Electronic environments that are sensitive and responsive to the presence of people.
embedded: many networked devices are integrated into the environment context aware: these devices can recognize you and your situational context personalized: they can be tailored to your needs adaptive: they can change in response to you anticipatory: they can anticipate your desires without conscious mediation.
Android handset the HTC Hero has won phone of the year and gadget of the year at T3 magazine's annual awards ceremony.
It's a sign that Google's Android operating system for mobile phones is beginning to find favour among technology enthusiasts.
T3 editor Michael Brook said: "Our readership are early adopters. So something will happen in T3 terms and then it will happen six months to a year later in mainstream terms.
Siemens and Fujitsu are working together on a biometric authentication. This system could recognize HAND VEIN PATTERNS as IDs. Since this process does not need any touching, it is more hygienic than others.
Developed by Tonchidot, a mobile application firm in Tokyo, the above demo video shows off the world’s first virtual tagging service for the iPhone: Sekai Camera, meaning “world camera” in Japanese.
Tonchidot did reveal that Sekai Camera does not employ image recognition, but was elusive (language barrier or intentional?) about how the technology actually worked. This type of innovation is something to get really excited about, even if the above demo turns out to be just a proof-of-concept. It’s a prime example of the iPhone platform’s game-changing ability to push boundaries, and some foreshadowing into the bright future that awaits it.
Polar Rose detects the faces of the people in your online photos – so you can easily name them and share your photos with your Facebook friends. http://www.polarrose.com/
GPS + Jobs + Mobile = Future of Contract Staffing?
Mobile technology is changing the way we live and work.
In Japan, a new generation of job-seekers are using a company called Otetsudai Networks to secure part-time work. While contract staffing is nothing new in the U.S., Otetsudai has come up with an interesting solution to hiring temporary resources. Otetsudai Networks is a GPS (location-based) job finding mobile service that matches part-time employees with potential employers.
How does the GPS service help Job-seekers?
Job-seekers subscribe to the service by completing a mini-C.V. detailing their core skills and expertise. The job-seeker have the option of getting job updates by taking a “GPS reading” on their phone. The candidate’s information is added to the pool of available candidates shown to prospective employers. Once a new opportunity becomes available, the job-seeker is immediately notified on their mobile device of potential employment opportunities within their proximity. How does Otetsudai’s service help employers?
The service particularly caters to businesses seeking to hire immediate resources with specific skills. Once an employer signs up for the service, they can send requests for immediate help to the Otetsudai Network. Whether the employer is seeking someone for an hour, or all day, Otetsudai sends a list of available prospect candidates within the employer’s immediate proximity. The list shows each candidate’s qualifications, how other employers have rated their work and exactly how far away they are. Employers seeking immediate help will typically receive a list of half a dozen or more people within a few minutes.
As location-based services (LBS) increase in popularity, it’s not hard to envision a day when U.S. companies begin leveraging this technology as a method for staffing its temporary workforce. Although still in its infancy, Layar offers an augmented reality app that provides job-seekers a way to identify new opportunities by scanning what’s around you. It’s simply a matter of time before we see U.S. companies adopting the Otetsudai model of leveraging GPS to help mobilize a ready-made talent pool.
Does this still sound too good to be true? Watch the video below…
A Semi Transparent LCD Screen Blacklit By Ambient Light
Active Inc., a Tokyo-based optical component manufacturer, is working on a transparent liquid crystal optical film as a replacement for backlit LCDs. A see-through composite LCD display works just like traditional liquid crystal displays which are transparent until you run a current through them, at which point all the crystals in the liquid align and become opaque. I guess the difference here is that the screen is backlit by ambient light, which is a neat idea with questionable consumer practicality, but its stain-glass effect is impressive. Transparent TVs have always been a vision portrayed in the best scifi and futuristic movies such as Minority Report.
Thats my phone... hahahahha
