Engadget http://www.engadget.com Engadget http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif Engadget http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/<![CDATA[RealVNC teams up with Sony to bring Android apps to the dashboard]]>http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/27/realvnc-teams-up-with-sony-to-bring-android-apps-to-the-dashboar/http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/27/realvnc-teams-up-with-sony-to-bring-android-apps-to-the-dashboar/http://www.engadget.com/2012/02/27/realvnc-teams-up-with-sony-to-bring-android-apps-to-the-dashboar/#comments Sony and RealVNC have announced a partnership that aims to liberate your smartphone's applications and content, bringing the wares to your car's dashboard. Once a VNC-enabled vehicle and Android handset are paired, users can access and manipulate the device's applications, music library and stream web content directly to the car's infotainment system. In order to preserve public safety, and meet "regulatory requirements," the system can detect vehicle velocity and will revoke the proverbial keys to your mobile kingdom while you're in motion. The RealVNC code will be bundled with "all new 2012 Xperia handsets" and the accompanying VNC Automotive software has -- according to the press release, anyway -- "been widely adopted by the automotive industry." What's more, the VNC goodies will allow Sony support specialists to troubleshoot your Xperia handset remotely, should you request such assistance. Mosey on past the break for a look at the full announcement.

Continue reading RealVNC teams up with Sony to bring Android apps to the dashboard

RealVNC teams up with Sony to bring Android apps to the dashboard originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:46:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>accessAndroidappsassistancecarcarsconsoleentertainment systemEntertainmentSysteminfotainmentiPod ConnectIpodConnectmobilepostminiRealRealVNCremoteremote accessremote assistanceRemoteAccessRemoteAssistancesmartphoneSonystreaming audioStreamingAudioVNCVNC AutomotiveVncAutomotiveXperiaXperia PXperia UXperiaPXperiaUMon, 27 Feb 2012 15:46:00 EST<![CDATA[Utechzone Spring eye-tracking system hands-on (video)]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/06/utechzone-spring-eye-tracking-system-hands-on-video/http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/06/utechzone-spring-eye-tracking-system-hands-on-video/http://www.engadget.com/2011/06/06/utechzone-spring-eye-tracking-system-hands-on-video/#comments In the midst of fiddling with tablets and laptops at Computex, we haven't been thinking much of eye-tracking technologies until we saw Utechzone's booth. What we have here is the Spring, a TW$240,000 (US$8,380) eye-tracking rig that was launched in March 2010 and is aimed at users with limited mobility. The package consists of an LCD monitor, a computer, and an external sensor that utilizes infrared to track our pupils. Also included is an eye-friendly software suite that lets users play games, browse the web and media files, send emails, communicate with caretakers, and read PDF or TXT files.

We had a go on the Spring and quickly learned how to control it with our eyes: much like the Xbox Kinect, in order to make a click we had to hover the cursor over (or fix our eyes on) a desired button until the former completes a spin. The tracking was surprisingly accurate, except we had to take off our glasses for it to work; that said, the other glasses didn't exhibit the same issue, so the culprit could be just some coating on our lenses. Another problem we found was that it only took a quick jiggle with our eyes to cancel the spinning countdown, so full concentration is required to use the Spring. This shouldn't be a problem outside a noisy event like Computex, anyway, and if you need more convincing, we were told that a disabled Taiwanese professor managed to hit 100,000 Chinese characters within three months using phonetic input on the the same rig -- he's planning on releasing a new book soon. Have a look at our eyes-on video after the break for a better idea on how the Spring works.

