Forget about assigning speed dials or modifying the name of the frequently called person so that it comes out on top once you need to make a call. There is an easier way of going about it and it is all thanks to this new iPhone app called PhoneFace.

The PhoneFace app connects with Twitter to retrieve profile photos of your most frequently called buddy. This is the same application that is being used by most Blackberry and Android smartphone users.

Now you don’t have to worry about scrolling and finding the name via your phone. With the simple click on a photo, the app will do all the work for you. Also, the PhoneFace app comes with other highlights, including a fun set of custom-designed avatars, including a number of friendly robots and other quirky characters, to represent friends with no photos available.

The PhoneFace app is now available at the iTunes App Store for only $0.99.

(Source) Press

Tags: Android, Apple, BlackBerry, Cell Phones, iPhone, iPhone, Mobile Software, photo, photos, quirky characters, robots, smartphone, speed dials, twitter

Have the gifts of technology truly gone out of hand? As far as understanding the benefits and enumerating their benefits, it seems that owners have failed to put the fine line between honesty and cheating. Worst, the scenario only makes us look like spoon-fed individuals who may at some point act like robots. In short, the robust influx of mobile devices and the Internet seem to have swayed us in the way of failing to make use of our cognitive knowledge. We are unaware that are building cheaters among ourselves.

The study made by Common Sense Media is helpful. But seriously, we all see it today. There are things such as plagiarism, data storage and even leaked answers to exams that can be easily hidden and distributed via the web and mobile devices. In short, we are forgetting the ethical way of learning, only focusing on goals such as passing and honors as the main objective.

Kids have always found ways to cheat, but the tools they have today are more powerful than ever. In this poll, kids reveal that they’re texting each other answers during tests, using notes and information stored on their cell phones during tests, and downloading papers from the Internet to turn in as their own work. Because the digital world is distant, hard to track, and mostly anonymous, kids are less likely to see the consequences of their online actions, especially when they feel they won’t get caught.

With this in mind, have we been victims of our own discoveries? While we cannot stop technology from evolving, the human effort of knowing when and when not to use these technologies should be made clear. It is either this or we are making the next generation look like dumb individuals who may be relying too much on gadgets and advancements.

Other Facts:

• 41% of teens say that storing notes on a cell phone to access during a test is a serious cheating offense, while 23% don’t think it’s cheating at all.
• 45% of teens say that texting friends about answers during tests is a serious cheating offense, while 20% say it’s not cheating at all.
• 76% of parents say that cell phone cheating happens at their teens’ schools, but only 3% believe their own teen has ever used a cell phone to cheat.
• Nearly two-thirds of students with cell phones use them during school, regardless of school policies against it.
• Teens with cell phones send 440 text messages a week and 110 a week while in the classroom.

(Source) Press

Tags: Cell Phones, Cell Phones, cheaters, cognitive knowledge, common sense media, data storage, discoveries, dumb individuals, gadgets, honesty, human effort, influx, mobile devices, Mobile News, mobile phones, Next Generation, plagiarism, robots, spoon fed, teenagers

What does this look like? It could easily be the great-great-great grandfather of Wall-E don’t you think? It’s called RoBe:Do, and it’s a robot powered by a 12V rechargeable NiMH battery and controlled by an Eee PC netbook. There are two models you can choose from, Coppa and Silvio which can be yours for only $1,649 or $1,449, respectively.

What can they do for all this money you wonder? Well, you’ll be surprised to learn that they are completely mobile and can be equipped with any number of gadgets that can be connected to the computer. They feature light sensors and lever arms which could come in handy for something. Question is, for what?

via robedo

Tags: ASUS, Eee PC, Mobile News, netbook, Portable Devices, robots

If we had a mobile gadget of the day post, well this robot and its abilities to tell the time correctly will certainly be today’s mobile gadget of the day. It’s certainly a gadget, and from what you’ve just seen, it’s certainly mobile. I’d be laughing all day, calling it various names while it would slowly tell me the time.

Norris Labs Stonehenge is a clock that simple rearranges tiles to tell the time correctly. The robot has a CrustCrawler Smart Arm and a Parallax Propeller chip.
I wonder where the snooze button is It’s a clock therefore it must have some kind of alarm! And isn’t it rather noisy?

via Engadget

Tags: clock, Mobile News, Portable Devices, robots

Evolution Robotics, Inc. has announced its NorthStar 2.0 System, which enables robots to be truly aware of their surroundings and perform tasks completely on their own. WowWee’s Rovio with telepresence is the first lucky bot to be endowed the NorthStar System, which also made its debut at the CES 2008. Telepresence robots are a new breed which allow the owner to check in and make sure everything is okay remotely.

NorthStar is a combination of GPS, RADAR, and autopilot system all working in unison to operate at places like home or office. It enables the Rovio to guide itself around the house autonomously and gives the user complete control over the robot remotely via web or mobile phone with simple “go to” commands. It can also operate in “patrol mode,” where it will monitor specific locations around the house or office with pictures or live video from its built-in camera sent to the owner automatically. When it is low on power, it can find the way back to its charging station from any location in the house and charge itself.

If you think all this convenience comes at a hefty price, you are wrong as its cost is equivalent to 1/100th or 1/1000th of systems used in research and industrial applications.

If you pass by WowWee’s booth at CES, do check the Rovio out in action first hand, with a demonstration of logging on to a Rovio located in Pasadena about 215 miles away and telling it to where to go with just a mouse click and its live broadcast of the surroundings as it is guided autonomously by NorthStar to different locations.

The Rovio will be priced at $299 and will be available in the second half of 2008.

(more…)

Tags: ces2008, NorthStar, robots, Uncategorized, WowWee