e-Anchor Custom Blogs and Marketing http://www.e-anchor.biz A Real Catch Sat, 19 May 2012 15:36:49 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= This week in Crave: The Facebook phone home edition http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/19/this-week-in-crave-the-facebook-phone-home-edition/ http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/19/this-week-in-crave-the-facebook-phone-home-edition/#comments Sat, 19 May 2012 15:36:49 +0000 Tim Hornyak http://www.e-anchor.biz/?guid=00ce4f3661e67f9e831af7aa9124c7e1

(Credit:
ThinkGeek)

Too busy buying Facebook stock to keep up with Crave? Here’s what you missed while you were tracking Facebook’s IPO, which, it turns out, didn’t quite live up to the hype.

• When the grid fails you, Sony’s hand-crank charger will juice your devices.

• Relive the glorious 1980s with this delightfully chunky case for your iPhone.

• Excuse me, but is that a robot on your pants?

• Steve Jobs wanted to create an iCar.

• Now even the clothes hanger hangs out on Facebook.

• Is Burpple the Instagram of food?

• Here’s your chance to … [Read more]

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]]> http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/19/this-week-in-crave-the-facebook-phone-home-edition/feed/ 0 Why does Clothbot want to climb up your pants? http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/17/why-does-clothbot-want-to-climb-up-your-pants/ http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/17/why-does-clothbot-want-to-climb-up-your-pants/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 23:43:43 +0000 Tim Hornyak http://www.e-anchor.biz/?guid=5e82307b99eca98c2b99b4d124266cc9

(Credit:
Video screenshot by Tim Hornyak/CNET)

Robots climbing up your leg — are you cool with that? Chinese researchers certainly are, arguing they could become electronic pets, or even “mobile” phones.

Presented this week at the 2012 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICRA) in St. Paul, Minn., Clothbot was developed by scientists from the Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

As seen in the video below, the machine crawls up folds in clothing, slowing making its way up trouser legs or even the back of a shirt. It uses a pair of gripper wheels to create and cling to a fold in the cloth.

Weighing some 140 grams, it has a tail that helps it maneuver. Its destination and ultimate purpose, however, remain mysterious.

According to IEEE Spectrum, in their research paper “System and Design of Clothbot: a Robot for Flexible Clothes Climbing,” author Yuanyuan Liu and colleagues propose three applications: “a tiny pet climbing on human bodies,” “a movable phone on our shoulder which frees human hands,” and finally, “body inspection.”

And you thought the TSA was bad.

(Via IEEE Spectrum ) [Read more]

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]]> http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/17/why-does-clothbot-want-to-climb-up-your-pants/feed/ 0 DoCoMo launches waterproof kids’ phone http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/17/docomo-launches-waterproof-kids-phone/ http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/17/docomo-launches-waterproof-kids-phone/#comments Thu, 17 May 2012 22:46:57 +0000 Tim Hornyak http://www.e-anchor.biz/?guid=c9b74ba84abf18feabd3434b142f2cc8

(Credit:
NTT DoCoMo)

I still see kids in the Tokyo subway actually using payphones (remember those?) to call their parents as they make their way home from school. Telecommunications giant NTT DoCoMo seems to be launching this just-for-junior Android-powered smartphone to convince them to knock it off.

The HW-01D (PDF) comes in yellow, blue, or pink. It’s powered by Android, has a 2.0-inch QVGA screen with a 240×320 resolution.

The browser and phone can be restricted to parent-set contacts and sites.

It has a 100-decibel alarm to ward off nasty people, GPS, and can send SMS texts so you can keep tack of your little one all the time.

It’s also made for abuse, constructed of sturdy plastic that’s waterproof and dust-proof.

The HW-01D joins 18 other new DoCoMo summer models, some of which feature pre-installed manga comics.

Others will have the Twonky Beam app installed, which allows you to stream content to your Internet-connected TV.

DoCoMo’s Raku-Raku Smartphone F-12D, meanwhile, will… [Read more]

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]]> http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/17/docomo-launches-waterproof-kids-phone/feed/ 0 School buys telepresence robot to help sick student http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/15/school-buys-telepresence-robot-to-help-sick-student/ http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/15/school-buys-telepresence-robot-to-help-sick-student/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 22:26:57 +0000 Tim Hornyak http://www.e-anchor.biz/?guid=69028e4712590af537024ce9d73ad90a

(Credit:
Video screenshot by Tim Hornyak/CNET)

Without machines, Zachary Thomason wouldn’t live very long. The boy has been on a ventilator for all of his 12 years because he suffers from a rare muscle disorder that makes him extremely weak.

Until now, X-linked myotubular myopathy has prevented him from going to school regularly. But since the Paragould School District in Arkansas purchased a $5,000 VGo telepresence robot, chances are he’ll become an avatar-style student soon.

Zach likes to play PlayStation, so he can remote-control the VGo, which is basically a Webcam on wheels. At 4 feet tall, it’s designed to project the user’s presence into a remote location with two-way audio and video, allowing for richer interaction than a phone call or stationary Webcam.

