Posts tagged "Could"

Upcoming iOS Devices Could Have MagSafe-Like Adapters

Imagine a world where your iDevice is tethered to a MagSafe-style connector.
Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired

My only wish for the next iPhone and iPad: that Apple’s signature 30-pin dock connector be replaced with something like the Mac’s masterful, magnetic MagSafe connector.

Although it may not show up in iOS devices this year, a just-published Apple patent shows that Apple is toying with ways to make the 30-pin connector and your headphone jack magnetic, just like MagSafe.

Making its first appearance in the MacBook Pro in 2006, the MagSafe adapter is a power connector that attaches to your Mac notebook magnetically. It’s extraordinarily convenient since it simply snaps into place, and gently pops off without upsetting your notebook if, say, someone accidentally trips over your power cord in a coffee shop.

Using a MagSafe-style adapter would be slightly trickier in the case of an iOS device, as the current 30-pin dock connector is also used for data transfer — though this isn’t so germane once you enable over-the-air updates and syncing with iOS 5. In the patent, unearthed by AppleInsider, Apple proposes that both a device and its connector would contain a series of “coded magnets” to share information.

A newly published Apple patent shows how current 30-pin dock connectors could be magnetic instead. Images: Free Patents Online

A MagSafe-like iOS connector made up of programmable magnets would also entail a connector assembly that, in and of itself, would be less susceptible to damage. The benefits of this should be immediately obvious to anyone who’s ever accidentally tried to insert Apple’s current 30-pin connector backwards.

(We know who we are: all of us.)

Another benefit explored by the patent: A headphone jack possibly impervious to soda damage.

Today’s headphone jacks and connector ports leave mobile devices susceptible to liquid intrusion, as our tablets and phones aren’t 100 percent water-tight — this is why both types of devices are equipped with water sensors. But using a magnetically attached connector for ports would not only be convenient for users, it would also let Apple properly seal its iOS devices. This would considerably reduce susceptibility to water damage.

If Apple implemented its new design for the headphone jack, you’d obviously need new earbuds for your iDevices, or at least new cords or adapters — some kind of system that replaces the common mini-jack prong with a magnet interface that would fit snugly inside the iDevice for a complete seal.

It would definitely be a pain to be limited by proprietary audio cables, but if it means soda spills becomes annoyances rather than catastrophes, the hardship may be worthwhile.

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Microsoft Kinect Could Make Its Way to Laptops

We could be seeing Kinect gesture-recognition technology embedded in laptops within the next year. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

The ability to control a Windows desktop with a simple hand gesture could become reality sooner than we once thought.

The Daily got a sneak peek at two Microsoft-developed Windows 8 notebook prototypes with built-in Kinect sensors. The system would allow for gesture recognition in portable devices for the first time. The prototypes “appear to be Asus netbooks” and “feature an array of small sensors stretching over the top of the screen where the webcam would normally be,” The Daily reported.

3-D gesture control on a laptop could offer more interactive, Kinect-style PC gaming, as well as new computer interfaces and ways to control one’s notebook.

Microsoft opened up its Kinect SDK to developers in June, and recently said it would be bringing Kinect to desktop PCs in 2012. The Xbox Kinect console itself is already in 18 million households the world over.

Although Microsoft popularized it, the 3-D gesture recognition space is rapidly becoming a hot area of innovation.

Another company, SoftKinetic, is working on similar technology aimed at the notebook market. Using a different technology than what the Kinect currently incorporates, the SoftKinetic system can sense motion as close as 5.9 inches away. And then there’s LG and Samsung, whose upcoming Smart TVs have taken a cue from Microsoft, and will incorporate Kinect-style gesture recognition, along with other forms of interface control like voice control, and touchscreen remotes.

Although Microsoft is demonstrating and testing this technology, finished Kinect-based portable products may not come straight from Redmond, but rather from developers or OEMs.

