Much like Stanza identifies songs, Cry Translator identifies cries.
In the classic Simpsons episode "Brother, Can You Spare Two Dimes?", Homer's long-lost brother Herb invents a baby translator. The baby cries, the machine announces its meaning (in Danny DeVito's inimitable voice) in plain English.
Seventeen years later, there's an app for that. Cry Translator promises to identify the "five distinct cries" made by infants.
In other words, you no longer have to wonder if your ankle-biter is tired, hungry, mad, stressed, or just bored. It's like Stanza for crybabies.
My first reaction: That's cheating! My second reaction: Why wasn't this around nine years ago when I needed it? And finally: No way does this actually work.
Unfortunately, I'm fresh out of babies on which to test it. So I'll throw this out to anyone willing to invest $9.99 on the promise of easier parenting. Put the app to the test, then report your findings here.
For what it's worth, the app not only translates Junior's cries, but also offers suggestions on how to calm him. You can also enter emergency contacts, like your pediatrician, for quick and easy access.
Again, I have my doubts about whether this really works--but wouldn't it be awesome if it did? The developer cites a study--conducted in Spain--that reported a 96-percent success rate in calming crying babies when following the supplied suggestions.
If nothing else, it might be $10 well-spent just to calm fretful parents. Once upon a time, I was one of them.
Some Blues Traveler and a box of Glazed Pop'ems warm us up for another fantastic show. Just the three of us today. Justin is still trying to recover from his night out with the Jasmine France.
(Credit:
Paramount)
On today's show, we geek out a little bit when we discuss the new "Star Trek" movie by director JJ Abrams. Caroline McCarthy got a sneak peak at it last night, and makes Wilson, the only Trekkie on the show, jealous. Justin gets into the finer points of things when he argues which is better: "Battlestar Galactica," "Star Wars," or "Star Trek". Wilson thinks this is a no-brainer.
Also on today's show, find out why Kevin Smith got "Wayne Gretzky-ed" off NHL.com's blog. Google makes it a little easier to build a custom search profile. Unfortunately, they can't take those drunken, nude pics of you off the Web. And two dudes get a $26,000 bill from T-Mobile after they send each other over 217,000 text messages. That's true bromance. The box to send the bill alone cost $27.55.
We honestly can't think of worse app for the iPhone than the apparent baby-shaking app! We can't even pretend to make a joke about this one. We're just surprised that it made it passed Apple's strict vetting.
Finally, Wilson's subway stalker calls The 404 and tells us about her upcoming surgery. He's shaking in a corner about it. Send us your voice mails at 1-866-404-CNET (2638). Stalkers welcomed.
EPISODE 327
Download today's podcast | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe in RSS
... Read more
Caroline McCarthy and Tim Geisenheimer join The 404 today, while Jeff pretends to celebrate the Passover with his family. The ace reporter brings in cupcakes made with bacon cream-cheese frosting and beer. Sounds incredibly healthy. Here's the recipe.
Heart attack cupcake.
(Credit: Wilson G. Tang/CNET)On today's show, we cover the news that Yelp is finally letting businesses respond to negative reviews that users write. Did you know that The 404 has a Yelp page? Wilson discovers that you can actually write reviews for almost anything, including homeless people. In the same vein, feel free to write Yelp reviews for your favorite 404 hosts.
In more outrageous news today, PETA is holding an animal protest rally in World of Warcraft. WoW players are slaughtering baby seals in the "Howling Fjord." We think PETA should spend its time trying to stop Tim from killing baby seals on the weekends, rather than virtual seals. Also, a man in Texas got stabbed for farting in the room with his buddies. This happens on a daily basis in Wilson's office. More from Texas: a state legislator says that Asian American names are too confusing. And South of the border, Mexican drug dealers are sending blatant death threats on YouTube.
Thanks for sending in your survival stories. Keep them coming. E-mail them or call us at the usual number. And be sure to RSVP for the upcoming 404 meetup on April 16 next week. Here's the link. Jennifer Love Hewitt and Megan Fox will be there! (Not really, but Natali Del Conte will be.)
EPISODE 318
Download today's podcast | Subscribe in iTunes | Subscribe in RSS
... Read more
Is the baby iPhone next?
(Credit: Leapfrog)There's good news for parents who are tired of having their toddlers getting their grubby little paws on their BlackBerrys and other smartphones while they're not looking. Leapfrog has announced a product called the Text & Learn or--as it's sure to be known in the blogsphere--the "baby BlackBerry."
Now kids can mimic their parents and send text messages and check their schedules at all hours of the day. The device, which is a bit bigger than your average BlackBerry, is geared toward preschoolers who are just learning to spell and includes games that focus on spelling and basic computer skills.
Virtual pal Scout is onboard to help; youngsters can exchange text messages with the little guy and check Scout's planner for meeting conflicts (OK, I'm kidding a bit there), and explore in a "pretend" browser mode. Other learning activities include letter matching, shape identification, and QWERTY keyboard navigation.
The Text & Learn was unveiled at the U.K. Toy Fair this week and isn't supposed to be announced in the U.S. until next week, but we do know it will be available this summer and will cost $25. No, it doesn't have any sort of wireless capabilities (what did you expect for 25 bucks?), though it'd be scary if it did.