It can be used wherever there’s a Wi-Fi or Verizon 4G LTE signal, and docks itself for a recharge at the click of a button.

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]]> http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/15/school-buys-telepresence-robot-to-help-sick-student/feed/ 0 Apple granted patent for iOS steering-wheel remote http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/15/apple-granted-patent-for-ios-steering-wheel-remote/ http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/15/apple-granted-patent-for-ios-steering-wheel-remote/#comments Tue, 15 May 2012 21:38:00 +0000 Joe Aimonetti http://www.e-anchor.biz/?guid=e032c88ac987331acc2deb2774f0226d

(Credit:

Patently Apple)

Discovered by Patently Apple in a group of 21 patents issued to Apple by the Patent and Trademark Office, the in-vehicle remote-control patent describes a product designed for drivers wishing to control their iOS devices more easily.

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Currently, drivers must fumble around with their iPhone, iPod, or iPad to change songs, get directions, or make calls if their car’s in-dash system doesn’t support iOS devices. This lack of integration can cause serious distractions for drivers.

Apple’s solution is a small device that would attach to any steering wheel, allowing users to connect to their iOS devices and control basic functions.

As pictured in the patent, the remote would resemble Apple’s iconic c… [Read more]

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]]> http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/15/apple-granted-patent-for-ios-steering-wheel-remote/feed/ 0 Fun with lasers: Try popping 100 balloons http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/12/fun-with-lasers-try-popping-100-balloons/ http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/12/fun-with-lasers-try-popping-100-balloons/#comments Sat, 12 May 2012 22:17:22 +0000 Tim Hornyak http://www.e-anchor.biz/?guid=91eb6ed9214a1da83fd845a977d14a0f

(Credit:
Screenshot by Tim Hornyak/CNET)

There are many ways I can think of to have fun with a laser, especially one described as “the world’s brightest laser you can legally own.” Popping balloons isn’t one of them, but YouTube tinkerer WorldScott’s stunt is interesting anyway.

In a bid for a record, he lined up 100 red balloons in front of a Spyder III Krypton and fired away.

As seen in the vid below, it took a while for the 750-1,000mW laser, fired through a focusing lens, to pop each balloon, but it eventually did the trick.

The green beam left a trail of red balloon fragments in its wake. Fortunately it wasn’t powerful enough to penetrate the far wall.

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“If confirmed, this will have been the most balloons in a single-file line consecutively popped from end-on with a single fixed visible laser beam to date,” he says.

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]]> http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/12/fun-with-lasers-try-popping-100-balloons/feed/ 0 Get smart: Charge your phone while walking in this shoe http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/11/get-smart-charge-your-phone-while-walking-in-this-shoe/ http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/11/get-smart-charge-your-phone-while-walking-in-this-shoe/#comments Fri, 11 May 2012 20:38:20 +0000 Tim Hornyak http://www.e-anchor.biz/?guid=8db5e6a9cb4c262a68dfd6e72bd0d18f

Just charge it: Anthony Mutua's sneaker.

(Credit:
Video screenshot by Tim Hornyak/CNET)

Love walking and texting? Still haven’t done a faceplant on a streetlight? Well, this sneaker from Kenya can power your phone so you’ll never have to look up from that screen again.

Inventor Anthony Mutua, 24, has been showing off his recharging sneaker at the first-ever Kenyan Science Technology and Innovation Week, held in Nairobi. It’s another way of using your body’s own energy to fuel electronics.

The shoe apparently has a very thin “crystal chip,” perhaps a piezoelectric device, that generates power when the sole bends. It can charge phones via a long cable to a pocket while the user walks, or store power for later charging.

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]]> http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/11/get-smart-charge-your-phone-while-walking-in-this-shoe/feed/ 0 CNET’s Best of CTIA 2012 http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/10/cnets-best-of-ctia-2012/ http://www.e-anchor.biz/2012/05/10/cnets-best-of-ctia-2012/#comments Thu, 10 May 2012 23:20:05 +0000 Kent German http://www.e-anchor.biz/?guid=5f9989640a6a0de38083038f892676d3

NEW ORLEANS–After three furious days, CTIA 2012 has come to a close. Though a visit to the Crescent City always is enjoyable, this year’s event was a little quieter than in past years. But that doesn’t mean we didn’t see some very cool stuff. Here’s what the CNET team picked as the Best of CTIA 2012.

Samsung Galaxy S III

(Credit:
Jessica Dolcourt/CNET)

Best phone: Samsung Galaxy S III
Samsung may have unveiled its Samsung Galaxy S III flagship phone days before CTIA 2012 kicked off, but CTIA was our first chance to handle it. And at the end of the day, the Android Ice Cream Sandwich mega handset was still the best phone we saw here at the show.

Sporting an extra-large 4.8-inch HD AMOLED screen, an 8-megapixel camera with the works, and a quad-core processor on this global version, the phone will be hard to beat — especially when you also take into account software add-ons like enhanced voice controls and phone-to-phone sharing for files of up to 1GB in size.

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