Smart phones have given millions of people easy access to information. Visually impaired consumers, however, have limited options when trying to use smart phones. That could change very soon with the release of the world’s first Braille smart phone.   What will it do? Here’s the problem faced by engineers: A Braille smart phone needs a way to make screens more tactile, so blind people can read with their fingers. Current designs use a technology called “Shape Memory Alloy” that allows metal to make and retain shapes on a screen. When a visually impaired person with one of these phones receives…

If there’s one way to make adults feel like they’re behind on the times, it’s by taking college students and having them ridicule their elders over the technology they’re using. That’s the theory, at least, in the latest ad from Samsung promoting it’s new Galaxy S4. While many of the features on the S4 are nifty, the ad does not deliver a “must have” appeal that Samsung was hoping to spread. Being able to wave over your phone to answer it while you have barbecue sauce on your hands is cute, but the response from the parent was unrealistic when he asked, “Oh wow. That’s how you answer it?” The biggest mistake…

Microsoft has had its shares of difficulties in two big arenas of late – selling phones powered by their operating system and posting advertising videos that aren’t hated by the masses. They may have come up with a decent video that helps on both fronts by separating themselves from the fighting of the competition. The ad, slated to hit national television soon, pits the two sides of a wedding party against each other. On the bride’s side are people carrying the various Samsung mobile devices, while the groom’s family favors iPhone. Insults bounce back and forth and eventually lead to a melee. In…

Perhaps I’m ignorant, but it struck me as somewhat shocking that only one-third of the world population is online. I didn’t think it was too high – perhaps 50%-60% – but for it to be as low as it is took me by surprise. We’re definitely making advancements. Latin America is over 40% now, and the saturation of North America, Europe, and Australia is all pretty high. Still, in this digital age, one would think that the wonders of the internet had hit a higher mark than it has worldwide. Asia has the highest percentage of mobile internet usage. Tablets and smartphones are often less expensive and more accessible…

As technology grows more and more advanced, so too does its need for power. Unfortunately for us, batteries haven’t advanced all that much. Not as much as other technology has, at least. Phones used to be able to last for days between charges. Now, even (or perhaps especially) the best smartphones and computer tablets run out of juice in a matter of hours. We may very well see a solution to this problem in the near future, though, but not in a way you’d think. Instead of designing a new battery, a nanotechnologist named David Carroll and his research group at Wake Forest University has designed…

If you’re like me, you like to have fun, knock back a few drinks with your friends, and party the night away. Simple, right? Yes, this all may seem very carefree – but, shockingly, mistakes, misjudgments and social faux pas are made while under the influence. Consuming alcohol, as you may know, seems to have some kind of mysterious effect on our judgment and our ability to make smart decisions. This is perhaps the reason you can’t enter into a contract or operate a motor vehicle while under the influence. But what about when it comes to operating a phone? Yeah, there’s an app for that. Fortunately…

The iPhone has been blazing trails in the smartphone industry for 5 years now. It’s domination has been threatened lately by the rise of Android devices, particularly those of their arch-enemy, Samsung. Hacks are good and every phone has them. These are the tricks that got lost in the shuffle or were intentionally left in the small print of the instruction manuals that few people actually read, so they don’t get used as much. The three highlighted by Hack College are ones that are brand new… to you, at least. Okay, so you may have known one or two of them, but unless you’re a major iPhone geek or guru,…

In the art of war and business, knowing your enemy is arguably the most important key to success. The only real attribute that might hold the same level of importance is knowing your own strengths and weaknesses. BlackBerry showed today that they don’t know either very well. There has been some positive buzz lately surrounding BlackBerry 10, something that the company formerly known as Research in Motion hasn’t seen in years. They have a product that might actually be hot and the last thing they can afford to do is to squander the momentum. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what BlackBerry and CEO Thorsten…

Most people do not own or regularly carry personal protection weapons such as mace or stun guns. Those who do carry them regularly will often still find that they don’t take them everywhere. In western society, one thing that nearly everyone takes around with them everywhere they go is a cell phone. This fact might be the reason that Yellow Jacket has a safety solution for everyone. They first started getting serious about developing their cell phone case stun gun July, 2012, when they hit their IndieGoGo goal of $100,000 with three hours left in the campaign. From there, it was just a matter of developing…

Mobile is taking over the scene. Smartphones and tablets are bringing along this revolution, and our lives are becoming more intertwined with technology as a result. The term “mobile payment” actually has a number of different meanings. To some, NFC (near field communications) comes to mind. NFC is a relatively new payment option that allows users to wave either a card or mobile device in front of a sensor that will automatically process a payment for you. A lack of NFC sensors in the market has ultimately hindered the development of this payment method, but it could take off at any time. Card…