Gallery: Utechzone Spring eye-tracking system hands-on

Continue reading Utechzone Spring eye-tracking system hands-on (video)

Utechzone Spring eye-tracking system hands-on (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 06 Jun 2011 08:52:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assistancecomputexcomputex 2011Computex2011disabledeyeeye trackingeyeTouchEyeTrackingfeaturedfeatureshands-oninfraredinfrared sensorInfraredSensorpupilpupil trackingPupilTrackingspringtypingUtechzonevideoMon, 06 Jun 2011 08:52:00 EST<![CDATA[New Zealand paralympian buys first Rex Bionics exoskeleton, takes robot walking legs for a spin]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/02/new-zealand-paralympian-buys-first-rex-bionics-exoskeleton-take/http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/02/new-zealand-paralympian-buys-first-rex-bionics-exoskeleton-take/http://www.engadget.com/2011/05/02/new-zealand-paralympian-buys-first-rex-bionics-exoskeleton-take/#comments
 Surely we weren't the only ones to wonder aloud who would be the first come up with $150,000 for a Rex Bionics robotic exoskeleton when the Auckland-based company introduced it last summer. Of course, no price seems too high for the ability to walk again, but that's still a lot scratch to get together -- and the space has been getting a lot more competitive as of late. The honor went to fellow Kiwi Dave MacCalman, a multiple medal-winning paralympian, who lost the use of his legs after sustaining a spinal cord injury while diving into a river. The 6-foot, 4-inch athlete took his first steps in over 30 years with the use of his newly-purchased robot legs -- and from the look on his face, he definitely got his New Zealand dollar's worth. If you need a quick refresher on exactly what this thing can do, check out the video after the break.

Continue reading New Zealand paralympian buys first Rex Bionics exoskeleton, takes robot walking legs for a spin

New Zealand paralympian buys first Rex Bionics exoskeleton, takes robot walking legs for a spin originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 02 May 2011 11:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assistanceaucklandbionicbionic legsBionicLegsbionicsDave MacCalmanDaveMaccalmandisabledexoskeletonhandicappedkiwilegsmobilitynew zealandNewZealandparalympianparalympicsparaplegicpersonal mobilityPersonalMobilityrexrex bionicsRexBionicsrobotroboticrobotic exoskeletonRoboticExoskeletonvideoMon, 02 May 2011 11:10:00 EST<![CDATA[PlayStation now offers customer service via Twitter, probably won't help you jailbreak your PS3]]>http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/09/playstation-now-offers-customer-service-via-twitter-probably-wo/http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/09/playstation-now-offers-customer-service-via-twitter-probably-wo/http://www.engadget.com/2011/03/09/playstation-now-offers-customer-service-via-twitter-probably-wo/#comments Got a question about a PlayStation product? Have a Twitter account? If you answered yes to both, then you'd be interested to know about @AskPlayStation -- the official account for all of your PS concerns. They'll assist you via tweets Monday through Friday from 9:30AM - 5:00PM PST and will answer in real-time between the hours of 2 and 5 PST. Hit up the source link to get all of your inquiries answered -- just behave yourselves, OK?

PlayStation now offers customer service via Twitter, probably won't help you jailbreak your PS3 originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 09 Mar 2011 20:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ask playstationAskPlaystationassistancecustomercustomer serviceCustomerServicehelpinstructionsplaystationplaystation 2playstation 3playstation twitterPlaystation2Playstation3PlaystationTwitterpsps1ps2ps3ps3 slimPs3Slimpspquestionssceaservicesonysony ps2sony pspSonyPs2SonyPsptroubleshoottwitterWed, 09 Mar 2011 20:13:00 EST<![CDATA[The state of household robots in Japan: looking pretty great]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/04/the-state-of-household-robots-in-japan-looking-pretty-great/http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/04/the-state-of-household-robots-in-japan-looking-pretty-great/http://www.engadget.com/2010/09/04/the-state-of-household-robots-in-japan-looking-pretty-great/#comments
This crazy looking little fellow is Toshiba's ApriPoco robot, and we couldn't want to meet him more -- especially in his updated form. Designed as a home assistance bot, ApriPoco can learn to control electrical appliances using both IR and verbal commands. He's got some fine company in Japan, too, where household robots are starting to take off. As you'll see in the Japanese news report (which is embedded below), there are robots to help you do the dishes, move furniture, and even robotic wheelchairs to help you get around. Really, the only question that remains for us is... when do we move? Here's to the future.

