The other big announcement from Google at I/O this morning was of course Android 2.2 FroYo…WOW!
Via tech spotlight
Congrats to Brit and the Google TV team. It is high time that the web comes to TV in a meaningful way. I am looking forward to seeing more of Google in the living room.
brit:
At long last, introducing Google TV. This project has been near and dear to my heart over the last six months. I’m so excited to finally share what we’re building with the world.
More updates coming over the next few months, but for now, take a look at this video to see how Google is working to enhance the traditional TV set.
Via Dave Morin
With the latest in a long line of attempts by the Australian gov’t to censor the internet in a manner similar to China, it seems that its plans have finally caught the attention of the US government. The State Department has apparently raised concerns about the plan with the Australian government. The specifics of the comments to the Australian gov’t were not made clear beyond “we have raised our concerns on this matter.” Of course, those comments might carry a bit more weight if US politicians didn’t keep suggesting similar (if not quite as stringent) plans in the US as well…
The Desk Phone Dock from Kee Utility is an odd little product. From the makers:
No more multiple phones, bunch of cables and other accessories on your desk. Use your iPhone smarter with Desk Phone Dock.
Now, don’t get me wrong: This thing is beautiful (so much so I might consider purchasing it) but their marketing copy is a stretch. From what I can tell, the Desk Phone Dock doesn’t clone your office phone number. Instead, the website seems to suggest you replace your office line with your mobile:
Your iPhone is the main telecommunication device you need in your office or home, especially if you or your business has a special service plan from your carrier.
But wait, you say — then it’s a shell of a phone for… my phone? Except with this, you can’t bring it into the kitchen to get a soda. Lots of the features on the website are simply benefits of using your iPhone for business, like VoIP and having one place to manage contacts.
Again, don’t get me wrong: I quite like the device. Maybe it’s easier to cradle between your head and shoulder than an iPhone. Maybe it’s got a better speakerphone. Maybe it’s easier to pick up while you’re working than wrestling an iPhone out of its dock and sliding to unlock. Maybe it’s just a beautiful thing. I just think the website could be simpler and better aligned to their audience.
When you’re selling something, keep it simple and focus on your strengths. You don’t have to change the world and you don’t have to make everyone happy.
Side note: I’m going white for my next iPhone.
40 years ago you could open the hood of your car and see and touch just about every component in there. And you had to, because many of those components required frequent maintenance. To properly own a car required, to some degree, that you understood how a car worked. Today, you open the hood of your car and you see a big sealed block and a basin for the windshield washer fluid. You can buy a new car, drive it for years, and never once open the hood yourself.
That’s the iPad.
– John Gruber, The Kids Are All Right (via davidkaneda) Via 9-BitsiPhone Video Glasses
Have you ever wished that you could watch videos on your iPhone without having to hold it in front of your face. Now you can! You can watch vids while waiting in line, at the park, walking down the street, driving a car and crashing into at tree. You can pretty much watch vids is style anywhere.
http://www.thinkgeek.com/computing/accessories/98d3/
***warning DO NOT WEAR WHILE DRIVING OR OPERATING ANY MACHINERY***
Tapping your forearm or hand with a finger could soon be the way you interact with gadgets.
US researchers have found a way to work out where the tap touches and use that to control phones and music players.
Coupled with a tiny projector the system can use the skin as a surface on which to display menu choices, a number pad or a screen.
Early work suggests the system, called Skinput, can be learned with about 20 minutes of training.
“The human body is the ultimate input device,” Chris Harrison, Skinput’s creator, told BBC News.
