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3D animated avatars using either "cartoonish" or even realistic photos are nothing new. Gizmoz was one of the first to allow you to animate avatars that were based on real photos of yourself. The software would automatically detect and add facial movement, mouth movement, eyebrow movement, etc. when you spoke or moves certain facial features. Of course, you have Klonies, which also work with Skype. Then there is IMVU, which offers cartoonish avatars and I'm sure there are many other 3D avatar making pieces of software out there.

Now word comes from another company PQ Computing Corporation offering you the ability to animate pictures of yourself, family members, pets, etc. using their PQ Talking Photo application. They're known for their DVD video conversion software PQ DVD, which can convert a DVD to iPod, Zune, PSP, or 3G format. How or why they decided to branch off into 3D avatars is beyond me. But apparently 3D avatars are popular amongst teenagers and they are willing to pay for avatars just like they pay for ringtones. Personally, I feel ringtones should be free, since you can easily install your own custom ringtones, but what do I know? Ringtones are a multi-billion dollar market, so either there are a lot of ringtone buying fools or I'm just too damn techy (or cheap) for my own good. Even if 3D avatars don't reach the billion dollar plateau, it sounds like it could be a lucrative business.

In any event, below is a sample. Oh and if you are a blogger, you will receive a copy of PQ Talking Photo just by blogging it ($59.90 value for free). It's a limited time offer: you must blog before Xmas. Your blog cannot be newly created and must have at least 10 previous posts.

 

 

Creative leaked the Creative InPerson Wi-Fi videophone via their FCC filing.


It features H.264 video with SIP support, high video quality (up to VGA resolution and 2 Mbps bit-rate) and claims to perform well under low light. It features a wide-angle lens, and dual microphones with acoustic echo cancellation and noise. It comes with a lithium-ion rechargeable battery that will power the 7-inch, 16.7 million color LCD for about 2 hours. Creative apparently has partnered with SightSpeed to provide the account login/authentication as well as the video functionality. I know SightSpeed quite well, as well as their PR rep Andy Abramson, who usually tips me off to interesting stuff like this. Apparently Andy didn't want to give me a Christmas gift (news tip) about this cool videophone gadget. Ah well. Andy did send me a Christmas card, so all is forgiven.

Hmmm. It's very interesting that Creative Labs partnered with SightSpeed and not Skype. I wonder if the device which is based on SIP is "locked" into using SightSpeed for termination? If so, maybe the firmware will be hacked to allow any 3rd party SIP provider.

Looking at the FCC filing, I see it uses the TI DaVinci processor/chipset which was designed for digital video processing applications, such as portable multimedia players (PMPs), digital video recorders (DVRs), and apparently videoconferencing devices such as this one. The DaVinci chip can perform encode/decode of H.264, MPEG4, H.263, WMV9, MPEG2, JPEG, AAC+, AAC, WMA9, MP3, G.711, G.728, G.723.1, and G.729ab.

Features include:
• Wi-Fi
• Rechargeable, removable Lithium-ion battery
• Auto Login
• Auto Answer
• Screen Saver
• Speed dial
• Call History
• Contact List
• Take Photo during video call

Usage Scenarios
• Built-in dual microphones, and audio output to external speakers (not included) with the bundled RCA cables.
• Built-in dual microphones and internal speaker.
• For privacy: bundled microphone and earphones.
• Viewing on a larger screen: video output to TV with the bundled RCA
cables.

I've tested SightSpeed in the past and was impressed with the video quality, so I'd be interested to test this product. Whether there is a market for portable WiFi videophones other than for gadget freaks like me remains to be seen. Maybe if this device played MP3 music, DivX, AVI, and allowed you to store ripped DVD files (external USB stick), then it might make for a good multi-purpose device for the road. I'd also like to see a full QWERTY keyboard for email access and Internet browsing. In any event, I'll put my feelers out to see if I can get a review unit. Stay tuned!

In the meantime, here are some leaked photos: (Note the word 'FatPipe' in the last photo. That's a copyrighted term by a company (FatPipe, Inc.) that provides bandwidth management. Unless FatPipe is involved somehow. Update - I looked at another one of the FCC photos (not posted here) and it says Fatpipe Lithium-Ion Battery 3.7V 3500mAh. Never heard of a company called Fatpipe that makes batteries. Tried googling as well but couldn't find them.)

