Bluetooth vibrator works with SMS

The Toy is a vibrating bullet that connects to a mobile phone with Bluetooth.

The Toy is worn internally, linked to a mobile phone and controlled by
sms text messages sent to the phone. Once read, the message is
transported automatically to The Toy, which turns it into vibrations -
with a huge range of movements, depending on what you have written.
Just say what you feel, The Toy will do the rest.

[via wired]

this deserves attention from Fabrica Interactive (and others too, yes)… — ann

Kodak announces 39 megapixel CCD

src="http://img.engadget.com/common/images/3060000000050307.JPG?0.6950384213231166" align="right" border="1"
height="192" hspace="4" vspace="16" width="240" />Kodak may have thrown in the towel in the
DSLR market, but that doesn’t mean the company has
completely abandoned the high-end photo market. In fact, according to the company, it’s gone to the absolute
highest end, with two new CCDs that are among the largest available commercially. The KAF-31600 boasts 31.6
megapixels, and the KAF-39000 has 39 megapixels. The CCDs are targeted at pros, and will be incorporated into
digital backs for medium-format cameras. One early customer is Phase One A/S, which plans to use the CCDs in its
previously announced P30 and P45 backs. How much
will 39 megapixels run you? No pricing is out yet, but Phase One’s current top model, the 22 megapixel P25, goes
for about $30,000. That puts it at over $1,300 per megapixel, so don’t be surprised to see the P45 going for as
much as $50K.

mm, this is quite techy of me to post… but seriously, 39 megapixel???? HOLY SHIT!!!!!

HAPs

Tests in Europe of a “High Altitude Platform” broadband router have successfully demonstrated the ability to provide a high-speed wireless connection over a wide area from the air. The Europe-wide Capanina project, led by the University of York, operated a wireless-Internet-equipped balloon at an altitude of 24 kilometers over Sweden this week, according to the BBC. The goal of the project is to provide wireless coverage of a region 60 kilometers square at a speed of 120 Mbps; the project team say that they should be able to do this in less than five years.

Such a system would be of particular utility in areas where terrain makes pulling wires or even installing enough wireless towers too costly. Because the cost of a HAP wireless system would be significantly lower than a satellite link, this model should be of great use in the developing world. At the same time, the ability to launch a balloon-based router relatively quickly — potentially even releasing it from an airplane — would be valuable during post-disaster response operations.

(Thanks for the pointer, Lorenzo!)

(Posted by Jamais Cascio in QuickChanges at 02:49 PM)