Xiaomi’s Mi Mix Alpha is almost entirely made of screen

As for the phone’s more traditional specs, there’s a Qualcomm Snapdragon 855+ processor, 5G connectivity, 12GB of RAM, 512GB of storage, 40W wired fast-charging, and a 4,050mAh battery. That last spec would perhaps suggest that Xiaomi doesn’t imagine you having the whole screen turned on all the time. Xiaomi describes the Mix Alpha as a Read more about Xiaomi’s Mi Mix Alpha is almost entirely made of screen[…]

Objects can now change colors like a chameleon with spray on programmable ink

team from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) has brought us closer to this chameleon reality, by way of a new system that uses reprogrammable ink to let objects change colors when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) and visible light sources. Dubbed “PhotoChromeleon,” the system uses a mix of photochromic dyes that can be Read more about Objects can now change colors like a chameleon with spray on programmable ink[…]

Scientists create contact lenses that zoom when you blink twice

scientists at the University of California San Diego have gone ahead and made it a reality. They’ve created a contact lens, controlled by eye movements, that can zoom in if you blink twice. How is this possible? In the simplest of terms, the scientists measured the electrooculographic signals generated when eyes make specific movements (up, Read more about Scientists create contact lenses that zoom when you blink twice[…]

Canon Stabs Tradition in the Back With Camera That Supports Vertical Video

Canon’s G7 X line has long been a favorite of photographers who wanted a travel-friendly camera that could still capture high-quality images. But with the rise of smartphones and the decline of point-and-shoots, Canon began pushing its compact cameras towards vloggers, who I’ve seen use cameras like the G7 X and Sony’s RX100 line as Read more about Canon Stabs Tradition in the Back With Camera That Supports Vertical Video[…]

The next generation of GaN wall chargers is getting smaller and better

The tech world is probably sitting on the edge of a charger revolution, and most of us just haven’t realized it yet. No, I’m not talking about USB-C (sadly); I’m talking about GaN (gallium nitride) chargers, a material that’s started to replace silicon in chargers. I’ve had the chance to try out two of the Read more about The next generation of GaN wall chargers is getting smaller and better[…]

The Secret To The World’s Lightest Gaming Mouse Model O Is Lots Of Holes

In order to create what it calls “the world’s lightest gaming mouse,” the engineers at peripheral maker Glorious PC Gaming Race took a mouse and put holes all in it. The result is the Model O, a very good gaming mouse that weighs only 67 grams and may trigger trypophobia. “You’ll barely feel the holes,” Read more about The Secret To The World’s Lightest Gaming Mouse Model O Is Lots Of Holes[…]

Turns out Apple’s Memoji is another product copy, this time from Xiaomi and Samsung. If you can’t create, duplicate.

Jeremy Horwitz@horwitz July 2, 2019 9:10 AM Image Credit: Gizmochina Apple’s Memoji may have become the more popular 3D avatar feature for smartphones, but Xiaomi wants people to know that its similarly named version — Mimoji — came first, despite increasingly confusing overlap between the apps’ names and features. Moreover, it’s apparently threatening legal action Read more about Turns out Apple’s Memoji is another product copy, this time from Xiaomi and Samsung. If you can’t create, duplicate.[…]

Scientists develop first fabric to automatically cool or insulate depending on conditions

University of Maryland researchers have created a fabric that can automatically regulate the amount of heat that passes through it. When conditions are warm and moist, such as those near a sweating body, the fabric allows infrared radiation (heat) to pass through. When conditions become cooler and drier, the fabric reduces the heat that escapes. Read more about Scientists develop first fabric to automatically cool or insulate depending on conditions[…]

Program allows ordinary digital camera to see round corners

In a demonstration of “computational periscopy” a US team at Boston University showed they could see details of objects hidden from view by analysing shadows they cast on a nearby wall. Vivek Goyal, an electrical engineer at the university, said that while the work had clear implications for surveillance he hoped it would lead to Read more about Program allows ordinary digital camera to see round corners[…]

Smartians – turn old tech things into smart things by pushing, pulling, prodding and turning: looking for funding

Why replace your things just because they’re not state-of-the-art? Smartians are cloud-connected motors that breathe new life into the things around you. <iframe src=”https://player.vimeo.com/video/294150597″ width=”640″ height=”360″ frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe> Very clever, I hope they get funded!   Source: Smartians | FROLIC studio |

