Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

Laura June

-

Latest Posts from Switched

Carrier Pigeon Caught Trying to Smuggle Cell Phone Parts into Prison

by Laura June on April 16, 2009 at 10:01 AM

Back in late March and early April, when we first heard the terrifying tale of two shifty, hapless carrier pigeons intercepted while attempting to smuggle cellphone parts to inmates in a high-security Brazilian prison, we thought it was merely an isolated incident. Well, now that another pigeon has been caught -- this time outside a Colombian prison with a tiny suitcase full of cellphone components strapped to its back -- we have to face the truth: carrier pigeons are probably evil by nature. The Colombian authorities say that the pigeons are likely being raised inside the prison, then sent to the outside to collect the contraband handsets before doing what pigeons do best -- returning home. The officials also admit they are relatively powerless to combat the problem, though the intercepted bird is now imprisoned at a local animal shelter. So... how long until a different carrier pigeon is intercepted trying to sneak a teensy KRZR into the incarcerated, winged criminal?
Leave a comment

Beatles 'Rock Band' Bundle Will Boast Custom Bass and Drums

by Laura June on April 15, 2009 at 06:10 AM


Not really surprising to hear, but exciting none the less... according to a teaser email sent out to people on The Beatles: Rock Band mailing list -- the special edition bundle will include a custom branded Höfner bass and Ludwig drums. The e-mail also mentions other "custom" content, which we are hoping will be either a Rickenbacker guitar like the one Lennon often used or a gigantic Harrison-esque moustache / beard combo. We're just going to have to wait it out together guys -- it's not expected until September 9th -- so let's chill and enjoy the video after the break.

Read more »

Leave a comment

Solar-Powered Boat Departing on Worldwide Cruise Next Year

by Laura June on April 13, 2009 at 03:49 PM



A group of engineers, scientists and sailors have banded together to form a team they call Solar Planet. The group is now building a 98-foot-long solar-powered boat for the express purpose of sailing all the way around the world using nothing but the delicious power of the sun. The $13 million dollar vessel -- which is currently in construction in Kiel, Germany -- will have 5,059 square feet of photovoltaic cells, and should be able to circumnavigate the earth in about 120 days, at a rate of about 10 knots. The project is being funded by Swiss company, Rivendell Holding AG, that has committed to investing in green technology. The group hopes to set sail sometime next year from Marseilles, France, with various stops along the way. They will undoubtedly tire of hearing that Daft Punk song long before they ever leave the shore. Check out a sweet rendering of the boat after the break.

Read more »

1 comment

KTF's Remote Control Vacuum Cleaner Can Be Controlled via Your Phone

by Laura June on April 13, 2009 at 07:12 AM


South Korean telecom firm KTF has just announced a cleaning robot which can be controlled by a 3G cellphone. The robot -- called the CW100 -- was built in collaboration with Microbot, and is a "smart" vacuum (much like a Roomba). The CW100 uses an onboard video camera to send live images of what it's "seeing" to the mobile phone, and the user can then remotely control it using the keypad. The bot will be sold for KRW 500,000 (about $370) in conjunction with a data plan that runs KRW 5,000 (about $3.70) per month. Sounds pretty affordable and awesome to us -- as long as it doesn't run over the family cat. Check out another photo after the break.

[Via Unwired View]

Read more »

Leave a comment

MIT Researchers Show Off Wearable Blood Pressure Monitor

by Laura June on April 12, 2009 at 12:05 PM

We've seen some wild ideas when it comes to blood pressure -- including, yes, underpants -- but this newest device, a small monitor attached to the hand, which can be worn 24 hours a day for continuous monitoring, strikes us as having the potential for extreme usefulness. The monitor works differently than regular old blood pressure cuff, using a method called pulse wave velocity, which measures the pulse at two points along an artery. Built by a team of engineers at MIT, this prototype could boast a lot of advantages over monitors, including its portability, its ability to see long-term patterns of rises and falls in pressure, and of course -- you wouldn't have to be at the doctor's office to use it -- which is bound to take a little stress out of the equation. The device is moving toward commercial production and Harry Asada, leader of the MIT team, sees the possibility for monitoring conditions such as sleep apnea in the future as well.
1 comment

New Microsoft Ad Shows How PCs Are Always Cheaper Than Macs

by Laura June on March 27, 2009 at 03:41 PM

Microsoft's latest ad -- a companion-piece to its new "Laptop Hunters" website -- stars "real person" Lauren. Lauren's a little funky, a little folksy, and 100 percent real. She doesn't have an agenda to push, she's just out in the world, living in "reality" searching for a sweet laptop that's under $1,000. She admits to herself she's "not cool" enough for a Mac (though cool enough for a Volkswagen) and gets on with her life. She's a real American -- with an unpretentious, pragmatic life. The ad rather smartly puts the focus on our current economic climate, while expertly reinforcing that age old Apple-user-as-dick stereotype, pejoratively wielding the word "cool" as an underhanded insult -- odd, since the Microsoft portal it wants you to visit helps "socialites" pick a laptop. All in all? It's kind of a brilliantly mean piece of work -- check it out after the break.

