Mobility Watch

Device could give people with ALS the ability to perform simple functions

Eric Bland from Discovery first reported this recently. What a boon for people who use wheelchairs.

A wheelchair-mounted robotic arm controlled by thought alone has been created by scientists at the University of South Florida.

The device could give people with amytrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) or full body paralysis the ability to perform simple day to day functions that would otherwise be impossible.

“We aren’t reading people’s thoughts,” said Redwan Alqasemi, a scientist at the University of South Florida who, along with Rajiv Dubey and Emanuel Donchin of USF, helped develop the software and hardware. “This is the first time a person with severe disabilities like ALS can perform daily activities for themselves.”

In this case, the scientists monitor a particular brain wave called P300, so-called because it lasts about one-third of a second. Reading P300 waves is basically like reading a person’s thoughts, but only in the most coarse kind of way.

Reading P300 brain waves is a good system, argues Walpaw, because it doesn’t take a lot of practice to train the brain. With only one WMRA built so far and no current plans to commercialize the design, not many people will get the chance for their brain to learn the new skill. But when commercial models appear in several years, even slow brain computer interfaces could make the impossible, possible.

“It would allow patients with severe disabilities the ability to control their own environment and have some form of independent mobility,” said William Heetderks, Director of the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering. “It would be very valuable to these individuals.”

Hearst has announced a new e-reader that is supposedly to ‘revolutionize’ print.

Hearst Corporation — which publishes iconic magazines including Cosmopolitan and Esquire along with the San Francisco Chronicle — will be launching its own wireless e-reader. While many may be quick to label this forthcoming device as a Kindle competitor, the concept behind this is far more elaborate than simply knocking Amazon from its perch. In an effort to “preserve the business model that has sustained newspapers and magazines” while moving forward with technology, Hearst is planning to ship a larger-than-usual reader (around the size of a standard sheet of paper), giving publishers (and advertisers, by extension) about the same amount of space as they’re used to when pushing out e-articles. Reports suggest that the device — which will do the monochrome thing until a color version debuts later — could land as early as this year, with Hearst & Friends planning to sell them to publishers and “take a cut of the revenue derived from selling magazines and newspapers on these devices.” No exaggeration here — this may be the biggest news we’ve heard for print media in years, not to mention the promise of an all-new e-reader for gadget nerds to swoon over.

Meanwhile, Amazon is coming out with a larger touch kindle 3 later this year. Kindle with a full 8.5″x11″ display. And according to DigiTimes, that Kindle still exists.

Sneakily tacked on a post about Amazon’s e-ink display manufacturer Prime View International, the publication states:

Amazon plans to launch a new generation of Kindle by the end of this year, which will be larger in size and equipped with touch functions, the sources said.

The NW-S736FK and NW-S738FK only differ with respect to internal capacity, as the former carries 4GB worth of tunes while the latter hosts 8GB.

Both will soon be available in the wonderful nation of Japan in gold, black, pink and red hues, and each will support MP3, WMA, ATRAC, WMV, MPEG-4, JPEG and AAC formats. You’ll also find a 2-inch LCD, USB 2.0 connectivity, a 5 band equalizer, FM tuner and a battery good for 40 hours of audio playback (or 10 hours on the video side). The new duo is set to ship on March 14th, and yes, those perfectly matching speaker docks seem to be included for your convenience.

Both have a 2in TFT screen, portable mini speakers (pictured) and noise cancelling headphones. They will come in 4GB and 8GB flavours, US$190 and US$230 respectively, in shades of pink, red, gold and black.

Not bad colors, for pastel, and the stats are pretty decent, having 10 hours video playback and 40 hours audio playback. Though the price is somewhat exhorbitan, at a couple hundred apiece, it included the docking station with two speakers built in. Also inclueded are the noise cancelling headphones for traffic, crowded places like the store, mall, subway or public transportation.

These would be ideal for listening to podcasts of your favorite speakers, movitation lectures, coursework or any number of things that are available on the internet.

With any number of electronics available on the market today for audio and video playback, Sony has quite a product to compete for those hardearned dollars.

Even in pastel.

