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I am not concerned about the future, only because I am told that humans will soon be in the clutch and thrall of robots and perfect harmony will be enjoyed by all. However, I must register the initial frisson of disturbia I experienced on reading a report from the Boston Globe magazine that suggests the iPhone may be a wise toy for 3-year-olds.

No, this is not some mocking suggestion that those who use an iPhone do, indeed, have the minds of children less than 4. It is, rather, a fascinating analysis of what happens when you just hand a 3-year-old an iPhone with the initial aim of keeping the little rodent in your life quiet.

It seems the iPhone's happy, colorful design is not only a great attraction for a little child's imagination, but the keyboard tends to suit tinier fingers rather better than larger ones.

Indeed, there is a considerable possibility that the iPhone might just help in children's education, something app developers have not been slow to realize. The Globe tells us that 60 percent of the apps in the education section of the iTunes store target extremely little people.

Now I know there will be those who worry that if you give a little one an iPhone they will be zapped with gamma rays and all sorts of deleterious electronic waves that will seep into their brains and be an enormous health risk.

One might heed the words of Dariusz Leszczysnki, a researcher for the Radiation and Nuclear Safety Authority in Finland, who told a Senate subcommittee: "In my opinion the current safety standards are not sufficiently supported because of the very limited research on human volunteers, children, and on the effects of long-term exposures in humans."

But most of the things parents give children to keep them quiet carry a certain risk to health: plastic toys that kids lick, bite, and try to swallow with the result that all sorts of paint and gunk might enter their bodies; candy that children lick, bite, and try to swallow with the result that they then put on weight; and let's not even start with the quality of teenage babysitting in the world.

Justin Yu has finally caught the SARS/swine flu that's been floating around the CNET New York offices. It was bound to happen, considering the number of makeout parties we have here. Filling his petite shoes, we have Mark Licea (aka MTI).

This ain't right.

(Credit: beautifulpeople.com)

On today's show, we talk about beautifupeople.com, a Web site that is finally coming to the United States, which only beautiful people are allowed to join. That's right: in order to join this dating Web site, you have to be pretty. Users must submit their pictures, then the community decides whether you're hot enough to join. Unfortunately, Jeff and Wilson will likely get rejected. We'll let you know what Mark finds out on the Web site.

Not cool.

(Credit: Phoenix New Times)

After that, we find out that older men who are less educated than their female counterparts are less likely to get a divorce and are generally happier in their relationships. So we guess all those cougar relationships out there aren't going to work out. We also check out a not cool "illegal alien costume." It might have been funny on "Chappelle's Show," but it's likely to get the crap beat out of you immediately.

Finally, we cover CNN's new Web site and we get to some video game news and commentary. The PlayStation 3 finally gets Netflix streaming after Xbox 360 has had it for almost a year now. Took them long enough, but we think this might start to change the balance of power in the video game console war, because it will be free on the PlayStation 3, rather than having to sell out $50 bucks a year for a Xbox Live Gold membership. Plus, Wilson gets close to beating Ghostbusters: The Videogame. His take? It's fun to watch, a little monotonous to play after a while, but a good buy.

Please, please, send in voice mails. We're running a bit low these days, and we love to hear your feedback. Call in at 1-866-404-CNET (2638). Call! (Especially if you're a lady.)

Updated at 10 a.m. PDT October 20 with specific model of robotic arm used.

A robotic arm is lending a hand to children with dyspraxia, a motor-skills deficit also known as Developmental Coordination Disorder or Clumsy Child Syndrome.

The system, under development at the U.K.'s University of Leeds, combines a commercially available Phantom Omni haptic device with software that lets children with coordination problems practice therapist-prescribed exercises at home using an interactive desktop setup. It can also monitor how the kids move, measuring factors like smoothness, speed of movement, and joint configurations.

Children with dyspraxia are currently working with the robotic arm weekly to help them develop better coordination.

(Credit: University of Leeds)

Guided by the robotic arm, for example, kids use a pen to push objects along a 3D track displayed on a computer screen. The system applies guiding forces to the child's arm and hand to help control movements. The strength of the forces can be altered to shape movements and vary the difficulty of the exercises.

