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Microsoft's PocketTouch prototype is like x-ray vision for your fingers (video)
Is it more gauche to pull out your phone in the middle of a date, or to draw a bunch of crop circles on your pants? That's the question we were asking ourselves after coming across PocketTouch -- a new Microsoft Research prototype that lets you manipulate your handset without ever removing it from your pocket. Developed by researchers Scott Saponas, Chris Harrison and Hrvoje Benko, the device essentially consists of a customized, multitouch capacitive sensor hooked on to the back of a smartphone. This sensor is capable of picking up gestures through fabric, allowing users to execute a wide array of eyes-free, gesture-based functions (including simple swipes and alphanumeric text) without ever having to actually whip out their phones. To do this, the team implemented what it calls an "orientation-defining unlock gesture," which helps the prototype get its bearings, before testing the capacitive sensors across different fabrics. According to Microsoft, the outcome "exceeded expectations," though there's no word on when or if this Goliath of a device could ever hit the mainstream. Head past the break to see a video of a man playing tic-tac-toe on his pants.
India caps text messages to curb telemarketing, Desi teens plot mutiny
SMS-based telemarketing is a serious problem in India -- so serious, in fact, that the government has decided to crack down in a pretty severe way. As of this week, every Indian mobile user or company is allowed to send only 100 text messages per day, as part of a new anti-spam initiative from the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India. The move is just the latest in a series of campaigns to combat a boom in aggressive telemarketing that, according to some, borders on harassment. Authorities say spam phone calls have already declined significantly since 2007, when the government instituted a national "do not call" registry, yet the problem persists, with many users complaining of receiving commercial texts during the wee hours of the night. Regulators seem confident that these new rules will go a long way toward solving this riddle, though some have been left wondering why India's millions of mobile subscribers should pay the price, rather than the spammers themselves. The Los Angeles Times, meanwhile, is reporting that subcontinental telemarketers have already begun circumventing the new regulations by re-focusing their efforts on junk mail, ad-based Twitter feeds and other ways to be just as annoying as they ever were. [Image courtesy of Thomas Hawk]
Evoz Baby Monitor lets you spy on your kid from anywhere your iPhone gets a signal
Worried that your bundle of joy might get up to no good during your weekly Hatha class? Not with this monolith by his bedside, he won't. It's called the Evoz Baby Monitor and it takes its job very seriously. All you have to do is place this WiFi-enabled device next to Junior's crib, download Evoz' app on your iPhone and the monitor will automatically provide you with alerts (via text, e-mail or phone call) whenever your kid cries. Once you sync this watchdog with your phone, you can even use it to remotely listen in on your prince, just in case he utters his first words while you're out on the links. Best of all, the system isn't restricted to a fixed range and promises to work in any area where you've got cellular coverage -- whether that be in the backyard, at the gym, or at Child Protective Services. Evoz won't start shipping the Baby Monitor until October 4th, but gravely concerned parents can pre-order one now for $120, at the source link below. Otherwise, just crawl past the break for more information, in the full PR.
Twitter opens up photo sharing via text message on some carriers
We're not exactly lacking in ways to share a photo on Twitter these days, but one key area that has been left behind is the venerable text message -- which is pretty important for the millions of people that don't have smartphones. While tweets via text have been possible since day one, Twitter has only just now opened up the ability to post a photo via MMS. That service is only available on some carriers initially -- AT&T, Verizon and Cellular South in the US, Vodafone, O2 and Orange in the UK, and Rogers in Canada, plus Vodafone Italy, VIVA Bahrain and TIM Brazil -- but Twitter says that it's working to bring the feature to additional carriers. Actually sending a photo via text is as simple as you'd expect (just attach it to your message and send it to the appropriate number for your country), but you'll of course have to be aware of any additional charges your carrier might impose.
Google expands Voice Actions across Europe, with multi-language support (video)
Android users across Europe are waking up to some bonnes nouvelles this morning, because Google has now expanded its Voice Actions service to France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK. Beginning today, loquacious smartphone and tablet users will be able to place calls, send texts and conduct Google searches by speaking into their devices. All you have to do is press the microphone button on your home screen's Google search field and open the Voice Search app, or simply press the physical search button on your handset to bring up the "Speak Now" field. From there, you can begin chattering away in French, German, Italian, Spanish and real British English. Interested parties running Android 2.2 or above can get started by downloading the Voice Search app from the source link below, or by checking out Google's demo video, after the break.
