Hasta La Gadget!

It’s incredible how, years after computers have landed every desk and so much of the media we consume has been converted to digital bits, people remain so deeply uneasy about the inauthenticity of things produced with digital tools. Like NYT photographer Damon Winter’s award-winning photograph, shot with iPhone app Hipstamatic. That’s the point I was trying to raise last week. More »

When you go into cardiac arrest, you’ve got about ten minutes to live if you don’t receive medical attention, and the average emergency response time is seven minutes after you dial 911. In an effort to get folks help more quickly and leverage the iPhone’s life saving abilities, the San Ramon Valley Fire Protection District in California has created the FireDepartment app to enlist the help of the citizenry in fighting the (unfortunate) results of a lifetime of eating tacos. The iPhone app — Android and BlackBerry versions are currently in the works — allows emergency dispatchers to notify users via text of a nearby crisis. For those feeling heroic, the app displays a map with the victim’s location and any nearby automatic electronic defibrillators, and provides “resuscitation reminders” in case you’re the CPR teddy-toting type. For now, the service only works in San Ramon but there are plans to port it for use elsewhere. That means we can look forward to a nation of amateur EMTs, which makes us thankful that mouth-to-mouth is no longer a part of CPR. Check the video after the break to see the app in action.

Continue reading Geolocation app appeals to your inner good samaritan, makes you an amateur EMT

Geolocation app appeals to your inner good samaritan, makes you an amateur EMT originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 28 Jan 2011 08:59:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Twitter officially arrived when Captain Sullenberger sent US Airways flight 1549 splashing down into the Hudson. Instagram’s moment was last week, when forty-nine states—fully ninety-eight percent of American states—were doused with snow. More »

With iTunes overrun with apps that do little more than find creative ways to promote products or otherwise suck time, it’s nice to see mobile technology doing something that’s, well, not so trivial. VerbalVictor, a $10 program, which should be available in the App Store next week, uses iPhone and iPad touch screens to allow people with disabilities to communicate with the outside world. Paul Pauca — whose son suffers from Pitt Hopkins Syndrome, a rare genetic disorder that causes delays in cognitive development, motor skills, and verbal communication — developed the app as an affordable alternative to non-verbal communication devices. It touts functionality similar to the device used by Steven Hawking, but is far more accessible than the professor’s $8,200 setup. VerbalVictor allows parents and caregivers to take pictures and record accompanying audio; the entries are then turned into buttons, which the user presses when they want to communicate — sort of like a very advanced and customizable See N’ Say. The device can be used for simple expressions, like an image of a dog that speaks “dog” when pressed, or for recording commonly used phrases and complete sentences. It may never reach the popularity of, say iFart, but it’s sure to win some dedicated users.

VerbalVictor app gives voice to disabled originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Dec 2010 07:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Every year, kids across the world mail out letters addressed to Santa head up to the North Pole, but how many kids receive a response from Santa? Could you imagine the look on a child’s face when he finds a postcard from Santa in the mailbox addressed to him. Well, there’s an app for that.

The Postcards From Santa app lets you send a real postcard addressed from Santa with your iPhone, iPad, iPod, or Android device. It’s simple; you pick out a Santa image, chose either a pre-written message or write your own, and enter the child’s name and mailing address,and, viola, a personalized postcard from Santa is on its way. It takes 3 to 5 days to reach U.S. and Canadian addresses and 5 to 14 days to reach the rest of the world. the cards are printed on high quality, thick paper and the images are high resolution with a glossy finish.

The app, which USAToday calls a “Top Tech Gift of 2010,” is available in the App Store and the Android Market for free or you can now also make one online with an app like simulator  if you don’t have an Apple or Android device. Each postcard costs $1.99 including postage. So for only the price of that you can dig out of your couch cushions, you can help spread the excitement and spirit of Christmas by sending a personalized gift that a child will remember forever. Or you send one to an adult that’s still a kid at heart or swears to still believe in Santa.