LightSensor
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Makeblock's Lego-like 'Neuron' teaches kids robotics and code
Makeblocks, a company known for kid-friendly robotics and DIY hovercraft-drones, is launching a new gadget-building platform called Neuron. It's like Lego meets Littlebits -- you get over 30 blocks with different functions that kids can snap together and then program to create science experiments or gadgets like an internet-connected cat feeder. The system is platform agnostic, the company says, so it can work with products like Lego and even Microsoft's Cognitive Services AI platform.
The iPod touch doesn't have a light sensor because it's 'too thin'
Kevin Tofel over at GigaOm stepped into the sunlight this past week (a dangerous endeavor for any blogger, let me tell you), and found out something strange about his new iPod touch: It doesn't have an autobrightness function. That's because it doesn't have a light sensor at all, apparently: There's only a manual setting for the brightness, and when Tofel went to Apple's product page for the new iPod touch, he confirmed that there's no light sensor listed in the various features of the device. While older iPod touch models do have the light sensor function, this current model apparently does not. Why not? An iDownloadBlog reader named Raghid Harake emailed Apple Senior VP Phil Schiller to ask him that very question, and he got the answer that the device is just too thin. Schiller confirmed again that the device doesn't have a built-in light sensor, and reported that the design makes the whole thing too thin to fit one in. Indeed, Apple lost more than a millimeter in the latest iPod touch design, and part of that space means losing the light sensor. Was the trade-off worth it? For Apple, apparently so. While some users might be surprised when their iPod touch doesn't automatically brighten up or down when moving into different ambient light situations, Apple decided that feature wasn't as important as slimming the device down. Do you agree?
Liquidware team crafts laser tripwire that tweets intruder alerts, keeps fake sharks at bay (video)
Laser tripwire security systems can be expensive propositions that don't always work as planned -- just ask Raytheon, which saw its $100 million Perimeter Intrusion Detection System for JFK International Airport undermined by one wayward jet skier. Taking that as a form of dare, Justin Huynh and teammates at Liquidware have devised a much cheaper (if also much smaller) tripwire of their own. Any interruption of a laser pointer's beam is caught by an Arduino light sensor that promptly sends the alert to an Android-running BeagleBoard xM; if a toy like Bruce the shark dares cross the line, the BeagleBoard sends a Twitter message to let the authorities, or at least Huynh, clamp down on the trespasser. The invention won't replace Raytheon's handiwork anytime soon, although Huynh notes that additional or more powerful sensors could theoretically catch real, muscle-bound sharks and not just their plastic counterparts. The supply checklist and source code are waiting on the company's project page below, so those who'd like to ward off miniature invasions can get started today.
Hannspree's HSG1164 10.1-inch Froyo tablet drops by the FCC
You know what they say about a trip to the FCC's database, right? Why, it's much like the step just prior to achieving manhood -- one more leap from here, and you'll be ripe for the pickin'. Just a few months after Hannspree teased us with a formal introduction of its (then unnamed) 10.1-inch multitouch Froyo tablet, it looks as if that very device has now found a moniker. The 1.6-pound HSG1164 will eventually bring a fairly impressive build of materials to light, offering a 1GHz Tegra 2 chip, 16GB of internal storage, 512MB of NAND Flash, a microSD slot, Android 2.2, 802.11b/g/n WiFi, mini USB / HDMI connector, an inbuilt light sensor, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and a Li-ion battery of unspecified size. There's obviously no direct mention of a ship date in the documentation here, but we're putting our money on an early 2011 release. Care to wager, too?
Hannspree pairs Android 2.2 with Tegra 2 for a 10.1-inch multitouch tablet
Yearning for a bit of dual-core action on the move? Who isn't. Hannspree will soon try to quell that 1080p-sized hunger in all of us with its freshly announced €399 ($507) Froyo tablet. There's no lack of spec sheet ambition here: a 1GHz Tegra 2 SOC is surrounded by 16GB of internal storage (expandable via MicroSD), an accelerometer, WiFi and Bluetooth 2.1 connectivity, a 1,024 x 600-pixel capacitive touchscreen, and mini versions of HDMI and USB ports. Flash 10.1 is also proudly supported, while the 3,500mAh battery is said to last up to 8 hours when playing 1080p movies. We'd be getting real excited right about now, but we've learnt to be cautious with such lofty promises -- remember the Gemini?
Logitech's Wireless Illuminated K800 keyboard boasts ambient light and proximity sensors, costs $100
It wasn't too long ago that we were pondering the relative scarcity of backlit desktop keyboards, so let's all warmly welcome a new entrant into this niche category. The K800 from Logitech picks up where the wired Illuminated Keyboard left off: it has the requisite inflated price, adjustable and intelligent illumination to please functionalists, and a dagger-like profile for aesthetes. Ambient light sensors will align the keyboard's brightness to your environment, while proximity detectors will only flip the switch when your hands are in position to start writing. There's also a Micro USB cable to refresh your battery when it starts running low -- it's rated for up to 10 days of wireless use -- but whether this whole package of smart convenience is worth the $99.99 we'll leave up to you. The K800 should be shipping out later this month, and you can find out more about it in the press release after the break.
Nuovations' Iris + Reflex brings ambient light sensing to Macs of all stripes
It may not be of much use to anyone with a recent iMac or MacBook, but folks with a Mac that doesn't have a built-in ambient light sensor will soon be able to get their fix courtesy of Nuovation's new Iris + Reflex combo. That includes the Iris USB light sensor, which is small enough to not obstruct any nearby ports, and works in conjunction with the company's Reflex software to dial down your display's brightness to suit your surroundings. In fact, it even bests Apple's standard offering when it comes to advanced settings, although we're still trying to figure out why you'd want to have two of the sensors connected. Still no actual pictures of the sensor, unfortunately, but you'll apparently be able to pick it up this summer for between $20 and $30.
FedEx Senseaware tracks everything about your package, probably causes OCD
What do you get when you throw cellular and GPS radios in with an accelerometer, a thermometer and a light sensor? If you answered a decently featured phone, you'd be almost right. FedEx has concocted the above tracker to be able to tell you everything about the package it's in -- if it has been opened, dropped, outside of temperature range, or insufficiently loved by its deliverator. The GPS and cellular signals are used to provide a real time position, and all that data is fed through a web platform for the increasingly obsessive sender to monitor. It is now being deployed with 50 medical clients -- who actually have a use for all the intel -- and once production ramps up and economies of scale kick in, the opening price of $120 a month is expected to drop rapidly. You can expect the Senseaware tracker to show up worldwide some time next year.
