A touchscreen's fatal flaw is its lack of feedback: imagine the satisfaction if you could feel those Angry Birds as they flew across the screen. NEC and the Tokyo Institute of Technology wanted a simpler solution to tactile displays than Senseg's electrostatic-field based tech. Instead, this device uses a wire (yup) anchored on each corner of the display -- when force is shown on screen, it jerks the screen in the corresponding direction. You can see it in action after the break, accompanied by the restful tones of Diginfo's narrator. If there's a better way to start a week, we don't wanna know about it.

Continue reading NEC's tactile touchscreen nudges at the future (video)

NEC's tactile touchscreen nudges at the future (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 26 Mar 2012 06:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s no secret that BGR Editor-in-chief is not a fan of the direction Samsung took with its latest smartphone, but he may have been looking at the mammoth handset all wrong. ”The Galaxy Note’s tagline asks if the device is a tablet or a smartphone, but like a girl in Spanx, it’s so much more,” The TechBlock’s Abdel Ibrahim and Jon Dick said of Samsung’s giant Galaxy Note phablet. Smartphone popularity continues to explode around the globe and while these converged devices offer tremendous utility compared to feature phones, no other smartphone on the market can match versatility of the Note. Hit the break for a few images of some of the many functions Ibrahim and Dick found for the Galaxy Note, and follow the read link for a hilarious account of one man’s switch from the iPhone to Samsung’s supersized smartphone.

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RIKEN's original RIBA healthcare robot was already fairly adept at lifting patients while not completely terrifying them but, as is the case with such things, it's now been succeeded by a new and improved model. While its outward, bear-like appearance hasn't changed, the new bot boasts a series of upgrades that now lets it bend over and lift patients up directly off the floor, not just off a bed or wheelchair. It's also now able to lift patients that weight up to 176 pounds (41 pounds more than before), and it packs an array of new sensors that let it more accurately gauge a person's weight and carry them more comfortably -- not to mention some touchscreen controls on its back for when it needs a bit of direction. Hit the source link below for a video.

[Thanks, robotbling]

Continue reading RIBA-II healthcare robot now stronger, smarter -- still a bear

RIBA-II healthcare robot now stronger, smarter -- still a bear originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Aug 2011 15:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Continue reading Oscium's iMSO-104 turns iPad, iPhone into mixed signal oscilloscopes

Oscium's iMSO-104 turns iPad, iPhone into mixed signal oscilloscopes originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 07 Apr 2011 17:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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On Wednesday, Apple introduced the world to the iPad 2. A beautiful device, to be sure. Feature packed? You bet. Soon to be selling like hotcakes? Absolutely. But the introduction of an iteration on an already existing product wasn't the most notable piece of the event, nor was the surprise appearance of Steve Jobs. No, Wednesday's event was significant because it introduced the world to Apple's real vision for the foreseeable future, a theme the company has hinted at but never fully expressed. This week, Apple showed everyone where it was headed, challenged competitors on that direction, and made it clear that the company not only has staked a claim in that space, but is defining it.

This week, Apple stepped into the "post-PC" era of computing -- and there's no looking back, at least not for the folks in Cupertino.

By joining the company's ongoing vision of a "different" kind of computing with a soundbite friendly piece of marketing-speak, Apple has changed the rules of the game, and made the competition's efforts not just an uphill battle, but -- at least in the eyes of Steve Jobs and co. -- essentially moot. But what exactly is the "post-PC" world? And why is it significant? Let me explain.

Continue reading Editorial: It's Apple's 'post-PC' world -- we're all just living in it

Editorial: It's Apple's 'post-PC' world -- we're all just living in it originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 03 Mar 2011 19:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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This shelf tag was apparently spotted this weekend at a Best Buy in Houston, and it speaks for itself: white iPhone 4, AT&T, $599.99 off contract (the same price as the black). Of course, we all know this thing is coming within the next few weeks at this point -- there's just too much evidence pointing in that direction -- but the fact that we've got big box retailers printing and placing tags for it now suggests that it's coming sooner rather than later. Oh, and in case you're wondering, that QR code link is dead at the moment -- we've linked it below in case you want to give it a shot.

Update: Looks like The Source (Canada's version of Radio Shack) is also making room. See for yourself after the break. Thanks, Anonymous!

[Thanks, Joel P.]

Continue reading White iPhone 4 starts to get Best Buy, The Source shelf space

White iPhone 4 starts to get Best Buy, The Source shelf space originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 06 Feb 2011 21:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Scott Kelby, an excellent photographer, was taking pictures in the end zone during last week's Packers game when Aaron Rodgers decided to run and dive in his direction. Rodgers scored a touchdown but accidentally broke Kelby's $350 monopod in the process. More »

By now, you've decided if you're going to use Apple's iPod nano 6G as a watch. We obviously have our own feelings on the matter, but those who can't be bothered with actual functionality should definitely be looking in the direction of Frontal Concepts. This Australian outfit has just released its first product, and it's far and away the most sensibly designed iPod nano watch strap to date. Rather than just looping a band through the device's rear clip, the Infuse strap actually has a simple, one-click locking mechanism to keep your digital timepiece in position. It's also positioned to allow the audio cord to run upwards along the arm, and it's built from polycarbonate plastics and silicone -- plenty tough to withstand the occasional gym visit. Americans can get their pre-order in today for $24.95 (black, white and brown hues are available), with the first shipments expected to head out in around a fortnight. Time's ticking, Santa.