South Korean scientists have cloned three Turkish Angora cats that have the ability to glow-in-the dark when exposed to ultraviolet light. They modified the gene by inserting a virus into the skin cells of a mother cat and placing those cells into the womb, thus proving that it was possible to clone an animal with a manipulated gene.

The stated goal is for a better understanding of human genetic diseases, but this is a very slippery slope if you ask me and for multiple reasons.

For instance, how long before the trendoids start asking their local breeders for glow-in-the-dark cats? "Can I get a orange kitty that glows blue and a white kitty that glows red?"

Well, that crazy ole cat lady down the street will certainly have the brightest house in the neighborhood.


[via NBC30]

Steve Brown over at Network Observer has an interesting list of the top networking trends for 2008. One very notable "trend" is the "blurring of Business and Personal Application Demands on IT". Steve explains, "While the blurring of personal and business applications began with the Blackberry and iPod, the trend will accelerate as employees use new hybrid devices like the iPhone. Although some of these devices can be used in business, they can present new security risks and network use implications that will need to be considered."

As CTO for TMC in charge of our network, I definitely have seen a huge increase in the amount of bandwidth sucked up by non-business applications - not to mention the increased risk of virus exposure from devices brought into my beautiful pristine network.

You know what, I say ban the iPhone! Ban the iPod! Ban Gmail, Hotmail, ban streaming video, YouTube, BitTorrent, and all the rest of the personal bandwidth hogging applications. Heck, ban everything! Bwah-ha-ha!

Sorry, got a little carried away. Must have watched the The Grinch Who Stole Christmas one too many times. Don't worry, my CTO "Grinch" heart that is two sizes too small will become three sizes bigger from the Christmas spirit.

Rich writes about a battery breakthrough from Toshiba called SCiB. Toshiba Corp.'s Super Charge ion Battery, or SCiB, can recharge to 90 percent of its full capacity in less than five minutes and has a life cycle of more than 10 years, Toshiba spokeswoman Hiroko Mochida said. Toshiba, said the new rechargeable lithium-ion battery will eventually be used in hybrid and electric cars.

Rich is practically giddy with this news since he is almost as much a gadget freak as I am. He's constantly carrying miscellaneous chargers, extra batteries, etc. Rich writes, "Generally when we get such good news there is a downside. As many of us recall – whoops, poor choice of words, Sony’s batteries used in many laptops caused explosions."

Toshiba says their SCiB technology is is safe, with low possibility of rupture or catching fire, problems that have certainly have beset some lithium-ion batteries used in laptops. Interestingly, Toshiba's new battery can also work in temperatures as low as minus 30 degrees Centigrade (minus 22 degrees Fahrenheit). Anyone that has a car battery go in the middle of winter knows that cold weather tends to hamper battery performance.

"This is a truly innovative battery," said Toshiba Corporate Vice President Toshiharu Watanabe. The Tokyo-based electronics maker said global sales of the new fast-charging battery are expected to reach 100 billion yen (US$893.7 million; 607.2 million) by fiscal 2015.

If this battery lives up to the hyped potential, Toshiba will fast become everyone's favorite battery of choice. Sorry Energizer Bunny!

Update:
According to Tech-On, here's how it works:
The key feature of the Li-ion secondary battery is that lithium titanate (Li₄Ti₅O₁₂) is used as a negative-electrode material with electrolyte with a high flash point and a separator with a high heat resistance. Because of this feature, a thermal runaway is less likely to occur in case of an internal short-circuit, so the risks of burst and combustion are reduced, Toshiba said.

According to a recent study done by TPK Research, Inc., as computer users get older their near vision and ability to focus begins to decline, forcing computer users to change from their favorite higher screen resolutions to lower screen resolutions. The lower screen resolutions result in larger text and graphics that are easier to read and less strain on aging eyes.

Although I am far-sighted (not near sighted), lately even my near vision has gotten weaker. I recently downgraded my 21" flat screen monitor from 1600x1200 down to 1280x1024. Although I can see the text better at this resolution, I much prefer the 1600x1200 resolution because I typically have anywhere from 10-20 Firefox tabs open, 10-20 Avant Browser (uses Internet Explorer engine) tabs, Adobe Photoshop, Skype, various other IM/VoIP applications, and other apps open. My taskbar is crammed with many open applications, so the higher resolutions are able to more easily fit more application icons without them being these useless teensy-weensy icons that I unfortunately now have at my lower resolution.

Ah well, guess I'm getting old. Maybe I'll go for that Lasik surgery...

p.s. TPK Research, Inc. is me - TPK is my initials. What, you doubt my research?

