Technology posts

Not to come off as a robotics nut, but I’m not letting this one get away and sleeping comfortably tonight. I’m just not. This is amazing, much to my own chagrin. This robot knows how to draw. And I don’t mean it’s a glorified printer – it actually knows how to draw. Patrick Tesset and Frederic Fol have been developing the Aikon Project over the last six years, the aim of which is to give a robot the soul of an artist – complete with style, interpretation, and aesthetic judgment. The more Aikon II draws, the more it learns, and the more it can artistically extrapolate.
 And the more it can eventually…

Meet Hanako. Hanako is a collaboration between three Japanese universities and robotics company Tmsuk. And, quite frankly, Hanako is creepy as all hell. A new dental patient robot, I guess this is actually a good idea – I certainly don’t mind the thought of dentists practicing thoroughly on a robot before coming at me with drills and knives. …

When a TV manufacturer enlists Dom Perignon and Aston Martin to help promote their new set, you can be sure of at least one thing: you’re gonna’ need to drink a lot when you see the price tag. But if German-based company Bang & Olufsen are known for anything, it’s sticker-shock. And sure, when you learn than their new BeoVision 10, a 40″ LCD TV, runs for anywhere from $6248 to $7675, you might need a moment to catch your breath. Thankfully, you’ll be glad to hear the higher-priced version comes with a remote control. Phew! But in case you’re still skeptical, Bang & Olufsen will be convincing customers…

In much the same way everyone love colonoscopies, we all love our cellphone carriers. With gouging, hidden fees, ridiculous charges for texting and more, companies like AT&T and Verizon inspire hate like few others. But hope is on the way, and all it takes (for now) is an iPhone, a little Wi-Fi and a simple $1 app. Line2 is an communication app modeled after the iPhone’s own phone software that, as the name suggests, adds a second line with its own phone number to your Apple smartphone. Well-suited to small businesses, the service by company Toktumi  also boasts features like Voicemail and…

You know you’ve made it when the US Army knocks at your door to ask for help. And that’s exactly what happened this month when Major General Nick Justice and several members of his staff traveled to Cupertino to discuss using Apple’s solutions in the field. Major General Justice leads the US Army’s Research, Development, and Engineering Command. He’s considering dumping some of the Army’s proprietary systems in favour of consumer products, including Apple’s army of mobile solutions. Apple gave its Army visitors a much-coveted tour of its labs and talked about how the military is…

Really interested in this concept: Rentalic lets you rent out the things you have around you aren’t using, and employs PayPal’s payments system to take deposits and more. Unlike eBay where you sell your kit, Rentalic lets you rent things out, or hire them in – unused skis, carpet cleaners, second car – whatever you may have around, whatever you might need….

The iPad is just one of a series of futuristic devices Apple plans as it stakes an ever-larger slice of the connected home – expect the company to introduce an Internet and iTunes-connected HDTV. Piper Jaffray’s Gene Munster (one of the better Apple analysts) says the front room Apple-powered television will sell for “around $2,000” and will ship in “two to four years”. “Apple is uniquely positioned to deliver a premium all-in-one solution (different than Apple TV),” Munster wrote….

All-new from ASUS the G73 ‘Stealth-Fighter‘ is being billed the ultimate gamer’s laptop with a militaristic design that’s inspired by the F-117 Nighthawk. This isn’t just some pretty boy’s toy – the G73 promises to deliver bang for your bucks. Inside there’s an Intel Core i7 processor, ATI Radeon HD5870 graphics and up to 16GB of DDR3 memory. After the break, all the specs and product details and an in-depth chat with ASUS product designers Peter Clark and John Van Damme talk about the inspiration behind the new machine….

Virgin Galactic, the space tourism branch of Richard Branson’s Virgin conglomerate, took us one step closer to getting regular people into space yesterday with the maiden flight of it’s sub-orbital spaceship, SpaceShipTwo. …

Intel has begun a campaign to let the world know it isn’t just a chip manufacturer. A series of YouTube videos showing ‘mock’ news reports about intelligent, non-PC devices that make use of Intel technology. Each of the 3 videos focuses on a different area where an Intel-powered device is improving people’s lives in the fields of energy, fitness and agriculture. …