Windows 8 is set to debut in beta in February. We should start seeing finished Windows 8 products (notebooks and tablets) arriving toward the middle and end of this year.

via The Daily

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Microsoft Kinect Could Make Its Way Onto Laptops

We could be seeing Kinect gesture-recognition technology embedded in laptops within the next year. Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

The ability to control a Windows desktop with a simple hand gesture could become reality sooner than we once thought.

The Daily got a sneak peek at two Microsoft-developed Windows 8 notebook prototypes with built-in Kinect sensors. The system would allow for gesture recognition in portable devices for the first time. The prototypes “appear to be Asus netbooks” and “feature an array of small sensors stretching over the top of the screen where the webcam would normally be,” The Daily reported.

3D gesture control on a laptop could offer more interactive, Kinect-style PC gaming, as well as new computer interfaces and ways to control one’s notebook.

Microsoft opened up its Kinect SDK to developers in June, and recently said it would be bringing Kinect to desktop PCs in 2012. The Xbox Kinect console itself is already in 18 million households the world over.

Although Microsoft popularized it, the 3D gesture recognition space is rapidly becoming a hot area of innovation.

Another company, SoftKinetic, is working on similar technology aimed at the notebook market. Using a different technology than what the Kinect currently incorporates, the SoftKinetic system can sense motion as close as 5.9 inches away. And then there’s LG and Samsung, whose upcoming Smart TVs have taken a cue from Microsoft, and will incorporate Kinect-style gesture recognition, along with other forms of interface control like voice control, and touchscreen remotes.

Although Microsoft is demonstrating and testing this technology, finished Kinect-based portable products may not come straight from Redmond, but rather from developers or OEMs.

Windows 8 is set to debut in beta in February. We should start seeing finished Windows 8 products (notebooks and tablets) arriving towards the middle and end of this year.

via The Daily

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Printed Sensors Could Help Save You From Spoiled Food

Was this chicken safe even before it was fried? Thinfilm could help us find out. Photo: Ariel Zambelich/Wired

Whenever I pick up a package of frozen raw meat from the grocery store, I wonder, “Has this been frozen the whole time? How many times did it thaw and re-freeze?” It’s a disquieting thought, especially because there’s currently no easy way to tell.

But it looks like the ambiguity is about to end. In partnership with PST Sensor, Thinfilm, which produces printed re-writable memory, will begin making the first fully printed temperature sensor systems to monitor perishable items like food and pharmaceuticals.

“It’s a smart object that’s entirely self-contained,” Jennifer Ernst, Thinfilm’s North American VP told Wired.

That may sound familiar. It’s a key element of a concept called “The Internet of Things,” which basically refers to an imagined future where nearly every object will include embedded chips that can store data and interact with networks.

Thinfilm’s first-gen sensors will be able to cache data about the object itself, on the item itself. In this case, the sensors will record data concerning the object’s temperature history, tracking precise time, temperature and exposure information, and also displaying it in a low-power readout. The data within can be accessed as needed, insomuch it doesn’t need to be retrieved from the cloud, or require a constant wireless connection.

In the past, we’ve seen thin food sensors that change color as food begins to spoil. But this type of technology doesn’t retain data, and thus doesn’t provide information about the history of a product as it shipped.

Unlike the simple color-changing strips, ThinFilm’s technology is composed of a few different components: a temperature sensor (called a thermistor), a battery, addressable memory, and an optional contact-based readout or display. The printed temperature sensor took 10 years of development to become a reality. The entire circuit should be able to last for six months or more, drawing less than 0.2 microamps of current from its 3-volt, 1-mAhr battery.

Thinfilm’s technology is also different from existing systems that contain or beam out information. RFID sensors, for example, cost up to $100 to create, and with traditional semiconductor manufacturing, there’s a lot of waste involved.

But Thinfilm prints organic circuits. They’re inexpensive, flexible, and generally disposable. In fact, the system’s memory is made from a ferro-electric polymer that’s completely disposable. The material from the transistor follows familiar CMOS style-circuitry. The result is a sensor that should only cost about 30 cents when the product starts deploying circa 2013, and will become even cheaper in the years following.

