Pocket Geiger: The $46 iPhone Geiger counter

Japanese non-profit organization Radiation Watch has released a $46 Geiger Counter iPhone peripheral

In what seems to be a response to public fears about radiation levels following the Fukushima crisis, a Japanese organization called Radiation Watch has launched Pocket Geiger, a Geiger counter iPhone peripheral and accompanying app aimed at concerned individuals.

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New Scientist reports that the peripheral has eight photodiode sensors to detect radiation and aluminum foil to screen alpha and beta particles. Second generation peripherals, known as Pokega Type2, do away with the need for batteries, using the connected iPhone as a power supply.

The app functions as the Geiger counter display, but also uploads data to a Radiation Watch server where readings are collectively mapped for an overview. Apparently there are over 10,000 users, though the viewing of maps is limited to Radiation Watch members.

The main advantage of the Pocket Geiger appears to be cost. Where a typical personal Geiger counter would cost well into three figures, the peripheral and app cost a mere US$46 - or $65 for the Pokega Type2.

Of course, the WikiSensor app we looked at last October did away with the peripheral entirely.

Sources: New Scientist, Radiation Watch

Withings Smart Baby Monitor lets Apple-users be baby-watchers

Withings' iDevice-based Smart Baby Monitor is now available in the U.S.

Although it was released in the UK last year, American consumers can now also get their mitts on the Smart Baby Monitor. Made by French company Withings, the monitor allows parents to check on their little 'uns via their iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. The word "smart" in its name refers to the fact that it contains not only a camera, but also sensors that detect sound, movement, temperature and humidity levels. So in other words, it's a smart baby monitor, and not a monitor that's designed specifically for use with smart babies - as far as we know, it's compatible with babies of any level of intelligence.

The monitor's hinged design allows its wide-angle 3-megapixel camera to be tilted or swiveled into place when being set up. That camera automatically switches on its infrared LEDs when the light gets dim, enabling its night vision function, plus it has a 4X zoom that lets users get a closer look at their infant.

Should the baby start crying, tossing or turning, or if things get too hot, cold, wet or dry in its room, the onboard sensors will detect the change, and activate an alert on the parents' iDevice. The parameters of all the sensors are entirely user-adjustable.

If the baby is crying, parents are able to both hear it and speak soothingly to it, using the monitor's two-way microphone. They can also activate a lullaby-playing feature, or turn on its built-in night light. In order to access any of the monitor's functions, the user's mobile device must be running Withings' free WithBaby app, which can be downloaded from the App Store.

The Smart Baby Monitor connects to the internet via a Wi-Fi hotspot in the home or an Ethernet cable, or it can bypass the internet and communicate directly with the iDevice via Bluetooth - assuming the user is reasonably close by (and they'd better be, unless they're using a sitter).

It is available now from the Withings website, for US$299. A competing product should be on the market soon, in the form of the BabyPing system.

Source: Withings

LG’s WPD-800 turns wireless charging on its side

LG's new WPD-800 wireless charger positions the recharging device upright

Wireless charging of mobile devices is all the rage if the number of wireless chargers hitting the market is anything to go by. Until now, most of the units on offer follow the flat slab design ushered in by the Powermat and WildCharge that sees recharging devices laid down flat on the charger. LG followed that form factor with its WCP-700 Wireless Charging Pad but has come up with something slightly different for its successor, the WCD-800. The new unit is designed to hold the mobile device upright so you can watch a video or make a video call while the charger goes about its business.

Unveiled at Mobile World Congress 2012 (MWC 2012), the WCD-800 is designed in the shape of a cradle with a lip that supports the mobile device in either vertical or horizontal orientation. Like competitor devices, the unit uses electromagnetic induction to recharge a device's batteries without the need for cables and LG says the unit is as efficient and effective as conventional wired chargers. It is also compatible with all devices compliant with the Wireless Power Consortium's (WPC) Qi standard.

The WCD-800's cradle measures 75.8 mm (2.98 in) wide and the unit boasts a charging area double that of its predecessor.

LG will first launch the wireless charger in Korea, followed by a North American release before mid-2012. No pricing details have yet been announced.

Source: LG

Office 15 leaks indicate Metro-influenced UI and touch mode

The public beta of Office 15 is due out this northern summer

While Microsoft isn't set to release Office 15 as a public beta for a few months yet, the company provided a sneak peak to a select group of businesses, partners and OEMs on January 31st in the form of a technical preview. Despite the testers being required to sign non-disclosure agreements, some screenshots and details have started to leak out from those who received access to the beta.

The most immediately obvious change is the influence of Microsoft's Metro UI, which was originally created for Windows Phone 7 and will be seen in Windows 8. In Office 15, Microsoft looks to have merged the Metro UI with its much-maligned Ribbon interface that debuted in Office 2007. The ribbon's default setting appears to be collapsed which, along with a fullscreen "backstage" menu, results in a much cleaner look - although users will be more concerned with how easy it is to use.

Like Windows 8, Office 15 also looks set to embrace touch to enable easier use on tablets and touch-enabled PCs. Windows President Steven Sinofsky has said in a blog post that desktop versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint and OneNote optimized for touch and minimal power usage will be included with Windows 8 on ARM (WOA). A (currently non functional) Touch Mode button suggests that users will be able to switch between touch and mouse/keyboard inputs depending on the device on which they are using the application.

