Technology

5 strange patents owned by Google

Posted on by Nicole DiGiose

A look into the future through Google’s eyes

Gadget that projects a keyboard onto your hand

 

Google_Projected_Keyboard

 

Image via patentimages.storage.googleapis.com.

By now most people know of the voice and gesture-activated wearable computer with an optical head-mounted display that is Google Glass. Though the idea of this device frees us from being tied to a desk and eliminates the need to carry around a smartphone or tablet, there’s still a downside. Voice commands don’t work well in noisy environments, and for those used to typing brief emails into a computer, anything lengthier could make for quite a tricky process. But it looks like Google has a solution to that.

Just last year the tech giant filed for a patent for a technology called “Methods and Systems for a Virtual Input Device.” The patent outlines a variety of projector and camera systems that would allow a keyboard to be laser-projected onto surfaces or onto a user’s hand. According to the patent, the projected QWERTY keyboard of the Glass would measure 295 mm by 95 mm. Read More

Google wants to put ads on car dashboards and refrigerators

Posted on by Nicole DiGiose

In an SEC filing, Google admitted that in a few years it could be placing targeted ads on the public’s household and personal items

Tech-giant Google always seems to be one step ahead of the game, and right now it’s envisioning a future where it can send ads just about anywhere, including watches, thermostats, car dashboards, and even on refrigerators.

Just last week, Google sent a letter to the Securities and Exchange Commission revealing its hopes to place marketing messages in ad-free objects. The company, which is just one of many who are swooping into the Internet of Things, revealed that its expectation is to have its users viewing ads on an increasingly wide diversity of devices in the future.

Google_Smartwatch_Ad

Google hopes to serve ads on your smartwatch. Image via extremetech.com.

Google already started placing its Android mobile operating system into cars through partnerships with automakers, and is also pushing it on smartwatches through an optimized OS called Android Wear. Read More

Top tech-oriented commencement speeches

Posted on by Nicole DiGiose

Words to live by from some of the top tech executives

It’s easy to forget that the names behind big tech companies are actual people, and that at one point in their lives they were students who shared similar experiences as most of us did. Each year our future leaders walk down the aisles in cap and gown with everyone else, leaving behind the days of endless studying, crazy partying, and staying up way too late.

As the school year comes to a close, some of the world’s greatest geeks will be giving their own advice to the class of 2014. Below are the quotes from some of the best commencement speeches ever delivered by technology executives that are probably a good idea to keep in mind.

Mark Zuckerberg– Facebook co-founder (2011)

Zuckerberg

“You should follow your dreams. You should pursue your goals. You should give life to your ideas, wherever they lead. As trite as it sounds, I want you to truly believe that you can be anything you want to be and do anything — absolutely anything — you want to do. Unless, that is, it competes with me. Then you will fail. Maybe that sounded awkward. Read More

Battery-electric bus travels 700 miles in 24 hours

Posted on by Nicole DiGiose

Proterra has set a new record for the most miles traveled by an electric bus in a day

Electric cars have been all the rage recently, turning heads and making headlines, but they’re not the only modern vehicles making their way to the streets. Electric buses have hit the roads as well, and are proving they can pave the way to a better future in public transportation.

 

Proterra_Electric_Bus 

Image via phys.org.

Proterra, for example, has now set a record for the most miles ever traveled by an electric bus in a day. As part of a test last month, one of Proterra’s plug-in buses traveled 700 miles in 24 hours driving at an average of 29 mph with the HVAC system running, and was charged periodically using Proterra’s fast-charging stations. Read More

High school class creates prosthetic hand for 9-year-old girl

Posted on by Nicole DiGiose

A high school class at Boylan High School, IL is using a 3D printer to create a prosthetic hand for Kylie Wicker, a 9-year-old from nearby Roscoe, IL, who has been upset about other children staring at her underdeveloped left hand.

Kylie_Wicker_9

Kylie Wicker. Image via ABC.

