Apple files some interesting patents, some go mainstream, some don’t, but they are worth paying attention to. The latest patent involves proximity-based ads. The idea is that it would allow users to add contacts as icons on the home screen. But it goes a step further allowing a business to contact people based on their proximity. So if you’re near say a burger joint, you could receive contact information, their address and special offers when you’re near. It could be established via wired or wireless communications, including Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS. Very

Everybody pays close attention to the patents that Apple files from time to time, and its latest one, regarding proximity-based ads, is certainly one that catches the eye. The patent is generally about allowing users to add contacts as icons on the home screen, but it goes on to elaborate a design where business could contact people based on their proximity, so if you’re near a coffee joint, you could opt to receive contact information, address and current offers whenever you’re near that shop. Such communication could be

This is one of the coolest watches we’ve seen in some time. When you think Arduino, you tend to think robot projects, not watches. This Arduino based MakerBotWatch actually manages to be fresh and exciting and it’s something that any DIYer can try. The MakerBotWatch uses an ATmega328 microcontroller to run the bootloader, while the two concentric circles of LEDs show minutes and hours. A vertical row of four LEDs adds in the additional resolution needed to get 60 minutes on the watch face. The MakerBotWatch is expected to go into production as a kit soon, but with

[CEATEC 2009] DoCoMo researchers are working on a new way to control your cellphone, by using the motion of your eyeballs. Sensors are placed in the earphones and they detect small electrical variations when the eyeballs are moving. Right now, they have managed to allow the test subjects (their staff) to control the phone’s MP3 player function. Volume, next, previous, play and pause were among the available functions. If you don’t want to freak people out in the subway or in the office, you can close your eyes before moving your

What gets us about the films that are made from our favourite videogames isn’t that they’re almost inevitably bad, but how bad they inevitably are. There’s no good reason they should be. Every other movie Hollywood produces is based on a book. The equally maligned comic book conversions have at least seen some notable highs with the likes of Superman, Spider-man and, of course, The Dark Knight. Plays, TV shows, and other movies have been huge box office success. Yet games are trapped in the basement, with the mere mention of their titles putting the audience