Continue reading Frontal Concepts' Infuse iPod nano watch strap wins imaginary design award, our hearts

Frontal Concepts' Infuse iPod nano watch strap wins imaginary design award, our hearts originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 05 Dec 2010 16:18:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Whether you're an NVIDIAn calling it SLI or a Radeonite referring to it as CrossFireX, a multi-card graphics setup is nowadays almost a prerequisite for experiencing the best that PC gaming has to offer. It'd be negligent of us, therefore, not to point you in the direction of the Tech Report crew's latest breakdown, which takes an investigative peek at dual-card performance on NVIDIA's latest and greatest GeForce GTX 580 and naturally compares it to a wide range of other alternatives on the market. AMD's latest refresh, the Radeon HD 6870, is among those options, though it's worth remembering that the company's real high-end gear isn't due for another couple of weeks. All the same, most people will be buying their holiday rigs right around now, and if you want an exhaustive guide as to what's what on the graphics front, the source link is your best, um... source.

NVIDIA GeForce GTX 580 and AMD Radeon HD 6870 square off in dual-card showdown originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Dec 2010 11:36:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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They say two things about war: that it never changes, and that nobody ever wins. Tell that to thin bezel fans, however, and they'll point you in the direction of the LG-Samsung tussle for the title of world's thinnest bezel separation. Samsung snatched the glory last month with its 55-inch Digital Information Display, but today LG is upping the ante with a nearly nonexistent frame around its new 37-inch LCD panel. There's 2.5mm of bezel on the bottom and right side of the screen, and 1.5mm on the top and left sides, resulting in a microscopic 4mm (0.16 inches) of separation. The panel's designed for outdoor advertising, can be stacked infinitely, and will get its debut demonstration at the FPD International 2010 show in Japan later this month.

LG Display snatches 'world's thinnest bezel' title from Samsung with new 37-inch LCD originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 02 Nov 2010 04:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Perhaps we were being unfair with Oakley's $150 3D shades -- that company, in fact, just didn't go far enough. Cut to Gucci with "optically correct" Real D frames of its own. No wraparounds, it's all glass forward, and like we said last time, you'll be the absolute most fashionable person in a crowded room full of people decidedly not looking in your direction for the entire duration of the glasses' applicable use. Look for these to hit your local US Gucci boutique -- if you have to ask where, it probably wasn't on your purchase list anyway -- for $225. Your move, Louis Vuitton.

Gucci's 3D glasses up the ante with $225 fashion tag originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 31 Oct 2010 12:12:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Altek's wonderfully outlandish Android-based Leo smartphone, which sports a "real" 14 megapixel CCD with "real" 3x optical zoom and 720p video, was already slated for Q4 of this year in Asia, but Altek has recently announced the phone will also be launching Q1 2011 in Europe. On a slightly disconcerting note, Altek says it's still in search of "channel partners," so if you happen to know any channel / partner combos, push this little monster in their direction before 14 megapixels starts to sound old hat, would you?

Continue reading Altek Leo, the 14 megapixel Android cameraphone, headed for Europe in 2011

Altek Leo, the 14 megapixel Android cameraphone, headed for Europe in 2011 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 03 Oct 2010 08:08:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Amazon Kindle gets its first premium app: Scrabble originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Sep 2010 16:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Gawker Media seeks a few brave interns to learn about our commenting system and help us with our beloved communities. The interns will learn about behind-the-scenes administrative tasks and quality oversight under direction by our Community Manager. More »

Gawker Media - Media - Nick Denton - CityFile - Online Communities

We've come across plenty of robots that were controlled by phones before, but usually those phones were being controlled by human hands. Some California hackers, however, are building bots that put Android to work for their robo-brainpower.

Their first creation, the TruckBot, uses a HTC G1 as a brain and has a chassis that they made for $30 in parts. It's not too advanced yet—it can use the phone's compass to head in a particular direction—but they're working on incorporating the bot more fully with the phone and the Android software. Some ideas they're kicking around that wouldn't be possible with a dinky Arduino brain: face and voice recognition and location awareness.

If you're interested in putting together a Cellbot of your own—can you even conceive of a cooler dock for your Android phone?—the team's development blog has some more information. The possibilities here are manifold; mad scientists, feel free to share your Android-bot schemes in the comments. [Wired]

OK, I'll admit it: it's rare that I come across a do it yourself project that even for a moment makes me consider getting off my lazy ass to actually make something. This compass-inlaid table points me in that direction.

The Compass Table is a project from Instructables that puts 500 mini compasses underneath a glass tabletop. That alone looks awesome. Add rare earth magnet coasters to the mix and watch as the compass roses spin you into geek furniture rapture.

Compasses are cool for, like, finding your way around and all that, but none of my personal usage has ever rivaled the undulating awesomeness displayed in that video.

Another benefit of the Compass Table: it's the only one I know of that makes your guests want to use coasters. And that's worth something. [Instructables]

What's cute, cuddly, and makes all sorts of bizarro noises when it senses wireless waves? Yoshi Akai's Wireless Catcher, of course! This analog synth contraption is simplistic in nature and complex in design, utilizing an onboard antenna to sense WiFi signals and then alter the sounds being outputted depending on signal strength and direction. It's not exactly the symphony that Bach forgot to write, but it's certainly beautiful in its own nerdy way. Have a look at the video past the break, won't you?

Continue reading Yoshi Akai's Wireless Catcher senses nearby wireless waves, makes music (video)

Yoshi Akai's Wireless Catcher senses nearby wireless waves, makes music (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 28 Feb 2010 04:39:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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