One of the most important countries and where Nokia 5800 will have a big battle trying to gain some market share against Apple phones and Sony Ericsson is the United States of America. So, it becomes so much important to announce the 5800 release date like we did before when we announced the first countries to have the 5800.

Nokia 5800 Xpress Music will go on sale through the retailers by 26 of February, being the suggested price of 399$. The price might be this one as there is not one carrier subsidy, so the chances of getting the 5800 cheaper are little.

The unlocked Nokia 5800 US 3G version will be available at retailers and online sites like amazon.com, mobilecityonline.com, buy.com, newegg.com, tigerdirect.com, and then retailers like Nokia Flagship in NYC and Chicago, J&R Music in NYC, Just Mobile @ RCS Experience in NYC, Best Buy Mobile, many independent owned wireless phone dealers across the US, but not any carrier stores, have that in mind.

Nokia 5800 with US 3G support to be launched this month for $400
Although Nokia 5800 XpressMusic is already available in the US, it’s only the European version that can be bought – for $349.99. This means you are forced to use it only on the GSM/EDGE bands, since European 3G frequencies are incompatible with the US ones.

However, it looks like a North American version of the XpressMusic handset is on its way too.

The Nokia Blog has it that a NAM Nokia 5800 will be available from US retailers starting the end of this month (around February 26).

Orange’s little European exclusive on LG’s touch-screen G910 watchphone with HSDPA data will result in a £1,000 / €1,144 price per. That directly translates to about $1,500 but, as these things generally go, it will likely be priced closer to $1,000 (without tax) whenever it lands Stateside.

At the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Orange proudly announced that it would be carrying the LG G910, but did not go into detail about when it would be made available. Prior to the announcement, however, LG told us these devices would be coming to European markets in the second half of 2009.

The 1.43-inch touch screen watch offers HSDPA connectivity with Web browsing and media playing functions, but remains mostly a voice communications device due to its restrictive form factor.

As a concept that has existed in popular culture for nearly 70 years, LG’s watch phone will not be the first of its ilk, nor will it be the only touch screen watch phone in the market this year.

But with its elegant design, and the high-profile manufacturer/carrier combination, LG’s device will be the most widely accessible deployment of the watch form factor in Europe thus far.

From the Press Release:

The compact and stylish wrist watch style phone comes with a blue-tooth headset and features a full touch-screen interface, 3G HSDPA and video-calling capabilities. Whether it is searching for restaurants and making video conference calls, or watching sports clips and listening to music on the built-in MP3 player, Orange customers will be able to enjoy the same multimedia experience on a watch, as they do on other mobile phones.

Yves continues, “This phone really manages to combine form with functionality and its chic styling and mobile broadband connectivity will no doubt appeal to all the early adopters out there. It is a great addition to our range, showing that we can give customers the latest in high-tech design for a totally new kind of mobile multimedia experience, or if they choose, a simple device for calling and texting.”

Key mobile phone industry players have agreed to fit phones with the same power socket by 2012, industry group GSMA said on Tuesday.

It said handsets would have a micro USB interface, already used to transfer pictures from digital cameras to a computer.

The initial group of companies that have signed for the change include Nokia, LG, Motorola, Samsung and Sony Ericsson.

Operators such as AT&T, Orange, Telefonica, T-Mobile and Vodafone are also part of the initiative.

The GSMA said that eventually it expected mobile phones to ship without a charging plug and cable because everybody would have one.

This should also lead to less waste and could yield energy savings because the agreement calls for chargers to meet efficiency targets, the group said.

2012 sounds a long way off, but if you look at it as the end of the year after next, plus one day, it’s not that distant. Even so, you can’t help wondering if the designs for 2011 handsets are already set in concrete.

Apart from the convenience factor, what other advantages come with the universal charger?

If the chargers are more efficient, then users will see a reduction in the amount of energy used and (in many places) a consequent reduction in greenhouse emissions from power stations.

And the industry suggests that selling chargers separately rather than including them with every phone will eliminate 13.6 to 21.8 million tonnes of greenhouse gas emissions currently associated with the manufacture and transport of chargers.

The expectation is that charger production may be halved.

