iPhone case enables SOS calls from signal-free zones
Smartphones themselves obviously have their uses, but we’ve seen a few attempts to transform their cases into something just as practical – from a working pet ECG to a multi-tool kit. Now the SatSleeve is a satellite adaptor and charger for the iPhone, enabling users to make emergency calls from any location with low signal. READ MORE…
Telephone turns speech into text in real-time
Japanese firm NTT DOCOMO’s Hanashite Hon’yaku app has already harnessed speech-to-text software to translate calls between people speaking different languages. Aimed at seniors, the Amplified Captioned Telephone by Clarity uses similar technology to help those with hearing difficulties better understand what is being said over the phone. READ MORE…
Free Android app offers a text ‘subject line’ for phone calls
The cell phone era may have made calls more mobile than ever before, but the fact remains that it’s still not possible to know what a call is about without answering it. Enter SayWhat, a free new Android app that adds the equivalent of a “subject line” by merging text and voice communication. READ MORE…
Caller ID app displays social media info about contacts
A while ago we wrote about Herold, the Austrian directory service which delivers the country’s contact details to smartphones so users know who is calling. Harnessing social media data, CallApp is now embellishing this concept by displaying personalized relevant information about the caller. READ MORE…
In Holland, student-led mobile provider targets young users
It’s long been clear that teens have a special affinity for smartphones — hence the cellphone workshops we’ve seen led by teenage teachers, for example. So it’s not altogether surprising to see a new mobile provider launched by a similarly youthful team of entrepreneurs. Sure enough, *bliep is a new, student-led Dutch company that targets young smartphone users with a plan that focuses less on voice and more on text and internet usage. READ MORE…
Portable 4G hotspot rewards users for sharing mobile internet connections
The restrictive data plans offered by some mobile providers have brought about attempts to develop a more open approach to internet connectivity for smartphone and tablet users. We recently covered San Francisco-based Open Garden, whose app turns devices into short-range routers to share connections across networks. Providing a similar service, the Karma portable 4G hotspot aims to monetize the sharing of connectivity. READ MORE…
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…
