device

Sony has applied for a patent on a new, high-tech wig. It's the latest "wearable technology" device to emerge. Sony says the wig will allow the user to wirelessly access various gadgets, like a smartphone or a global positioning system (GPS) device. ... Sony suggests that, when hooked up to a navigation or mapping app on a phone (or using a built-in GPS chip), the wig could buzz on the left or right side of the head to give you directions when walking. (Sony says the head is much more sensitive to touch than many other areas of the body.) That would eliminate the need to keep pulling out your ... (view more)

Electronics retailer Vodafone was recently forced to evacuate its store after an Apple iPad suddenly exploded. Luckily, no one was hurt by the blast. The store is in Canberra, a city located halfway between Sydney and Melbourne in New South Wales, ... Australia. Reports suggest the device that exploded was a demo model, meaning it may have been running constantly throughout the day. The explosion forced the store to quickly evacuate everyone inside. The local fire department was also alerted and arrived on the scene to find the store filled with smoke. The affected iPad was reportedly issuing ... (view more)

Miss your pets when you're away on vacation or those long, dull business trips? Well, there may now be a way to keep in touch with your little critters. PetChatz is a two-way video system that can also be used to dispense scents and treats. ... PetChatz, which is about half the size of a desktop computer tower, plugs directly into an electrical outlet -- preferably one near ground level, where dogs, cats, iguanas, and other domesticated animals can access it. In the middle of the device is a screen the size of a smartphone display. When plugged in and remotely connected through WiFi to a home ... (view more)

Norwegian firm Elliptic Labs is employing ultrasound technology to improve existing gesture controls. As with medical ultrasound scans, the gadget sends out soundwaves at frequencies humans cannot hear. The device then measures how long these ... soundwaves -- which are affected by the position and distance of any objects in the way -- take to return. This allows it to track any movements, such as somebody gesturing with a wave or a swipe of the hand. Sound Allows Easier Control Than Light Samsung uses a similar gesture control system with its Galaxy S4 smartphone, but that works through infrared ... (view more)

Not willing to compromise when it comes to your home router? For those of us who stream a lot of music and video content or play demanding video games online, reliable and fast networking equipment is a necessity. That's why it's hard not to be ... impressed with Netgear's new Nighthawk AC1900 Smart WiFi Router (Model R7000), which appears to be the fastest router on the market right now. Serious Hardware for Serious Streamers The Nighthawk is part of Netgear's attempt to establish an in-demand piece of hardware using the new 802.11ac wireless networking standard. This device is powered by ... (view more)

A Japanese phone company is working on a pair of spectacles that can automatically translate text. The device works even if the user is looking at a language with a different alphabet system. The device is produced by NTT Docomo and is known as ... 'Intelligent Glasses'. It's only a prototype at the moment, but was recently shown off at an electronics show in Japan. The glasses feature a frame-based camera and a transparent lens that can display information to the user. Among the main uses: translating text from documents before a user. Unlike some visual translation tools, the system can ... (view more)

The US Air Force (USAF) has signed a deal to develop a new platform that could solve the problem of unreliable global positioning system (GPS) tracking in densely populated urban areas. It could also help drivers, but through cars rather than mobile ... devices. While a sophisticated technology, the principle of how GPS works is remarkably simple. A fleet of satellites orbit the Earth at a consistent speed, meaning their precise location at any particular moment is known. Each satellite is constantly beaming signals to the ground, with each signal bearing a timestamp. As soon as a device on the ... (view more)