Kylie’s parents, Jeromy and Sharon Wicker have considered getting their daughter a prosthetic hand before, but their insurance would only cover 80% of the cost for a single prosthetic. Since it’s so expensive, the Wickers were planning to wait until Kylie was older and had stopped growing to buy the prosthetic. But once Jeromy came across a video online of a father who made a 3D-printed hand for his son with a condition similar to Kylie’s, everything changed. Read More

High school students put an end to watery ketchup with a 3D-printed cap

Posted on by Nicole DiGiose

Two teenagers solve an old problem with a new ketchup cap

As you stand above your burger with that squeezable ketchup bottle, you quickly become disappointed with the unpleasant watery liquid that shoots out before the actual condiment itself. Luckily, two high school students put their heads together to design the 3D-printed ketchup-dispensing invention we’ve all been waiting for.

3D_printed_ketchup_cap

Thompson and Richards’ 3D-printed ketchup bottle solution. Image via geek.com.

Teenagers Jonathan Thompson and Tyler Richards of Missouri created a bottle replacement cap that forces the ketchup away from the top and into a small tube at its center, which the ketchup then squeezes out of. Read More

Simplify star-gazing with a remote-controlled robotic Wi-Fi telescope

Posted on by Nicole DiGiose

Telescope connects wirelessly to your mobile device to simplify space navigation

It can be pretty simple to pinpoint certain stars with a regular old telescope, but if you’re just gazing into the night sky, all those constellations and planets can be harder to identify. With Celestron’s NexStar Evolution Wi-Fi-enabled telescope, you can figure out exactly what you’re looking at overhead.

Because it shows up as an access point in a smartphone or tablet’s list of available networks, the Celestron NexStar telescope lets you control it by tapping areas on a star-map app once connected. Simply choose a celestial body and the telescope’s motorized mount and fork arm will automatically position the scope.

Celestron_NexStar_Telescope

The Celestron NexStar telescope wirelessly connects to your mobile device. Image via Wired.  Read More

5 different uses for your everyday electronics

Posted on by Nicole DiGiose

Your ordinary electronics can be so much more than you think.

USB typewriter

USB_Typewriter

Transform your dusty old manual typewriter into a modern computer keyboard by connecting it to your Mac, PC, or iPad. Depending on your skill level with a soldering iron, this can be a fun project, and with the “Solder-It-Yourself” conversion kit from instructables.com, it should take between four and five hours to complete. You’ll need a soldering iron and solder, a Dremel rotary tool for sanding, tweezers and pliers, a hot glue gun, wire and some tape. Though the kit works with the majority of manual typewriters, there are some exceptions. Read More

Replace credit cards with an electronic wallet

Posted on by Nicole DiGiose

The next generation of payment works anywhere your cards are accepted

Most of us carry around wallets stuffed with multiple credit cards and IDs, making them hard to find and easy to lose. With the high-tech smart wallet called the Wocket from NXT-ID, you can securely store electronic versions of your various plastic cards so you don’t risk misplacing them or having them stolen.

Wocket_Swipe

Swipe your cards into the Wocket to store your data.

To begin, new users swipe all of their magnetic-striped cards into the Wocket, which records their data and stores it in its onboard memory. Read More

Six green gadgets in honor of Earth Day

Posted on by Nicole DiGiose

The 44th annual celebration of Earth Day on April 22nd will be buzzing with talk of our impact on the environment and what we can do to better live in harmony with it. If you want to show some support for Mother Earth, don’t think you have to abandon your electronics, because there’s certainly no shortage of eco-friendly technologies available. Below are six useful green gadgets that are beneficial to both you and our planet.

Water-powered alarm clock

Bedol_Clocks

Bedol’s colorful water-drop-shaped clocks run on tap water and nothing else. Wondering how that’s possible? The energy comes from a natural reaction between the water and two metal plates inside. Impressively, the smallest clocks run for six to 12 weeks before the display begins to fade, indicating the water needs to be changed. Occasionally, the metal plates need to be cleaned with vinegar. Prices start at $19. Read More