Thinfilm’s current printed memory technology. Image: Thinfilm

So, what would something like this look like?

Thinfilm already prints transparent, thin and flexible 20-bit memory (pictured above) that’s used in toys and games. This sensor would be similar.

“It will be very much like a sticker, with a lot of functionality,” Ernst said. “It’s a thin layer of plastic with electrodes, and memory film on top of it.”

Besides keeping track of perishable food items, the temperature sensors could also be placed on vaccines or vials of medicine to ensure they’re stored at safe temperature levels throughout transport to hospitals or doctors offices.

In the future, this type of technology could also be applied to other kinds of sensors, like humidity sensors. Thinfilm is building out a digital ecosystem, so safe, disposable, cheap sensors could be used in all sorts of applications.

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CES 2012 Preview: How Apps Could Rule the Show

Tablet apps may be a big part of the app scene at CES 2012. Photo: Jim Merithew/Wired

Typically, when one speaks of the annual Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, the conversation evokes imagery of a sprawling arena filled with booth upon booth of hardware.

But hardware isn’t everything this year. CES 2012 will be the first CES where apps show up in a major way.

Every new television or set-top box that boasts a smart TV interface is essentially a platform for app use and discovery. Android apps now run on Google TV, and next week’s CES will play host to a handful of Google TV announcements. What’s more, all of the major TV manufacturers now have a “connected TV” platform that plays host to widgets for Netflix, Amazon, Pandora, Twitter, and similar appy content sources.

Appliances are getting into the apps space too: LG’s ThinQ appliances directly connect to mobile apps for remote user control. And at this year’s CES, you’ll see automobiles stuffed with apps connected wirelessly to the cloud.

Yes, apps will be everywhere in Las Vegas next week, and the Consumer Electronics Association has added “Software and Mobile Apps” as a new product category this year, a nod toward the importance of apps in the overall electronics experience. Today, a consumer electronics company needs much more than hardware to succeed. It also needs an elegant user interface, and a quality selection of apps to distinguish itself from the competition.

The Synergy of Apps and Hardware

“Like CDs and DVDs in the past, apps are tied to the hardware,” said Robin Raskin, founder of Living in Digital Times, a CES Partner Program. “It’s becoming intrinsic to the hardware experience.”

For instance, children’s toymaker Wowwee will debut a line of collectible toys called AppGear at CES. The toys connect to mobile devices, mirroring the real world with the virtual world. So, if you’re playing with one of the line’s small foam airplanes called “Foam Fighters,” you can pretend you’re piloting a WWI airship using the accompanying app.

Transgaming is another company that’s bridging our interactions with hardware through mobile devices and apps. Transgaming has developed a platform that lets you play games using your mobile device and your TV — a rising trend known as multi-screen gaming. The company wants to use CES to broadcast its platform to service providers, content developers, and independent developers.

Vikas Gupta, CEO and president of Transgaming, described a few gaming possibilities: Playing a game of mobile-to-TV Scrabble with your family, or similarly, a game of poker, with your cards on your personal display, and the poker table up on the TV. At CES, Transgaming will be showing off a custom game called Ants at a Picnic, which lets you squash virtual insects on your TV by flicking and swiping bugs on your mobile device.

Approximately 60 percent of Living in Digital Times exhibitors are showing off apps in the sports, fitness and digital health sector. What’s more, in the section for kids products, 80 percent of exhibitors include apps as part of their presentation.

App Recognition
For the third year in a row, CES will be holding a Mobile Apps Showdown, a contest that pits submitted apps against one another for the popular vote. This year, developers entered over 100 apps into the contest.

Titles that have won in past years include Drive Safely, an app designed to curb texting while driving, Swiftkey, a personalized, predictive keyboard app, and Line2, which adds an extra phone line to your mobile device. Robin Raskin, the founder of a CES Partner Program called Living in Digital Times, says the top 10 is a good cross section of app offerings, ranging from video to healthcare to biking pedometers and geofencing.

