Author: Dave Freeman

If you’ve been wondering where the heart rate monitor referenced in the iPod Touch and Nano documentation is, you’re not alone. The first reference to this mythical device showed up last year, and we’re just now getting word on when we might see one.

Word popped up recently on the Nike support forums that we should expect to see the heart rate monitor this coming June 1st. The monitor is expected to work directly with the Nike+ interface that’s been built directly into the iPod Touch since the second generation. No word on pricing or features yet, but the forum post was written by someone who appears to be a Nike employee, so it’s most likely true. Typically heart rate monitors sell for $50 and up, and many require a chest strap that is connected to a wristwatch or some other device.

[via TUAW]

Feeling a bit forgetful? Worried that you’re not going to be able to find your way back to your car? Worry no longer, there’s now an Android app for that. All you need is an Android phone, and Chevy Volt with OnStar. Once you’re parked, you can speak your destination into your phone which will then keep track of where you are relative to that point, and help you to find your way back. This is actually just part of GM’s plan for the Volt, which is going to be closely linked with the Google platform when it comes out. In addition to the location feature, you’ll also be able to check the battery level, monitor the vehicles overall health, and even run the A/C before you get in.

[via DVice]

Mayor of London and Top Gear slowpoke Boris Johnson is trying to make London one of the most wired cities, just in time for the Olympics. During a recent conference, Johnson announced a plan to install wifi hotspots in “every lampost and bus stop.”

The project, called “Wireless London” is part of Johnson’s attempt to make London the technological center of the world. It makes sense to do this, particularly with the 2012 Olympics coming and giving London a chance to really show off how progressive they are. Currently, there’s no word on how fast the connection will be, or how much it will cost to use. It is an idea who’s time has come, and I hope that there are more cities that run with the same idea.

[via PC World]

Good news for GPS users, Boeing is getting ready to launch the latest generation of GPS satellites, the “GPS IIF-1″. The new technology provides improved accuracy for military and civilian users, as well as being more resistant to jamming and an improved lifespan.

The satellite is scheduled to be launched on May 20th, and is the first of 12 that will eventually be in orbit over the Earth. Once the new satellites are in place, the new technology is expected to become the new core of the GPS system. The new satellite will be launched from Florida on the Alliance Delta IV rocket this coming Thursday.

Nikon’s next generation D4x should be arriving in the next year or so, and it’s always fun to speculate what it will look like. I doubt this is even close, honestly. It is fun to see what industrial designers can come up with when they play though. Keep in mind this is not a actual Nikon design, but rather a speculation on what direction they could go in.

I’m not sure that I’m 100% behind this design, but it’s certainly different from the traditional DSLR look. If anything, it’s closer to the large frame landscape cameras like the Mamiya. At any rate, the design comes from Marc Levinson, who has some other interesting ideas on his site.

[via Nikon Rumors]

OLED televisions are notoriously expensive and difficult to make; but like all technologies there is always someone working on making the technology cheaper. DuPont recently announced the development of a new process that prints OLED screens in sheets, much like a inkjet prints on paper.

This means that DuPont could possibly produce a 50-inch screen in under two minutes, resulting in a product that is cheap and reliable. Of course, this technology is in it’s infancy so there’s really not much information about when we should expect to see these new screens, and DuPont hasn’t had much to say on the subject. It’s a pretty safe bet that we won’t see these any time before summer 2011.

[via Technology Review]

Polaroid is one of those things that’s always been with us, and if some have their way, always will. I remember taking pictures at camp using the family OneStep, and I still have a shot of myself at my first job.

Wired loves the Polaroid as well, and they recently had the chance to see MIT’s collection from the Polaroid archive. The collection was donated to MIT by the company that now owns the Polaroid name and technology. The gallery is definitely worth a look, as it’s fun to see how the technology has changed over the years.

Need a quick and easy place to store your headphones? I’ve been unplugging mine and putting them in a drawer, but I think I like this idea better. The person who sent the tip into Lifehacker suggests mounting a coathook to the bottom of your desk, and then hanging your headphones from the hook. I like the idea, but what if you have a glass desk?

Aside from the obvious problem if you have a glass desk, placement is also key. I’ve got rather long legs and loathe keyboard drawers because they are an exercise in pain. Obviously you’d want to place the hook to the side of the desk instead of the middle, but what about smaller desks? I’m going to do a slight variation on this and use one of those 3M Command Hooks. Best part is, it doesn’t require you do drill a hole in your desk (or wall), and it’s easy to move if necessary.

Here’s a lovely little tidbit that’s leaked out of the FCC, looks like HTC has a new phone coming out in the AT&T 3G bands. Along with the boring technical details, the FCC also was kind enough to share some pictures! Could this be the new HTC Wildfire? HTC currently calls it the “PC70110″, but it’s typical to see this type of code name used during pre-production. Check out the pictures after the jump.

[via Unwired View]

Android phones save lives. Or they could, if they had this application installed. Let’s say grandma is walking around the house with her Droid in the pocket of her house coat, and she falls down. Luckily, you installed the iFall application. It uses the accelerometer in her phone to tell you that she fell down, allowing you to come to the rescue.