Sprint launches Drive First Android app to curb texting and driving, keep chatty teens at bay
Are you concerned that your talky teenager is trying to keep up on the high school gossip whilst behind the wheel? Or are you a more experienced driver looking to get rid of the temptation to update your status at 65 MPH? Sprint's got you covered with Drive First. The app, announced by CEO Dan Hesse at CTIA in March, will lock up your phone when it detects you're in a moving vehicle; calls will be automatically redirected to voicemail and incoming texts can get automatically replied to with a customized message. The service costs $2 / month per phone after a 15-day trial, and unfortunately only is available for Android devices, though BlackBerry and Windows Phone support has been promised in the near future as well. We'd say the more the merrier -- for parents, that is. Head below for the full press release.
Smozzy dodges T-Mobile data plans, delivers mobile web over text
Paying for your mobile internet data can be such a drag on the wallet. Luckily, there are Android apps like Smozzy that'll get you away from the pricey tiers, and onto the information superhighway via text -- no data plan required. You'll have to be a member of the Magenta brigade to use it, and you'll need an unlimited messaging plan, but after that, it should be smooth sailing and a little bit of extra wait time. So far, the well-reviewed app is still wearing its beta tag, and has only been tested on the Nexus S and T-Mobile G2. But don't let a little wireless experimentation stop you from enjoying the loophole-exploiting internet access. Something tells us this workaround might not be available for long. Hit up the source link below to test drive the SMS'd net for yourself.
AT&T streamlining individual messaging plans August 21st, leaving unlimited as the sole survivor
Do not adjust your computer screen, because the screenshot you're seeing above is real. Confirmed by multiple sources, we've exclusively learned that AT&T -- the protagonist of choice -- is trimming its individual messaging packages from two to one on August 21st. The remaining survivor? The Messaging Unlimited plan for $20, which means the $10 bundle that offers 1000 messages is riding into the sunset. If you aren't keen to do much communicating within 160 characters, you'll be left with no other choice besides the pay-per-message option at twenty cents each (thirty cents for MMS). Fortunately, the Family Unlimited Messaging is left unscathed, continuing to offer all-you-can-eat texts for $30. Tend to do only an average bit of texting and looking to move to Ma Bell? Our friend, you'd best be making that transition before the end of this week. Update: And just like that, AT&T has confirmed this report. A spokesperson for the carrier provided the following statement, while also affirming that "current customers can keep their texting plans even if switching handsets." "We regularly evaluate our offers and are making some adjustments to our messaging lineup. Starting August 21, we're streamlining our text messaging plans for new customers and will offer an unlimited plan for individuals for $20 per month and an unlimited plan for families of up to five lines for $30 per month. The vast majority of our messaging customers prefer unlimited plans and with text messaging growth stronger than ever, that number continues to climb among new customers. Existing customers don't have to change any messaging plan they have today, even when changing handsets." [Thanks, Anonymous]
NYC to trial mobile payment parking system, Lovely Rita looks for a new gig
Tired of burning your hard earned cash on parking fines? You might wanna move to New York City, where the Department of Transportation will soon begin testing a "pay by phone" parking system. The mobile payment technology, which has already been introduced in cities like Washington, DC and Atlanta, essentially allows drivers to pay for their parking spots without ever having to interact with those menacing, metallic meters. After registering online, users would be able to pay for curbside real estate by entering the number of the nearest meter and the amount of time they'd like to purchase into a customized app, or by texting it to the city's Department of Transportation. The system would also alert users whenever their allotted time is about to expire, allowing them to add more money directly from their handsets, rather than trudge back their cars. At this point, the plan is to roll out the pilot program to some 300 parking spots over the next few months, most likely in outer borough neighborhoods with plenty of commercial outlets and, presumably, automobiles.