For the first time, CES is also including a fixture called the Wall of Apps, housed in the show’s North Hall.

“It’s like a self-serve museum exhibit,” Raskin says. In its inaugural year, the Wall of Apps will show off 20 apps on various devices selected by the app developers. Titles like Line2 and Zinio, a global magazine service, will be on display for attendees to take for test drives.

App Launches and Demos
Standalone apps demos will also appear in booths at Pepcom (a major press preview event), and in the iLounge section of the CES show floor.

Scrible, an HTML5 app that will run in-browser on mobile Safari, is a fully featured webpage annotation and online research system for tablets. The service is already available for desktop browsers, but at CES, developers will be debuting the tablet version.

“Folks now recognize that the apps that run on the hardware are important to the user experience and, therefore, the success of a mobile device,” Scrible CEO Victor Karkar says. “The excitement for tablets will continue this year. We’re a part of that, and want to ride that wave.”

Chris Holbert, CEO of SecuraTrac, is a three-year veteran of CES. His company will be exhibiting SecuraFone, a safety-focused iPhone and Android app that uses GPS tracking to prevent distracted driving. In addition to being a good platform for developing new business relationships, CES is a great opportunity to connect with customers and suppliers, and scope out where the electronics industry is headed, Holbert says.

With apps of every form and flavor showing up at CES this year, it looks like more than just company employees are going to be energized. Apps are revving up to be a huge part of 2012.

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Uncannily Realistic ATM Skimmer Could Be from 3-D Printer

Police believe that this skimmer could have come from a 3-D printer

Do you check the ATM for tampering every single time you use it? Do you use a library card or or other non-bank card* to swipe open the door of the bank after hours? Do you cover the keypad as you input your PIN, even when there’s nobody around?

Even if you do most of these things, you may be powerless against 3-D-printed card skimmers, found on a Chase Bank ATM in West Hills, California.

This clever device is believed to have been fabricated by a 3-D printer, and the precision of the design lets it fit perfectly over the bulbous green blob that is supposed to make Chase’s machines hard to cover with skimmers.

The skimmer reads the card’s magnetic strip when inserted, and this in turn activates a camera which will record you entering your PIN (this is why you should always cover the keypad when you enter your number).

Inside is circuitry which could be ripped from a cellphone or video camera, raising the possibility that the stolen info could be sent wirelessly to the fraudster who planted the device.

Scary, right? And kind of impressive at the same time. I guess the only safe thing to do is to go into the open bank and draw your money from the cashier, just like we used to do in the olden days.

Pro Grade (3D Printer-Made?) ATM Skimmer [Brian Krebs via BoingBoing]

*Skimmers are often fitted to the door-entry system, on the theory that people are less likely to check them. A camera then records you inputting your PIN into the untouched machine, and the two are matched later.

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Spray-On ‘NeverWet’ Coating Could Waterproof Gadgets

Imagine being able to take your camera/phone/e-reader to the beach, or use it out in the rain, and never worry about getting it wet. Imagine further that you could do this with your existing gadgets, just by spraying them with a magic waterproof coating.

That’s the promise of NeverWet, a “superhydrophobic” coating that will repel just about anything. Water rolls off NeverWet-coated surfaces like glass beads on a windowpane. Syrups and other sticky, viscous fluids slide off like water. Here’s a video of the stuff in action:

The sales pitch is that objects coated in NeverWet can “never get wet.” The claims seem to be truthful: a small panel was left in a bucket of seawater at the NeverWet offices for a year. One side was coated in NeverWet. When the panel was removed, this side came out dry, and still water repellent.

Apart from the obvious waterproofing applications, NeverWet could also be used an antibacterial coating, an icing repellent and a corrosion protection. Imagine painting a bike in this stuff and never having to clean it again.

Like any superhero, NeverWet has its Kryptonite, in this case alcohol and soap. Both of these will cause NeverWet to get wet, but a quick rinse with water will restore its magical properties. Given that my number one use-case for a waterproof coating is to protect my gadgets from spilled wine, beer and cocktails, this might turn into an important limitation.

