Italian court says mobile phone caused a brain tumor

An Italian court has rekindled the controversy and fear surrounding mobile phones and smartphones, considering it has been proven that the intensive ruse of these devices can cause brain tumors.

Samsung Safety Screen app keeps kids from holding tablets too close to their eyes

Tablets and smartphones make us spend even more time looking at computer screens at a closer distance. This is something can strain our eyes and is more worrisome in children. Samsung has launched an app that can help with that, making sure kids (and grown-ups) look at their tablets from a safe distance.

Naked Labs launches a 3D full-body scanner to keep you in check

If you though stepping onto a scale that would track your weight and body fat was enough to make you hesitate, just imagine one that can scan your entire body in 3D, like the one Naked Labs hopes you to buy.

Vic Gundotra joins AliveCor for more accessible ECGs

Activity tracking and hear rate monitoring are just the first stage in the wearable health tracking era. AliveCor is already working beyond that, allowing anyone to record ECGs using their smartphones, which will allow the monitoring and detection of potential heart problems.

Sensimat wheelchair pressure sensor mat

I'm increasingly weary of promoting Indiegogo's crowdfunding projects, but some projects popup that I can't stop but do so, believing they'll actually do something to improve peoples lives, like this Sensimat pressure pad sensor for wheelchairs. In a time where most people use sensors to track their daily movements, this Sensimat does precisely the opposite, tracking just how long someone has been standing still on a wheelchair.

Why is that important? You may not notice it, but our body is continuously shifting around whenever it feels that is has been putting too much pressure in the same spot, and that happens when you're sleeping, sitting, etc. But if you can't move, that pressure keeps adding up without you noticing it, causing seriously nasty wounds (and I do mean "nasty" - don't google for it, believe me!)

With the Sensimat, users can keep track of how long they've been sitting in the same position by simply placing a sensor mat underneath their wheelchair's cushion, and you can easily see it and be notified via smartphone.

If you hurry up you can still get one at half-price $299 CAD), and hope they will actually deliver it by June.

Wello turns your smartphone into a pocket sized health lab

Fitness trackers are becoming increasingly common. And some (most?) of its users are beginning to ask for more. A new revolution is coming, and it may have a very profound impact in they way people relate with their own health.

The Star Trek tricorder has often been referred to as the perfect portable device, acting as a mobile lab and healing center. We may not be there (yet), but this Wello from Azoi shows us something that is real and heading to our smartphones in the coming months.

At a glance, you'd probably mistake it for a simple iPhone cover case, but a closer look might reveal some strange sensor pads on the side... and that's precisely the difference. You see, this Wello allows you to turn any smartphone into a portable health lab that can monitor and track several health parameters with "clinical accuracy" according to its creators: blood presure, oxygen levels, hear rate, ECG, temperature and more.

The Well is already up for pre-order and will be available in Europe in the Summer for 145€, while in the USA it's still waiting for FDA approval and expected to reach the stores by the end of the year.

This device won't replace a doctor, but it will certainly provide valuable data that will alert you when/if something goes wrong, and that will be helpful for diagnostic purposes as well as serve as an early warning system. Don't be surprised if a couple years from now this sort of thing will come as standard in every new smartphone or other wearable devices.

Google unveils smart contact lenses

If you thought motion tracking wearables were all the rage right now, just you wait to see what Google is working on: smart contact lenses.

No need to enter in overdrive mode (yet), as these have nothing to do with a "Google Glass on a contact lens" that can overlap a digital image over the real world and make computer and smartphone screens irrelevant - yet. These are a lot more modest for now, but their usefulness will still be appreciated.

According to Google:

We’re now testing a smart contact lens that’s built to measure glucose levels in tears using a tiny wireless chip and miniaturized glucose sensor that are embedded between two layers of soft contact lens material. We’re testing prototypes that can generate a reading once per second. We’re also investigating the potential for this to serve as an early warning for the wearer, so we’re exploring integrating tiny LED lights that could light up to indicate that glucose levels have crossed above or below certain thresholds. It’s still early days for this technology, but we’ve completed multiple clinical research studies which are helping to refine our prototype. We hope this could someday lead to a new way for people with diabetes to manage their disease.

It would be an amazing achievement, and one can't stop wondering just how much things will be able to evolve once they begin mass producing this kind technology. Just consider how smartphones and tablets did in half a decade, and extrapolate to what you could do with contact lenses embedded wearable tech.

The Nocebo Effect

You've probably heard about the placebo effect before... but did you know there's an insidious "nocebo effect" that causes harm to people - even though there's nothing real to cause any harm?

It's the kind of thing that will make people feel pain just because a doctor (or someone they trust) tells them so; or that will feel nauseous around WiFi routers just after hearing there are reports of people feeling the same way. And the "fun" part is that these affects do really occur - but only because people will believe they will!

