Jan 15
With the soaring popularity of smartphones and tablets, the demand for PCs is on the decline. 2013 was one of the slowest years of PC sales on record and that … Continue reading
Jan 13
At the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), voice recognition specialist Nuance unveiled Dragon Assistant, a voice-activated personal assistant for Intel-powered computers and laptops running Windows 8. It’s not as smart – or sexy – as Samantha from Spike Jonze’s Her, but it’s a start.
Dragon Assistant works a lot like Siri, Kinect and other voice-activated assistants. To start using it, you just have to say “Hey Dragon.” From that point you can then use everyday language to open applications, search online and of course dictate text. The program’s voice can be set to either “British Butler” or ”American Female.” Aww man, no German Shepherd?
See that? Now we’re all Dragonborn. Nuance says Dragon Assistant is already available on various Acer, Dell, HP and Lenovo laptops, ultrabooks, tablets and all-in-one computers, with ASUS and Toshiba computers to follow suit this year. Like other voice assistants, you’ll need an Internet connection to use all of Dragon Assistant’s features, although it can still execute certain commands even when you’re offline. Check out the Dragon Assistant support page for more on that.
[via Nuance via Gear Diary]
Jan 10
A few days ago we found out that some, if not all SD cards actually contain computers. At the 2014 Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Intel unveiled an offshoot of those flash devices. The Edison is a computer that looks like an SD card and can be read by SD card readers.
The Edison has an x86 dual-core 400Mhz Quark processor as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity. It also has LPDDR2 RAM and flash storage, though Intel has not yet revealed how much of either is in the tiny computer. It runs Linux by default but can be loaded with “multiple operating systems to run sophisticated high-level user applications.”
Intel made Edison as part of its bid to stay relevant in the emerging class of wearable devices, but the company also said that the Edison can be used in pretty much any project that needs a low-power and small computer, similar to Arduinos and the Raspberry Pi.
As you saw in MAKE’s video, Intel collaborated with Rest Devices to create prototype smart gadgets for parents, all of them powered by the Edison. The onesie monitors a baby’s “respiration, skin temperature, body position, and activity level”…
… and can supposedly trigger this baby bottle warmer to activate when the baby is awake and hungry…
…or help this coffee mug inform parents about their baby’s status using embedded LEDs.
Intel also promised that Edison “will be compatible with accessible developer tools used by the maker community”, although it did not yet provide a release date or price for the computer. With its size and capabilities I highly doubt that it will be as cheap as the Raspberry Pi, but I’m sure lots of tinkerers are still keen to get their hands on one.
Jan 10
Mimo baby monitor onesie hands-on
Posted in: Today's ChiliRest Devices has been showing off the Mimo baby monitor here at CES 2014. While the baby monitor portion of the name may bring thoughts of a camera and screen … Continue reading
Jan 09
Lenovo Not Convinced Of Intel’s Plans For Dual Booting Windows And Android Devices
Posted in: Today's Chili
CES is a time where companies show off their latest products and technological innovations, an this year ASUS had an interesting device called the Transformer Book Duet which was a tablet that not only could run Windows, but could dual boot to Android if the user chose to. It certainly seems to address the problem that some customers have when deciding if they should get a Windows tablet or an Android one, unless money isn’t an issue and you can just get both. Rarely is that the case as this is one of the technological innovations that Intel is quite proud of, where during their Intel CES keynote speech, the company’s CEO revealed their plans to promote additional products that could dual boot both Windows and Android at the same time.
Is this our one-size-fits-all solution? For some yes it would, but for others, namely Lenovo, they don’t seem overly enthused about Intel’s plans. Speaking to VentureBeat, Lenovo’s North American president Jay Parker revealed that he wasn’t overly convinced about Intel’s plans. According to Parker, “I don’t see it [Intel’s Android on Windows plan] as being a mass-market opportunity in the near- or maybe even long-term […] I believe the market can support multiple operating systems and ecosystems.” As it stands Lenovo has a whole host of products running Microsoft’s Windows platform, but at the same time are promoting their Android products as well, meaning that by combining platforms and thus selling less products, it would seem as though there really isn’t much to be gained.
What do you guys think of Intel’s plans for dual booting devices in the future? Are you enamoured by the idea of a single product that can run multiple platforms, or would you rather have a dedicated product for a single platform instead?
Lenovo Not Convinced Of Intel’s Plans For Dual Booting Windows And Android Devices original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 08
When you come home, you toss your keys, wallet, and maybe even your phone onto the table or maybe an empty dish/bowl designed for housing said items. It’s not an uncommon practice since it pretty much leaves you only one place to look when you want to leave the house and not forget anything. However what if that empty dish/bowl could have an even greater purpose other than to just house your items? What if you could charge your phone when you place it in the bowl? Does that sound like a piece of furniture you’d like to own someday? Well Intel has created such a device (pictured above) where users are able to place electronic gadgets, like phones or tablets, into the bowl and have them charge wirelessly.
According to Intel, the charging will be done by utilizing magnetic resonance technology which allows for charging of multiple devices without the need for precise placement, which is sort of like how wireless charging works in the first place, although we guess this seems more casual and might be able to accommodate more devices. Unfortunately at the moment this particular device will only work with Intel’s recently announced smart headset, but the company is hoping to expand compatibility to a wider range of products include smartphones, tablets, and even Ultrabooks in the future.
No word on when Intel plans to launch this charging bowl or how much it will cost, but what do you guys think? Is this a better idea than just a charging pad, or do you think it’s pretty much the same thing, just in a different shape?
Intel Unveils A Bowl That You Can Charge Your Devices In original content from Ubergizmo. 
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Jan 07
Intel isn’t leaving its wearables push to chance, looking to the world of fashion in order to do what its executives claim nothing else in the segment has managed: build … Continue reading
Jan 07
Intel CEO Brian Krzanich has announced that the McAfee brand name will be phased out in favor of a n
Posted in: Today's ChiliIntel CEO Brian Krzanich has announced that the McAfee brand name will be phased out in favor of a new name, Intel Security. John McAfee said of news: "My elation at Intel’s decision is beyond words."
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Jan 07
If you thought that the PadFone mini announced in Taiwan last month was already mini, then you have nothing on this new ASUS PadFone mini that just showed up at … Continue reading
Jan 06
As expected, Intel went all out with wearable technology at CES 2014. But instead of huddling around smartwatches and smart glasses like almost everyone else, Intel opted to go with … Continue reading
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