Microsoft Research Community

December 2007 - Technology Trends

Sort by: Most Recent | Most Viewed | Most Commented

  • Drinking games

    Intelligent coasters create new wave of drinking games“Reportedly, the gizmos can be programmed to understand when a drink is on it and when a refill is needed, theoretically enabling a bartender or server to be alerted of one’s drink status...
    Filed under:

  • Printing solar-cells

    NANOSOLAR: Solar-cell Coating“The PowerSheet is made from a layer of solar-absorbing nano-ink that is printed onto a foil-thin metal sheet. According to the company, this technology has several key advantages. It is cheaper to make, as the process...
    Filed under:

  • Selling your stuff

    Paypal Launches Storefront Widget“Users can set the widget to “sold out” or “sorry we’re closed” from the central control panel, and comes standard with a sharing option; visitors are able to grab the html for the widget from the widget and display...
    Filed under:

  • Driving simulation

    Drive Safely: Toyota’s New Driving Simulator Looks Like Fairground Attraction“The movement on the dome is incredible thanks to its tilting and vibration devices: slam on the brakes and the dome moves forward; slew the steering wheel to the...
    Filed under:

  • Pedal power

    Laptop power cranks up a gear“The Polytechnic of Madrid’s design means a cycling action by the user is turned into electricity, which powers the laptop via a voltage convertor. The designers claim that the rig lets the laptop user cyclist adopt...
    Filed under:

  • Writing on the phone

    In Japan Half The Top Selling Books Are Written On Mobile Phones“In Japan, half of the top ten selling works of fiction in the first six months of 2007 were composed on mobile phones.” TechCrunch Read More...
    Filed under:

  • Fuel cells

    Bic Wants to Flick Your Cell Phone“It’s designing disposable cartridges for fuel cells, a kind of power supply that could someday eliminate the need to constantly recharge mobile phones or laptop computers. Electronics makers are drawn to...
    Filed under:

  • Soothing sounds

    The sound of one cat purring: purrcast.com“Purrcast is a soothing little podcast that consists solely of the sound of cats purring. The website includes biographical information on each feline purr-former.” Boing Boing Read More...
    Filed under:

  • Tethered to your phone

    Bluetooth Wristband: Better Than the BlueQ?“According to the product site, the LM957 will not only discreetly alert you to an incoming call, it will also let you know when you have wandered more than 15 feet away from your phone.” Gizmodo...
    Filed under:

  • Cellphone translations

    NEC develops real-time Japanese-to-English mobile translation software“Reportedly, the firm has developed a system that can understand around 50,000 Japanese words and translate them to English text on the mobile’s display in just a second...
    Filed under:

  • E-tickets

    Cellphones: Paperless Boarding Passes Coming To Cellphones“You load your boarding pass onto your phone’s screen with 2D barcode exposed, then let the TSA and airline ticket checkers scan away. Of course, you can imagine the litany of potential...
    Filed under:

  • Kids access keys

    Buffalo: Buffalo’s Kid-Friendly USB Memory Sticks Stop Your Little Treasures Getting their Hands on your Porn Files“Available in four designs (Mickey Mouse, Winnie the Pooh, Doraemon and — aargh! — Tamagotchi, the sticks contain a secure internet...
    Filed under:

  • Mandatory blogging

    At this lab, everyone is required to maintain a science blog.“…it turns out that Rosie makes it a requirement for her lab members to maintain a blog. This was primarily to act as an appendum lab book, and a place to reflect on the experiments...
    Filed under:

  • Cellphone hacking

    Cameraphone remotely activates cameraphone in DIY venture “Utilizing a couple of cameraphones, a microcontroller, solenoid relays, a photoresistor, wires galore, a soldering iron and a robust picture messaging plan, this cameraphone activated cameraphone...
    Filed under:

  • Finding your car

    Can’t find your car? DON’T WORRY, HERE I AM!“K.I.T.T.Y (Key Innovation That Talks to You) is a handy handbag-sized remote-controlled talking alert, which enables the car to shout a personalized message to its owner, thereby making it easier to locate...
    Filed under:
1 2 3 4 5 Next >
©2009 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use | Trademarks | Privacy Statement | Feedback