... It just proves just how powerful the human mind is, and how it's best for us to keep a positive attitude than simply believe something will do us harm.

New tech uses regular earphones to detect heart rate

More and more people run around the streets, "bitten" by the desire to improve their physical prowess. It's kind of a moderate addiction, that in part might be due to the popularization of smartphones and sports tracking apps. You see... it's one thing to run around without any goal; but see your performance displayed in a chart or a table, and you quickly feel motivated to do better and better.

Anyway, tracking apps can only do so much. For instance, they're great to track your location and times, but if you want to know more about your body, you'll need to add cumbersome external sensors, like heart rate monitors. What if you could do it with something you probably use already?

A new tech makes it possible to use regular earphones as heart rate monitors, and that means even low quality cheap ones as well. The researchers proved it by using sub $10 earphones for the demo, and it worked flawlessly. The technique involves using the earphones as microphones to detect the tiny pressure variations caused by the blood flowing in your ear, and the rest is digital processing magic.

Now we just have to wait and see how long this technology will take to reach us. Hope it won't be too long.

Parkinson's at the Flick of a Switch

We can put robots on Mars, we have computers capable of making trillions of calculations per second... we grow so in live of our devices that we even waste time arguing, time and time again, if brand X has copied brand Y. Technology is great, but we often forget there are millions of people in the world that would simple like for their bodies to work as most other peoples.

I can't imagine nothing more horrifying than having an healthy brain traped inside a body that doesn't follow our commands as it should. And in that area, there are lots of thing we could hope technology to fix - or at the very least, help.

The following video shows us just how much technology can help some Parkinson's patients, thanks to the help of a "brain pace maker". It's not a cure, and it's not suitable for every case, but it's a start... and the difference it makes in the day to day life, is... amazing.

Now, if we could only convince the "civilized" world to stop wasting those billions of dollars in weapons, and invest in improving the lives of people all around the world... Imagine how things could be.

Scanadu Scout shows us our Medical Future

If you think there's isn't anything else that could possibly be crammed into smartphones, that now have FullHD screens, high-resolution cameras (two!), motion sensors, GPS, temperature sensors, and even barometric sensors... Maybe you'll want to consider what this Scanadu Scout has to offer - and most importantly, just how much it may affect future mobile devices.

Instead of adding features that are nothing but a gimmick for you to show off, the SCOUT is a health monitor that allows you to track things like your temperature, heart rate, blood pressure, and even blood oxygen level (among other things).

To use it you need only place it on your forehead for a few seconds, and you can then see all the info on your smartphone or tablet.

It isn't exactly cheap ($199), but one can imagine it to be just like GPS devices. A decade ago, GPS systems were expensive devices only a few could afford; today, you have it even in the least expensive smartphone devices and you don't even think about it. I bet a decade from now, our mobile devices, whatever they may be (tablets, smartphones, smart glasses, smart watches, smart clothing, etc.) will be able to monitor everything about out health, alerting us to potential problems before they reach a critical level.

What will come next? Maybe by then we'll have technology that will allow us to heal our own body should the need arise!

So, you don't have to worry about "not having anything more" to put into our smart devices. There's still a long way to go.

Philips Monitor Enforces Right Posture

Stop! Notice exactly how you are right now. If you're using a desktop computer and monitor, chances are you're now bending forward, or at least, with an arched back that won't do you much good in the long run.

To try and prevent those common errors, Philips now has a monitor that tries to help you keep the correct posture as well as take regular breakes.

Thanks to its Ergosensor, that can measure your distance from the screen as well as your angle, this 24" desktop LCD monitor uses can remind you to sit up straight and/or move to an appropriate distance from the screen.

As one would expect, this monitor comes with all imaginable options in regards to adjusting its height, tilt, swivel and rotation. And you can also count with it prompting you to take regular brakes, so you can stand up and move your eyes away for a while.

As you do that, the monitor detects it and enters a power saving mode, and lights up once again when you come back and sit in front of it.

Fitbit ultra

If you feel the need to track your physical activity throughout the day, you might find the new and improved  Fitbit Ultra just the thing you need.

This is a small device you can/should carry around with you at all times, and that besides the accelerometer already present in the previous model now includes an altimeter as well. Meaning... you can now track how much you've "climbed" during the day and add a whole new perspective to your fitness reports.

Data is sent to fitbit's servers wirelessly every 15 minutes - as long as you're less than 15 feet from the dock/charging base connected to a PC/Mac. You can expect the whole deal regarding your fitness reports - and if you already know RunKeeper, you know just how powerful its influence can be into pushing you to do better and achieve you goals. Even if just not to look "bad" in front of your other fitbit friends.

Fitbit Ultra can be yours for $99 within the next couple of weeks.