Comments? Do we live in a sick world or is this a great tool for teaching tots to spell?
Listen now: Download today's podcast
 |
EPISODE 116 |
Sheruken Magnets (thanks Shalin!!)
Bellysonic speaker pouch will soothe you and your pregnant belly
New baby storage concept: Wall mounting (thanks Shalin!)
Snore Pro to help frazzled wives
Remote, sound-emitting anti-barking devices
For the romantically inclined: Thermal leak detector
... Read more
We're not trying to give robots too much power over our lives, but let's face it...there are some things that we'd rather not have to do, and our robot underlings would be perfect fill-ins. That is, of course, until they become self aware and jump onto our faces until we surrender to their immense robotic power. But that won't happen for a long time, so don't worry about that just yet.
Listen now:
Download today's podcast
|
Episode 115 |
DanBall the finger massaging robot looks like anything but a finger massaging robot
Roofus the snow-sweeping robot protects the roofs of large buildings
Magic system fills glasses from the bottom up somehow
Pink Watch
Sony announces Bluetooth headphones, travel-friendly speakers
A propos (of) nothing
Erasable Shower Tablet for inspired moments (thanks HollyHock!)
Here it is for sale!
What the hell?! (Vibrating stool edition)
Vibrating Toilet Seat
Mario Mushroom vibrating stool (thanks Dr. Karl!)
Gender Gap
Tomahawk Skull Gauntlet
Tool Time (baby edition)
Badass Oakley Roddler stroller gives your kid an early chip on his shoulder
Electric-drill-powered stroller should come with a Father of the Year award
Pretty……..
BMW unveils electric Mini Cooper
Dirt-cheap Christmas crap
Walmart offers $128 Blu-Ray
Boo! This episode is all about the scariest of scary gadgetry. Listen, if you dare!
Listen now: Download today's podcast
|
EPISODE 112 |
Bomb baby stroller ensures your baby grows up strong and warlike
Look at the legs on that: Walking house looks like giant metal beetle
Netflix streaming comes to TiVo
Dubai’s newest insane skyscraper to house a restaurant in a glass pod at 2,150 feet
Scariest jack-o’-lantern of 2008 - The stock-market pumpkin
Pink Watch
These belong in Hell: Half Croc, half Ugg (thanks, phatemokid!)
Why didn’t I think of that?!
Caps Lock Key Trainer Key HAS GIGANTIC SPIKES (ow)
Gender Gap
Feel the throbbing with the shocking 'Thumbwars' game
Hot Asian Gadget
Tuttuki Bako
Tool Time
iPod Blazer from Park Avenue
Anne Geddes. You know her. She's the one who does those baby photos that pass the point of being cute and fly head first into a steaming pile of pretentiousness? Well, that's my opinion, anyway.
(Credit:
Westinghouse)
Still, according to Westinghouse, her books have sold more than 18 million copies worldwide and have been translated into 24 languages. So if you're champing at the bit to give your child a cuteness inferiority complex, read on.
Westinghouse obviously sees this and they've partnered with Geddes and the Geddes Group to create a new family of digital photo frames. The frames will feature images from Anne Geddes, but users will be able to mix their own photos and content with specifically selected photos and content of babies and children by Ms. Geddes.
The frames will require specialized software, developed by Westinghouse, to power them. So far there is no word on price.
(Credit:
PCLaunches.com)
A reader named Jenny wrote in to alert us to the Devil Angel Baby Webcam featured on PCLaunches.com, and we'd just like to say: Thanks, Jenny! If we have nightmares tonight, we're blaming them on you.
Some might call this little Windows-only camera "cute," but we prefer the term "mutant." The blue-haired rubber gadget has a USB Webcam built into its face, making it not only a freaky desktop accessory, but a handy video-conferencing tool. It can capture or display video at 1,280x960 at up to 15fps, and sells online for $14.99, plus $5 shipping.
As an added bonus, Angel's witch-hat-adorned head can rotate 360 degrees, giving it that Linda Blair-in-The Exorcist feel.
(Credit:
Angel Care Movement Sensor)
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome is one of the leading causes of death among infants under the age of one in the United States; one of the reasons why parents worry so much when placing their infant down for a nap. Countless parents are advised to swaddle their babies or they are advised not to place objects such as pillows and stuffed animals in the crib with the baby. Most importantly one must put their baby to sleep on his/her back. Many parents, especially new parents, have so many things to worry about when it comes to the safety of their babies and The AngelCare Movement Sensor with Sound Monitor can considerably alleviate at least one.
The AngelCare Movement Sensor with Sound Monitor is a simple device to use. How it works is, there is a hard flat plate that you place under your baby's mattress, though the crib must have a hard flat surface for it to function properly. This unit detects a baby's movements whether he/she is asleep or awake in their crib. If there is no movement (breathing) from the baby for 20 seconds, a signal is sent to the unit and an alarm sound goes off, alerting you to check your baby. In addition, it picks up any sounds from your baby, therefore, you do not have to purchase an additional sound unit.
As a father, SIDS is one of my many worries whenever I put my son down to sleep and having a device such as this available to parents is very comforting.
