motion sensor. The use of motion sensors is growing dramatically, with the components found in all sorts of devices including cell phones, digital cameras, and of course game controllers such as the Nintendo Wii Remote or the Sony PlayStation Move. Epson Toyocom's AH-6100LR combines two different sensors in a single small package, incorporating both a 3-axis accelerometer and a 3-axis gyro-sensor. Read More
Nintendo's DS2 to counter Apple with accelerometer, rumble pack?
Nintendo was doing touchscreen gaming long before Apple ever decided to get in the game. But as the iPod touch, the iPhone, and now the iPad have challenged the gaming giant, Nintendo is expected to respond aggressively with a new console in 2010. Reports are already starting to roll in that some developers in Japan have received early versions of the new Nintendo hardware. Read More
Apple's US$500 iPad - concise details of the announcement
The Apple iPad was announced today. In a nutshell, it’s a bigger iPhone that runs all the same apps on a 9.7 inch touch screen and has a 10 hour battery life and 30 day stand-by. It’s half an inch thick, weighs 1.5 pounds, and is powered by Apple’s own custom 1GHz ARM A4chip and can run up to 64 GB of storage. It has all the wireless connectivity of the iphone (802.11n, Bluetooth 2.1), a built-in speaker and microphone, accelerometer and uses the same 30-pin Dock connector as the iPod and iPhone. The first iPads will ship in 60 days, with 3G models taking another month. Pricing starts at US$499 and runs to US$829. Read More
After five years of development, Cannondale has unveiled a new proof-of-concept prototype that could revolutionize bicycle suspension. Called Simon, it’s the newest member of their offbeat Lefty line of one-legged shock forks. According to Cannondale, Simon’s onboard microprocessor will allow users to customize their ride like never before. If that isn’t enough, it can also send the fork from being fully-open to fully-closed in just six milliseconds. Read More
Innovative Converged Devices (ICD) has unveiled its new Vega 15 inch touchscreen tablet, an Android-powered communication and media device that features wireless 802.11b/g, Bluetooth and 3G connectivity, a Tegra combined application and graphics processor from NVIDIA, an ambient light sensor and accelerometer. Read More