“The mobile industry has a pivotal role to play in tackling environmental issues and this programme is an important step that could lead to huge savings in resources, not to mention convenience for consumers,” said Rob Conway, GSMA CEO and board member.

The fine folks over at Haier shows off mysterious “NetBooks,” Android phones

Haier’s offerings are always an adventure, and this year at MWC they didn’t disappoint. They were showing off an interesting assortment of MIDs, confusingly dubbed “NetBooks,” including a mini-laptop of sorts (left) that falls somewhere in the middle. Unfortunately, we’re totally short on specs, release dates or other sorts of relevant informations, so what you see is pretty much what you get. On a similar note, Haier had two Android-based devices at the show, dubbed the G1 and the G2, along with a BlackBerry 8900 look-alike.

There is almost no information about these Haier projects, other than what was unveiled at MWC.

Liliputing has this to say:

Chinese electronics maker Haier had an unnamed, unexplained netbook on display at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain last week. Engadget reports that there were no specs, release date information, or other details available. Just a netbook sitting in a display surrounded by mobile internet devices and cellphones.

The notebook appears to have a decent sized keyboard with large shift keys on the left and right sides. But there’s certainly a bit of room in the case on either side of the keyboard, whichmakes me wonder why the keyboard isn’t a little larger. And judging by the inclusion of a Windows key instead of a Home button, I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that this puppy will ship with Windows XP.

Haier does have some unique products out on the market, like this Haier P7 Pen phone.

Engadget breaks this story: European markets can expect to see Nokia’s N86 handset on or about July 22, 2009. This would seem to be in line with the Q2 2009 estimate we’d previously heard, though the Expansys price — €659.99 (about $853) — is a lot higher than the €375 quote we’ve heard. Either way, the dual-slider boasts an 8MP camera with a Carl Zeiss Tessar lens, AutoFocus, a mechanical shutter and a dual-LED flash, and is sure to be an eye-popper for cameraphone buffs when it does appear. Expansys has the N86 up on site and available for pre-order right now.

Features:

Operating System Series 60 3rd Edition (FP 2)

Dimensions 103.4mm (L) x 51.4mm (W) x 16.5mm (T)
GSM/GPRS Quad-Band 850/900/1800/1900MHz
Bluetooth Yes (Stereo)

Camera 8 mega-pixel
Memory Card microSDHC

Stunning Images.
Use the 8 mega-pixel camera and wide angle lens to take stunning photographs. The powerful dual LED flash provides illumination in poor lighting conditions.

Sleek Design.
Carry a streamlined 2-way sliding device with metal detailing and an AMOLED display protected by a scratch-resistant hardened glass front.

Connect & Share:
Use contacts on Ovi to share you location, find friends or simply chat. Plan your trips on Ovi and navigate using the built in AGPS receiver and Nokia maps software.

• Network:
- GSM: 850/900/1800/1900 (Quad-Band)
- WCDMA: 900/1900/2100 (Tri-Band)
- HSDPA (3.6Mbps)
• Camera:
- 8 mega-pixels (auto-focus)
- 20 x Digital Zoom
- Carl Zeiss Tessar Lens
- Wide Angle Optics
- Dual LED Flash
- Image Stabilization
• Video:
- Hi-Resolution VGA Video Recording
- 30fps Video Recording (VGA)
- 8 x Video Zoom
- Supported formats: MP4, 3GP, H.264, Flash, H.263 & Real Player
- Video Streaming
• Music:
- Supported formats: MP3, AAC, eAAC+ & WMA
- FM Stereo Radio (RDS)
- Nokia Music Store
- Nokia Podcast Support
- Nokia Music Manager Support
- Windows Media Player Sync

Asus T91 Netbook with touchscreen GUI Enters market.

Asus has been leading the charge in delivering portable netbook computers to the market. Now the company is continuing to stay ahead of the pack with a touch screen netbook that converts to a tablet PC in the T91.

The T91 comes with a swiveling 8.9″ touch screen monitor. It runs an Intel Atom Z520 processor with 1 GB of RAM built in. Asus built both solid state and hard drives into the T91 for a combined capacity of 52 GB.