[via this is my next]

From Couch to 5KM in 9 Weeks

Ok, this is not about technology... but it's about something even more important: your health.

It's no secret most of spend most of our days sitting in front of a computer... and when we get home we go sit still more in front of another computer or TV screen. And, the truth is... we weren't designed to be sitting and still for so long. Sitting for more than a couple of hours is enough to dramatically raise your chances of health problems in the long run. (So, even if you take just a quick walk to drink some water every 60 minutes... do it!)

But, I dare you to do even more: I dare you to go out and run! In fact, let's make that 5km in under 30 minutes! (that's about 3.10 miles)

No matter what shape you're in, and if the last time you ran was a decade ago in high school, here's a very simple program that allows you to do that: the couch to 5Km program.

Truth be told, I don't really like running. I'm more of a fast walking kind of guy. But thanks to some "annoying" friends that were constantly teasing me to run with them, I finally joined them.

My first results were definitely not impressive, they had to run loops so they didn't leave me behind. But, slowly, week after week, I have to admit I highly enjoyed watching my results improve, to the point I was actually beating my goal of running the 5K in under 30 minutes. (And for that, nothing like using an App like RunKeeper to keep track of it all :)

And what I can tell you is: it isn't easy; but it sure gets kind of addictive!
(Not to mention all the good health related things that come with it. :)

RunKeeper

Available for iPhone and Android, the RunKeeper App allows you to track your physical activities and see how you're progressing (running, walking, cycling, etc.)

Considering lots of people give up on their routines because they feel like it's doing nothing, having a reliable measurement system that lets you know if you're doing better or worse than your last workout can be all it takes to keep you motivated and wanting to do better and better.

(And I have to admit, it's really satisfying to receive RunKeeper's emails congratulating you for having run your farthest distance.)

The RunKeeper service is free, but some options are only available to the paid "elite" members.

The App uses the GPS to store your routes - which can be kept private, or shared with just your team, or made public - and while you're running, it will give you voice feedback about the distance, time, and speed. That alone let's you know how you're doing... while you're "doing it".

If you're a RunKeeper user, you can find me here.

Eyes Relax to Protect Your Eye Sight

If you spend your day iin front of a computer screen, I urge you to install this Eye Relax right now, to protect your eye sight in the long run.

Human eyes weren't made to stare at the exact same spot in space for hours at t time, and that's exactly what Eye Relax reminds you - in case you forget it.

You can set up short and long breaks, for instance: 60 seconds each 15 minutes for a short break; 5 minutes every hour for the long break.
The program is highly customizable, allowing you to define your breaks, sound warnings, and even password protect your breaks.

Eye Relax is free and is available for Windows in both an install version as well as a portable version you can run anywhere.

Power Balance - Is it a Scam?

I guess you can now stop worrying about Power Balance wristbands being a scam or not.

In fact, the actual brand was forced to clarify their claims and admit there is no scientific evidence that the wristbands provide what they used to claim.

Yes, they admit to misleading conduct, and hopefully that will help finally put to rest that these (and similar) power balance wristbands are indeed nothing but a scam.

I sincerely hope most of their customers ask for a refund - so they learn not to trick people into this sort of stuff. (Though I also think anyone believing such claims and paying for it would also deserve to learn this... by not having their money refunded!)

Instant Heart Rate on the iPhone

Ever wished to track and monitor your heart rate?

Well... if you happen to carry your iPhone 4 or iPod Touch (latest generation) around, you can do it in an instant!

This Instant Heart Rate measures your heart rate using the iPhone's 4 built-in camera and tracking the slight color changes in the light that passes through your finger caused by the blood flow.

You need only place your finger gently over the camera, hold it steady for at least 10 seconds, and you you'll know your heart rate. It even calculates training zones and shows you which zone you're in.

Available at the App Store for $1.99. (You can also find similar Apps for Android, if you're wondering :)

Detecting H1N1 Flu with Thermal Cameras

Need to quickly identify possible H1N1 flu cases in a large group of people?

Just use one of these thermal imaging cameras.

With a resolution of 384 x 288, this HM300 camera can show temperature variations of 0.1ºC - making it very easy to identify anyone with a body temperature above normal range (though - truth be told - it won't tell you if that fever is actually being caused by the H1N1 flu or any other infection.)

However, I can already imagine the number of people wishing they had one of these cameras to keep away from anyone showing up "hot" in its display. :)

Folding@Home with 27 Nvidia GTX 295

If you think a single Nvidia GTX 295 is nice, what can you say about this rig with 23 GTX 295s?



Of course, this system was not intended for playing games but for a much more noble use: to use the immense processing power these cards haver to help research Huntington's Diseases using Folding@Home.

Even if you have a much less powerful computer, you might consider joining the effort, as every CPU cycle helps.