Cell Phone Holder Inside a Human-shaped Cushion

Hiroshi Ishiguro (center), an ATR fellow and professor of robotics at Osaka University and 2 other colleagues.

The Japanese are know for their inventions and occasionally for their wacky ideas.  I think it would only be in Japan that you would find a cell phone holder shaped like a human torso. The reasoning behind this is to reduce the stress of having too many mobile phone calls, even late at night and to help people feel close to each other when talking on the phone.

According to the article written by the Japanese Kyodo Press, this is a joint project of  Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International, known as ATR, a bedclothes manufacturer, Kyoto Nishikawa Co. and industrial materials maker Toyobo Co. The cushion is called, "Hugvie" and they hope to market it at nursing homes and child care facilities as well as to the general public.

According to research by Hiroshi Ishiguro, an ATR fellow and professor of robotics at Osaka University, human beings can feel the presence of others more strongly if two or more senses are engaged, such as hearing and touch.

"We found a material that makes us feel human presence more," Ishiguro told a press conference in Osaka, adding the developers are even considering creating a system to hold conversations with the cushions.   Read more here.

And what is the price for this new invention? It retails for 10,800 yen (about $87 US) and it is 80 centimeters long by 55 cm wide. Batteries and cell phones not included.

In Search of the Standard Electrical Plug

When electricity first became popular appliances were wired directly into the power system - no plugs. As you can imagine this caused any number of fires as the wires were quickly overloaded with gadgets that everyone couldn't do without. Then in 1904 Harvey Hubbell invented the "Separable Attachment-Plug" which was the first screw-in light socket, turned on with a pull chain. This was followed by the first screw-in electrical plug, which was screwed into the same socket as the light fixtures. Thanks to all these inventors we now have surge bars that regulate our power use even in the case of an electrical storm.

In search of the standard electrical plug

So what's the problem? Anyone who travels knows that these handy plugs are not standardized, nor is the level of power use the same. I first discovered this is a most dramatic way. I was in a hotel room in Thailand and plugged in my battery charger loaded with batteries from Japan. The batteries literally popped out of the charger and flew across the room, totally fried and unusable.

It would be OK if there were only a few variations in power source and plug configurations. We could carry with us a small kit with the different plug types with chargers that would adapt to the local power settings. However, the international situation is unbelievably complex and is not getting resolved by any international edict either. Here is what Harry Herman writing for Gizmo has to say about it.

In the meantime, this means that things really aren't going to change. Your Walmart shaver will still die if you plug it into a European socket with a bare adapter, Indians will still be reminded of the British Empire every time they unplug a laptop, Israel will have their own plug which works nowhere else in the world, and El Salvador, without a national standard, will continue to wrestle with 10 different kinds of plug.

The British plug with a fuse built into it.

This situation started long ago with people not realizing how the development of future international travel and communication would effect us all. Who in 1928 would take a new vacuum cleaner or a lamp with them on a ship to Europe, for example? Then there was the destruction of Europe and England during World War II and the need to rebuild as quickly as possible. The Brits took all their electrical gadgets to India but then they left in 1947, leaving behind an old version of their plug still in use in India today. The power situation in India is so overloaded with the amount of electronic devices there that it's usual to have weekly rolling power outages everywhere.

There is hope for the future with the USB plug. Although the power going to the USB plugs still varies, the plug itself is all the same. You can plug into one in Africa just as easily as New York City. In addition, as bluetooth technology and WiFi improves, we won't need to plug in at all. Hopefully it will all be invisible in the walls and we won't have to deal with snarls of cords collecting dust in those corners OR lack of standard electrical plugs. However, it will be years yet before there is an alternative to batteries. My battery charger may still throw the batteries across the room in Thailand.

USB Charging Rates

We all use our USB ports and charging cables all the time for an increasing number of devices. We all know that they plug into ports one way but not the other. However, did you know about the power differences between chargers or wall plugs and that certain ports on laptops contain different charging variations?

While these differences tend to be mostly on older computers, it is beneficial to test the output to find out. However, your cell phone won't blow up if you plug it into a 1500 mA socket and it will actually charge faster.

There are certain computers that will also charge your devices while it is turned off (called the "sleep-and-charge port") and others that have ports that won't charge at all. While you now online manual will probably tell you, it's again a good idea to electrically test these ports. The lowest USB charging port is in your car at approximately 1A to 2.1A.

USB charging rates

According to ExtremeTech, companies are now moving towards using the USB-C plug.

USB-C is a different connector entirely. First, it’s universal; you can put it in either way and it will work, unlike with USB. It’s also capable of twice the theoretical throughput of USB 3.0, and can output more power. Apple is joining USB-C with USB 3.1 on its new MacBook, and so is Google with the new Chromebook Pixel. But there can also be older-style USB ports that support the 3.1 standard.

Just to complicate things further, if you have an older device that uses a USB cord, it might not be able to charge with these new USB-C cords or even the USB 3.1. In sum then it's better to keep the original cords with the devices and to use them always for the best charging situations. Since we are all used to having the electrical currents for each country a standard wattage, the issue here is that these modern devices are moving around a lot more. However, I look forward to a bit more standardization for USB charging rates in the future and hopefully some longer lasting batteries as well.

Japanese Companies to Create Phone Gaming

Nintendo 3DS Virtual Console

It was bound to happen. While there have been cell phone games available on smart phones in particular for some time now, they have been very rudimentary compared to what is still available on game consoles. I'm actually surprised that more ads do not use games to keep the viewers involved.

