Mangoslab showed off its first product today. Nemonic is a 0 thermal printer that prints on sticky notes from your phone. That’s right – everyone’s favorite tool for passive-aggressively leaving notes on a colleague’s computer monitor is now weaponized with all the powers of IoT combined. Ladies and gentlemen, the future of office warfare is here. Read More
How to dive into that New Year’s Resolution to get started with VR
But consumer VR’s splashy debut in 2016 did not result in something that was immediately affordable, available, or indeed appealing to many, so it’s no surprise if you’ve been standing back and waiting for a time to jump in.
Now might just be the time; a confluence of factors, including a lot of great software that eschews mistakes made by early movers, as well as dramatic… Read More
Fiat Chrysler’s Portal concept is a van with a plan for autonomous driving
Fiat Chrysler is getting ready for a future in which your vehicle is an extension of your living space with their new Portal concept car, which is debuting at CES this year. The Portal is an electric-powered vehicle with its own wireless network, Level 3 semi-autonomy standard and the hardware necessary for an upgrade to true Level 4 self-driving capability, and fold-flat/removable seating… Read More
Reverse-engineering the universal translator
Cinema critics keep raving about Arrival, a sci-fi drama focusing on one linguist’s attempts to decipher an alien language. Star Trek recently celebrated its 50th anniversary. As a language geek and a sci-fi fan, I felt it only logical to look into the feasibility of the universal translator, the device used by the crew of the Starship Enterprise. Read More
LG’s headset that doubles as a wearable speaker is peak CES before CES
LG will be bringing a collar-like wearable wireless speaker to CES, which also includes in-ear buds for when you don’t feel like being a complete jerk. The sonorous neck horseshoe connects to your phone via Bluetooth, and contains “wearable speakers capable of delivering 3D surround sound” when the attached earbuds are safely ensconced within the electronic noise scarf.… Read More
IoT redux… this time, it’s personal
As we advance toward 2017, a quick analysis of our connected landscape indicates that the IoT is taking a short break from destroying the internet and is now letting Mark Zuckerberg take a shot at it. All joking aside, the process of rapidly restructuring our world via technology — and functioning in the flux — has become our new normal. More of the same is on tap in 2017. Read More
Hey, Alexa, are things going to get weird?
They say that news is what happens to a writer on his way to the bathroom and I’ve recently discovered something fascinating. Alexa – and, to a degree, Siri and Google’s OK Google solution – have become indispensable additions to our home. The kids tell Alexa to turn on the lights and start Netflix. We ask her how to spell words and do basic math. She tells us which day… Read More
An Amazon Echo may be the key to solving a murder case
Internet-connected devices may start helping in criminal cases. As first reported in The Information, police in Bentonville, Arkansas have issued a warrant to Amazon, asking the company to hand over data from an Echo device to help prosecute a suspected murderer.
James Andrew Bates, the suspect in the case, was charged with first-degree murder in November of 2015 after authorities… Read More
Watch this smartphone-assisted robot beat the pants off of humans in air hockey
It’s the holidays and that means it’s time to watch robots cream humans in bouts of skill. The latest example of robotics winning over a meatbag? This amazing air-hockey robot powered by a smartphone, Arduino board and a plotter-like robotic arm. The system works by watching the puck on the surface of the table and moving to where the puck is going. It actively blocks attacks on… Read More