Hasta La Gadget!

It’s hard to find a good specialist on earth, let alone when you’re floating 240 miles above it. That’s why NASA will test the Microflow, a breadbox-sized device that instantly detects cancer and infectious diseases, and can even sense the presence of rotten food. The Canadian-made device is a “flow cytometer,” which works by analyzing microparticles in blood or other fluids and replaces hospital versions weighing hundreds of pounds. Here on Earth, the device could let people in remote communities be tested more quickly for disease, or permit on-site testing of food quality, for instance. It will be particularly advantageous in space, however, where Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield will test it during his six-month ISS mission, allowing crew to monitor, diagnose and treat themselves without outside help. Now, if we could just get it down to a hand size, and use some kind of radio waves instead — oh wait, that’s not until Stardate -105352.

Continue reading NASA to launch mini lab, test for cancer and disease in space

Filed under: Misc, Science

NASA to launch mini lab, test for cancer and disease in space originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 26 Aug 2012 04:43:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Evernote has trotted out an update to its iOS app and accompanied the software release with an announcement of a collaboration with Moleskine. Yes, you read that correctly. The digital note-taking application has teamed up with the analog sktechbook maker to produce the Evernote Smart Notebook. Designed specifically for the refreshed iPhone and iPad software, the notebooks allow users to snag written notes or drawings right off the paper and archive them with the app — making them searchable and organized for future reference. So where exactly does the tech angle come in? First, pages are lined using a dotted pattern that is optimized for the upated mobile software.

With the new Page Camera feature, photos of pages are shot and automatically given a proper contrast adjustment. The add-on also finds the aforementioned dots are corrects a skewed photo. Last but certainly not least, each Smart Notebook comes with a set of Smart Stickers. Evernote will now recognize each of these and apply the appropriate tags before sorting. While the stickers come with pre-defined tags, they are customizable to accomodate your particular sensibilities. These pseudo-digital Moleskines will be available in both pocket (3.5 x 5.5 inches / 8.89 x 13.97 cm) and large (5 x 8.25 inches / 12.7 x 20.96 cm) sizes, carrying $25 and $30 price tags when they hit shelves October 1st. If you can’t contain your excitement, head on to the coverage link below to pre-order yours now.

Filed under: Misc, Internet, Software

The Evernote Smart Notebook by Moleskine: paper sketchbooks and journals get connected originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 25 Aug 2012 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Oh New Yorkers and their marvelous, no-cost WiFi access points. Only a few days after Google Offers and Boingo happily announced they’d brought gratis wireless connectivity to additional underground locations within the city, The Wall Street Journal is now let it be known it too will be kind enough to gift the NYC crowd with some WiFi hotspots of its own. The nice gesture will bring around 1,300 network units to areas such as SoHo, Greenwich Village, Union Square, Chelsea and, naturally, the renowned Times Square during the month of September — all in hopes of giving “people the opportunity to sample The Wall Street Journal.” Meanwhile, folks in San Francisco can also grab the internet-friendly freebies in a couple of different places, including Nob Hill and Fisherman’s Wharf. And don’t worry, there won’t be any donkeys involved here.

Filed under: Misc, Wireless, Internet

Wall Street Journal to offer free WiFi hotspots in NYC and San Francisco during September originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 15:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Welcome to Engadget’s back to school guide! The end of summer vacation isn’t nearly as much fun as the weeks that come before, but a chance to update your tech tools likely helps to ease the pain. Today, we have speaker docks in our sights — and you can head to the back to school hub to see the rest of the product guides as they’re added throughout the month. Be sure to keep checking back — at the end of the month we’ll be giving away a ton of the gear featured in our guides — and hit up the hub page right here.

If there’s any post-adolescent period that deserves its own soundtrack, it’s your college years. Sure, our portable audio picks will let you jam on the go, but the best collegiate experiences are shared with friends — and listening to music should be no exception. Even if you’d prefer to keep your playlist out of your friends’ feed, be it in person or online, you’ll still need to wake up each morning, and what better way to ease into the waking world than with your favorite tracks? These speaker docks offer more functionality than your average smartphone clock, and they’re certainly better equipped to play DJ when it comes time to close the books. Join us past the break for our 2012 picks.

Continue reading Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: docks and clocks

Filed under: Misc, Household

Engadget’s back to school guide 2012: docks and clocks originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 24 Aug 2012 12:00:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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