Asus also included a few first-ever features in the T91. The netbook will be the first to offer both GPS and a TV tuner card built in.

The T91 will ship running Windows XP home and is expected to support Windows 7 once it’s released. Asus has stated that a Linux version is possible, but has not said definitively whether it will offer a Linux version.

Laptop Mag has this review:

Eee PC T91

The 8.9 inch T91 is one of the most compact Eee PCs we have seen to date and at an inch thick and 2 pounds it is smaller and lighter than the Eee PC 901. The model on display had a black glossy lid with the usual Eee branding on the center.

Under the hood is a pretty compact keyboard, but with different feeling keys than we have seen on any of the Eee PCs. In fact the keyboard is more akin to that on the ASUS N10. The trackpad was fairly wide for an 8.9 inch netbook from ASUS.

Of course, the real appeal here is the convertible touchscreen. The 180 degree rotatable hinge swivels the screen around; it did feel a bit wobbly but given the amount of people that had their paws on the prototype we will let this slide for now and hope the final product feels durable.

What is not present on the T91 is an accelerometer that would automatically rotate the screen when in tablet mode. Unlike the Convertible Classmate PC it will not rotate when put in a vertical position. To boot, there is no external button to rotate the screen orientation. We assume ASUS will have a software stack on the tablets that will allow for rotating.

The actual responsiveness of the 1024 x 600 resolution display to finger input was solid. We didn’t have to press too hard to open Windows Media Player from the desktop or move through the Start menu. We hope to get some more time during the show with a unit with closer to touch implementation. Apparently a stylus will be included but we didn’t get to test that.

Engadget brings us the latest slide cell, courtesy of ATT, a true successor to Pantech’s quirky Duo on AT&T. The Matrix PRO features HSDPA (up from UMTS), integrated GPS with AT&T Navigator, Bluetooth, a 2 megapixel cam, Video Share support, and Windows Mobile 6.1 Standard

This is pretty cool, sliding out two different ways, with two apparantly different keyboards on the same unit.

From PhoneScoop, the Stats:

Specs Compare side-by-side vs…
Modes GSM 850 / GSM 900 / GSM 1800 / GSM 1900
WCDMA 850 / WCDMA 1900 / WCDMA 2100
Weight 5.34 oz (151 g)
Dimensions 4.2″ x 2″ x 0.9″ (107 x 51 x 22.9 mm)
Form Factor Slide
slides open two ways, for both number pad and QWERTY text keyboard
Internal Antenna
Battery Talk: 6 hours max. (360 minutes)
Standby: 288 hours max. (12 days)
1320 mAh LiIon
Display Type: LCD (Color TFT/TFD)
Resolution: 240 x 320 pixels (QVGA)
2.4″ diagonal
Colors: 262,144 (18-bit)
Platform / OS Windows Mobile Standard (Smartphone)
version 6.1
Processor 528 MHz ARM 11
Memory 54 MB (internal memory available to user for storage)
Phone Book Capacity shared memory
FCC ID JYCC820 » (Approved May 28, 2008)

Features Ungroup Features + Show Missing Features
GPS / Location Type: A-GPS
supports LBS / AT&T Navigator
Accessibility
Digital TTY/TDD Yes
Multiple Languages Languages Supported: English, Spanish
Alerts
Polyphonic Ringtones Yes
Ringer Profiles Yes
Vibrate Yes
Connectivity
Bluetooth Supported Profiles: HSP, HFP 1.5, DUN, FTP, OPP, PBA, A2DP, AVRC, BPP, BIP, PAN, HID, Sync
version 2.0+EDR
PC Sync Yes
USB Version: 2.0 High Speed

