Mobile

HP Does Good With Anti-Malaria Technology

July 30, 2023 by noemi

Electronics giant Hewlett-Packard might not be the first thing that comes to mind when the subject of mobile technology is brought up, but they are giving back to humanity using this very technology that other entities dominate. Most people in developed countries would not think twice about malaria, and maybe many even think that the disease has been wiped out. While this may be true in many countries, there are still locations where malaria is present. In some parts of the world, malaria poses a serious threat to locals. Botswana is one of these locations.

What HP is doing is working hand in hand with a health monitoring service in the African country, with the aim of tracking outbreaks of malaria and ultimately stopping the outbreaks before they reach too far.

Enter the Palm Pre 2. There was a time when there were people who thought that the Palm Pre 2 just might give the Apple iPhone a run for its money, but it didn’t really happen. And while there might not be too many people using the Palm Pre and Palm Pre 2, at least the technology is being put to good use.

The program is being conducted together with the group Positive Innovation for the Next Generation (PING), the Clinton Health Access Initiative, and Mascom (a network provider in the country). With these significant players collaborating, the people of Botswana will benefit from the program. In the future, the program is meant to be spread to other African countries, with HP continuing to help with the technological aspects. HP may not be your favorite brand, but it still is nice to hear about initiatives like this one, isn’t it?

Via Venture Beat

Thought-Controlled Mobile Phone

July 21, 2023 by noemi

We have always known that our brains are some of the most powerful things on this earth. The problem has always been how to harness all that power. This topic has been the foundation of many a science fiction book or movie, but it looks like the future is finally coming true.

Some researchers based in the University of California in San Diego have made some pretty interesting developments in this regard. The team led by Tzyy-Ping Jung has created a brain-computer interface which actually works! The idea is simple: you think of a phone number, the computer will understand the sequence of numbers, and then it will dial the number for you. How neat is that?

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist – or a super smart researcher like Jung – to understand the implications of this technology. Think hands-free dialing. Think about physically challenged people being able to use their mobile phones by merely thinking about the commands. It might take a bit of thinking to understand how it works, though.

Simply put, the brain emits waves of specific frequencies when the person thinks about a specific number. There has to be training before the system can work, however. This is necessary to achieve the proper feedback.

Pretty cool, but I am thinking way ahead. What if you have memory issues and you have difficulty remembering phone numbers? What if you are scatterbrained and you have a hard time focusing your thoughts? 😉

Seriously, though, this is a huge step. While the technology may not be available commercially, we can hope to see more applications in this lifetime.

Via Technology Review

Can Someone Please Help Me Find My Cell Phone?

July 14, 2023 by minic

A cell phone is a necessity. Some people would even say that they can’t live a day without their cell phones. It is not only for making calls to family members, friends and business associates. It has become a link to the Internet, a tool to capture memories through photos and videos or a gadget to play music. It stores tons of information about you and the people you are associated with.

So what happens when your beloved cell phone goes missing? You know you just misplaced. Where? You’re not sure. How do you find it? You go to I Can’t Find My Phone, a side project of Dave Dawson from New York City. It’s mission is straightforward: to help people find their photo when misplaced.

Simply enter the phone number and you should hear your phone ring.

(Note: Don’t abuse the system though by entering other people’s phone number.)

Wi-Fi Speeds to Possibly Double

July 12, 2023 by noemi

Can you imagine life without Wi-Fi? I am pretty sure that for many of us, life was just fine without wireless connection as recent as five years ago. With the sudden deluge of Wi-Fi compatible devices, though, life without Wi-Fi (the Internet) could very well be unimaginable for a lot of people today.

Think about it – when you go to a restaurant or a coffee shop, what is one of the first things you consider? When you book a hotel for a vacation, what is on the top of your list? I am willing to bet that Wi-Fi somewhere in there.

So technology has given us so much convenience, but we could all use faster Wi-Fi, right? If the guys at Stanford are successful, we just might enjoy Wi-Fi at double the speed. They have developed a technology that will allow the use of a single Wi-Fi channel to receive and transmit signals simultaneously. The technology is called antenna cancellation, and basically, it deals with the self-interference that occurs when transmitting and receiving on a single channel. The result? Possibly full duplex communication.

The implications of this technology are huge, especially for wireless providers. Even better, the technology is not limited to Wi-Fi – all radio communications can benefit from it.

At the moment, the technology still needs some work, especially with regard to making it commercially viable. The researchers mention the need for antenna separation, but also say that there is no theoretical limit as to the applications of the technology.

As for us consumers, we just need to wait till they get it out in the market, and we just might enjoy much faster wireless connections in the near future.

Via NewsFactor

Last.fm Mobile No Longer Available for Free

July 11, 2023 by noemi

I have had a Last.fm account for a long time, but unfortunately have used it only very sparingly due to the fact that the service is not available for free where I am based. For those in the US and the UK, though, Last.fm is probably the best thing to have ever happened to music lovers. And, with the popularity of mobile devices, Last.fm’s mobile application has also caught the attention of those who just can’t get enough of their music.

Just like many other free web services, Last.fm has been able to get along without charging users a fee due to advertising. However, starting next week, things are going to change big time – at least for the mobile users. Instead of seeing ads and not paying anything, mobile users will have to pay 3GBP a month and enjoy ad-free service. The paid service will then allow users to listen to personalized radio stations but will still not offer the option of picking out individual songs.

While it is understandable that some people will react negatively to the move, the price is not that bad. It is already close to what Last.fm charges for its web service in other locations. More so, using Last.fm via the computer will remain free in the UK.

Last.fm’s official stance is that they believe that this is the right move for the company. They also say that they are NOT losing money, but that this is just the logical thing to do. Of course, the move will only bring in more revenue for the company, but I think the fee is reasonable, don’t you?

White Google Nexus S in the Horizon!

July 8, 2023 by noemi

Take that Apple iPhone! Apple fanboys and fangirls have been waiting for what seems like forever for the white version of the iPhone, and it doesn’t seem like their yearning is going to get satisfied any time soon. In the meantime, the boys at Google (and Samsung) have been busy and are taking things one step further.

The online rumor mill is now abuzz with news about a white Google Nexus S. According to BestBoyZ, the white version just might be hitting the shelves in the very near future. The new Android phone from Google has been out in the United States and the United Kingdom for a while now. If you visit the Google Nexus S page, you’ll be redirected to Best Buy to purchase the phone. However, the only available model right now is the black one. With a new 2-year contract with T-Mobile, you can get the phone for only $199.99 (instead of $529.99).

So anyway, if a white phone is what you want, you might want to consider the Nexus S instead of waiting – indefinitely – for the white iPhone. I am not sure if the white version is going to be available worldwide or if it is only going to be released in Germany. The guys at BestBoyZ say that they have a “confidential and trusted” source. (I hope I got the words right as the site is in German and rely on Babelfish for translation accuracy.) They also say that the phone will come with Super AMOLED.

Without any further ado, here are the leaked photos.

Unfortunately, the front still comes in black, so the whole thing will not be white. Half white is better than no white at all?

Source: BestBoyZ