Hackers break into Subaru Outback via text message
We've already seen SCADA systems controlled by Google Search, and now the Black Hat Technical Security Conference is offering up yet another slice of cringe-inducing hacker pie. A pair of pros from iSec Partners security firm was able to unlock and start the engine of a Subaru Outback using an Android phone and a process they call war texting. By setting up their own GSM network, they were able to snatch up password authentication messages being sent from server to car, allowing them the option to ride off in a brand new crossover. Apparently, your car isn't the only thing in danger of a war-texting takeover, however, as the team says there are a slew of devices and systems, accessible over telephone networks, that are vulnerable to similar attacks, including A-GPS tracking devices, 3G security cameras, SCADA sensors -- and thus the power grid and water supply -- home automation, and urban traffic control systems. Somehow this group of otherwise innocent looking New York texters appears a whole lot more sinister now.
Video App Demo: Daedalus Touch
Daedalus Touch is a text editor designed for iPad and engineered to be as simple and clutter-free as possible. From what I saw, it succeeds admirably. Granted, there are lots of text editors on the App Store, but Daedalus offers a clean interface with a few nice features, like modeless search. In modeless search you can search at any time across all documents and the presentation makes it easy to find what you're looking for. Of course, the best way to see this is to see it in action, so check out the video below to see Daedalus in action. if(typeof AOLVP_cfg==='undefined')AOLVP_cfg=[];AOLVP_cfg.push({id:'AOLVP_1071552357001','codever':0.1, 'autoload':false, 'autoplay':false, 'playerid':'61371448001', 'videoid':'1071552357001', 'width':480, 'height':270, 'stillurl':'http://pdl.stream.aol.com/pdlext/aol/brightcove/studionow/p/021c66b264e47/r/54232dd66ca77/al/193910/poster-10.jpg', 'playertype':'inline','videotitle':'TUAW - App Demo - Daedalus Touch','videolink':'#'});
The Daily Grind: What game terminology gets your goat?
MMOs, like any hobby, have their own specialized jargon. Someone who's never played an MMO might have no idea what it means if you say the MT pulled adds on your boss pull twice and wiped the group, but an experienced player will understand it without a problem. But that doesn't mean every acronym or term sits comfortably with everyone -- considering the plethora of specialized language that accompanies the genre and the variety of synonyms for given concepts, it's probable that there are some terms you like more than others. So which part of MMO slang rubs you the wrong way? Does it get your hackles up when someone refers to a character as a toon? Do you hate seeing "mob" used to refer to a single enemy? Will you go out of your way to avoid saying "DPS" as a description of class roles? Is it an abbreviation or term common to a single game, like a class nickname? Or do you feel comfortable fully ensconced within the language, with no particular irritations or pet peeves? Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!
2degrees users overloaded with random late-night texts -- the alcohol apparently not to blame
When we send out an embarrassing text message at 2am, at least we can -- in the words of Jaime Foxx -- blame it on the a-a-a-a-a-alcohol. Unfortunately for New Zealand mobile carrier 2degrees, pinning it on the Henney, just ain't gonna cut it this time. Early Wednesday morning, a few unlucky users were greeted by an influx of hundreds of unsolicited text messages. A few of those affected took to the company's Facebook page for answers, and were provided with the following response: Early this morning, a software implementation problem caused a small number of people to receive texts not intended for them. Our network team quickly identified the problem and resolved it by 2:30am. We apologize to our customers for any inconvenience this may have caused. On second thought, judging from the reactions that apology received, the outfit might have been better off using the Blue Top as a scapegoat.
Sprint text messaging down, subscribers' thumbs left feeling unfulfilled (updated: back up)
Having issues sending text messages today from your Sprint-enabled device? You're most certainly not alone. We've received a number of complaints from users indicating they can't TXT, while the company's own @sprintcare Twitter account is firing on all cylinders, tossing out replies like "our network team is aware and are working to get txts back up and running as fast as we can." Until that comes to pass you're stuck in a dark, painful world bereft of any and all means of external communication -- other than calls, emails, letters, smoke signals... Update: Looks like we're good to go again, folks. Get your SMS on. Update 2: Sprint sent us an official statement on the matter, which we've included after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Joseph Holmes photographs punctilious texters in NYC, encourages you to have a peek
Have you ever texted? Have you ever been photographed while texting? Were you in the vicinity of New York City, USA? If so, you may be one of the crowd in Joseph Holmes' newest art composition, as the self-proclaimed professional now has a growing library of individuals who seem to be shockingly focused on whatever they're texting. The gallery is quite simply called "Texters," and he shot 'em over a two month period and whittled that group down to just 26 amazing, wondrous panels of pixels. Hit the source to see 'em all, and yes, it's cool be inspired.