Microsoft is yet to respond to the leaks - and probably won't - so we'll just have to wait and see if they - and others, such as possible Skype integration - prove correct or not. The company has said is that the Office 15 public beta will be available this northern summer, with expectations that Office 15 - or whatever the new version of Office will be called - will be released before the end of the year. Additional leaked images can be seen at The Verge.

Sources: The Verge, ZDNet, MSDN Blog, Office Blog.

Microsoft reveals Windows 8 consumer preview and the Windows Store

Windows 8 is designed to blur the line between the OS on tablets and that on computers

Microsoft has gotten official with its latest version of Windows, Windows 8. The next generation of the PC operating system is designed to blur the line between the OS on tablets and that on computers, sporting a design that looks reminiscent of Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 platform.

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Much like Windows Phone, Windows 8 has a tiled home screen which showcases apps. These can be selected and moved around just like they can on a mobile device and tapped to open. A finger swipe can move you between different pages of the home screen, and you can pinch to enlarge or shrink something on the page just like you might on your smartphone.

Following Apple's lead, Microsoft has its own Windows Store where customers can purchase applications to run on their computers, and those who have multiple Windows devices will be able to connect them together through the "cloud."

The OS also has a new feature called "Windows to Go," which allows you to carry around your own customized version of the OS on a USB thumb drive and access it on any PC. That, coupled with the ability to get the same Windows experience on a tablet, phone, or ultrabook make the Windows experience available almost anywhere you are.

If you want to give Windows 8 a test drive, Microsoft has made a preview of the operating system available as a free download.

Source: Microsoft

Could Apple be launching an 8 GB iPad 2 next week?

Rumors abound of an 8 GB iPad 2 being announced next week

Could Apple be releasing an 8 GB iPad 2 next week? According to a DigiTimessource, Cupertino will be launching a new smaller-capacity iPad 2 at its event March 7 alongside the the new iPad 3. According to the source, Apple will be releasing a 16 GB and 32 GB iPad 3 and an 8 GB iPad in order to compete with more budget priced offerings from other tablet manufacturers.

Apple has previously used a similar strategy with its iPhone line, discontinuing the larger-capacity versions of the previous handsets while still offering or launching a cheaper lower-capacity model.

While Apple has never offered an iPad with anything below 16 GB of storage, doing so isn't that far out of the realm of possibility. With inexpensive competition such as the Kindle Fire and Nook Tablet hitting the market, Apple needs to make an effort to hit the less affluent tablet-buying population. What better way to do that than to sell a lower-capacity iPad 2?

Taking into account that the iPad 2 would technically be the "older model," and Apple could conceivably sell the an 8 GB WiFi iPad 2 for $399 or less. A $399 price tag, while still higher than a Kindle Fire or Nook Tablet, would still put Apple in a great position to snag some customers who might have otherwise gone with a less-expensive competitor.

What's also interesting about the DigitTimes rumor is that it implies Apple will only be selling a 16 GB and 32 GB version of the iPad 3, getting rid of the 64 GB version of the tablet. Assuming the rumor is true, Apple may be making that move in order to promote its iCloud service, which allows customers to store and access some content from the cloud.

The iPad 3 is expected to be announced at an Apple event in San Francisco March 7th. The tablet is highly rumored to have a faster processor, high-resolution Retina display, and a higher-resolution camera.

Source: DigiTimes

Hand-manipulated objects and transparent displays - the computer desktop of tomorrow?

A Kinect-driven prototype desktop environment by the Microsoft Applied Sciences Group allows users to manipulate 3D objects by hand behind a transparent OLED display

A see-through screen, digital 3D objects manipulated by hand, perspective adjustments according to the user's viewing angle - these are the core features of a prototype computer desktop user interface created by Microsoft's Applied Sciences Group. The prototype uses a "unique" Samsung transparent OLED display through which the user can see their own hands to manipulate 3D objects which appear to be behind the screen.

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A demo video appears to show a working prototype of a computer markedly different from those we use today. Yes it includes a familiar keyboard and trackpad - but these are placed behind the OLED display. The user simply lifts their hands from these input devices to manipulate on-screen (or more accurately behind-screen) objects, such as selecting a file or window.

The video shows the interface in action with a series of program windows stacked behind one another, with the user selecting the desired program by hand, using the depth of the workspace.

Similar actions are shown to manipulate 3D objects - an exciting prospect not only for gamers, but perhaps also for architects, inventors and engineers working on 3D models. The cherry on the muffin in this respect is the inclusion of head-tracking technology - step to the side to shift your angle of view and your view of the 3D objects on screen will be altered accordingly.

The video certainly poses questions as to the future of human-computer interaction - not necessarily all intentional. Non-touch typists may balk at the idea of a keyboard positioned behind a busy screen (the display may be transparent - that's not to say the information it displays is). Similarly, objects arranged behind one another will necessarily impede view.

But to quibble at the details is rather to miss the point. "This project advances research in current display technologies hoping to provide a more interaction with everyday desktop computing of the future," said Cati Boulanger, a researcher at the Applied Sciences Group. Even with a working prototype, this is a technological what if, not a thou shalt.

See below for a demo video of the prototype in use.

Via Wired UK