Inventions Interrupted: Even World-Saving Gadgets Can Hit Speed Bumps

Inventions Interrupted: Even World-Saving Gadgets Can Hit Speed Bumps

Products that are meant to serve the world’s neediest often have trouble taking off, despite their creators’ best intentions. What keeps these helpful inventions from becoming blockbusters?

    



Let Doorbot, the HAL 9000 of Doorbells, Deal With Your UPS Deliveries

Let Doorbot, the HAL 9000 of Doorbells, Deal With Your UPS Deliveries

Doorbot, a new camera/doorbell, will notify your smartphone when your doorbell rings — even if you’re miles away — so you can let the UPS guy inside or tell him it’s okay to leave at your step.

    



The Lab-Engineered, Water-Resistant Dress Pants of the Future

The Lab-Engineered, Water-Resistant Dress Pants of the Future

Professional attire should be as comfortable, machine-washable, and sweat-camouflaging as your favorite Zubaz pants, right? That’s what the Ministry of Supply thinks, and they’re using space-age materials and manufacturing techniques to make it happen.

    



Power Gamer: A Peek Inside the Exquisite Razer Blade Pro Gaming Laptop

Power Gamer: A Peek Inside the Exquisite Razer Blade Pro Gaming Laptop

Designing the world’s most advanced gaming laptop wasn’t easy for Razer. With every tweak and addition came an avalanche of decisions and workarounds.

    



The Untold Story of Google’s Quest to Bring the Internet Everywhere—By Balloon

The Untold Story of Google’s Quest to Bring the Internet Everywhere—By Balloon

Inside Project Loon, an ambitious plan to bring the Internet to a huge swath of as-yet-unconnected humanity via thousands of solar-powered, high-pressure balloons floating some 60,000 feet above Earth.

    

Obama Administration Sides With Apple on Import Ban Ruling

Obama Administration Sides With Apple on Import Ban Ruling

The Obama administration overruled an import ban on older iPhone and iPad models issued by the International Trade Commission at Samsung’s request, allowing Apple to continue imports of AT&T models of the iPhone 4, iPad 3G, and iPad 2 3G.

    

Leap Motion Opens Airspace App Store Beta, But the Hardware Is Still Delayed

Leap Motion Opens Airspace App Store Beta, But the Hardware Is Still Delayed

Leap Motion’s gesture-tracking devices won’t ship until July 22nd, but the company is opening up its SDK and developer portal to the public.

    

Atheer’s Mobile 3-D Interface Is Augmented Reality on Steroids

Atheer’s Mobile 3-D Interface Is Augmented Reality on Steroids

A California company has answered a question few people have probably thought to ask: What would happen if you combined the wearability of Google Glass with the gesture-based control of Microsoft Kinect? The answer is a pretty cool wearable interface …

You Don’t Want Amazon’s Smartphone With Holograms

You Don’t Want Amazon’s Smartphone With Holograms

The latest Amazon smartphone rumor has the yet-to-be-announced phone packing a sophisticated 3D holographic screen. This is a very dumb idea. The last place you want images floating in space is your smartphone.

The 10-Year-Old Inventor and the World’s Cutest Patent Drawing

The 10-Year-Old Inventor and the World’s Cutest Patent Drawing

As a lawyer who works in Silicon Valley and Cambridge, Massachusetts, Len Nannarone has helped his fair share of tech companies. But the most important startup he’s advised is much closer to home: his 10-year-old son, Owen, a budding inventor …