A new camera from Samsung called the Digimax L50 lets you take pictures of magazine articles (or classified files), then convert them into text with bundled software.
The web site of a record company has a picture of a synthesizer wristwatch branded the "Music Machine." It's a marvel of miniaturization, obviously, and after reading this the search is on to find out more about it. (props to Music Thing)
How to Bust a Union: Prove Their Jobs Are Obsolete
A labor protest by Bell Canada employees at a printing plant in Mississauga, Canada, prevented some Globe and Mail customers from getting their newspaper. (The Globe and Mail is owned by BCE, which also owns Bell Canada). So the newspaper simply threw a switch and made the newspaper free of charge online. (Normally some sections require a paid subscription.)
I told you back in March about a prototype cell phone for toddlers demo'd at CeBit called the i-Care Baby Bear cell phone. A lot of people thought this would be one of those products that was too crazy ever to be sold as an actual product. Well, a lot of people would be wrong. China's Guidetek Technology has actually released the phone, and is targeting children as young as three years old. (props to Textually.org)
Here's an idea that stinks, but just won't die -- odor generators that can be "transmitted" over the Internet. Japan's NTT plans to hand out smell generators to customers that blend chemicals locally to match smell files "downloaded" digitally. Their first advertiser? An aromatherapy company.
Not Your Computer Anymore -- Microsoft to Drop "My" Nomeclature
Microsoft reportedly plans to drop the "My" from what is now called "My Computer" on Windows desktops. It will just say "Computer." The "My" in "My Music," "My Pictures," and so on will also be dropped. The change will show up in the "Longhorn" version of Windows, which will probably ship in about 20 years. The reason for the change is that it was always a stupid idea.
A new Korean company called NexTMobile has a mobile phone-based eye test available in both Korea and Europe. The KTF Self-Eye-Test checks to see if you're color blind and how good your eyesight is (or, how good your mobile phone's display is...). (props to textually.org)
How to Always 'Know When to Hold 'Em' - New System Reads Cards From Back
Stanford University and Cornell University eggheads have invented a system that can read the front of playing cards from the back. The two-camera system captures patterns of light reflected off the face of cards, then re-constructs the image those patterns bounced off of. The researchers cannot be reached for comment, as they are currently on vacation in Las Vegas.
L.A. Security Cameras to Bust Latino Movie Pirates
The selling of illegal pirate copies of movies on DVD and music on CDs and cassette tapes in the fashion district in downtown Los Angeles is rampant, sold almost entirely by, and to, Spanish-speaking immigrants from Mexico and Central America. Now, the Motion Picture Association of America has ponied up $186,000 to help pay for a new network of surveillance cameras to bust the street vendors who sell them.
A company called Prodisc is showing off at Taiwan's Computex event Germproof DVD-Rs. The discs feature silver ions to repel bacteria. They make the perfect gift for that obsessive-compulsive geek in your life. (props to Engadget)
No? Then you must not have the new KiMouse, which is available in Japan. Simply plug this thing into your mouse, then attach the sticky electrodes to your skin over your abs, back, arms or wherever you want to get jacked. Then, simply continue to use your computer all day. As you click and drag with your mouse, electricity is sent through the electrodes, which stimulates muscle twitching.
Indian Call Center Staff Quit Over Abuse By UK, U.S. Customers
Indian call center employees are increasingly resigning over constant abuse -- often racist -- by British and American customers. Web sites have even reportedly sprung up that list Hindi profanity so the abuse can sting more. A casual comparative analysis reveals that British customers can be "very rude but in a polite way," while Americans are "generally much more easy-going."
CD-Burning and Ringtone Downloads - McDonalds Wants To See If You're Lovin' It
McDonald's is rolling out Blaze Net kiosks at some burger outlets in a trial. While you get heartburn with bad burgers, you can also burn songs to a CD. While you clog your arteries with cheap grease, you can also pack your phone with new ringtones. They'll also ad for-pay web access.
Not satisfied with dominating the global automobile market, Toyota Motor Corp. plans to start selling home humanoid robots by 2010, according to the Asahi daily newspaper. The robots will be designed to do work around the house, and help the elderly. As worker robots, they'll need to commute, so they'll need cars... Muahahahah!
I told you back in March
