sensors

Deactivate your Sudden Motion Sensor on your Apple portable

There are a number of reasons users may wish to deactivate their Sudden Motion Senor technology in their Mac portables. Environments where extreme vibrations and movement occur frequently, such as live performance venues, can inadvertently trigger the Sudden Motion technology in your Mac and cause interrupted sound or video playback as the hard drive heads are required to park.… Read more

EgisTec brings fingerprint security to personal devices

If you're the type who mandates a unique password for every Web account, you've got a lot of memorizing to do. EgisTec, a data encryption and biometrics technology company, is manufacturing a fingerprint sensor that eliminates the need to type any password.

Although the Taipei, Taiwan-based company is predominantly known for its data-deletion software, Shredder, the present focus is on its fingerprint solution for cell phones, laptops, cars, and other devices that might benefit from increased personal security.

EgisTec's know-how of software and hardware production helps in the creation of technology that manufacturers can easily integrate into … Read more

Sony Eco TV turns off when you leave the room

In case you haven't noticed, "green" is big business. One way for HDTV makers to cash in on the public's craving for efficiency is to label a TV "eco-friendly." Sony's KDL-VE5 series does just that, but unlike a lot of so-called green electronics, this TV can actually save power in a new, potentially very effective way. That's because it incorporates a "presence sensor" that can automatically turn the picture off when it detects nobody's watching.

Amazingly, the feature worked pretty well in our tests, and we hope to see … Read more

Pump up the...soap

Sensor activated soap pumps are a nice tool in the kitchen. When you're working with raw meat, you want to limit the chances for contaminating the various surfaces in your home. When you're managing multiple pots on the stove, it's nice to streamline one part of the cleaning process.

With simplehuman's newest sensor soap pump, just place your hand underneath the spout to dispense your soap. You can easily refill the pump via the wide opening pop-up lid, and you can adjust the dispensing volume to determine exactly how much soap comes out. If you have … Read more

The 404 430: Where we Microsoft Courier your enthusiasm

We couldn't record today's Podcast without spending a little time on Gizmodo's big unveiling of Microsoft's secret tablet PC. The blog is reporting that even though our first inclination is to call it a tablet, it's really more of a booklet, with two 7-inch(ish) screens with multitouch, a 3MP camera on the back, and a fancy stylus for clicking, writing, dragging, and drawing. In typical 404 fashion, we have to poke fun at the fact that while a long plastic pen is very innovative, we wish it had fully functioning voice recognition, but as we've seen from the Google iPhone app, that technology will likely never be perfected. In the meantime, it looks like the Microsoft booklet will materialize before the fabled Apple tablet.

Speaking of Apple, Wilson and I are very psyched for Google to finally release push e-mail support on Google Sync for the iPhone. This means there will always be a connection to Google's servers to keep your mailbox up to date. There's no additional application necessary, just head to m.google.com/sync from your computer and follow these instructions.

If you're a long-time 404 listener, you'll remember a few months back when my iPhone camera stopped working and the Apple Genius at the store told me that my phone had somehow been submerged in water, judging by the indication on the external water sensor. Well as it turns out, that liquid sensor is a filthy liar. There are actually two liquid sensors on the phone, an internal and an external, which more often than not, tell contradicting stories. If a Genius sees the external one is triggered, the official Apple protocol tells them to report that the warranty is now void and Apple is no longer responsible for fixing the damaged phone. More importantly, the protocol says not to open iPhones and check the internal sensor. If you've had a similar experience, we want to hear about it, but you should also head back to the Apple store and ask them to open up the phone and double-check it. Who knows, you might leave with a brand-new iPhone.

EPISODE 430 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video Image Credit: Gizmodo… Read more

Coming to a bedside near you: Body sensor networks

GE Healthcare is developing a Body Sensor Network (BSN) that consists of sensor devices that collect patient-specific data, from body temperature and pulse-oximetry to blood glucose levels and respiratory function. The real-time information will be transmitted to doctors, nurses, caregivers, etc., to enable far more efficient body monitoring from any location, which in turn provides the most current patient information and treatment option evaluations.

The network that would support the wireless sensors monitoring what is going on inside a patient's body will be called the Medical Body Area Network Service, or MBANS for short.

GE's proposal (PDF) requests … Read more

Imagining a Google in physical retail

What would Google look like if you took it offline and forced it to set up in physical space?

Google's tens of thousands of commodity Linux servers would need to be scattered around the globe so as to collect and then aggregate consumer interest. A lot like Path Intelligence, in other words.

Tim O'Reilly invested in Path Intelligence back in 2007. After lunching with Path Intelligence CEO Toby Oliver Friday in London, I can see why. The idea is to set up receivers in shopping malls and other retail areas to collect mobile data and analyze consumer behavior … Read more

Smart cabinets eliminate need for hardware

I have a roommate that has a habit of leaving the cabinet doors open. As small of an issue as this is, it leads to visual inconsistency, opens the potential for pests in the food, and provides a tempting hiding place for the house cats. AnvilMotion has offered an elegant and cutting-edge solution in their new intelligent kitchens, using combined sensor technology and modern mechanical design to take the guesswork out of opening and shutting your kitchen cabinetry.

If you've ever seen Batman, then the frame-in-frame concept that makes opening the cabinets possible is reminiscent of the automated outer … Read more

New Apple patent means no more microwaving your iPod

A patent application filed by Apple and published Thursday hints at new ways the company can help diagnose a troubled iPod or iPhone if a customer has abused it. The patent goes into detail on a new system that goes above and beyond the existing onboard sensors, which can tell Apple whether your iPod or iPhone has been subjected to moisture.

The new system, described in U.S. Patent application No. 2009/0195394, covers not just moisture, but heat, shock, and tampering. If any one of these events occur, it's logged--time stamp and all, and Apple support personnel can … Read more