Contacts
Multiple Numbers per Name Yes
Picture ID Yes
Ringer ID Yes
Voice Dialing Type: Speaker-independent (automatic)
Customization
Custom Graphics Yes
Custom Ringtones Yes
Real-Music Ringers up to 300 KB
Data & Network
Data-Capable Yes
Flight Mode Yes
Packet Data Technology: HSDPA 3.6
WAP / Web Browser Browser Software: Internet Explorer Mobile
Input
Predictive Text Entry Technology: XT9
Side Keys Yes
Text Keyboard Layout: QWERTY
Memory
Memory Card Slot Card Type: microSD (TransFlash)
up to 32 GB
Messaging
Email Client Protocols Supported: Exchange with Direct Push, POP, IMAP, SMTP
supports attachments, including MS Office
MMS Yes
Text Messaging 2-Way: Yes
threaded
Music
Music Player Supported Formats: MP3, AAC, AAC+, eAAC, 3GP, MP4, WMA, RealAudio
Photo & Video
Camera Resolution: 2+ megapixel
Streaming Video Protocol: H.263, H.264, MPEG4
Video Capture 15 fps, QCIF resolution (176 x 144 pixels)
Video Sharing Yes
Productivity
Alarm Yes
Calculator Yes
Calendar Yes
To-Do List Yes
Voice Memo Yes
Software
Games Yes
Java (J2ME) Version: MIDP 2.0
Voice
Speaker Phone Type: Full-duplex

Vodafone and HTC launched a new Android set named the Magic today

As many of you might already know, the first Google Android-based handset, dubbed G1, was launched on the market last year on T-Mobile. The device, which was supposed to go against Apple’s iPhone, has failed to do so, although it registered great success with the public. The smartphone market remains under the Apple and Research in Motion’s dominance.

“The HTC Magic embodies the compact style and sophistication for which HTC has come to be known, with the powerful and intuitive internet experience for which the Android platform was designed,” Peter Chou, president and CEO, HTC Corporation, adds. “We are proud of our partnership with Vodafone and excited about making the Android-powered HTC Magic available to Vodafone customers in Europe.”

The new Android handset includes a 3.2-megapixel camera, HSPA, WiFi connectivity, as well as a built-in GPS receiver, support for Google Mail, POP3, IMAP, and Google Talk for instant messaging. The HTC Dream (G1) is the only mobile phone running under the Google platform to have made it to the market until now, although other handset manufacturers like Nokia, LG and Samsung, have also announced plans to unveil such devices.

The new device will come exclusively to Vodafone in the UK, Spain, Germany and France (SFR) and will also be available on a non-exclusive basis in Italy. Those interested in the device will have to register their interest on their local Vodafone website starting from today. The handset will become available for purchase in spring.

Microsoft mobile partners fly the Windows flag: HTC, LG and Orange preview first Windows® phones

Mobile World Congress 2009, Microsoft Corp. CEO Steve Ballmer along with key mobile partners, HTC, LG and Orange, unveiled new Windows® phones featuring new user-friendly software and services. The next generation of Windows® phones will be based on Windows Mobile 6.5 and feature a new user interface and a richer browsing experience. In addition, Windows® phones will feature two new services: My Phone, to sync text messages, photos, video, contacts and more to the Web; and Windows® Marketplace for Mobile, a new marketplace that will provide direct-to-phone mobile applications and can be accessed from both the phone and the Web.

Contacts are backed up with My Phone so users don’t have to worry about losing contacts.
Click for larger version.

“Windows® phones bring together the best of the Web, the PC and the phone so you can connect instantly to the experiences you care about, no matter where you are,” Ballmer said. “We’re working with partners across the industry to deliver a new generation of Windows® phones that break down the barriers between people, information and applications and provide great end-to-end experiences that span your entire life, at work and at home.”

Windows Mobile 6.5 Delivers New User Experience

The new Windows Mobile 6.5 home screen keeps people up-to-date on important information by providing a dashboard-like experience to items such as new e-mails, texts, missed calls and calendar appointments. It also includes an improved touch-screen interface, making it easy to take action with a finger, and an updated version of the latest Internet Explorer Mobile browser, which in a third-party research study sponsored by Microsoft supported execution of up to 48 percent more assigned tasks than the other browsers and phones studied.

LG GM730 Video

A low-end Nokia offering, the XpressMusic device, 5630, a candybar the company sent to the FCC for review. The device will sport a 3.2 megapixel camera with built-in flash, GPS, S60 3rd Edition.

The phone also supports N-gage games and HSDPA / HSUPA radio, the manual up on the FCC’s site only mentions GPRS and EDGE connectivity.

