Tablets for the blind

Una tablet creda por el Dr. Sile O’Modhrain de la Universidad de Michigan para poder ser leída con el tacto por ciegos, modificando la superficie de su display físicamente y usando el sistema braile (como muestra este video).

Y según he leído, muy económica de producir, pensando en fines educativos.
Se ve que les urge capturar a ese publico…

Researchers at the University of Michigan recently unveiled a new Braille-enabled prototype tablet that makes it possible for those with vision problems to read text on a full display . The tablet itself features fully refreshable pages containing raised bumps, a marked improvement from current devices that can only display one line of Braille text at a time.

Led by professor Dr. Sile O’Modhrain, researchers at the University of Michigan are also planning to add the ability for individuals with vision impairment to ‘read’ graphs, photographs and other non-text items….

http://bit.ly/1ZwI9g9

Transparent smartphones

La empresa taiwanesa Polytron Technologies acaba de desarrollar el prototipo del primer dispositivo (tablet/celular) totalmente transparente. Chequen esta galería en Behance…

http://bit.ly/ZbCpe3

If Polytron Technologies has its way, you’ll barely be able to see your next smartphone.

The Taiwan-based manufacturer has released a futuristic-looking prototype for what it hopes will be the world’s first transparent smartphone.

The product, which remains in its early stages, is made from Polytron’s Polyvision Privacy Glass. The glass is opaque when powered off, but it appearance transforms when electricity is applied. According to Polytron’s website, “the liquid crystal molecules line up, the incident light passes through, and Polyvision looks clear.”

Technically, the glass design isn’t completely see-through — the batteries and SIM card remain visible, as does the power switch up top…

http://on.mash.to/VBEUJq

iPad mini

Hace tiempo vi un buen chiste: un cartel falso de la empresa Apple, presentando la nueva “iPad nano”, con la foto de un iPod Touch (generación 1), o sea, algo viejo vendiéndose como nuevo. Ahora el chiste es una realidad.

A pesar de todas las críticas y burlas que Steve Jobs le hizo al tamaño mas pequeño -7 pulgadas- de otras tablets con las que compite en ese mercado (entre ellas la primera Galaxy Tab) a los que llamó tweeners, ahora se empieza  a hablar de un iPad mini. Nada mejor que ver a alguien arrogante tener que retractarse…

After the iPhone 5 leak mega-saga—at this point you can call these renders sneak previews—the black anodized aluminum iPad mini seems like a done deal.

Which is why Gizmodo reader Martin Hajek—who made those awesome iPhone 5 rendersthat looked just like the real thing—has rendered these images. The more I look at the black iPad Mini, the more I like it.

The white one looks cool too… but then I saw the color model. I want that one.

It would be a nice surprise for the rumored imminent presentation of the new 7.85-inch model: iPad Minis with anodized aluminum backs in different colors, just like the iPod touch…

http://bit.ly/SJYifi

iPad mini

Surface

Nada mal la propuesta de Microsoft para el mercado de tablets. Muchos critican su tardía participación en esto (con justa razón), pero por lo menos se ve que esta vez sí hicieron bien la tarea en sacar algo bueno en todos o casi todos los sentidos…

The star of Microsoft’s mystery Monday unveiling has been revealed: Surface, a Windows tablet.

“It was always clear that what our software could do would require us to push hardware, sometimes where our partners hadn’t envisioned,” Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer said at the event. “Much like Windows 1 needed the mouse, we wanted to give Windows 8 its own hardware.”

Just as Windows 8 is a reimagining of the Windows operating system, Microsoft describes Surface as a reimagining of the tablet.

The first of its kind, Surface is designed to work as both tablet and PC and comes in a version running Windows RT as well as a version running Windows 8 Pro.

Super-thin, the tablet is just 9.3mm thin for the Windows RT version and 13.5mm for the Pro version. Both have two full size USB ports — something you won’t find on the vast majority of the tablet competition. You’ll also find a Micro SD port on the side of the RT version and a microSDXC port of the Pro version for adding data to the device or reading files (like pictures from your digital camera) on the fly…

http://bit.ly/KJQsoF 

Photoshop Touch

Adobe has launched the Photoshop Touch SDK, enabling developers to create applications that can interact with the desktop version of Photoshop on Android, BlackBerry Tablet OS and iOS platforms.

To showcase the possibilities of the software development kit, Adobe has initially launched three Photoshop CS5 companion apps for the iPad: Adobe Color Lava for Photoshop, Adobe Eazel for Photoshop and Adobe Nav for Photoshop.

Adobe Color Lava allows users to mix colors on the iPad using their fingers as well as create color swatches and themes that can be transferred into Photoshop. Adobe Nav will be useful to professionals who are always hungry for more desktop space, enabling them to select and control Photoshop tools on the iPad, customize the Photoshop toolbar, browse up to 200 open Photoshop files and create new files…

http://t.co/iwAlhpG

Photoshop Touch