[Via BoingBoing]

Read more »

44 comments

Artist 'Fingerpaints' Art on His iPhone

by Laura June on March 14, 2009 at 10:07 AM


Portuguese artist Jorge Colombo's been working on a series of "finger-paintings" of cityscapes done entirely on his iPhone. Using only his finger and an application called "Brushes," he's done some fairly impressive scenes of New York City. Hit the read link for a full set of iSketches this fanboy's whipped up.

[Via Make]
Leave a comment

Create Your Own Musical Bra

by Laura June on March 13, 2009 at 04:12 PM



The fine folks over at Instructables have posted some wild mods in their time, but the musical bra you see above inhabites its own realm in terms of weirdness and lack of usefulness... unless you really want a bra that makes music of course. The speaker is on the front, with a battery pack between the shoulder blades at the back, and each cup is equipped with eight different "sounds" culled from a small keyboard, which are triggered by custom-made buttons sewn into the bra. Hit the read link for the full rundown of how to make one of your very own, but fair warning: you're going to have to be pretty adept with needle and thread to get this project done, but the final result should be fairly priceless. After all, who doesn't want a clunky, hideous sports bra that makes noise? Exactly. [Via Music Radar]
1 comment

Double-Amputee Gets Mermaid Tail

by Laura June on February 28, 2009 at 10:29 AM


New Zealander Nadya Vessey, who lost both of her legs to the knee when she was a child, has just received a prosthesis that's unlike anything we've ever seen, outside of 'Splash'. About two years ago, she approached Weta Workshop, which specializes in design and manufacturing of costumes and special effects -- their credits include The Lord of the Rings' trilogy -- to see if the company might be interested in making her a working, prosthetic mermaid tail. Turns out they were, and they've just completed the final product. The tail, which is composed of wetsuit fabric and plastic molds, has a custom paint job and digitally-imaged effects. Apparently, it enables Nadya to swim quite effectively and is an all around sexy piece of machinery. No word yet on what one of these slick dudes would cost in real life, but we have a feeling we couldn't justify the expense just to tool around in the kiddie pool.

Check out the video after the break!

[Thanks, Pyper]

Read more »

3 comments

Netflix Streaming-Only Subscriptions Coming 'In the Future'

by Laura June on February 26, 2009 at 03:01 PM


This news may not be a surprise, given the huge success of Netflix's Watch Instantly streaming service, which had been activated over 1 million times on Xbox Live the last time we checked -- accounting for about 10 percent of its subscriptions. Regardless, word has come from Netflix's CFO Barry McCarthy that the company plans to offer a streaming-only service "in the near future." The Watch Instantly service currently offers about 12,000 movies (around 100,000 titles are available if you order the physical discs), on a variety of devices, including Xbox Live and Roku boxes, so it seems like a smart move, though we don't know the timeline or pricing of the stream-only service. Here's to hoping they expand their offering a little before then... maybe 'Final Destination?' Just a suggestion.

[Via Joystiq]
Leave a comment

House of Chanel Designs Rugged Segway

by Laura June on February 26, 2009 at 10:15 AM

The Vivienne Tam-designed Mini 1000 was a cute foray of high fashion into the uber-geeky tech world, but not necessarily completely out of left field. Well, this one is. The word that Chanel has designed a Segway comes as a horrifying surprise to all of us. There's not too much information floating around about this one yet, so we have no idea how many they're making or what they're going to ... Read more »
Leave a comment

BERTI the Robot Plays Rock, Paper, Scissors

by Laura June on February 23, 2009 at 10:29 AM

BERTI (built by a partnership of the Bristol Robotics Laboratory and Elutmotion Ltd.) is a fully automated robotic torso designed to perform "credible conversational gestures." The robot is capable of quite complex hand movements, and, in the demonstration video above, plays a game of Rock, Paper, Scissors with a fine gentleman wearing a Goldfinger t-shirt, becoming another addition to the ... Read more »
Leave a comment

Fitness Guru Prepares to Launch Wii Fit Class Action Lawsuit

by Laura June on February 13, 2009 at 08:45 AM

Well, this was probably bound to happen. A fitness "expert" named Michael Torchia says he's now preparing a class-action suit against NIntendo which will apparently seek to remove its Wii Fit from the shelves unless they add warnings to the product. The offense? Torchia claims that the Wii Fit actually contributes to obesity, essentially because it claims to be something that it's really not ... Read more »
3 comments

This Garbage Truck Runs on Rubbish

by Laura June on February 3, 2009 at 10:58 AM

The Brits get all the cool stuff -- Queen Elizabeth II, The Sex Pistols... and now a rubbish truck that runs on rubbish (sort of). That's right: up in Huddersfield they've just unleashed a modded three-and-a-half ton Smith Edison Ford Transit garbage truck that tools around, picking up garbage, hauls it to a nearby Energy from Waste power station and recycling center which then burns the 'bage ... Read more »
1 comment

LeapFrog Intros Smartphone for Kids

by Laura June on February 1, 2009 at 01:11 PM

LeapFrog's been very busy of late -- they recently added Tag Junior to their line of edutainment products for the wee ones --and now there's this. The Text and Learn children's "PDA" hasn't been officially announced yet, but details are slipping out from the U.K. Toy Fair, so here's what we know about the must-have device of the year: boasting a full QWERTY keyboard, the Text and Learn has a ... Read more »
Leave a comment

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular