Texting Teens Exhausted by Being ‘On Call’ All Night

texting teen

Teens don’t want to miss emergency texts, even late-arriving ones.

10th-grader Ashley Olafsson sleeps with her cellphone under her pillow so she doesn’t miss “emergency’’ texts — “like if a friend broke up with her boyfriend.’’ Stephanie Kimball of Waltham, 14, is also available for urgent overnight correspondence, such as, “Hey, seeing if you’re awake.’’ Dedham ninth-grader Courtney Johnson gets as many as 100 texts while in bed. “I just don’t feel like myself if I don’t have my phone near me or I’m not on it,’’ she said.

 

Continue reading… “Texting Teens Exhausted by Being ‘On Call’ All Night”

Elfoid – Creepy Human-Shaped Phone Tickles When It Rings

elfoid-2011

Elfoid

The Telenoid R1 achieved a new level of creepiness on the Japanese robotic front — quite an achievement given the country’s long history of oddball automated creations. Elfoid takes the cake, though. Developed at Osaka University and with help from NTT DoCoMo, Elfoid looks just like the Telenoid and, indeed, does much the same thing: giving you a human(ish) silhouette to talk to.  (video)

 

Continue reading… “Elfoid – Creepy Human-Shaped Phone Tickles When It Rings”

Porn Filtering Software for Kids’ Mobile Phones Sends Images to Parents

girl texting

Mobile filtering software is limited or non-existent.

Parents who want to prevent their children from accessing pornographic material online normally only worry about traditional PCs, but what’s the use of installing filtering software now that kids can get porn on their phones? Internet-enabled smartphones can access any pornographic website, but mobile filtering software is limited or non-existent. And with the rise of sexting, children can even share their own indecent images.

Continue reading… “Porn Filtering Software for Kids’ Mobile Phones Sends Images to Parents”

Sphero Lets You Play Ball with Your Phone

playballiph sphereo 1111

The Sphero, from Orbotix

The Sphero, from Orbotix, is one of the toy hits of CES 2011. Like the AR Drone, the toy hit of CES 2010, you control the Sphero with your smartphone (a remote control app is available for iOS and Android). Your phone connects to the Sphero via Bluetooth, and to control the ball you can use a virtual joystick or the accelerometer (simply tilt your phone). In our brief hands on, the Sphero proved a little tough to control, but we’ll chalk some of that up to the dying battery.

Continue reading… “Sphero Lets You Play Ball with Your Phone”

Discover the Hidden Patterns of Tomorrow with Futurist Thomas Frey
Unlock Your Potential, Ignite Your Success.

By delving into the futuring techniques of Futurist Thomas Frey, you’ll embark on an enlightening journey.

Learn More about this exciting program.