Hasta La Gadget!

Sitting in the backseat of a car while your parents are taking you somewhere can be a bore for a young, energetic child. As a parent, having a jittery son constantly pestering you with questions like “are we there yet?” definitely tests tests your nerves. Toy Toyota, Toyota’s new division that aims at creating innovative projects directed towards families, has worked with Party, a new creative super-group set up by some of Japan’s leading creative artists to develop an interesting iPhone app that allows children to join in on the driving experience.

The “Backseat Driver” uses GPS to let kids follow their “daddy car” in their “my car,” driving along the same path as their parents are in real life. Given the ability to steer left and right, users are awarded points when making correct turns and passing through landmarks and famous sites which appear as little objects on the road. The rarer the landmark, the more points that are rewarded, which can then be converted into unique designs for the car in a “garage.” Users can then share with friends and family their customized car and travel routes via Twitter, showing off the “cool” places that their parents had taken them, including the new candy store down the road.

The video below is an ad launched by Toy Toyota introducing this new app, available for free download on iTunes. It is interesting that the ad uses their Prius, their iconic hybrid vehicle, closely tying into their CSR activities.

Innovative apps like the Backseat Driver prove to be a great way of keeping the kids entertained on a long road trip. Although I’m not particularly sure if children at this age would have a Twitter account, if Toyota believes this young generation to be intact with the SNS trend, this would certainly be a huge marketing opportunity for sites such as Facebook and Twitter. Toyota seems to be heavily invested in CSR activities, evident in their announcement today to create several new in-house schools in the Tohoku region (where the 3/11 disaster struck) to train junior high school students the basics of manufacturing before actually hiring them.

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Still trying to scratch that itch left by the slow fade out of the Casey Anthony drama? Well, good news kiddies, CNN is pointing its 24-hour news hose straight at your face over a little thing we like to call the internet. The OG cable news network is finally returning to the streaming fray (die-hard Blitz-heads may remember a little service called CNN Pipeline) and offering live feeds of CNN and HLN, online and through its iOS apps. Unfortunately, just like HBO Go, you’ll need to have a pay TV subscription through AT&T, Comcast, Cox, DISH Network, Suddenlink or Verizon to access the streams. For the moment Android users are left out in the cold but, that’s ok, fans of dessert-themed OS names can pull in Al Jazeera English free of charge.

Continue reading CNN starts streaming 24 hours of ‘news’ online and on your iPhone

CNN starts streaming 24 hours of ‘news’ online and on your iPhone originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 18 Jul 2011 12:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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iUsers frees your iPad of monogamy, enables multiple user profiles originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 17 Jul 2011 14:41:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sure, the US Army could continue to develop expensive proprietary gadgets for use in the field, or they could make the switch to (relatively) inexpensive off-the-shelf smartphones. It’s a change that’s been considered for some time, and the Army is now at the tail end of a six-week trial of more than 300 Android, iPhone, and Windows Phone devices for military use. The results have been promising, according to program director Michael McCarthy, stating that younger soldiers who grew up with smartphones and handhelds are very comfortable using them for military purposes.

Soldiers in the field can text GPS coordinates, send pictures of their surroundings, or file common reports directly from their phone. Despite positive results, the Army still has some hurdles to jump before taking the plunge — some of the phones had OS bugs, others (specifically, iPhones running on AT&T) couldn’t get signal in the New Mexico and Texas testing areas, and none of the devices were secure enough for use in overseas operations. The Army is considering tying the phones to tactical radios to help encrypt transmissions, and are testing self contained “cell tower in a suitcase” equipment to ensure coverage in sensitive locations. The Military hopes to push out limited deployment this year, and Army program director Ed Mazzanti has stated that they expect to select two mobile operating systems for official use, noting that “iPhone and Android have been very well received.” Sure, using multiple platforms may help protect soldiers against cyber attacks, but we can’t be the only ones worried the Army is unintentionally breeding a generation of fanboys with guns, can we?

US Army runs smartphone trial, could see ‘limited deployment’ later this year originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 16 Jul 2011 19:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Remember that ridiculous Steven Slater rap video promoting Line2’s in-flight texting app? Well, the VoIP company just dusted off the point-and-shoot and hopped back over to YouTube, this time peddling a complete telephony solution for iPad. Launching July 28th, the service will let you place phone calls using a wired headset or the built-in speaker and mic, listen to voicemail, and send texts from a single HD interface. After a one-week trial, you’ll pay $10 per month (or $100 per year) for the privilege, though with free number porting and unlimited domestic calling that’s a fairly solid deal. Many of us barely use our cell phones to place phone calls anymore, but if you’re looking to extend that little-used functionality to your tablet, then Line2 for iPad may be ringing. We haven’t had a chance to go hands-on just yet, but click past the break for a comprehensive video demo, complete with in-app email and an iTunes-like contacts carousel.

Update: Line2 says the app also supports Bluetooth calling on the iPad 2 with any device that features HFP 1.5. Apple restricts functionality, however, so you’ll only be able to use the headset for audio — you’ll still need to place and receive calls directly on the iPad.

Continue reading Line2 brings phone functionality to iPad for 10 bucks a month (video)

Line2 brings phone functionality to iPad for 10 bucks a month (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 14 Jul 2011 04:39:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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