The new application is being developed by researchers at Florida State University, and uses the Android platform to determine if a user has fallen. It also is aware if the user has gotten back up, or if they are lying there unable to move. After a fall is detected, the application activates, and shows a notification that has to be cleared by the end user. If there is no response, then the application notifies whomever you request. The app is still in development at this time, but the plan is to release iFall into general use this summer.

[via medGadget]

And here we go again. Every few months (it seems) there’s another study telling us that either cell phones are safe, or they are evil. It just goes to show, there’s a study to prove anything. This particular study however is going to take a bit more time then the other ones have. Plus, it’ll involve quite a few more people.

The new study is part of the Mobile Telecommunications and Health Research Program, and will follow a group of 250,00 people of all ages for 20 to 30 years. This is the largest study to date, however it is worth nothing that it will not include children. This is particularly odd considering a some studies show children as being particularly susceptible to certain types of radiation.

Plantronics announced the latest addition to their product line, the Explorer 395. Designed to be an entry level headset, the Explorer 395 is based off of Plantronics standard design for ease of use and compatibility, but still has the sound quality you’d expect.

FreePlay’s ZipCharge claims to be the perfect device to grab and go when you need to charge your device. The gimmick is that you can quick charge your device and provide whatever you’re charging with enough to run all day.

The ZipCharge’s claim to fame is that you plug it into the wall and charge it up (and it doesn’t take long to do that either), and then plug it into your device when it’s needed. The company claims that connecting the ZipCharge to your mobile phone for 60 seconds will give you a talk time charge of 15 minutes, or 8 hours on standby. No word on if the device will melt the charge port on your phone. Details on exactly how the ZipCharge works are quite scarce, but it is compatible with USB 2.0, and comes with extra connections so it should work with almost any device. While the ZipCharge isn’t available in the US as of yet, you can pick it up in the UK for £49.95.

[via Gizmodo]

When Jabra announced the Stone headset last year (and tormented Matt), we really liked it. John dug the design, and Jabra’s headset’s never lack in the quality department. What they were lacking was color. Well good news, if you’ve been holding out because you wanted a headset that matched your earbuds, Jabra is ready to help you out.

So what’s the big exciting news? Jabra’s Stone headset now comes in white. It’s available at the AT&T store this coming May, and will be selling for $129.99. I hope you can sleep now, you fashion conscious person.

65,000 tons of mobile phone e-waste are generated every year. The bad news is, only 1% of consumers choose to recycle their headsets when they upgrade. eRecyclingCorps is working with carriers to integrate the recycling process into the POS sale system at the retail store.

eRecyclingCorps plans on working with the carriers to offer customer trade-in incentives, and Sprint is the first carrier to offer this program. The POS integration will allow Sprint to instantly give the customer credit at the time of purchase. Sprint’s goal is to reach a 90% recycling rate by 2017. An enviable goal, particularly given the amount of waste that the company stands to stop from going into the environment.

Still carrying your iPhone in your pants pocket eh? Well, I guess you can do that. Be careful if you sit down though, you might end up with a pocket full of broken dreams and unicorn tears. Well, unless you have this pretty sweet stainless steel iPhone case.

Hand made in Portland Oregon by a person who obviously knows industrial design, this seriously stout case is hand finished and made from high grade steel. The case is custom cut with a flip cover, including space to show the time and date, as well as allowing you to answer the phone without opening the case. The designer even thought to include vents for cooling, and to improve reception. Of course, this level of hand crafted goodness isn’t going to come cheap. The LTD Tools iPhone case sells for $95, but it seems like a small price to pay for the security of knowing your phone’s case will stop a bullet.

[via iPhone Savior]

Here’s an obvious case of conspicuous consumption. Check out the Celsius X VI II Micro-Mechanical Remontage Papillon Tourbillon mobile phone. Retail on this bad boy is going to set you back about $275,000. For a phone.

Crazy woman

Such are the perils of technology. A Las Cruces woman is being charged with battery after stabbing her ex-husband repeatedly after looking at his cell phone’s call log.

No word on exactly what calls she was upset about, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the ones he made to the local Pizza Hut. Word of advice people: clear your damn call log, or don’t leave your phone out where your ex-wife can find it. Or, you know, don’t be shady.

[via Cellular-news]

Much of what is coming out of the MWC is still in the concept stage and not available yet, but that doesn’t make it any less fun. Take for example the latest Armada chipset from Marvell; it’s an ARM based graphic processing package that has enough power to handle hi-res 3D gaming, and 1080p video — simultaneously.

The Armada 618 chipset will be part of the next generation of smart phones, and reportedly be available to developers later this year. The current version is capable of running up to four 2000×2000 displays at a time, and the 3D engine can render up 45 million triangles per second. This is moving into the realm of full size computing output, while still maintaining a small amount of power usage. Ultimately, we might see this technology in netbooks as well since it’s certainly more capable then the current Intel Atom chipset that is so prevalent.

[via Gadget Lab]