There is new technology that will enable cow farmers to monitor them. It is called “Silent Herdsman” and was developed by Scottish-based Embedded Technology Solutions. It uses motion technology that monitors and records 24/7 a cows behavior. One of the main features of the collar is the ability to monitor the position of the cow’s head. For example if the cow is in trouble they may go down on their hind legs. If this happens a text message can be sent to farmer. This type of technology can revolutionize farming methods. By taking care of their herds using this type of technology it will save the farmers time and money.
Cow Collar
20 Monday Feb 2012
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Georgia Tech has developed a new app that will allow you to text message without looking at the screen. This is a great breakthrough for those people with visual impairments. The app has 6 buttons with 3 on each side that will align correctly no matter what way you turn your smartphone. This is based on the 6 dot code used by Braille for the English language. When tapping the buttons it will voice the letter out loud. During early research, users can type up to 32 words per minute with a 92% accuracy rate. This app could replace the need for expensive Braille keyboards. The app recently won an award in Stockholm, Sweden at the MobileHCI 2011 conference. If you are interested in seeing how this works, visit this site for a video demonstration: 
I happened to be in Old Navy a few weeks ago and saw this bright salmon colored hoodie and it had been marked down to $8.00. So of course I thought that was a deal so I go to the checkout and I wondered why the lady said to me – “Now you can wash this, but don’t put it in the dryer”. Hmmmm I thought, does this material shrink bad? Anyway I get home and put the jacket on and stick my hand in the right pocket and feel a wire. I noticed it was a headphone jack. So I looked at the label that was on the jacket and lo and behold it says it is a Techno Hoodie. Talk about the perfect workout jacket and I got it very inexpensive. If you notice on the picture the hoodie strings are actually earbuds. What a clever way to stay warm and listen to music too! So the next time you are in Old Navy – look for this piece of mobile technology!
Oregon Scientific has come out with a Time and Weather Charging Station+ that comes with a large LCD with the time, indoor and outdoor temperature and a pad for charging your smartphone. As of now it only has charging sleeves for the iPhone 4, 3GS and 3G, but the android sleeve is in the works. This pad also has a barometer and a projector display. Price is running about $130.
CES 2012 is going on this week and one of the most unique mobile devices I read about is the LP 2 GO. It is considered the iPod of vinyl records. It comes with built in speakers and a headphone output. You can play both 33 and 45s vinyl records. It is bundled with software that will allow you to convert your music to MP3 format. It runs on 4 AA batteries and will something you will want to pull out at a party and play all those old albums you have been holding onto. It is made by a company called Ion Audio. They also have developed the Duo Deck which will allow you to play cassette tapes. So kudos to them for creating a mobile device for all of us that still have old media around.
The trend now for gifts is Mobile Gift cards. Instead of buying a plastic giftcard, you can now purchase and give away gift cards for your smartphone. What is nice about this technology as a gift card, is that you wont have to worry about losing that piece of plastic. The data for these gift cards is store “in the clouds”. Several big stores such as Target and American Eagle are trying this new technology this season. I actually like the thought of carrying around less plastic cards in my wallet. I guess before long we won’t need a wallet anymore. Sure hope those “clouds” can hold all this data. :-)
In celebration of over 10 billion apps downloaded from the Android Market, they are offering several apps for 10 cents each. This will be available until December 16th. The apps that will be available for 10 cents each are: Endomondo Sports Tracker Pro, Fieldrunners HD, Great Little War Game, Minecraft, Paper Camera, Sketchbook Mobile, SoundHound Infinity, Asphalt 6 HD, Color & Draw for Kids and SwiftKey X. Google is boasting there is over 1 billion apps downloaded for Android devices per month. That is an impressive amount going through the Android Market. So go celebrate with your device by getting the 10 cent deals!!
Being a lefty myself, I came across a great site for items made just for left-handers. I was intrigued that they had some computer accessories that might be just what the technology lefty in your family needs. I have a daughter that is a lefty and I am sure she could benefit from some of these items. From guitars, to scissors to watches, this site has many to choose from. 