Somehow I never thought I'd used the words "lap" and "topless" in an article title due to the images they convey.  In any event, many businesses allow their employees to take their laptops and Blackberries into corporate meetings. There are pluses and minuses to allowing laptops and other communications devices in to meetings. The plus side is that the employee can multi-task. The minus side, is that the employee can multi-task.

I've been in meetings with co-workers where they are on laptops "attempting" to multi-task and then when the floor is given to them to answer a question they respond "What? I didn't catch that. Repeat the question." It doesn't give a good impression of the employee that they weren't paying attention.

That said, there are many meetings where employees don't need to listen to certain portions of the meeting that don't pertain to them and therefore can better spend their work time reading email or doing other tasks. It's tricky and I can see both points of view. I've seen some really bad multi-taskers in meetings that give the impression they care more about checking their email than the meeting at hand. But I've also seen some good multitaskers that can be in an hour long meeting and get a ton of work done while also providing insightful input into the meeting. Check out this photo of an apparent meeting going on. Doesn't look like a collaborative meeting to me.



Rich Tehrani is very pro-laptops in meetings where as Adaptive Path Blog takes a decidedly anti-laptop in meetings point of view. Adaptive Path Blog writes, "I’ve gone a step further by trying to ban any form of networked communication from the working meetings I put together. While my colleagues here at Adaptive Path have been tolerant of my eccentricities, it’s not so easy when working with clients whose companies have a culture of being always connected and checking. So, I thought I’d share a few tips I’ve picked up for getting people to put down their Crackberries and actually do some work. [more...]

An experimental robotic exoskeleton from Sarcos turns ordinary soldiers into super-soldiers. Wouldn't we all just love to do 200lb pull downs, bench press 500lbs with utter ease, and flip heavy car batteries with our own personal exoskeleton hook? Who doesn't love half-man half-machine stories with superhuman strength? Bionic Man, DC Comic hero Cyborg, etc. etc. Well, be prepared to be blown away by this video.

The helmet bears a striking resemblance to Master Chief's helmet in Halo, Halo2, and Halo3. Once again science fiction bears reality. Of course, let's just hope the Covenant, the Flood, the Skynet nor the nearly indestructible Terminator T-101 and T-1000 come to pass.

When I think of biofuel cars, I think slow, imperfect, compromising performance for greenness. Not to mention the lovely smell of french fries and other fried food smells emanating from the exhaust pipe. Cause: your mostly purified cooking oil used as the fuel. I certainly don't think of a "green" car that sports 1018HP and 780/lb/ft of torque at 6100 rpm that puts the Bugatti Veyron to shame. Well, that's exactly what the Koenigsegg CCXR supercar sports via its lightweight, cast-aluminium V8 engine, whose biofuel powers it from 0-100kph in just 2.9 seconds! The lean mean green machine's performance is made possible by E85 biofuel's higher octane rating and better cooling properties. Ok, so it doesn't use cooking oil, I guess that's a plus. It'll only cost you 1.5 million euros to bring one home and with the dollar still dropping, that'll cost you .. oh about $1 billion dollars. Sorry U.S. green sports car fans -- no green performance for you!

More Photos:



Via WorldCarFans

According to The Sydney Morning Herald, a 29-year old Australian wiz kid, Dr.Papandriopoulos, has found a way to squeeze more broadband juice out of your phone line, which will improve DSL speeds. Apparently, the technology eliminates a lot of the cross-talk interference and is easier to deploy than competing solutions. I'm amazed that our simple single-pair copper phone lines can carry 100Mbps of data across far distances from the CO (central office) to the home. I remember the days (1970s) when I was lucky to get 300 baud speed connecting to a local BBS (Bulletin Board System).

Dr. Papandriopoulos expects the technology to be deployed by ISPs in the next 2-3 years, which should give DSL providers a nice boost. Who needs FTTH (fiber-to-the-home) anyway?

Quote:

An Australian researcher is on the road to riches after discovering a way to make broadband connections up to 100 times faster.

University of Melbourne research fellow Dr John Papandriopoulos is in the throes of moving to Silicon Valley after developing an algorithm to reduce the electromagnetic interference that slows down ADSL connections.

Most ADSL services around the world are effectively limited to speeds between 1 to 20Mbps, but if Dr Papandriopoulos's technology is successfully commercialised that speed ceiling would be closer to 100Mbps. more...