interface

Mind-controlled cursor may be easier than previously thought

When scientists at the University of Washington recently drilled into the skulls of seven people with severe epilepsy and placed thin sheets of electrodes directly onto their brains, they were surprised by the brain activity they observed.

While physicians were studying neuro activity to investigate seizure signals, a separate team of bioengineers was simultaneously on the lookout for exactly how the brains of the seven volunteers behaved as they learned to move a cursor using their thoughts alone. It turns out that, in as few as 10 minutes, activity went from being centered on the prefrontal cortex, which is associated with learning new skills, to areas seen during more automatic functions, such as waving one's hand or kicking a ball.

In other words, in just a matter of minutes these brains behaved as if they had already mastered these Jedi mind tricks.… Read more

Is the new Gmail app interface dumb, or am I a freak?

I'm a Gmail fanboy. Priority inbox, stars, the archive tool, labels, filters, built-in translation, conversation view, relatively effective spam blocking -- its features have helped me stay one step ahead of the chaos.

But on Friday, when the new Gmail app arrived on my Android phone, I lost some of my faith because of one simple thing: Google deleted the delete button.

In its place was a button that, I eventually figured out after some confused experimentation, toggles messages as read or unread. Deleting a selected e-mail became a two-tap operation: tap the menu button, then tap the delete … Read more

Eight changes I want to see in iOS 7

The World Wide Developer's Conference is next week, and preparations are already under way. While Apple is predictably tight-lipped about what exactly it will announce, it's all but certain we'll hear about an update for iOS 7. The question is, will the new features and tweaks be enough to keep people from jumping ship to other smartphones?

Tune in to CNET's live blog on Monday, about an hour before the 10 a.m. PT start time:

CNET's live coverage of Apple's WWDC 2013 keynote

Probably the biggest rumors are about a newly redesigned look … Read more

New Gmail look blings up your inbox with tabs

Google continues to revamp the appearance of many of its services, this time turning its redecorating eye on Gmail.

The company unveiled on Wednesday the new look and automatic labels for Gmail on the Web, as well as in Gmail's Android and iOS apps.

The new default categories, based on Gmail's existing Label system, are Primary, Social, Promotions, Updates, and Forums. They appear as large tabs on the Gmail site, easy to use for touch screens and fully customizable. You can also drag-and-drop messages between them, and Google will automatically "learn" how you want them filtered. … Read more

Google Drive on Android scans receipts, adds Cards

Google Now's interface sensibilities are spilling over into other Google services.

The latest recipient of a healthy dose of the Now virtual assistant is Google Drive, which updated its Android app on Wednesday with several new features.

A new Scan feature lets you back up and track important receipts, business cards, and documents by using existing optical character recognition (OCR) tech already in Drive. Choose Scan from the "Add New" menu, take a photo of the document, and Drive will automatically turn it into a searchable PDF.

The new interface leverages the Cards look from Google+ and … Read more

Google going to revamp its Maps interface at I/O?

Word has it that Google Maps may be doing a substantial revamp to its interface. According to Google Operating System, a site that gives unofficial news and tips about Google, the Web giant is said to be rolling out an update that takes away sidebars and navigational buttons and concentrates more on one big interactive map.

The unofficial news site posted a pair of maps on Tuesday that it says show what the overhaul will look like. Apparently, what is now displayed in the Google Maps sidebar will be shown on the top of a full-screen map and there will … Read more

FingerLink turns paper into touch screens

There are many gestural interfaces under development, but our fingers remain one of the most useful tools we have. Fujitsu's FingerLink lets your fingers control a scanner and projector for printed information, acting as a bridge between digital and analog tech.

The prototype uses off-the-shelf cameras and projectors. Fujitsu's image-processing software links the two.

It can accurately detect where your fingers are as you touch or swipe any printed matter, letting you copy text or images and project them elsewhere. The size of projected images can similarly be adjusted with a fingertip. … Read more

Throttle 7.4.15.2013 Review

There is just no substitute for bandwidth when it comes to Internet speed. Whether it's water or data, the principle is the same: the bigger the pipe, the bigger (and faster) the flow. But that doesn't mean there's nothing you can do on your end to improve your online experience, especially if you're one of the many users still running dial-up connections. If you're trying to squeeze every bit of performance out of your Internet connection, you may want to have a look at Throttle. Throttle offers to maximize your PC's network settings, whether … Read more

Flipboard: Your Social News Magazine 2.0 Review

In an age of information overload, apps like Flipboard provide the much- needed organization and curation tools to keep it all in one place. By taking your RSS subscriptions, Twitter account, Facebook account, and other online accounts and combining them into one easy-to-use interface, Flipboard simplifies the consumption of information on an iPad and makes it faster and easier than ever before to get what you need from your device.

When you first open Flipboard, you'll be prompted to create an account. This account will store all of your subscriptions, and you can choose to either create a new … Read more

Rescue your lost dog from evil robots

Fetch for iOS is a touch adventure game that plays like an animated movie, letting you explore a strange world as a young boy in search of his lost dog.

Made for children, but fun for adults, too, Fetch combines a great-looking artistic style, rich sounds, and mysterious environments with tons of touch-screen interaction as you set off on your adventure. The story revolves around the disappearance of a little boy's dog named Bear and the lengths he must go through to get him back. Quickly, he finds out that dogs are being stolen around the world, and he … Read more