Continue reading The state of household robots in Japan: looking pretty great

The state of household robots in Japan: looking pretty great originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 04:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>ApriPocoapripokoassistancebotcompanionhomejapanrobotrobotstoshibaSat, 04 Sep 2010 04:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Rex, the robotic exoskeleton, aims to make wheelchairs obsolete]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/15/rex-the-robotic-exoskeleton-aims-to-make-wheelchairs-obsolete/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/15/rex-the-robotic-exoskeleton-aims-to-make-wheelchairs-obsolete/http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/15/rex-the-robotic-exoskeleton-aims-to-make-wheelchairs-obsolete/#comments New Zealand isn't exactly known for being a hotbed of tech innovation, but this set of bionic legs might just realign that perception a little bit. The product of seven years of development work, the Rex exoskeleton is capable of supporting the full weight of a person -- making it suitable for paraplegics -- and moving him or her around in a familiar bipedal fashion. It's operated using a joystick and control pad and is simple enough for handicapped users to self-transfer in and out of. The best news, perhaps, is that it's about to go on sale in its home country this year, with an international launch following in 2011. The worst news? Probably the $150,000 (US) initial asking price, but then we'd hardly say we're qualified to judge the value of being able to walk again. Video and full press release after the break.

[Thanks, Kurt and Simon]

Continue reading Rex, the robotic exoskeleton, aims to make wheelchairs obsolete

Rex, the robotic exoskeleton, aims to make wheelchairs obsolete originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 15 Jul 2010 02:58:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assistanceaucklandbionicbionic legsBionicLegsbionicsdisabledexoskeletonhandicappedkiwilegsmobilitynew zealandNewZealandparaplegicpersonal mobilityPersonalMobilityrexrex bionicsRexBionicsrobotroboticrobotic exoskeletonrobotic legsRoboticExoskeletonRoboticLegsrobotsvideoThu, 15 Jul 2010 02:58:00 EST<![CDATA[Pioneer's Navi Robo waves you in the right direction (video)]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/pioneers-navi-robo-waves-you-in-the-right-direction-video/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/pioneers-navi-robo-waves-you-in-the-right-direction-video/http://www.engadget.com/2010/05/21/pioneers-navi-robo-waves-you-in-the-right-direction-video/#comments Before you dismiss this as just another crazy idea out of Japan, hear us out. The newly developed, crab-simulating Navi Robo is designed to give drivers visual navigating assistance as a supplement to their GPS device. Its primary benefit, aside from helping the hearing impaired, will be in conveying instructions without requiring the driver to focus on it, as its eyes light up for attention and its "claws" vibrate urgently when an upcoming turn is imminent. Frankly, it looks both cute and functional, and we think kudos are in order for both Pioneer and iXs Research for coming up with the idea. They'll be taking their usual good time (read: a couple of years) to refine and develop the idea, but we've got video of the robot doing its thing right now -- you know where to find it.

Continue reading Pioneer's Navi Robo waves you in the right direction (video)

Pioneer's Navi Robo waves you in the right direction (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 21 May 2010 06:16:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assistassistanceassistantbotcrabdashboardgpsguidancehearing impairedHearingImpairedhelpinstructionsixs researchIxsResearchjapanmotionmotion navigationMotionNavigationnavbotnavi robonavigationnavigation robotNavigationRobotNaviRobopioneerrobotsatnavvideoFri, 21 May 2010 06:16:00 EST<![CDATA[Robosoft Kompai takes care of your elderly so you don't have to (video)]]>http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/10/robosoft-kompai-takes-care-of-your-elderly-so-you-dont-have-to/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/10/robosoft-kompai-takes-care-of-your-elderly-so-you-dont-have-to/http://www.engadget.com/2010/03/10/robosoft-kompai-takes-care-of-your-elderly-so-you-dont-have-to/#comments This one has been quite a long time in coming, but Robosoft's service drone has finally made it off the drawing board, collected a catchy name, and headed off to the big world to seek its fortune as an R&D platform. Kompai is a personal assistance bot built around speech -- it understands basic instructions and requests and offers appropriate responses with its own monotonic style. It'll serve as a note and shopping list recorder, a calendar, a music player, or a video conferencing tool for when old grandpappy needs to call his doctor. If you think having a programmable hunk of mobile metal that's permanently connected to the net in your house is a good idea, look out for OEMs picking up the design during the Intercompany Long Term Care Insurance Conference taking place next week. And if you just wanna see a bug-eyed bot talk to an old dude, click past the break for the video.

