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See how healthy your lungs are -- just blow into your phone

Today, patients with chronic lung conditions such as cystic fibrosis or asthma can't easily monitor how their airways are doing. Instead, they have to go to the doctor's office and blow into a special device called a spirometer as hard and fast as they can.

So for the past two-plus years, grad students at the University of Washington in Seattle have been working to develop an app that can measure lung function just as accurately but without the need for additional hardware. (Existing apps either require hardware or are for entertainment purposes only.)

In other words, they've been trying to turn a smartphone into a spirometer.… Read more

Official AT-AT dog costume turns Fido into furry war machine

Fan-made AT-AT walker dog costumes have been around for years. George Lucas' minions have taken notice of the inordinate demand for dressing mutts up like heavily armored Imperial Army land vehicles.

That brings us to the officially licensed "Star Wars" AT-AT pet costume. It comes in two parts with a bodysuit and a headpiece. Sizes range from small (for Sith Shih Tzus) to extra large (for Wookie Wolfhounds).… Read more

DogTV encourages your canine to be a couch poochtato

There's nothing my mother's dog likes more than chilling out on the couch, eating popcorn (yes, the human kind), and watching a movie. If he finds out about DogTV, a television channel designed for canine viewers, we'll never hear the end of it.

DogTV is a full-time channel available through the Roku platform or online streaming for $9.99 per month. It's full of programming with a pup purpose.

Some of it is geared for relaxation, so you'll get shots of dogs stretched out and napping in gorgeous natural settings. Some is designed for stimulation, so you get videos of dogs fetching balls, diving into pools, and tussling in the park with a jaunty soundtrack. … Read more

iRobot sucks up Mint maker Evolution Robotics

Is Roomba going square?

Besides celebrating the vac-bot's tenth birthday today, iRobot announced that it's buying Evolution Robotics, whose sleek, four-sided Mint droid cleans hard surfaces with disposable cloths.

The $74 million deal brings the compact, lightweight Mint into the iRobot fold, giving the vacubot maker another product to tackle floors that aren't carpeted.

The scrubber was a potential rival to iRobot's Scooba robot. Now iRobot will get Evolution's know-how in sensing, navigation, and artificial intelligence, built up over 10 years.

"It's more about growing our capabilities -- both product line and long-term … Read more

Roomba turns 10, still the best baby chariot around

When MIT roboticists wanted to launch an automated domestic vacuum cleaner for the masses, some of their backers balked at calling it a "robot." People wouldn't accept a robot in their homes, they said.

Ten years and more than 6 million sales later, iRobot's Roomba has proved that robots are very welcome. In fact, we can't wait for them to do more than just suck up dirt.

Roomba marks a milestone today, a decade since first rolling off the production line in 2002. In branding the machine, iRobot, a military-robotics company, tried to convey a sense of movement and fun along with "room" to emphasize being at home. The "Roomba" is now in homes around the world. … Read more

USB cables could power PCs, peripherals

Today, you likely charge your phone with a USB cable. Tomorrow, you might well use one to charge your laptop and other devices.

With a new Universal Serial Bus technology called Power Delivery (USB PD), Intel and its allies hope the ubiquitous cable will become even more widespread. "One USB cable does it all," said Brad Saunders and Bob Dunstan, two Intel architects in a presentation at the Intel Developer Forum in San Francisco this week.

USB 2.0 can carry 2.5 watts of power. USB 3.0, which is just catching on now, can handle 4.… Read more

Steam's Big Picture aims to revitalize computer gaming on TV

Move over, Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo. Valve Software today revealed a new television-friendly version of its massive Steam digital video game distribution service.

Aptly named Big Picture, the new view transforms Steam into a more polished experience for the big screen. The optional redesigned interface represents a departure from the traditional Valve design used in the Steam application for Windows and Mac, instead falling in line with the easy-to-navigate layouts commonly seen in streaming media devices. … Read more

Taste Pluto: Solar system lollipops are otherworldly

Ever wondered what Neptune tastes like? Vintage Confections on Etsy has the answer. It comes in your choice of either strawberry or cotton candy.

A complete set of solar system lollipops costs $17.50. You get the Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto. Yea for including Pluto! Sorry, Moon, you don't rate high enough to get your own sucker.… Read more

WD unveils sleek My Passport Edge portable drives

WD today made the good old portable hard drive concept something totally new again.

The storage vendor announced a new family of portable external hard drives for Macs and Windows PCs, called My Passport Edge, that's ultrasleek and ultraslim.

There are minor differences between the Mac version and the Windows version of the new drive.… Read more

Keep time with the 'zoom lens' kitchen timer

Say goodbye to burned cookies with the f/60 Lens Kitchen Timer. Resembling a typical kit zoom lens, this nifty contraption can keep time for up to 60 minutes.

Operation is easy. Simply twist on the knurled "zoom ring" of the lens and the ring of a bell will alert you when the countdown is complete. The device is fully mechanical and does not require batteries to run. … Read more