Wi-Fi-enabled pacemaker updates your doctor with your stats, wirelessly

Posted by Mark Rollins Categories: Misc. Tech, Science, Wireless / WiFi

These days, everything from our mobile phones to our iPods have WiFi capability, so why not put it in a device where it really matters, like a pacemaker?  Apparently, a New York woman was the first to receive such a device, and it is designed to upload any troubling stats tol her doctor should it pick up anything abnormal. 

We like seeing technology used to keep people safe, and this saves time as well, since most of her normal tests are now done on the fly, with results delivered without an appointment needing to be made.

Read More | Daily Tech

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AtoD Battery - Form Fitting Rechargeable Concept

Posted by Finnian Durkan Categories: Accessories, Design, Household, Misc. Tech, Science

For those who have been clamoring, nay, shouting for rechargeable batteries to be made more user-friendly and versatile, your day is close at hand.  Enter the AtoD Battery, a brand new memory-foam encased Nickel Hydroxide Rechargeable.  At 1.5 Volts it packs the same power as a AA, but with one substantial difference: its memory-foam casing allows you to shape it to match any size battery from AAA to D.  The starting size is that of a standard D battery, so while it may prove versatile it does present one small drawback: lag time in re-inflation.  Just make sure that you have the size right before you impress your friends by smashing a battery with your bare hands only to discover that your their Wii remotes take AA’s and not AAA’s. 

No release date has been named as of yet, but you can expect plenty of memory-foam laced witticisms from your local newscast (“Remember Memory-foam?”, etc.) when it is.  If nothing else, this may portend the re-introduction of ‘D-Battery Night’ at your local ballpark - not even Phillies fans could turn these into weapons.

Read More | Yanko Design

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Haier America Trainer is an MP3 Player for the Physically Fit

Posted by Mark Rollins Categories: Misc. Tech, Portable Audio / Video, Science

Sure, MP3 Players are a dime a dozen (in variety, not price).  And sure, they usually have the same features such as loading tunes via USB, the FM Tuner, and small ones usually hold about 2GB worth of memory. 

In fact, the only thing that makes the Haier America Trainer stand out is the fact that it has a built-in clip, a heart-rate monitor, a pedometer, plus a stop watch.  So for those who are interested in taking tunes with their workout, you might want to give this one a try.  It is available now for a price range of about $55-65. 

Read More | CNET Reviews

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3G speed test: Verizon wins, AT&T dead last

Posted by Andru Edwards Categories: Cell Phones, Corporate News, Internet, Science, Wireless / WiFi

No shocker here. Wired.com did their own independent tests to determine the fastest and slowest average 3G network speeds in the US, and Verizon came out on top. The survey included 15,000 participants, with 12,000 of them reporting back with data that was valid and usable for the tests. Verizon clocked in with an average download speed of 1,940 kbps, T-Mobile dropped in at second at 1,793 kbps, Sprint took third at 1,598 kbps, and AT&T was way behind at just 901 kbps. That’s just sad, and very telling when you consider the complaints from many an iPhone user as it pertains to 3G speeds.

Granted, this wasn’t the most scientific of studies, as the test included 8153 AT&T users, compared to just 856 from Verizon, but hey, the info is still useful, right?

Read More | Wired

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NASA and ASTER Make New Topographic Map

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, Science

NASA and Japan have teamed to give a better view of the planet. Working with Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, the US space agency made a digital topographic map with 1.3 million images taken by the Terra satellite with the Japanese ASTER (Advanced Spaceborne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) and were then pieced together. The map covers more than 99% of Earth’s land mass and fills in details that may have been missed by the space shuttle Endeavor alone.

Read More | CNN

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Einstein Photon Ball with iPod Dock

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Music, Portable Audio / Video, Science

Gear up for Independence Day with your own mini fireworks display. The Einstein Sound Master Photon Ball iPod Dock combines both sight and sounds. The colors move to the beat and your iPode gets to recharge on the handy dock. Available for most iPods, the device also has an AM/FM tuner, an LCD alarm clock so you can wake to your play list, and can be synced to a PC. The price of the photon dock is $34.99 with free shipping.

(Have a good one, all.)

Read More | Buy.com

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Babyglow Color Changing Clothing

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Clothing, Science

Any first time parent knows the panic when their newborn appears to have a fever and drives their physician crazy with constant calling, only to be told a simple solution or to calm down. Chris Eberjer came up with Babyglow, clothing that changes color when the baby’s temperature is rising. Available in blue, pink and pastel green, the garment turns white when the temp is over 98.6º. They will become available in October for £20 (~$35.00) per pack. Until then, if your baby’s face looks redder than normal, that might be an indication that something is wrong.

Read More | Babyglow

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Real time Collaborative Browsing

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Internet, Science

College of William and Mary researchers are working on RCB (real-time collaborative browsing) to make things easier for those who want to surf together, such as businesses with customer support or distance online education. The first person installs a Firefox browser extension that can generate a session URL to send to others. When up to 10 others click on it, they are sent to a page that connects to the first browser. Not yet available for the masses, the team is hoping that browser companies will adopt the technology.

Read More | Technology Review

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NASA Probes Successful

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Cameras, Science, Transportation

Thank goodness all is well with NASA’s LRO and LCROSS. The LCROSS is already streaming video back to earth and will crash land on the moon Oct. 9 to look for water on the South Pole. The LRO just completed the last of its four engine burns and has settled into a comfortable orbit. It will be compiling 3D maps of the surface for about a year. All told, it will provide more data than any other mission.

Read More | NASA

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New Aritificial Heart Design from Cockroach

Posted by Sheila Franklin Categories: Science

Sujoy K. Guha from the India Institute of Technology in Kharagpur has created a biventricular pump (artificial heart) with two ventricular pumps of interconnected diaphragm chambers. Run by a battery driven motor, his inspiration was a cockroach heart which has up to 13 chambers, while the human only has four. When one fails in a human it creates a heart attack but when one goes bad on a cockroach, it just keeps going. So far it has been successfully tested on a frog and Guha plans to try it out on a goat.

Read More | Telegraph India

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