MightyText pushes messages and incoming call alerts to your computer (hands-on)
Have you ever missed an extremely important phone call or text because you were too busy finishing those TPS reports on your personal computing machine? There's a Chrome add-on for that. We went hands-on with a new extension (and accompanying Android app) called MightyText, a free notification service launched today that syncs your phone's texts and calls to your computer in real-time. The idea is crazy simple, yet adds unyielding convenience: incoming SMS messages appear on your screen as a pop-up, giving you the option to read and reply to them without touching or even looking at the phone. The full extension will show each conversation thread in its entirety, as well as call logs. When sent from the computer, texts are still patched through from your phone number, so your colleagues will still see your messages coming through with your name on them. To make the service even more appealing, pop-ups alert you to incoming calls, so you can either hurry to find your phone or just send the caller a canned auto-text reply. It sounds like a great concept, but does it do the job? Head on past the break to learn our first impressions of the program.
Paragraft gets iOS Markdown editing right
I just discovered Paragraft, a text editor for iPad and iPhone that boasts some ingenious Markdown features (if I've lost you already, check out the TUAW Markdown Primer for a crash course). The good parts of Paragraft blew me away enough that I'm able to overlook an ugly icon and some bad interface decisions to deliver a fairly glowing endorsement: this is the first app I've found that has really allowed Markdown on iOS to make sense. There's no shortage of Markdown-enabled apps on any Apple platform right now, and I love that. I love Markdown, and while it's far superior to writing HTML or dealing with Rich Text in an iOS environment, I always miss the Markdown speed I can achieve in TextMate and other text editors on the Mac. Nebulous Notes has the flexibility to start getting there, but you have to build all the macros yourself. Other apps handle auto-continuing lists, maybe adding bold and italics, but still leave you digging through multiple levels of iOS keyboards to get to some symbols. TextExpander Touch can help quite a bit, too, but none of these really tap the capabilities of the iPhone and iPad. Paragraft has made me begin to rethink the possibilities.
Microsoft details SkyDrive integration with Windows Phone Mango (video)
We already knew Windows Phone Mango would include SkyDrive functionality, but Microsoft has now released a few more details on some of the cloud storage features we can expect to see when the update rolls out, later this year. With the update, SkyDrive users will be able to share their stored photos via text message, e-mail or IM, and to upload their videos to the cloud with the touch of a button. They'll also be able to browse, share and edit uploaded MS Office documents directly from their handhelds, while searching through their entire SkyDrive via the Office Hub. Storage limits remain capped at 25GB, though Microsoft says we should expect to see more cloud-based features roll out in the near future (including a revamped, HTML5-based SkyDrive web interface), so more changes may very well be on the horizon. Soar past the break for some demo videos from Redmond, along with a hands-on clip from WinRumors.
Delorme's inReach two-way GPS Communicator receives txts on mountains, teenage hikers rejoice
Until Delorme's inReach two-way GPS Communicator, sending text messages over satellite signals was mostly a one-way affair. This 4.78 by 2.85 by 1.73-inch battery-powered minibeast pairs with either the company's PN-60w or an Android OS device to send and receive 160-character text messages and real-time GPS data to those tracking you. It can also beam an SOS message at timed intervals then receive confirmation that help is on the way when you ultimately realize that being at home with a fast connection is really all the adventure you needed anyway. Delorme tells us that the inReach will be available in October for $250 and monthly plans start at $9.95 with a one-year contract.
NHK's automated, animated sign language translator adds gestures to subtitles (video)
We've seen quite a few devices designed to help hearing impaired users communicate via phone or computer, but Japan's NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories has just announced a new animated translation system to help get important news to deaf viewers . While televised subtitles may work for those who understand the language, people who were born deaf and learned sign language from an early age can have significantly more difficulty. NHK's system, unveiled at Technology Open House 2011, bypasses this problem by automatically comparing Japanese text to sign language, converting equivalent words into animated onscreen gestures, and replacing differing words with appropriate synonyms. There are, however, a few kinks to work out. While comprehensible, the translations aren't exactly fluent and researchers have been forced to manually adjust some awkward transitions between words. The ultimate goal is to create a system that could be used during emergencies or natural disasters, allowing deaf citizens to receive urgent broadcasts as instantly as their hearing compatriots. You can see it in action, after the break.
