Hasta La Gadget!

His bio
reads, "I aim to connect and promote great people who will make a
difference by collaborating than individually. . . and my goals are
eradication of poverty and a sustainable economy by 2015." One of his
fervent passions and ongoing initiatives is to help save the Taiji
dolphins from captivity and slaughter. Doesn’t sound like a candidate
for Japan’s harsh immigration-and-detention system, does it? Yet Michael
Q. Todd found himself taken into custody in the Shingu Jail on
September 16h for a lapsed visa. 

Things aren’t all Champagne and caviar over at American Airlines, not that you’d know it from the company’s latest press release. The Dallas-based air carrier just shared a plan to outfit all of its flight attendants with Samsung Galaxy Notes beginning later this year. The rollout will continue through the middle of 2013, at which point each of the airline’s 17,000 cabin crew members will have their very own “tablet,” which they’ll use to manage flight manifests, track premium passenger meal preferences and monitor weather and gate information in real-time, on WiFi-equipped flights. Eventually, the handsets will also include the flight attendant manual, along with additional features, such as processing for in-flight meal and drink purchases (pending FAA approval).

Though the Galaxy Note II will likely be available by the time the program begins, the press release references a 5.3-inch display, which would imply the previous-gen handset. Sadly, this Note of excitement comes alongside news that some 11,000 American mechanics and ground workers could get a pink slip come November — as frequent air travelers ourselves, we’re genuinely sorry to hear that, and we don’t want any gadget to overshadow the airline’s ongoing troubles and the unfortunate fate of hardworking employees. You can catch that angle at the coverage link below, then read all about the Note program just after the break.

Continue reading American Airlines to hand out Galaxy Note ‘tablets’ to 17,000 flight attendants (video)

Filed under: Cellphones, Transportation

American Airlines to hand out Galaxy Note ‘tablets’ to 17,000 flight attendants (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 19 Sep 2012 12:40:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Traditionally, maps were made to help people find their way around a city that they might be visiting for the first time. However, Kate McLean took the basic concept of the map and spun it around to come up with an all-new series that have made the jump from being reference materials to art: the Sensory Maps.

Instead of telling you where certain streets or landmarks are located, Kate’s sensory maps will instead let you know what it would feel like if you were actually there. How? By letting you smell its scents, taste the surrounding atmosphere, feel whatever might be there, and hear the sounds in that location.

Of course, it would be impossible to let you experience all these senses through a map – but that’s what your imagination is for, right?

To construct some of the maps, Kate invited people to go to her studio and smell bottles with scents in them. She then had them recall what that scent remind them of and write down the place or feeling that they associated with the smell.

That’s a lot of work, considering that this is just for one of the senses that Kate’s trying to capture in her work.

[via Pop Up City]

Innovation. According to one Mads Thimmer, it’s a word that held a great deal of mystery some 10-plus years ago, but today, “it’s thrown around as a cliché.” When you really get down to it, though, the art of innovating is a hugely delicate and complex one, fraught with frustration and a curious passion for never settling on the here and now. In covering the world of consumer technology, I’ve come to form my own understanding of what innovation is, what it isn’t and how companies are embracing (or outright shunning) the idea. After an evening with the cofounder of Innovation Lab, however, I was rightfully ready to toss my own preconceived notions aside.

Continue reading Dreams, curiosity and a passion for what’s next: picking the brain of Innovation Lab’s Mads Thimmer

Filed under: Misc

Dreams, curiosity and a passion for what’s next: picking the brain of Innovation Lab’s Mads Thimmer originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 12:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Snagging international data service usually involves either special agreements or steep roaming costs. Not Uros and its new Goodspeed hotspot. The pocketable, 21Mbps HSPA+ router carries a staggering 10 SIM cards and simply uses a local SIM for whichever destination country you visit. The brute force strategy helps Uros offer a relatively low flat rate for 1GB of data per day, no matter where you are on the coverage map: while the Goodspeed itself costs €273 ($352), Uros asks just €5.90 ($8) a day for occasional visits and €9.90 ($13) a month for frequent fliers. It’s a very sizable bargain for the jetset, even with a current scope limited to Finland, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and the UK. A number of “important” countries are due before Christmas, which could make Uros’ hotspot a go-to choice for those who just can’t stay settled in one place.

[Thanks, Antti]

Update: Uros has gotten in touch with us to clarify the pricing beyond what we’ve seen so far. The €9.90 fee covers account details and doesn’t “yet” reflect data — you’ll still need to pay €5.90 per day . There’s also a chance the rate could go up in future countries, although all the existing countries abide by that rate.

Filed under: Wireless, Networking

Uros’ Goodspeed hotspot packs 10 SIM cards, says roaming is for chumps (update: fee differences) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 15 Sep 2012 03:05:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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