touch

Smartphone rumors for everyone

It's summertime and things are heating up, and we don't necessarily mean the temperature (because it certainly isn't very hot here in San Francisco, but I digress). No, we're talking more about rise in smartphone rumors, which isn't uncommon for this time of year as the carrier's start prepping for the fall and holiday seasons. As such, the blogosphere is blowing up with speculation, and looks like there's something for every carrier. Now, we must reiterate that these are just rumors and obviously, the service providers and device manufacturers haven't confirmed anything, … Read more

U.K. scientists demo graphic passwords

Think it's tough coming up with memorable yet secure letter/number combo passwords? Wait until you have to think of something to draw.

A system devised by computer scientists at Newcastle University in the U.K. uses human-scribbled doodles in lieu of traditional passwords.

Don't worry. One need not be the next Picasso for the graphic passcode system to work.

The Background Draw-a-Secret (BDAS) system, developed by Jeff Yan, a computer science lecturer at the School of Computing Science at Newcastle University, and graduate student Paul Dunphy, lets people choose from a selection of base images.

The image … Read more

Hold on, I need to reboot my sous chef

Is it just me, or does it seem like technology is taking over as master of the house?

Technological advances like the ones you see on this blog are making cooking, eating, and entertaining easier and more convenient, but in the case of some inventions, like the KitchenAttendant, we're no longer faced with the responsibility of thinking about what we should eat.

Remember the Intelliscanner Kitchen Companion remote, a handheld scanner that keeps track of your pantry and helps you print out grocery lists? Meet a device that puts the runt remote to shame. The KitchenAttendant is a countertop … Read more

Free iTunes remote control app for iPhone and Touch?

A report from the MacRumors blog shows supposedly leaked details of Apple's plans to allow the iPhone and iPod Touch to act as an in-home remote control for iTunes. As CNET's News.com reported this morning, the leaked remote control feature was discovered in a developer-only beta release of iTunes 7.7, evidenced in part by this unconfirmed screen shot.

If the rumors are accurate, the new iTunes remote control feature will be offered as a free application for iPhone and iPod Touch users once the iTunes App Store goes live. Presumably, a touch-screen remote control for iTunes … Read more

Pantech's love connection phone

Who needs sweet nothings uttered on the phone when you can send across your love through touch? Korean company Pantech is tapping into the gold mine of youths on hormonal overdrive with too much money to spend.

Its Touch-Screen Phone Love Canvas (IM-R300), the company's first touch-screen outing, not only lets one party draw little hearts and send them over to his or her significant other's Love Canvas, but they can also express their emotional status with various emoticons and vibrations by touching the panel.

The Sky-branded phone is being tested through SK Telecom, according to Telecoms Korea. (… Read more

Hacked iPhones get Pandora-like derandomizing

A couple weeks ago, I pondered if early adopters of the iPod and other MP3 players were starting to lose patience with the random shuffle function. Too much black and white, not enough gray.

Almost on cue, start-up Instinctiv came out on Thursday with its first application, an iPhone and iPod Touch application called Instinctiv Shuffle that will derandomize the random iTunes-shuffling feature.

Instinctiv Shuffle uses an algorithm similar to that developed by Pandora and other taste-tracking sites to select the perfect song to play next--like having a professional DJ sift through your collection.

There's a catch: Instinctiv Shuffle … Read more

Dialed In 37: Symbian takes on Apple, Google

Apple and Google better watch their backs. The newly formed Symbian Foundation is out to create the most open mobile platform, and all for free. This week we discuss how this will impact the industry. Plus, T-Mobile launches a new service; we check out the Samsung Soul and HTC Touch Diamond; and more of your answers to your cell phone questions. Listen now: Download today's podcast NewsNokia buys Symbian http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9975873-1.html http://news.cnet.com/8301-13579_3-9976434-37.htmlLG Dare to launch tomorrow http://crave.cnet.com/8301-1_105-9976979-1.htmlVerizon leaks information about the G'zOne … Read more

Even roulette tables may get touch screens

If Microsoft's "Surface" becomes a casino fixture next to the slot machines, the touch-screen table computer will find plenty of company. Not only are digital poker tables being developed--complete with "peel up" card corners so players can read their hands discreetly--but even touch-sensitive roulette games are on the way.

The "MultiPlay Roulette" system is the latest from Sweden's TouchTable, featuring a 56-inch touch LCD with 3,840 ? 2,160 resolution. The table can accommodate up to seven players and, thanks to the company's proprietary technology, it can identify each person's … Read more

Touch-screen fever spreads to speakers

Taiwan-based Genius has come up with some pretty odd creations, ranging from a combo camera-speaker set to a mouse with a mini-game controller. But it seems to have settled on at least one recurring function that may help separate it from the novelty-gadget crowd: touch screens.

It started late last year with some interesting Bluetooth headphones that featured a built-in touch-sensitive panel. And now the company has integrated another touch screen into a new set of 30-watt speakers designed for laptops.

Still, navigation panels can go only so far; as far as quality goes, the compact SP-T1200 will have to … Read more