"We originally started with a hospital-based system, but our user group of children said they'd much prefer to be able to use it at home after school, so we adapted it to a more suitable laptop-based system that fits inside a small holdall," said Mark Mon-Williams, a University of Leeds professor of cognitive psychology who is leading the research, in a statement. "They also got involved in the design of the games and exercises."

The Leeds team is collaborating with researchers at universities in Aberdeen, Scotland, and Indiana, with funding from U.K. children's health charity Action Medical Research.

Dyspraxia is a neurologically based disorder that affects the ability to see a movement goal through to completion. Children with dyspraxia struggle with skillful, controlled actions, making simple, daily tasks such as buttoning their coats more difficult. Handwriting often suffers, which can lead to homework struggles and ultimately a loss of self-confidence.

Some lucky kid in Detroit will get a 42-inch plasma television--just for showing up to school Wednesday. The free TV is part of a plan to lure as many kids as possible to the classroom on Count Day, the designated day for students to be tallied to determine state aid allotments.

Detroit, as well as other districts in Michigan, are offering a range of incentives to students in hopes of jacking up attendance rates in an age of budget cuts and dwindling enrollment. In Detroit, every student enrolled above the budgeted number brings $7,550 in state resources for students and classrooms, according to the Detroit Public Schools.

If that lesson on the American Revolution won't get them into the classroom, maybe this will.

(Credit: Panasonic)

Judging from that big-screen TV being raffled off in a Count Day contest by radio broadcast company Radio One, we're not just talking prizes like T-shirts here. Detroit students who make it to school Wednesday will also be eligible for a laptop, an iPod Nano, and an American Express gift card through the raffle.

Some might argue that such a reward system sets a dangerous quid pro quo precedent, while others will view it as a savvy--if gimmicky--move that could impact kids' future.

Regardless, Michigan school officials consider Count Day crucial, as about 75 percent of the state's school districts are losing enrollment, according to the Michigan School Business Officials organization. The reasons range from parents searching for better options for their kids to the smaller number of students entering schools as the last of the baby boomers' children graduate.

With figures like that at stake, districts are mobilizing with attractions, including parades, country hoe-downs, basketball games, free skating tickets, movies and, in Detroit's case, what appears to be ultimate reward: gadgets.

Not all districts are going the gifts-as-incentive route, however. David Mustonen, the Dearborn district's communications coordinator, says his district decided to go with a "firm" reminder instead, according to WWJ Newsradio.

Not as glamorous as a television, to be sure, but hopefully just as effective.

(Credit: williamcronon.net)

An interesting report from Princeton University regarding its pilot program to test Kindle DX units in an academic environment has revealed something notable: namely, that Kindles still feel awkward to students currently in college. Feedback from some students complained about the Kindle's annotation system being "too slow" to keep up with the thinking of a reader who wants to effortlessly mark up text. Others called the entire Kindle device "a poor excuse for an academic tool."

This matches a fear I've had since using my iPhone as a makeshift mini-Kindle, replacing my own reading of paper books for recreation and research: while I enjoy the portability and capacity that e-readers provide, their lack of tangible material creates a helpless feeling for those who enjoy note-taking, highlighting, or otherwise interacting with their books. Unlike my iPhone, however, the Kindle DX was intended to be a savior for universities, an educational aid to rival the old textbook industry. According to this first wave of Princeton feedback, however, it still has a long way to go.

Rather than focus on size or screens, maybe the real holy grail for e-readers of the future lies in finding ways to make digital text as easy to interact with as possible. Apple, we hope you're listening, because if the doorway's open for you to take over the e-reader industry with your magazine-redefining tablet, this might be the best path to true success. ... Read more

Here's an interesting tidbit for students, scholars, historians, and folks who like purty pictures: DukeMobile, an app ostensibly designed for students of Duke University, just added a collection of nearly 32,000 historical images, all of them specially formatted for the iPhone and iPod Touch.

I could blather on about it (and, truly, I do love to blather), but I think you're better off watching this impressive demo video:

The images come from 20 collections that cover topics like women's history, early American sheet music, and vintage advertisements. Duke will add new collections regularly as they become available.

