Author: Toby Leftly

Big brother has been watching us all for some time, but Big Brother Bear is a step too far. As creepy and insidious as Teddy Ruxpin was, this obnoxious invention by Fujitsu at least has good intentions. By using a video camera built into the bear’s nose, teddy is able to recognize facial movement and expressions and respond accordingly. There are a few practical applications for a teddy bear that is always watching you, such as “entertaining and soothing” the elderly and encouraging quiet children to come out of their shell. “We just want it feel natural”, said one Fujitsu researcher, who is apparently…

I know, I know. You’ve had it up to here with the iPad, you have iPad fever, you’re iPadded out, you never want to hear another iPad word. But Apple’s tablet is both the most overrated and underrated product of 2010 so far, and one of the most important innovations crossing a number of different industries. The long term effect of the iPad on the publishing industry, journalism and my Grandma’s ability to send and receive emails remains to be seen. For today, we can just enjoy the show and check out all the new info coming out this morning. Why does my iPhone suddenly seems so small and underpowered? iFixit…

34 years ago today, two straggly hippies with a dream setup shop in a garage in Palo Alto, California. Skip forward to 2010 and Apple Inc. is one of the most innovative, successful companies in Silicon Valley. It’s been a rocky road at times, but no one can deny that having one of the most enigmatic and driven CEOs at the helm has been a huge plus for the tech giant. Between the dark days in the 90s under John Scully to the modern era of iWonder, Apple is a company that has truly earned it’s place in history. No longer simply a computer company, Apple changed from being ‘Apple Computer’ in 2007 to ‘Apple Inc.’,…

An Israeli company has developed a remote control, robotic exoskeleton to allow paraplegics to walk again. Advances in technology have made this sci-fi dream a reality, and moves the medical community one step closer to being able to replace limbs and create completely bionic humans. Dr. Amit Goffer is responsible for developing the system, which attaches to the user’s legs and torso and essentially replaces all body support for the legs. Unlike other similar systems, it does not rely on picking up signals from nerve endings or muscle movement. Instead it is triggered by the user leaning forward…

Geek gadgetry has a new, previously untapped market: Women. For years, technology and geek chic has been the domain of males, typically the kind living in their parents basement with Cheeto stains on their shirts who think that corduroy is the height of fashion, but that’s set to change. Wearable technology is an evolving market in 2010, but increasingly the technology is aimed at both men and women. This dress from Abbey Liebman at Cornell University’s Textiles Nanotech Laboratory shows how a stylish dress can contain ultra-modern geek tech, including a USB charger for phones and iPods, photovoltaic…

Gamers are an elite segment of the PC market. They know their FPS from their RSI, and they’re happy to pay a premium for a product that will give them a tiny fraction of an advantage over their Gatorade guzzling, fifteen year old competitor on the other side of the world. Following this theme, Mad Catz would like to introduce you to the F.L.Y. 9 joystick. Source: SlashGear…

Like many iPhone-touting certified Apple fanboys, I was extremely curious about Windows Mobile 7. Microsoft literally can’t buy themselves a successful product, but this doesn’t look like a phone born in a boardroom. Did I make a mistake? Did I back the losing team? Of course not. While Windows Mobile 7 looks promising, it is clearly still playing catchup to Apple market leader. Microsoft may fight the tide of Apple’s domination, but in the meantime you can happily use your iPhone, and even sample the visual flare of Windows Mobile 7 at the same time. A DeviantArt member has created a theme for (presumably)…

Oh no! A server malfunction has left Gmail vowel-less since around 6am this morning, Pacific Time. During routine maintenance at a Google datacenter, the letter ‘a’ disappeared for a number of users. Spreading quickly amongst users, Google’s help forum was filled with complaints from confused and worried Gmailers. Thankfully, Google engineers were able to limit the damage, protecting consonants (and apparently even the letter Y!), leaving only the letters A, E, I, O and U missing. Google has ‘vowel-ed’ to resolve the problem as quickly as possible and return the home page to normal. Happy…

In an attempt to reach new heights in the field of stating the obvious, an analyst today announced that Apple is selling every iPad it can manufacture, and that previous estimates for demand might have underestimated the iPad’s appeal. Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster, frequent speaker on Apple’s products and financial standing,  believes Apple will sell between 200,000 and 300,000 iPads in it’s debut weekend and, similarly to the iPhone and iPod, should sell out at a large percentage of retail outlets. Shipping dates for pre-orders have been pushed back to April 12th, and current demand doesn’t…

With new technology, there’s always that awkward stage just before widespread acceptance and genuine innovation kicks in. OLED screens are, apparently, in that stage right now. UK OLED company LOMOX has patented OLED wallpaper, intended to create ambient light rather than direct light like it’s bulb-based counterparts. Aside from being more energy efficient, always a plus in these eco-friendly times, the wallpaper offers the advantage of working with the design of the room, and the option of switching colours at the flick of a switch. While Mother Earth might breathe a sigh of relief, DIY…