The age of androids and robots to assist humans has been heard of and with news that GeckoSystems has unveiled its own offering in the Carebot MSR 3.87, it looks like we are slowly advancing towards the future where both humans and robots will exist side by side.

“The new CareBot MSR 3.87 can automatically watch over grandma or the kids, patrol your home, and/or run errands for 8 to 14 hours continuously without recharging. This capability, along with GeckoTrak(tm) and internet-based video conferencing, enables our CareBot to perform like a family caregiver, enabling them watch over their loved ones, even when they can’t be there physically.”

GeckoSystems recently developed GeckoTrak(tm) hardware and software that enables the CareBot to automatically follow grandma from room to room. GeckoChat tells her when it’s time to take her medications, and can even remind her when her favorite television shows are coming on. GeckoChat is a specially designed assistive technology that enables caregivers to teach the CareBot what to say, and when.

The foregoing combination of sensor-fused technologies brings a new level of cost effective situational awareness to their adaptive, intelligent, multi-tasking personal care mobile robots. Situational awareness is the environmental understanding resulting from blended sensor systems and the common sense implications of those combined perceptions that enables the CareBot to “know” (i.e. be “situationally aware”), for example, when someone should be contacted immediately about the care receiver’s current condition.

(Source) Press

Tags: androids, Business, capability, care receiver, carebot, common sense, current condition, errands, family caregiver, geckochat, grandma, medications, Mobile News, mobile robot, mobile robots, perceptions, personal car, Portable Devices, sensor systems, situational awareness, television shows, Ultra Mobile PCs, video conferencing

Is Apple getting ready to bring video-recording to all iPhone owners? Are we going to see a new iPhone arrive? After all we have started to hear various rumors about the iPhone 2,1, we’ve seen Apple join Adobe in order to bring Flash to the iPhone and now people are talking about video-recording capabilities for the iPhone.

And it looks like video-recording is present in Apple’s patent for the iPhone:

The device supports a variety of applications, such as one or more of the following: a telephone application, a video conferencing application, an e-mail application, an instant messaging application, a blogging application, a photo management application, a digital camera application, a digital video camera application, a Web browsing application, a digital music player application, and/or a digital video player application.

And there’s even a hint of video conferencing in that patent:

In some embodiments, the functions may include telephoning, video conferencing, e-mailing, instant messaging, blogging, digital photographing, digital videoing, Web browsing, digital music playing, and/or digital video playing. Instructions for performing these functions may be included in a computer-readable storage medium or other computer program product configured for execution by one or more processors.

As we said before, now that people know Apple might be thinking about an iPhone 2,1, everyone will start running rumors about a future Apple handset. And Apple isn’t saying much about a next generation iPhone yet.

via informationweek

Tags: Apple, Apple, iPhone, Mobile News, Mobile Software, Other Brands, patent, video conferencing, video-recording

It’s always good to start the day with a minty fresh flip mobile phone from Sony Ericsson. The Sony Ericsson Z750 phone has now gained FCC approval and is on its way to the world markets. The Z750 is a UMTS/HSDPA quad-band GSM mobile phone and boasts a number of features including Bluetooth, MusicDJ/PhotoDJ/VideoDJ and external memory card support. It also supports flight mode, allowing you to use it as a music player on a plane. The phone offers a USB connectivity for data sync with your PC or laptop. There are two cameras on-board, one for video telephony in the front and another 2 megapixel one at the back.

On the side, it has volume control, play/pause and digital zoom control keys. The Sony Ericsson Z750i takes in M2 memory sticks. The phone also features voice control and voice dialing of your contacts for convenience, especially when you are driving and don’t want to be bothered with such mundane things as dialing a number on the keypad. The phone is MMS-capable as well.

There’s also a radio integrated into the phone. It was targeted for a Q3 2007 release, and might have just made it. No word on the pricing or exact date of availability yet.

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Tags: 2 megapixel, Cell Phones, GSM, HSDPA, quad-band, Sony Ericsson, Sony Ericsson, umts, video conferencing, world phone, z750, z750i

Possibly the coolest iPhone app has made an appearance. Developed by Ken and Greg Aspeslagh for the Iron Coder Live competition at the C-4 Developer Conference, the iPhone Video Conferencing app takes advantage of your Wi-Fi network, iPhone camera and, surprise, surprise, a periscope-like mirror construction to beam the caller’s video onto the callee’s.

Using the iPhone toolchain, the developers hacked the app to capture video from the iPhone’s camera, compress it and send it to a web server — whereupon it is relayed to another iPhone. And vice-versa. Though audio is not supported by the application, the developers have a simple suggestion: call the person you want to video-conf with and turn on the speakerphone. The video conf system needs the Huckleberry mirror - actually a modded one to fit the iPhone. Once you cut it into the proper dimensions, put in your iPhone and you’re ready to roll.

Needless to say, the demo won first place in the Iron Coder Live.

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Tags: Apple, Cell Phones, contests, developer, hacks, iPhone, toolchain, video conferencing