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Cell phone
Doro PhoneEasy cell phones for seniors
By Jeff Salton
23:11 October 19, 2009 PDT
Cell phone and services provider, Consumer Cellular, has released two senior-friendly cell phones with bigger, raised buttons and easy-to-read display text. The Doro PhoneEasy 345 and 410 cell phones are designed by Swedish company Doro – with more than 30 years of product design experience – and are being offered exclusively by Consumer Cellular after they surveyed customers and found that 62 percent would prefer cell phones with these features. Read More
Get mobile power with or without an outlet from the iGo Charge Anywhere
By Jeff Salton
22:47 October 1, 2009 PDT
Everyone remembers that interstate or international trip when their cell phone or GPS ran out of power and they discovered they’d brought the wrong charger with them. Or found themselves 'powerless' with no outlet in sight. Frustration, fear, panic … you name it, there are a lot of emotions that run through your mind when you find yourself in that situation. It’s a scenario you never want to repeat. But unfortunately, many of us are slow learners. A new travel-friendly charger called the iGo Charge Anywhere should help you overcome the problem of flat batteries by allowing you to charge your mobile devices in any location, with or without an outlet. Read More
Pong iPhone case cuts mobile phone radiation
By Jude Garvey
17:26 September 20, 2009 PDT
Pong Research Company has released a new cell phone case that promises to reduce radiation from the phone’s antenna. The Pong iPhone case covers the cell phone in a tight silicone skin. This skin contains a proprietary technology module that is aligned with the phone’s antenna and attracts the radiative energy up and away from the user’s head. The user will still maintain a full-strength signal without compromising the cell phone’s battery life or functionality. Read More
iLuv DC micro and dual USB in-car chargers
By Jeff Salton
00:26 August 21, 2009 PDT
ILuv has two new in-car USB chargers for people who don't want to have to remember to charge their devices before getting in the cars. The iLuv iAD 115 Micro USB Car Charger and iAD119 Dual USB Car Charger are suitable for iPod, iPhone, MP3 players, GPS devices, even that USB-powered shaver that never really got off the ground. Unlike some other clunkier USB chargers that get in the way of gear sticks, handbrakes, etc, the iAD115 Micro USB Car Charger is so small it can be concealed inside the cigarette lighter just by closing the cover. While the iAD119 Dual USB Car Charger removes fights in the car about who gets to charge their device first (great for families or newly-weds!) Read More
Tiny MEMS devices to filter, amplify electronic signals
By Jeff Salton
18:42 August 13, 2009 PDT
Researchers are developing a new class of tiny mechanical devices, made up of vibrating structures the thickness of a human hair, that could be used to filter electronic signals in cell phones and other applications. Only the size of a grain of sand, these microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) will, nonetheless, improve performance and reduce power usage. Read More
Nissan’s 2010 EV in detail
By Jeff Salton
07:34 July 29, 2009 PDT
Nissan has showcased its electric vehicle (EV) platform on a Tiida-based hatchback model. The Nissan EV-11 prototype seats four-five adults, has a top speed of around 87mph (140kmh), a cruising range of 100 miles (160km) between charges and, being a full EV, produces zero local CO2 emissions. The in-house developed electric motor delivers 80kW (107hp) for “high response and powerful acceleration”. Nissan has also plans some clever IT for its EV platform, like remote ON/OFF charging via a cell phone or the Internet, useful mapping features including automatic updates on the nearest charging stations, a global data center providing 24/7 support and a scheme that could even see non-contact charging introduced in carparks. Read More
Self-destructing online messages could save your job, your relationship, your bacon
By Jeff Salton
23:40 July 23, 2009 PDT
If you’ve got nothing to hide there’s no need to read to any further. But if you’re worried about someone digging up something from your past – and we’re talking non-criminal here – which may influence or damage job prospects, relationships, your social or professional life, then good news is at hand. The University of Washington (UW) has developed Vanish – a prototype system that places a time limit on information uploaded to any web service through a web browser. Electronic communication sent using Vanish - such as e-mail, posts on social networking sites and chat messages - would have a brief lifetime and then self-destruct, becoming irretrievable from all websites, inboxes, outboxes, backup sites and home computers. The University says that not even the sender could retrieve them. Read More
Dyson energy bracelet a good call
By Paul Best
20:45 June 22, 2009 PDT
How many times has your cell phone run out of juice in the middle of an important call? Too many. A team of designers, however, thinks it may have come up with a way of generating enough electricity to jolt your cell phone’s dead battery back to life to finish that all-important call – an energy bracelet that uses body heat and ambient temperature. Read More
BudTrap – a $5 killer product with ridiculously complex distribution
By Mike Hanlon
02:14 June 8, 2009 PDT
Okay, hands up all those who spend too much time each day untangling the earbuds on their portable media devices? More than 200 million such portable media players are sold globally each year with numbers increasing, so it makes sense that there are a lot of man-hours being lost untangling earbuds. Now a simple and ingenious USD$5 device, named BudTrap, can save you those precious few minutes each day that you’ll never get back. There is, however, a catch … Read More
Eyes-Free dialing just a swipe of a finger away
By Mick Webb
21:47 June 3, 2009 PDT
Google engineers have shown an experimental “Eyes-Free” touch interface for Android powered mobile phones. Through tapping, sliding and releasing, the interface can be used to quickly enter a phone number without having to look at the screen, and it’s not only vision impaired users that are set to benefit from the technology. Read More
Sharp releases "industry's thinnest" solar panel for mobile devices
By Paul Best
23:22 May 28, 2009 PDT
Recently we reported on Japanese cellular provider KDDI releasing a Sharp waterproof, solar-powered cell phone, which we believe has been renamed the SH002. Growing interest in both photovoltaic power as a clean and green source of energy and solar-powered devices has galvanized Sharp to release globally its new LR0GC02 solar module for mobile devices – which it claims is the industry's thinnest. Read More
Solar-powered Bluetooth headphones sound like a top idea
By Darren Quick
00:53 May 21, 2009 PDT
When it comes to wearable devices that harness the power of the sun, it would seem to make sense that the obvious place for solar panels would be the place that generally gets the most sunlight – namely the top of the head. That might not be desirable for items such as backpacks, jackets or sunglasses, but it’s such a perfect fit for headphones that you wonder why no one has thought of it before. Engineering student Shepeleff Stephen has hit on the obvious with his concept for Bluetooth-enabled headphones that incorporate solar panels into the headband. Read More
windykites1
- November 24, 2009 @ 19:38 UTC
