Making an understated appearance at Qualcomm's stand at Mobile World Congress, the machine is a standard coffeemaker that the processor company has hooked up to one of its Atheros 4100 chips.
To control it, Qualcomm's put several of its own platforms to work. Using Vuforia augmented reality tech, you wave your tablet's camera in front of the coffee machine until it's recognized, at which point you'… Read more
BARCELONA, Spain--We all need a bit of direction in life, especially when we're getting on in years. With the Fujitsu New Generation Cane, a prototype superconnected walking stick, seniors can find their way, stay healthy, and keep loved ones posted on their progress.
The cane prototype is on show at Mobile World Congress, proving that "mobile device" doesn't just mean a phone or tablet. Packed with GPS, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, it not only guides you to your destination but records data to make sure you're not in trouble.
The cane is topped by a contoured handle made of glossy plastic, which curves all the way around the hand in a loop. The handle flares at the front, a bit like the pommel of a sword, where there's a screen of large light-up colored dots that displays useful information to the walker. It displays either big green arrows pointing you in the right direction, or big green numbers to tell you your heart rate. … Read more
BARCELONA, Spain--Asus has taken the wrapper off its new FonePad device, a 7-inch Android tablet that contains all the necessary tech to make phone calls. It also costs a mere $249, or £179. If Asus can sell what is basically a giant phone at half the cost of a high-end smartphone, why are smartphones so expensive in the first place?
I put the question to Asus, and while I didn't get a single, clear answer, I was given some clues.
"[With] small devices," Asus' regional director Jonahan Santaub said, "Often there's more engineering, development, … Read more
BARCELONA, Spain--If you live an extraordinarily fascinating life and believe that everyone should be able to witness every glorious second of it as it happens, the Looxcie HD may well be the gadget for you. It's a video camera that's small enough to attach anywhere on your person that, thanks to its built in Wi-Fi, allows you to live stream everything to your Facebook wall.
Like the ever-popular GoPro Hero range of video cameras, the Looxcie HD is designed to be as small and inconspicuous as possible. It's small enough to sit comfortably in the palm of … Read more
Business-friendly ThinkPad Windows laptops are still Lenovo's best-known product, but that's not stopping the company from hedging its bets with Android. The China-based manufacturer has unveiled a trio of new tablets at the Mobile World Congress show: the 10-inch S6000, and a pair of 7-inchers, the A3000 and A1000. All three run the version 4.1 (Jelly Bean) of Google's tablet operating system. Look for them in the second quarter of the year; pricing info and local availability hasn't yet been specified.
The 10-inch S6000 features a standard "blacktablets.com" looks and feel. It'… Read more
It sounds ideal. Take all those DVDs and Blu-rays you own and, from the comfort of your own home, effortlessly gain digital copies for a low price. That's the promise of Vudu's new "In-Home Disc to Digital" service. Vudu delivers on that promise in some cases but disappoints in other ways.
Last year, Walmart-owned Vudu launched its Disc to Digital service that required people to go into Walmart stores for the conversion. Who wants to do that? This is where the "In-Home" version of Disc to Digital comes … Read more
BARCELONA, Spain--Samsung's not content with just making smart TVs -- now it's taking another lunge into your living room with HomeSync, an Android-powered media hub.
The glossy black box, announced today at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain, has an HDMI connection, but also hooks up to other gadgets over Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The HomeSync hub streams Android movies, TV shows, and games, but Samsung promises the system will also work with Galaxy smartphones, giving smartphone owners the power to beam their home movies or photos onto the big screen.
Samsung says the HomeSync will feature a "… Read more
Every kitchen needs a set of tools. Sometimes, that just means a bowl or plate and the microwave. (An eating utensil might come in handy, too.) Other times, it seems that meal preparation requires every kitchen tool in the house. In any event, to keep things mixing, chopping, slicing and blending smoothly, it's important to have the right tool for the job. Or in this case, all of the tools.
The Breville All-In-One Immersion Blender and Food Processor ($199) combines the versatility of a food processor with the convenience of a stick blender. An evolution from Breville's Control Grip … Read more
"OK Glass."
Those are the two words that Google showed today will initiate a variety of commands for its Glass computerized eyewear.
In the Google Glass "How it Feels" video, people speak the words "OK Glass" and then pick from a list of featured voice commands to send a message, record a video, take a photo, launch a video-chat hangout, conduct a search, check the weather, or get driving directions.
The demo is a concrete illustration of how Google is evolving its technology from a mere search engine to a constant personal companion that augments your mind. … Read more
The kitchen cupboard is a portal that can lead to many great discoveries. However, the kitchen doesn't always have to be about exploration. Sometimes, it is a simple, everyday favorite that calls out to our stomachs. A go-to meal is after all, a meal to go to without hesitation. But for that, of course, you need a drawer full of hot dogs.
The methods employed to make a batch of hot dogs at home can range from the deceptively simple to the downright outrageous. However, even if you want it plain or if you prefer it to be a … Read more
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Fitness tech is here to stay, and the competition is only getting stiffer. Watch the Fitbit Flex and the Jawbone Up fight for fitness tech supremacy!
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