I'm a bit of a history buff, so I'm really loving these images. It's kind of like having a museum in my pocket.

Of course, as a Michigan State alum, I feel a little weird about carrying a Duke app on my iPhone--especially one that's so otherwise Duke-centric. But, like all MSU grads, I'm mature enough to handle it.

(Credit: Curiosite)

Are your easily distracted kids having trouble getting motivated to write that term paper? Why not chain them to their desks until they've done what they're supposed to do? It might sound a bit extreme, but hey, if you want your kids to get into Harvard, sometimes extremes are what it takes!

The Study Ball is a prison-style ball and 16.5-inch chain with a built-in, programmable timer. Select the desired duration of the study session and chain the ball to the ankle in question, and the steel manacle won't come off until the scheduled time is up. A red LED indicator shows progress by displaying the "Study Time Left." Sound like good fun? More fun than having to settle for a second-choice college, we guess.

The $115 Study Ball weighs about 20 pounds, which makes it difficult to get up and stroll out into the prison yard while wearing it. Fortunately, the gadget comes with a safety key that can open the shackle at any time--a welcome feature if the wearer needs to take a bathroom break. Also fortunate: the device can't be programmed for more than four straight hours.

The Study Ball was created for gifts site Curiosite by Spanish designer Emilio Alarcon. The project was born of a conversation Alarcon had with a friend who was studying for a civil service exam and said: "I haven't left the house in a week, this is like being in jail."

Beyond use on teenagers, Curiosite also recommends the ball and chain for Web designers, computer programmers, bloggers, architects, translators, and anyone else who spends long hours sitting in front of the computer. Please note that once it comes off, wearers are required to pound out a few license plates.

Dell's sorta-rugged Latitude 2100 Netbook.

(Credit: Dell)

Aiming to bring small, low-cost laptops to schools, Dell has just announced the Latitude 2100, a Netbook specifically targeted to educational markets. We recently got a chance to take a brief hands-on look at the Latitude 2100--and we think its appeal will go far beyond the classroom.

Dell's Mobile Computing Station for storing and charging Netbooks.

(Credit: Dell)

The basic components are similar to what you'd find in almost any other Netbook--Intel Atom CPU, 1GB of RAM, Windows XP--but the chassis of the Latitude 2100 is specifically designed with young users in mind. Somewhat thicker and heavier than typical consumer Netbooks, the system has a semi-rugged feel and a thick rubberized cover, along with an optional anti-microbial keyboard.

The entire package reminded us in some ways of the original Intel Classmate laptops, which were the first examples of Netbooks. One new feature that seems especially intriguing (but may tax the Intel Atom processor) is an optional touch screen.

To appeal specifically to educational buyers, the systems include a handful of unique features, including a small light on the back of the lid, called the Network Activity Light. It can interact with third-party software or simply turn on when students are surfing the Web (instead of working on classwork), which can help teachers keep track of the status of everyone in the classroom.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos shows off the Kindle DX

(Credit: Sarah Tew/CNET News)

NEW YORK--Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos unveiled the much-anticipated large-screen Kindle e-reader in a lecture hall Wednesday at the downtown Pace University. Called the Kindle DX, the new device is geared toward readers of personal and professional documents, newspapers, and magazines--and textbooks, a potentially huge target market.

The debut of the bigger Kindle wasn't exactly a secret: rumors of a larger-screen Kindle had been around for quite some time, and concrete reports began to surface earlier this week.

Amazon's Kindle DX

(Credit: Amazon)

According to Amazon's Kindle DX page, the device has the following:

• A 9.7-inch display with 16 shades of gray. (The standard Kindle has a 6-inch display.)

• Capacity to hold up to 3,500 books, periodicals, and documents.

• An auto-rotating screen to show either portrait or landscape views.

• A built-in PDF reader.

• 3G wireless network support with no monthly fees or annual contracts.

• Battery capacity to "read for days without charging."

• Text-to-speech abilities to read publications aloud.

Several of those features are shared with the current Kindle 2, but several are unique to the Kindle DX: the native PDF reader that doesn't require the files to be converted, the rotating display, the 3,500-publication capacity compared to 1,500 for the Kindle 2, and of course the larger screen.