Robot baby designed for hugging during phone conversations
Telepresence robots have already appeared on our virtual pages on several occasions before, but typically they’ve focused on commercial and industrial purposes. The Hugvie, on the other hand, is an uncharacteristically soft, cuddly creation that’s designed to give consumers a more complex feeling of interaction with those they speak to by phone. READ MORE…
In Italy, solar-powered phone booth offers wifi and electric-vehicle charging
We’ve already seen the humble phone booth repurposed for charging electric vehicles, but a new effort in Italy is taking that concept even further. Specifically, in early April the city of Turin launched what it calls the “Smart Booth,” a solar-powered unit offering touch-screen calls, wifi, pollution monitoring and electric-vehicle recharging. READ MORE…
In Zimbabwe, retailers give shoppers airtime instead of change
Following the abandonment of the Zimbabwean dollar back in 2009, numerous hard currencies can be used to pay for goods in Zimbabwe, including the widely preferred US dollar. A problem arises, however, when consumers’ purchases fall short of a whole-dollar amount, because small change is in chronically short supply in the nation. Aiming to provide a new solution to this problem, local startup Yo Time offers an internet platform that allows retailers to give change in the form of mobile airtime instead. READ MORE…
At Malaysian jazz club, patrons order drinks using BlackBerry Messenger
If consumers can order take-out food via QR code, it stands to reason that they should be able to order drinks with similar convenience. Enter BlackBerry Malaysia, which recently partnered with Kuala Lumpur jazz club No Black Tie to enable patrons to order their drinks directly from the bartender using BlackBerry Messenger (BBM). READ MORE…
Mobile phone runs on a single AA battery
We’ve seen a number of mobile phones launched in recent months with emergency use in mind, including the Russian Space phone with SOS button. SpareOne, however, is a new contender that focuses on a different aspect of emergency needs — power supply — and can run on just a single AA battery. READ MORE…
In Sweden, telecom provider builds summertime ‘internet-free zones’
It’s rare for a vendor to encourage customers to take a break from its products, but that’s just what Swedish telecom provider Telia has done this summer. Specifically, Telia not only offers a free download that customers can use to disable the internet for a while at home, it has also created what it calls “internet-free zones” in various parts of Sweden to help customers unplug for a while and enjoy summertime. READ MORE…
Wise Words with Paul-Frédéric Viès
Paul-Frédéric Viès left his job as a consultant in 2009 to focus on launching his first startup, Voxtrot. The company secured a group of investors and recruited programmers with the necessary experience to realize their vision. After 18 months of development, the first version of the service was released in February 2011.
Voxtrot is a free mobile app that seamlessly integrates into the phone’s standard calling function and automatically makes calls free when Voxtrot users talk to one another. Voxtrot “works as if your mobile carrier is giving you free worldwide mobile calls.” No logins, usernames or complicated passwords are required, and users need not create any separate contact list. Instead, they simply dial their phone as they always do. READ MORE…
Simplified Russian phone incorporates emergency SOS feature
It was only a few months ago that we wrote about John’s Phone, which claimed to be “the world’s most simple phone”. Now we’ve discovered Space phone which — while perhaps not quite as simple as John’s Phone — offers features specifically targeted towards the elderly and children. READ MORE…
Free calling app integrates with users’ existing contacts
VoIP services such as Skype already offer mobile applications, but typically users must create an account, build a contact list and then launch the app each time they want to make a free call. Not so with Voxtrot, a free mobile app that seamlessly integrates into the phone’s standard calling function and automatically makes calls free when Voxtrot users talk to one another. READ MORE…