UK puts ‘Bird-borne’ radar on albatrosses among 17 new projects to be funded

Albatrosses and radar tracking One of the successful projects will see albatrosses and petrels benefit from further research using ‘bird-borne’ radar devices. Developed by scientists at the British Antarctic Survey (BAS), the attached radars will measure how often tracked wandering albatrosses interact with legal and illegal fishing vessels in the south Atlantic to map the Read more about UK puts ‘Bird-borne’ radar on albatrosses among 17 new projects to be funded[…]

Snips – a private, offline voice assistant

Snips is the first Voice Platform where you can build an Voice Assistant that is Private by Design. Source: Snips — Using Voice to Make Technology Disappear Which means, unlike Alexa or Google Home, your voice data doesn’t get listened to by the cloud, doesn’t get saved by strangers targetting advertising at you and works Read more about Snips – a private, offline voice assistant[…]

Paralyzed Individuals Operate Tablet with Brain Implant

One user played Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” on an Android tablet piano app and later bought some groceries online. Another sent a few texts and then checked the weather forecast. A third browsed through some videos before firing up Stevie Nicks on Pandora. They didn’t use their fingers to type commands or their voices to Read more about Paralyzed Individuals Operate Tablet with Brain Implant[…]

BlackBerry KEY2 LE: proper keyboard but midrange specs

Out of thousands of smartphone vendors, TCL’s BlackBerry Mobile unit represents one of a tiny handful targeting enterprise users. But its two QWERTY models to date have been priced at a premium, north of £500. Unveiled at IFA this week, budget model the KEY2 LE cuts costs in a bid to attract the corporate bulk Read more about BlackBerry KEY2 LE: proper keyboard but midrange specs[…]

Roku releases speakers that turn volume down for loud ads and up for soft programmes. Unfortunately, only for Roku TVs.

While the tech specs of the speakers haven’t been released yet, we know how they’ll connect to and work with Roku TVs. The speaker set pairs wirelessly with Roku TVs via Roku Connect, and, thanks to built-in software that works with Roku OS, the speakers will sync up with whatever you’re watching on the smart Read more about Roku releases speakers that turn volume down for loud ads and up for soft programmes. Unfortunately, only for Roku TVs.[…]

Not OK Google: Massive outage turns smart home kit utterly dumb

Google’s entire Home infrastructure has suffered a serious outage, with millions of customers on Wednesday morning complaining that their smart devices have stopped working. At the time of writing, the cloud-connected gadgets are still hosed, the service is still down, and the system appears to have been knackered for at least the past 10 hours. Read more about Not OK Google: Massive outage turns smart home kit utterly dumb[…]

Square Off: The Magic Chess Board with self moving pieces allows you to play remotely or vs AI

No holograms, no 3D, no AR, no bullshit. Square Off is a chess board where the pieces move themselves, and you can play online or against AI. Square Off is really something special. There’s no avoiding a smile the first time you see a knight slide out from the back row without banging into any Read more about Square Off: The Magic Chess Board with self moving pieces allows you to play remotely or vs AI[…]

Kinect is back!

Building on the technology that debuted with Kinect and became a core part of HoloLens, Project Kinect for Azure combines Microsoft’s next-generation depth camera with the power of Azure services to enable new scenarios for developers working with ambient intelligence. This technology will transform AI on the edge with spatial, human, and object understanding, increasing Read more about Kinect is back![…]

The World’s First Working Projector Smartwatch Turns Your Arm Into a Big Touchscreen

Your browser does not support HTML5 video tag. GIF: Carnegie Mellon University & ASU Tech Some smartwatches come with powerful processors, lots of storage, and robust software, but have limited capabilities compared to smartphones thanks to their tiny touchscreens. Researchers at Carnegie Mellon University, however, have now created a smartwatch prototype with a built-in projector Read more about The World’s First Working Projector Smartwatch Turns Your Arm Into a Big Touchscreen[…]

Researchers develop device that can ‘hear’ your internal voice

Researchers have created a wearable device that can read people’s minds when they use an internal voice, allowing them to control devices and ask queries without speaking. The device, called AlterEgo, can transcribe words that wearers verbalise internally but do not say out loud, using electrodes attached to the skin. “Our idea was: could we Read more about Researchers develop device that can ‘hear’ your internal voice[…]

Announcing “Project Things” – An open framework for connecting your devices to the web.

Today, we are pleased to announce that anyone can now build their own Things Gateway to control their connected device directly from the web. We kicked off “Project Things”, with the goal of building a decentralized ‘Internet of Things’ that is focused on security, privacy, and interoperability. Since our announcement last year, we have continued Read more about Announcing “Project Things” – An open framework for connecting your devices to the web.[…]