Author name: William Appleyard

Microsoft file patent for ‘Magic Wand’

Computers, Gaming & Toys, Miscellaneous / By /

Microsoft seem to be filing patents left, right and center these days, and the latest discovery is one that may sound ridiculous at the moment, but it is quite easy to imagine it being common practice in the future – the ‘Magic Wand’. This ‘wand’ doesn’t have quite as many uses as a wizard’s, but does sound pretty handy; it can support connections between various types of technology in your home, whether it be your home cinema or pool cover.

Okay, you say – just another home automation remote control. But wait. This new ‘Wand’ sounds like it could take on a more advanced form of the Nintendo Wii control, whereby accelerometers (like in the high-end Nokia N-series and various other phones), various speed sensors, pre-existing communication frequencies and even by video cameras on the device! Maybe it could be left on a desk and programmed to hide all your games when your boss walks in the room? Let’s hope the patent gets granted!

Patent Filing

PlayStation Phone rumor

Gaming & Toys, Phones, Portable / By /

Sony Ericsson Aino

Remember the Nokia N-Gage? No? You know, it was that phone made by Nokia and SEGA that people were supposed to be able to play games on like a games console? The point here is it never took off. A bit of de ja vu here – Sony Ericsson and Sony have teamed up in an effort to produce what looks like could be the PlayStation Phone.

So far we’ve seen the Aino – a touch screen gadget that allows media exchange with the PS3 and boasts an impressive 8.1MP camera. There’s another range of similar devices being announced along with this, which does seem to be pointing towards the possibility of a PlaySation Phone. Nice.

Google Android Operating System – Linux Competitor?

Computers, Software / By /

Android

They were always 3 choices in the operating system market – MacOS, Windows or Linux, with the latter being free but not much good for those who struggled with technology, and the others being quite pricey. Now Google have added Android to the mix, offering a free operating system that (hopefully!) will be easier to use than the Linux base – ironic, isn’t it? Android is built on a Linux operating system and now could possibly replace it.

Android was released in late 2007 as an open source software platform for phones, and contributed to Google’s sector entrance with the G1 which has become quite popular. Google are now hoping to pass on this popularity and familiararity to persuade users to adopt this OS for their computers, and manufacturers are looking to cash in on this to provide low cost laptops with the new operating system without having to resort to XP or a rather more complicated operating system.

GfG’s Article Recap for Week Ending June 26, 2009

Computers, Gaming & Toys, Gizmo of the Day, Networking & Internet, Portable, Software / By /

Here’s the quick recap for the week:

World’s Smallest USB-Powered Microwave

Gizmo of the Day, Miscellaneous, Portable / By /

Heinz's Beanzawave

Heinz’s new innovation is not a new type of super-bean, but in fact a microwave. Talk about diversification! This particular item was designed by Gordon Andrews and Stephen Frazer who entered a partnership with Heinz to produce this for Heinz’s small ‘Snap Pots’ which would benefit from an ultra-portable microwave to cook them with and rather aptly named it the ‘Beanzawave’.

For the technically gifted of you out there, the device users a range of mobile phone radio frequencies to cook the food on the inside and the outside at the same time and it conforms to all the relevant microwave safety regulations. There are also plans a-foot to power the microwave via rechargeable lithium ion batteries to make it truly portable. Pricing currently stands at £100 (approx. $163) but the manufacturers are looking to drive this down in the long run.

Really Easy Reader – speed reading assistant

Gizmo of the Day, Software / By /

Today’s Gizmo is the Really Easy Reader whose aim is to get you reading documents at a faster speed – they claim that this can easily be double your normal reading speed. This basically works by flashing words on your screen very quickly (hit the manufacturer link for an example), or by running a ticker quickly across the screen, forcing you to read them very quickly and, as such, decreases the amount of time taken to read a document.

reallyeasyreader

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Really Easy Reader – speed reading assistantRead More »

Metal Detecting Sandals

Gizmo of the Day, Miscellaneous / By /

Metal Detecting Sandals

We’re ever looking for ways to save time and become more efficient in today’s world and this idea is no exception. Presenting the Metal Detecting Sandals, allowing you to detect metal while you walk via a sensor built into the sole up to 2 feet deep; a control box is then strapped to your leg to translate the signals from the ground into something a bit more meaningful.

When an item is found, the device alerts you with a flashing red or a gentle vibration or buzz. I can’t think of any better way to ruin a perfect romantic walk on the beach by a loud alarm signalling you’ve found a cent buried 2 feet underground!

Buy now!

Price: $59.95
(Please note prices are subject to change and the listed price is correct to the best of our knowledge at the time of posting)

Guitar Hero 5 – Coming Soon!

Gaming & Toys, Gizmo of the Day / By /

Guitar Hero 5

Yes! This is real news – a few organisations are reporting that Guitar Hero 5 is due to be released this fall to try and increase its target audience with a whole range of new features (not much news yet on what these are) but there seems to be general focus around so-called ‘social play’. Some examples of new features are the ability to ‘jump’ in and out of songs, change the level of difficulty whenever you want during a song and adding more multiplayer game types such as a scenario where the weakest player in each song is eliminated, leaving just the best.

I like the idea of being able to change the difficulty mid-song.

Skyhook Wireless – A Credible Alternative to GPS?

GPS, Networking & Internet / By /

Skyhook Wireless

Perhaps a little known fact is that iPhone doesn’t always get its positioning from GPS, but sometimes from WiFi and cellular towers, using Skyhook Wireless’ system. Skyhook provides an alternative form of positioning that is more reliable in areas where there may be excessive sky coverage, such as trees or tall buildings – it is at this point the iPhone may decide to switch to taking its position from surrounding WiFi acess points and cellular towers by judging its proximity to them.

How does this work? WiFi points are generally moveable so surely it’s impossible to get an accurate position from them? True. But Skyhook employs around 500 drivers who constantly patrol the streets in their custom vehicles (much like how Google map their various softwares) to work out where the access points are located. To me, this seems a very costly procedure to what is a relatively small company, but it’s obviously working. If you want the gory details on everything Skyhook related, their website: SkyhookWireless.com otherwise I would highly recommend NYTimes.com’s very informative article.

GfG’s Article Recap for Week Ending June 19, 2009

Computers, Gizmo of the Day, Home Automation, Networking & Internet, Portable, Software / By /

Have Zune begun to copy Apple’s stylish music players with the upcoming Zune HD? We’ve got your weekly fill of format wars – this time focused on home automation and could we really be that much closer to wearable remote controls?

Father’s days coming up and, being such a caring bunch, we came up with a a really great idea! Another idea may be to get him an analog to digital converter so that he can preserve those old video and music sitting in the attic.

Are you aniPhone/iPod Touch user and also a networking maniac? Take a look at Zensify.

The week was capped off by the ever-so-geeky Mac vs. PC poster and a look at the current progress of holographic optics – manufacturer SBG has a very cool prototype of a full-color, heads-up wearable display.

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