AT&T expands into wireless home security, automation

·        AT&T is joining the expanding field of home security and automation, introducing a wireless service that will let homeowners use their mobile devices to remotely set alarms, turn on lights or even shut off water.

·        Called AT&T Digital Life.

·        It will run on AT&T's IP-based wireless platform and can be accessed via smart phones, tablets or PCs.

·        And despite being from AT&T, it will work regardless of the user's wireless carrier.

·        Suppose to begin trials for it this summer.

·        Companies are starting to take advantage of people’s reliability on mobile devices.

 

Tech Article 5/4

Pebble

• Works with iPhone & Android phones
• Similar to bluetooth headset, but it’s a watch
• Unlocks some information on your phone and shows it on your watch
• For example, you could use the watch when you’re biking by using an app that records your distance.

Video!

Tech Article 4/20

Computer monitor uses sensor to promote better posture

·        Philips ErgoSensor Monitor, a desktop display that keeps an eye on one's posture.

·        The 24-inch LCD monitor uses a built-in CMOS sensor to determine your distance from the screen and your neck angle while sitting.

·        The monitor works with software made by DigitalOptics Corporation, and, like a worried mother, will remind you to straighten your back, keep your distance from the display, and take breaks from sitting at the computer.

·        According to Philips, the sensor measures your inter-pupillary distance -- the distance two pupils -- to determine whether you're sitting at an optimal distance from the monitor.

·     Philips ErgoSensor monitor is not in action yet.

 

tech article 3/16

Crowds Storm Stored For Apple's Next iPad

• It's official: the new iPad has landed in the U.S. 

• Apple stores started opening in the U.S. at 8 a.m. local time, giving eager consumers first dibs on the company's highly-anticipated third-generation tablet. 

• As for the iPad's U.S. release, don't expect every person to flash smiles at Apple stores. The Los Angeles Times reports dozens of protesters are expected to show up at locations in New York, San Francisco and Washington to "bring attention to concerns about the welfare of the Chinese factory workers who churn out the devices to satisfy a growing global demand." 

Tech Article 3/9

Fun With Google Maps

·      Google maps= Internet’s most interactive map

·      To heaven, hell, & back- type in driving directions from Fenton to the fates of heaven & Google will direct you to the gates of Heaven Funeral Home in Detroit. Type in Hell & you’ll get directions to Hell, Mich. Ask for greatest place on earth, it will point you towards Disney.

·      Lord of the Rings lore- Type walking directions starting at The Shire with a destination at Mordor & Google will warn “Use caution- one does not simply walk to Mordor.”

·      Osama Bin Laden’s Hideout Compound- Type this into search bar & you’ll be brought to Pakistan, complete with pictures of the Bin Laden compound.

·      Shipwrecked- a cargo ship that sank in the Wingate Reef lies on its side off the coast of Sudan. S.S. Jassim is one of the largest shipwrecks on Google maps. To see it, type the coordinates: 19 38’45.99”N 37 17’42.17.E

Tech Article 3/2

Microsoft plans Windows 8 ARM presentation at Mobile World Congress

·       The biggest addition out of the many new features in Windows 8 is its new ARM-based flavor, called Windows 8 WOA.

·       They planned a showcase event at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.

·       Running on the smaller, more efficient ARM platform

·       With Windows 8 scheduled for a retail release this fall and the company committed to releasing WOA at the same time, development is coming down to the wire

·       Microsoft has already stated that it has partnered with chip makers Qualcomm, Texas Instruments, & Nvidia to make reference designs available to manufacturers, who will sell Windows 8 ARM laptops and tablets as consumer electronics appliances (like smartphones) not traditional PCs

Tech Article 2/17

Apple's iPads harder to find in China

·      Amazon, which was selling the iPad through resellers, is not an authorized reseller

·      Government officials have seized dozens of the devices off retail shelves on the mainland amid a contentious trademark battle Apple is facing over the iPad name, China's state-run media reports

·      Proview has also asked mainland officials to ban Apple's import and export of the iPad.

·      If sales of Apple's iPads are banned in China, the company could lose at least $1.4 billion in annual sales.