Hasta La Gadget!

Okay, two words, sounds like… wait, it’s one word? Okay, two words in one. First word, three letters, sounds like “arm.” Oh, it is “arm.” Okay, second word. You’re typing. Typing on keys. It’s keyboard. It’s not a keyboard? No, it is a keyboard. The word isn’t “keyboard?” Really? Maybe “keypad?” It’s “keypad!” What the heck is an ArmKeypad? Turns out it’s NEC‘s attempt at letting us control our portable devices using charades-like gestures, which we first heard about last week. You can tap your arms in different places to control volume or skip tracks, even clap your hands if you’re happy and your want your PMP to know it. The system relies on a wrist-borne accelerometer that detects the impacts and, while the video below looks a bit goofy, that’s far better than fumbling with your smartphone while sucking wind on your thrice-weekly runs. And, it’s certainly far simpler than the projected Skinput. NEC expects to have this tech built into a watch-like device sometime within the next two years. That watch had better have a calculator.

Continue reading NEC’s ArmKeypad lets you play charades to control your media player (video)

NEC’s ArmKeypad lets you play charades to control your media player (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 16 Mar 2011 13:56:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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About a month ago, we told you about Immersion’s MOTIV dev platform to design Android apps with tactile feedback, and today its release has finally arrived. The SDK comes with predesigned haptic effects, sample code, and the ability to tweak the duration and intensity of the feedback — allowing developers to perfectly tailor the amount of shake in your groove thang. Interested parties can hit up the source link for the SDK download and start indulging in the haptic dark arts immediately.

Continue reading Immersion releases SDK to put haptics in Android, helps smartphones move what their makers gave them

Immersion releases SDK to put haptics in Android, helps smartphones move what their makers gave them originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Mar 2011 09:30:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Conductive fibers, yo, they’re the future. Japan’s AIST is back with yet another quirky idea, this time integrating capacitive touch sensors into 1-micron thick nylon fibers. The results is a big old cloth that can sense your loving touch and inform nearby computers of what you’re up to. Initial uses envisioned by the research outfit include implementation in hospitals to monitor bedridden patients, but the ultimate goal is to make this extra-sensitive array a wearable accoutrement. Wouldn’t that be lovely?

Continue reading Japanese researchers weave capacitive touch into large-area textiles, want to make them wearable (video)

Japanese researchers weave capacitive touch into large-area textiles, want to make them wearable (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Mar 2011 06:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We can’t accuse Inq of having the best timing in the world — the company announced its new Facebook-centric Cloud Touch and Cloud Q phones at about the same time that HP was busy blowing minds with its new webOS range in San Francisco — but at least that gave us an excuse to get out of the Engadget bunker this morning and go check out some new gear. We’ve gotten to grips with the 3.5-inch touchscreen-equipped Cloud Touch and have broken down our first impressions of the device for you after the break. Aside from Facebook, Inq has chosen to integrate Spotify Premium into this phone along with Fluency, the typing prediction engine that powers SwiftKey. The two serve as significant upgrades on the default media player and keyboard software, respectively, and add a nice sprinkling of value to a phone that’s already expected to go easy on the wallet. The gallery below will illustrate anything else you may need or want to know, although you’ll have to check out the video to see the multifunctional unlock screen and Facebook widgetry in action.

Continue reading Inq Cloud Touch preview

Inq Cloud Touch preview originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 10 Feb 2011 09:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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The iControlPad hasn’t been flirting with vaporware status for quite as long as Duke Nukem Forever but certainly long enough to make us wonder if we’d ever be able to use it to kick some in-game butt before we ran out of bubblegum. We’ve been tantalized by this formerly iPhone-exclusive adapter since way back in 2008, when it was going to be a simple case with a dock connector that would let you control those emulators with greater ease. It’s grown significantly since then, the latest version shown above — the final version, as it happens. It’s now available for order at a cost of $74.99, and we’re happy to say that ditching that dock connector and going for Bluetooth has expanded support well past the iDevice crowd, including things like the Motorola Blackflip, Blackberry Touch, and the now-classic G1. However, we’re told not all games and emulators will work with the thing, so your mileage may vary. First devices ship next week, so make with the clicking.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

iControlPad finally available for order, shipping next week originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 08 Feb 2011 10:27:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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