NeverWet is still undergoing research, but could be available commercially next year. I’m looking forward to NeverWet clothing. I’ll never have to undress again.

NeverWet product page [NeverWet via PetaPixel]

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Kindle Fire Fervor Could Bolster Amazon’s App-Builder Base

Long before the Kindle Fire ever went on sale, Amazon’s $200 tablet was a massive hit. Pre-order projections have surpassed the million-device mark, and hype is at an all-time high. Now all Amazon needs is a large cache of apps to take on competing markets.

Though the company’s Appstore has some catching up to do, all of the Fire’s pre-release fervor could be stoking the flames of software development. Indeed, in a recently released survey, the Kindle Fire received top marks for developer interest, attracting the most support from North American coders.

Forty-nine percent of the some 2,100 participants polled claimed interest in developing for the Fire, according to the survey conducted by IDC Research and Appcelerator. The Fire slightly edged out the Samsung Galaxy Tab for the top Android tablet spot. Other competitors came in far behind, with the Xoom ranked at 37 percent interest, and the Barnes & Noble Nook at 24 percent.

However small a lead in developer interest the Fire has over Samsung, it speaks volumes about the potential for Amazon’s app environment. Like Google and Apple, Amazon aims to create its own robust app ecosystem, edging out other Android tablet competition with a vertical integration strategy much akin to Apple’s: Own the hardware, own the Appstore. And though the Fire is powered by Google’s Android OS, Amazon basically owns the OS as well thanks to its dramatic interface customizations.

While the Kindle Fire is indeed built atop the Android operating system, it isn’t what one would consider a traditional Android tablet. For one, it doesn’t come loaded with any of Google’s proprietary apps — no Maps, no YouTube, no Gmail. Even more telling, Android Market is conspicuously absent.

There’s a good reason for that. Amazon wants you to use its Appstore for all of your application needs, a strategy that pulls customers further into Amazon’s universe.

Coding for Amazon, however, is not as simple as slapping an app together and launching it in the store. Developers are required to go through a submission process somewhat akin to Apple’s, essentially applying for a spot in Amazon’s media library by adhering to strict guidelines. It’s a far cry from the traditional Android Market approval process — or should we say, the complete lack thereof.

This makes the 49 percent developer interest stat all the more telling: The coding community is raring to go despite the requirement that they jump through extra hoops to get apps inside.

And there’s a nice side benefit to all of this interest: Support for Amazon’s Appstore could help bolster the Android platform as a whole.

“The Kindle Fire is also a good thing for the Android ecosystem because people will actually buy this device,” wrote Forrester analyst Sarah Rotman Epps in a recent email, comparing the Kindle’s potential success to the sales flops of other recent Android tablets. “This will spur developers to create apps for it, which they can then port over to other Android devices.”

Despite the initial fervor, developers retained a healthy amount of skepticism prior to the tablet’s debut. The lack of certain common tablet features — like cameras and geo-location components — have some potential Amazon courtiers worried, as does the possibility of further ecosystem fragmentation.

But users looking for a tablet device on the cheap are ready to make concessions — as the projected pre-order numbers clearly show — and losing accoutrements like cameras and extra on-board storage isn’t a deal-breaker. And as Rotman Epps said, fragmentation isn’t necessarily a major issue, as apps made for Amazon’s store can be ported over to the Android Market with minimal effort.

Poised on the brink of the holiday season, it’s a perfect opportunity for Amazon to pounce on the masses of would-be tablet adopters put off by Apple’s pricey pad. Especially when demand for the iPad could actually be waning, according to Goldman Sachs analyst Bill Shope, who claims Apple is long “overdue” for a tablet price cut.

It’s high time for a competitor to dethrone Apple’s market dominance, and on paper, Amazon looks to be in the best position to do it. Now the question is, will the Kindle Fire’s hardware be up to snuff? Some are singing its praises, while we weren’t terribly impressed. As the first devices arrive on doorsteps as soon as tomorrow, the market will let us know soon enough.