Recently Japanese game giant, Nintendo announced a partnership with DeNa, a company specializing in mobile and online game services. While Nintendo will continue producing console games and the accompanying software and hardware, this is strong statement about the future of gaming. Will this mean 3D games on the small screens? How can games be made to adapt to touch screens? It seems to me Nintendo should partner with one of the cell phone companies too so that special components or apps can be developed.

According to a report by Charles Herald, about.com's Wii tech expert, Nintendo's president, Satoru Iwata, said this did not mean that Nintendo's console business was suffering. It was simply a move into a new field.

Iwata says that these phone games will not simply be ports of Nintendo's console software: "For smart devices, even in the case where we utilize the same IP, we will create completely new game software that will perfectly match the play styles of smart devices."

To read the rest click here.

 

 

The two presidents of Nintendo and DeNa are working to replace Club Nintendo (which will be closed down soon) with a fuller and more engaging membership club. Obviously Nintendo sees big bucks on the horizon with this move towards the burgeoning market of cell phone users, particularly when this also includes the users of tablets and the larger smart phones.

While it is unknown when we will get more information about these plans, there is a large trade show coming up in June - E3 Trade Show, and it is known that Club Nintendo will be shut down a few weeks before. It seems likely that there will be further announcements at this show June 16 - 18 at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

How To Mount And Use Your Awesome New Cell Phone Holder

The new cell phone holder for the car by StarShine products has been very popular in the past months. This video will describe how to mount the mobile phone holder onto your windshield or dashboard. It also shows how versatile, sturdy and flexible it is. Here are a few of the best points about this holder:. 1. Legal, safe way to drive, talk and navigate. 2. Have your phone where you need it to use speaker phone or GPS. 3. Durable and firmly holds your mobile phone even on rough roads with suction cup for windshield and stick-on plate for the dashboard. 4. Made from eco-friendly plastic used even for children's toys. 5. Comes with foam-lined grip to prevent your phone from being scratched. The video shows a young customer who really likes her brand-new car cell phone holder and drives off around the waterfront of Vancouver, Canada. to show you how well it works.

Cell Phone Watches Are Here Big Time in 2015

While cell phone watches have been for sale for at least a year now, they haven't become mainstream till this year. Now with the Apple watch to be unveiled on April 23,  the time has come to take a closer look at these new mini-computers in a time piece.

Are these smart watches that popular? A quick survey of Amazon: I typed in the words, "phone watches" and came up with 19,582 entries - all phone watches! I've picked out a few that stand out above the crowd. Right now the Androids dominate since the Apple watch has yet to be released.

The ones on the top of the ranking are Androids with Bluetooth technology and the prices are more affordable now in the range of $30 - $50 US. I have picked out a sports watch to feature as it is waterproof and shockproof. The Samsung Gearfit will appeal to the very active person and the band fits well with numerous size adjustments. While it has amazing functionality for fitness, it is not a complex as some of the other smart watches. The price is less than $200. Here's what TopTenReviews.com has to say about this watch:

On the underside of the watch is the heart rate monitor, which utilizes an LED to measure your pulse. Next to the monitor is a proprietary docking and charging port; the device can run up to four days on a single charge. It utilizes Bluetooth 4.0 Low Energy to sync with your smartphone, and also comes equipped with an accelerometer and gyroscope to track precise movements.

To read more, click here.

Apple Watch - While this smart phone watch has yet to be released, it is still at the top of this list of new cell phone watches with the functionality and even the look of it. The price is also top coming in at nearly $500. Is it worth it? I suspect there will be thousands of buyers even in the first week it is released. Want to pre-order? Not till April 10! Let's look briefly at the suspected options of the Apple Watch. One very appealing feature is the digital crown, a small button on the right side that allows you to zoom the screen larger or smaller. I suspect that none of the smart watches has a responsive screen as the modern smart phones and tablets have now. More on this watch later.

i'm Watch - Here is a watch for the techie who wants all the functions in a small package. It is the only bluetooth watch that has its own app store including apps for music, games and social media. Many are pre-loaded, but hundreds more can be downloaded. The 4GB hard drive can go for several days without recharging. The price is mid-range at around

The entire watch face is a touchscreen that allows you to read messages, emails and social media notifications with just a tap. You can also answer, reject or place phone calls with the watch, thanks to the built-in microphone and speaker. If you get a call when your hands are full, just shake your wrist to reject it. The speaker can also be used to play music via the i'market music player, or you can plug in your headphones.

Click here for the entire article.

Certainly there are some attractive and useful toys out there to choose from. What should you be checking before you buy? Certainly you want to make sure it is compatible with your phone, tablet or laptop. Like any watch you want to make sure the band fits well and that you can see the dial clearly. You want something durable and lasting with a good warranty. All this is before you start to look at the functionality (which is what the sales personnel will focus on).

Look for a watch that works with apps such as Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest as well as access to thousands of others. Some smartwatches can control your TV and you can actually make and receive calls, all on your wrist.

Read more here.

Last, don't forget to make sure it keeps good time!

How to Stop Tracking Through Your Cell Phone

We all know that companies and even government agencies track us through our mobile phones. Most of us know to turn off the WiFi connection when not in use. But did you know that you can still be tracked even with WiFi turned off? However, this short video will show you how to still be able to use your phone but keep it from being tracked.

So now you can see how with most phones to have some privacy. I personally find it amazing that the younger users (10 years to 25 years) don't seem to care if they are tracked or recorded on social media. Just a reminder: something that is posted as well as tracked is a permanent record and theoretically could be accessed 50 years from now.

Another issue is avoiding or blocking internet tracking. However, let's take up that issue in another blog.