From mobilidia:

The 5630 XpressMusic has Nokia’s new voice-controlled ‘Say and Play’ feature. Users can say the name of an artist or song to automatically play it.

The integrated music player has dedicated control keys, a 4GB memory card to store up to 3000 tracks and a 3.5mm AV jack. Users can drag-and-drop songs to transfer and manage their music collection.

The homescreen quickly accesses up to 20 contacts and shows recent emails, messages, phone logs and photos shared. The shortcuts bar displays the most frequently used applications.

The 5630 XpressMusic also comes with N-Gage to offer an entire catalogue of games.

The full-focus 3.2-megapixel camera with flash captures photos and videos that can be shared online on sites such as Share on Ovi, Flickr, or Facebook.

The Nokia 5630 XpressMusic will be available in select markets beginning in the second quarter with an estimated retail price of $257.

Plug in headphones into the standard 3.5 mm AV connector for high-quality audio, listen to stereo sound directly from the built-in speakers or connect to a home music system using Universal Plug and Play
Integrated full-focus 3.2-megapixel camera with Enhanced Depth of Field so the entire image stays in focus
Reduced environmental impact through lower power consumption and an efficent charger

Set to debut at Mobile World Conference, the Huawei i-Mo combines a 3G HSPA modem with a wi-fi router that gives your laptop mobile broadband access without having the dongle or extra wires attached.

Slashgear says i-Mo is roughly the size of a small keychain fob, and also has a microSD slot for data storage. If you would rather have a direct connection between your device and the internet, you can also connect via mini USB cable (7.2mbps down/5.6mbps up). The 802.11b/g wi-fi can also be used to give internet access to other gadgets at the same time.

This wifi modem looks remarkably like Helio’s Ocean 2 and approximately the same size. I wonder if you could get online on the Ocean with the iMo?

From Huawei’s Press Release:

Huawei’s latest innovation in broadband terminals, i-Mo provides a new level of convenience to its users. With i-Mo, you no longer need to carry a bulky Internet cable. The size of a small key chain, it fits in your pocket or wallet. You simply turn on the Wi-Fi switch and enjoy immediate access to a high speed HSPA network. i-Mo can automatically create group Internet access and individual Wi-Fi hot points for network digital equipment such as laptops, mobile phones, cameras, games consoles, and MP4 devices

But that’s not all. i-Mo supports plug-and-play and data transmission speeds up to 7.2 Mbps (downlink) and 5.76 Mbps (uplink). Music and videos can be uploaded or downloaded in seconds. With its built-in Micro SD card slot, i-Mo can also serve as a USB disk. All these features have been integrated into the smallest wireless modem in the world.

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Intomobile has this info:

With a little luck, we’ll see the Finnish cellphone giant pushing a new lineup of touchscreen smartphones on the Fira de Barcelona show-floor at Mobile World Congress next week. In a video interview with the Nokia N97 designer, Nokia (NYSE: NOK) shows off a couple new touchscreen smartphones with impressive feature-sets. The two new finger-friendly Nokia handsets are rumored to be the Madeleine and Ivalo.

In the video, we see a side-sliding QWERTY form-factor with a tilting display, much like the Nokia N97. The consensus seems to be that this newest side-slider is the Nokia Madeleine and will be aimed downrange of the Nokia N97. And, as the mid-range little brother to the Nokia N97, the Madeleine features a 3.2-megapixel camera, QWERTY keyboard, Wi-Fi and GPS connectivity, N-Gage support with dedicated gaming keys and FM radio.

The more high-end handset of the two, and the one that really catches our attention, is the Nokia Ivalo. Unlike the Madeline, the Ivalo sports a slate form-factor that makes good use of a 3.5-inch touchscreen display. And with 32GB ROM, AGPS, FM transmitter and receiver, 5MP camera, WiFi, TV-out and Bluetooth packed under the hood, the Nokia Ivalo should cater to the high-end market.

Details are understandably slim at the moment, but here’s to hoping that Nokia brings along these two touchscreen beauties to show off at Mobile World Congress.

These could be different ‘flavors’ of N97 or different ways of bringing them to the public. Hopefully Nokia will give some info on these leaked beauties.