[Thanks, Erico]

Continue reading Robosoft Kompai takes care of your elderly so you don't have to (video)

Robosoft Kompai takes care of your elderly so you don't have to (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 10 Mar 2010 09:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>assistanceassistantbotdroneelderlyelderly assistantElderlyAssistantkompaipersonal assistantPersonalAssistantrobosoftrobotserviceservice robotServiceRobotvideoWed, 10 Mar 2010 09:01:00 EST<![CDATA[Time Warner Cable, Cisco team up on new HD website]]>http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/23/time-warner-cable-cisco-team-up-on-new-hd-website/http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/23/time-warner-cable-cisco-team-up-on-new-hd-website/http://www.engadget.com/2007/08/23/time-warner-cable-cisco-team-up-on-new-hd-website/#comments
While we've seen companies go out of their way in the past to provide customers with HD assistance, it looks like Time Warner Cable (partly owned by Time Warner, parent company of AOL, which owns Engadget) has teamed up with Cisco to give consumers yet another venue to have their questions answered. A variety of flashy help buttons enable befuddled individuals to select the kind of HDTV most suited for their viewing habits, learn the definitions of commonly used high-definition terms, and of course, goes on to plug TWC HD services. Sure, it's simply an interactive advertisement at heart, but at least it's giving consumers a drop of knowledge whilst fishing for their business.

[Via BroadcastingCable]

Filed under: ,

Time Warner Cable, Cisco team up on new HD website originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 23 Aug 2007 20:14:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>adadsadvertisementassistancecableciscohdhelpinformationinformativemarketingtime warner cableTimeWarnerCabletwcwebsiteThu, 23 Aug 2007 20:14:00 EST<![CDATA[Siemens AySystem utilizes GPS / GRPS for emergency tracking, alerting]]>http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/28/siemens-aysystem-utilizes-gps-grps-for-emergency-tracking-ale/http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/28/siemens-aysystem-utilizes-gps-grps-for-emergency-tracking-ale/http://www.engadget.com/2007/02/28/siemens-aysystem-utilizes-gps-grps-for-emergency-tracking-ale/#comments

While Siemens HQ is probably still dusting itself from last year's invasion, that's not stopping the whole show 'round those parts, as the firm is introducing a new form of emergency communication with its AySystem. By utilizing worldwide GSM / GRPS networks (and optionally, GPS), the pocketable device can be tracked, modified, and used as a channel of communication between a caregiver and patient, parent and child, boss and subordinate, or any other useful combination of individuals. Essentially, the Ay token is given to the person who needs monitored, and the other party can adjust various "thresholds" such as motion (or the lack thereof), temperature, and sound, and if that limit is surpassed (i.e. a patient stops moving), the token will sound an alarm whilst simultaneously texting / calling a user-selected individual. Moreover, it can be remotely controlled and tweaked via a web-based interface, and users can add "SnapOns" such as GPS receivers and cameras to extend its functionality even futher. Thankfully, the platform in which the device runs on is entirely Java-based, which should please those looking to code their own programs to take full advantage of what's being offered. As of now, we're not exactly sure how much this fancy panic button will end up costing, but it is slated to be made available "via mobile carriers or through pre-paid plans" in the not too distant future.

[Via Gizmag]

Filed under: ,

Siemens AySystem utilizes GPS / GRPS for emergency tracking, alerting originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 28 Feb 2007 13:13:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Read | Permalink | Email this | Comments]]>911aidalertassistanceaysystemcommunicationcommunicationselderlyemergencyfallencan'tgetupgprsgsmhazardhelppanicpanic buttonPanicButtonsensorsensorssiemensWed, 28 Feb 2007 13:13:00 EST