bionics

Exoskeleton hand gives you robo-powered fingers

In the future when we'll all be wearing robotic exoskeletons, we'll laugh when we think back on the days when we were mere meatsacks. German automation firm Festo is helping us upgrade with the ExoHand, a glove controller that can give people a machine handshake.

Known for its elegantly engineered SmartBird robot seagull, Festo says its ExoHand can not only teleoperate a robot hand in a master-slave control relationship, it can reduce strain from repetitive tasks when using your own old-fashioned, flesh-and-blood hands. … Read more

Searching for a bargain on the Motorola Droid Razr Maxx

What's better than getting a great deal on one of the hottest smartphones on the market? How about getting a good deal on two of these devices.

In this edition of Ask Maggie I help one reader get the best deal I could find on the Motorola Razr Maxx, one of my favorite Google Android devices on the market. And I help another reader, who wants the most social smartphone around, decide if Windows Phone is right for him.

Dear Maggie, My girlfriend and I both have HTC Incredibles. We are both due for an upgrade on March 21. … Read more

Rumor Has It, Ep. 13: Year-end rumor roundup extravaganza! (podcast)

It's the end of the year show! And we celebrate that, and Hanukkah, with a very special Rumor Has It today.

Instead of rounding up the week's hottest rumors, we've rounded up the year's hottest rumors. Bam! And we bet you can guess what's on our list.

We cover the ones that did come true, the ones that didn't, and the ones that were so annoying, we wanted to scream. Why won't some of these rumors ever die? At least they keep us in business.

What was your top rumor that did come true, didn't come true, or annoyed you to death? Let us know in the comments.

We don't have a show next week, but tune back in January 3, 2012 (!), for the first Humiliation Day of the year. Augh! … Read more

Motorola details Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade process

Every time the Android team unveils a new version of the platform, users immediately start asking when they will see the update on their respective hardware.

Of course, the question is quite understandable. It doesn't matter whether your smartphone or tablet is one week old or one year old, we want the hot new Android and we want it now. So we wait. And we wait. And we wait.

Unfortunately, a firm release date, not to mention an answer as to why it takes so long, usually isn't available. That's why I'm glad that Motorola has … Read more

Bionic Bopper cars bring Rock 'Em Sock 'Em to life

Rock 'Em Sock 'Em robots are back, and they're bigger and more kick-ass than ever.

Just in time for the holidays, Hammacher Schlemmer is selling a pair of bumper cars designed to look and act much like the Rock 'Em Sock 'Em robots we loved as kids. The Bionic Bopper cars feature a steel-cage cockpit where the driver can sit and use two joysticks to maneuver the robot's arms and deliver metal-crushing uppercuts to the opposing robot's head.

The cars measure 74 inches high by 59 inches wide by 62 inches deep. Each is equipped with a display in its midsection to keep tally of the score (one hit equals one point).

Three wheels underneath the 850-pound machines allow you to move forward, backward, left, and right at a breakneck speed of 3 mph, and rubber bumpers along the bottom of the vehicles ensure that the fighters are at "optimal distance for scoring." Also, prepare for some epic battles because the Bionic Boppers' gas engine promises up to five hours of continuous use. … Read more

Motorola posts third-quarter loss ahead of Google takeover

Motorola Mobility posted a third-quarter loss ahead of its acquisition by Google, but it beat Wall Street earnings estimates.

The manufacturer of handsets and television set-top boxes posted a third-quarter loss of $32 million, or 11 cents a share. A year ago, when Motorola Mobility was combined with Motorola Solutions, the equivalent business posted a loss of $34 million. Revenue, meanwhile, rose 10.6 percent to $3.26 billion.

Excluding non-business items such as stock compensation, costs related to its merger, and the write-off of old assets, the company earned 12 cents a share.

Wall Street analysts had an average … Read more

Android super smartphones: Too much of a good thing?

commentary If I'm a Droid Bionic owner, I have to be pretty peeved.

The Bionic was supposed to be positioned as Verizon Wireless' flagship 4G LTE smartphone--the first with a dual-core processor--when it launched in early September. But its reign barely lasted a month, and following several recent announcements, it may not even rank as the third-best Android phone in Verizon's lineup by November.

The speed in which new Android devices are hitting the market speaks to the strength of Google's mobile platform. But it also leads to a lot of headaches for consumers who can be … Read more

iPhone 4S to woo customers from 4G Droids, says analyst

Apple will win customers away from 4G Android phones by offering the iPhone 4S at a lower cost but still managing to rake in hefty profit margins.

At least, that's the take of Deutsche Bank analyst Chris Whitmore. In an investors note released Sunday, Whitmore compared the prices of the iPhone 4S with those of several Droid phones. Though the monthly fees for each phone are comparable and depend on the carrier, the upfront cost for the new iPhone is lower, which Whitmore believes will lure in more customers.

The 16GB iPhone 4S costs $199 with a two-year contract. … Read more

If you want blazing speed, iPhone 4S may not be for you

commentary The "S" in iPhone 4S can't possibly stand for network speed, can it?

Despite a "never-been-done" redesigned antenna, other smartphones can still leave the iPhone 4S in their dust. For all of Apple's advances with the iPhone, the network speed is one area where the company has fallen short.

(Related: iPhone 4S First Take)

The connection speed is an increasingly critical issue for consumers, who rely on zippier networks to ferry streaming videos, music downloads, complex Web sites, and online games on to their devices. That the iPhone 4S can not ride on … Read more