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

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DIY Flamethrower Pistol. What Could Possibly Go Wrong?

Prettier than a squeezy bottle filled with gasoline, and much, much safer

What better way to spend a cold Fall weekend than to build yourself a handheld flamethrower? And not just any old flamethrower, but a “Moose/Bear Repellent” flamethrower?

It might look simple, but maker PDRWLSN put a lot of work and skill into building this pistol-shaped fire gun. At its heart, though, it’s little more than a copper pipe containing a butane canister. The canister is pushed forward in this pipe by a trigger on the wooden body of the gun and discharges its gas through a nozzle. This nozzle sprays the gas out through a pulse ignition from a gas grill. Here it is in action:

PDRWLSN has provided full plans over at Instructables, so you can follow along and make your own. I’m far too lazy, so I’ll just go buy a SuperSoaker and a lighter and take a trip to the gas station.

Moose/Bear Repellent aka FLAME THROWER [Instructables via Oh Gizmo!]

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Cheap Android Phones Could Cost Telcos Billions in Repairs

They may not boast the brand status and performance of higher-end smartphones, but cheap, bottom-feeder Android phones are attractive options for those unwilling to drop big bucks on a mobile device.

At least, these phones are cheap to us. The companies responsible for servicing the phones are getting the raw end of the deal, according to a recent study.

Hardware failures in cheap Android phones that result in repairs and returns can cost wireless service providers up to $2 billion per year, according to recent data published by WDS research. The report, which was first covered by Reuters, says Android platform fragmentation problems are the main contributor to hardware failures.

Platform fragmentation: It’s shorthand for saying that multiple devices — all boasting different internal components and screen sizes — are loaded with a wide variety of OS versions. In the world of Android phones, all this variance from device to device can cause problems for engineers who must perfectly match hardware builds to software builds. In the end, consumers are sometimes faced with hardware that doesn’t seem to work.

Support-call stats back this up: 14 percent of tech-support calls concerning Android phones relate to hardware, compared to 11 percent for Windows Phone, and even less for iOS and BlackBerry OS.

It’s a multi-faceted problem, and not necessarily an indicator of problems directly relating to the Android OS. Nonetheless, Google doesn’t do itself any favors thanks to its ambitious release cycle. Google’s Android team has one of the most rapid software development cycles in the industry, releasing new versions of Android approximately every six months. That means pushing out lots of updates to phones that may not be ready.

Indeed, it’s especially difficult to upgrade budget smartphone hardware. These phones typically sport lower-end components to keep costs down, and updated Android software releases are optimized for handsets with beefier specs. Pushing out a new update to a janky phone primes the pump for massive returns and repair calls to the telecoms.

The situation is exacerbated by all of the interface layers applied by hardware manufacturers. To differentiate their products from other Android phones on the market, manufacturers will often “skin” their devices to make Android look different. HTC, for example, has its “Sense” user interface, while Motorola ran with a “Motoblur” UI for some time (the company now seems to be phasing it out). When another Android update is released the phone manufacturer must retool its custom UI in order to make the new OS work.

Handset problems, anyone?

Fortunately, Android has time on its side to work out all of the kinks. Low-cost feature phones — aka “dumbphones” not running iOS, Android or another smartphone operating systems — currently make up the majority of the mobile devices purchased in the U.S., according to Nielsen data. That means hundreds of millions of potential customers haven’t migrated to even the low-end of smartphones, those phones that are costing the telecoms billions.

But as smartphone adoption continues to grow, the carriers potentially have much more to lose at stake.

“Android features heavily in almost all operators’ smartphone strategies,” wrote WDS VP of marketing Tim Deluca-Smith in a company blog post. “It’s clear from the evidence in this study that if they are to maximize their investment, they must better manage how they bring Android products into their network, retail them and support them.”

Photo: Jon Snyder/Wired.com

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