National Wi-Fi is a hot topic lately. We’ve recently reported on
Google’s plan to
make it happen and Intel’s new wi-fi platform.
Now, a new product has launched that may satisfy our need for
around the clock connectivity.
TapRoot
Systems announced it’s WalkingHotSpot software
yesterday, which offers a new way to get connected using your
handheld device. If you own a Wi-Fi and mobile broadband-enabled
cellphone, the software turns it into a Wi-Fi router, effectively
transforming your phone into a hotspot.
There are a few kinks to be worked out before this can be widely
adopted. The service will be sold to carriers, not directly to
consumers, so we’ll have to wait and see who picks it up. Also,
only phones based on AT&T Wireless’ service would allow
internet access and phone calls to be made simultaneously. To
narrow it further, only phones using Symbian S60 or Windows Mobile operating systems are currently
supported.
The grainy video you see above is footage of the new Samsung concept phone. While much is not known about it, the video itself is quite amazing simply because it’s the first time a real physical phone has had a flexible display incorporated into it. The best part (for me) was when the phone folded and the keypad was on the other side, gives it a sort of realism to it, like it’ll be available soon.
When can you expect it?
Again, not much information is given about the concept phone, but chances are that you will be seeing it by next summer, winter at the latest. The real question though is whether or not the display is touch-sensitive — a large screen won’t do you much good if you can’t interact with it.
Leave it to people in Utah to invent the most anal-retentive product of this decade so far. Key2SafeDriving is a prototype made by University of Utah researchers that allows parents to disable their kids' cellphones while they're driving. The parents can allow certain numbers to be dialed, and of course 911 is still available, but the kicker is the other functions they hope to add into it.
They hope to include a "safety score" which will be sent each month to insurance companies to compile a driving record of each user. "The score also could include data recorded via Global Positioning System (GPS) satellites on the driver's speeding, rapid braking or running of lights, which are calculated by comparing the driver's position with a database of maps, speed limits, stop lights and so on." You'll basically have to drive like a saint (usually the most hated person on the road) or else your insurance company will use that one time you went five miles over the speed limit to jack up your rates like crazy.
I really don't see this gaining ground among the general public. The people I see using this are parents of only children, Mormons, parents who home school their kids, and rich liberal intellectuals who feel their kids will see how much they treasure their life through their over-protectionism. Sorry if I come off as hostile, but this product is so silly it makes me laugh that there might be a market for it. Check out their totally awesome video after the jump (seriously, you have to see it, I'm still laughing).
Although there has been much discussion about developing a hydrogen fuel cell for vehicles, a crazy company called MyFC has decided what’s good for the car is great for the cellphone. They went ahead and developed a flexible hydrogen fuel cell only 3mm thick which can fit snugly under your battery cover (pictured above). This means you could potentially power your devices with good clean energy (and who knows how long the charge could last, maybe days).
When can you expect to see this?
Although CrunchGear reports that the fuel cell is “amazingly close to production,” actual support and implementation of such a device could be years away. Here’s why:
If you haven’t put Prototype This! onto your Tivo account yet, do it. In one of their latest episodes, some of the team try out tracking body movement using camera recognition of symbols instead of that silly looking Gollum suit we’re so familiar with.
The amazing thing about this is not only is the technology and software needed very simple compared to a lot of motion capture tech today, but if programmed right it could track you by your clothing. And while currently you might need to wear a suit covered in patterns the computer is already programmed to follow (maybe a Tron Guy suit?), eventually it could detect places on our bodies and use them as markers. That mole on your arm? Plaid pajama bottoms? Earring? All will help identify your position and aid in tracking your movement.
This could be a big deal for the gaming and cellphone industry.
