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Temporarily disable laptop's touch pad

It qualifies as one of the major annoyances of notebook-computer users: inadvertently moving the cursor by brushing against the touch pad while typing. One person I know actually taped a business card over his laptop's touch pad. Well, what the technique lacks in elegance it makes up for in simplicity.

But what if you want to disable your touch pad only when you have a mouse or other input device plugged in? That's my situation. When I'm using my laptop at a desk or other semipermanent location, I plug in a USB tablet to give me more … Read more

Will the iPhone ever come to Verizon?

Rumors have circulated since Apple's iPhone was first launched that Verizon Wireless might get its own version of the popular device. But will the elusive iPhone ever come to Verizon's network?

Maybe. Verizon CEO Ivan Seidenberg hinted that Verizon might offer the iPhone on its 4G wireless network, which the company plans to start building next year, in an interview with Dow Jones and The Wall Street Journal. Specifically, Seidenberg said that if Verizon were to offer the iPhone, it would most likely be available on its 4G wireless network rather than on the current CDMA-based cell phone … Read more

Honda walking-assist gear steps on U.S. soil

I've still been sneezing like crazy and the pollen robots are nowhere to be found in the States. However, if you have other physical conditions, such as difficulty carrying yourself, hope may have arrived.

Honda announced Tuesday that it will demonstrate its prototype walking assist devices for the first time in the U.S. The demonstrations will take place at the 2009 Society of Automotive Engineers World Congress in Detroit from April 20 to 23. Prior to the Detroit event, Honda will demonstrate the devices for select media in New York.

These walking-assist devices are designed to support walking for the elderly and people with weakened leg muscles. The demonstrations are part of Honda's real-world tests to evaluate the products' effectiveness. … Read more

DARPA wants to see through concrete

Hiding and fighting from within civilian structures gives insurgents an edge. The U.S. military wants to negate this home field advantage with technology that would allow soldiers to look through concrete walls and give them a detailed picture of a building's interior--right down to the fixtures.

DARPA has asked companies to propose a suite of multiple sensing technologies that could, upon development, deliver "complete situational awareness" above and below ground that would "reverse the adversaries' advantage of urban familiarity."

The Comprehensive Interior Reconnaissance program sponsored by DARPA describes a scenario in which an area … Read more

Wacom's sleek new Intuos4 tablet

It's been about five years since Wacom launched its Intuos3 tablet line. That's an awfully long time in computer years; then again, Wacom has little in the way of competition for a tiny slice of the pro graphics input device pie. And it's nice to have some products that you don't have to constantly worry about upgrading to the Next New Thing.

Still, it looks like Wacom has spent its time well, because the new Intuos4 tablet line was worth the wait. With a sophisticated design and cleverly engineered new controls, the Intuos4 is both a … Read more

Oracle to acquire Relsys

Oracle on Monday announced plans to acquire Relsys, which develops drug safety and risk management applications.

The acquisition, which is expected to close by June, is designed to bolster Oracle's Health Sciences Global Business Unit, formed last summer. Health sciences is one of a number of industry sectors into which Oracle is delving via a buying spree.

Relsys develops applications designed to aid drug, biotech, and medical-device companies in streamlining their operations, adhering to regulatory compliance and improving the safety of their products.

With the acquisition, Oracle aims to provide its customers with the ability to identify safety risks … Read more

Mobile Internet usage more than doubles in January

Mobile devices are becoming the virtual newspaper.

According to a report released Monday by market researcher comScore, the number of U.S. residents using mobile devices to access news and information more than doubled to 63.2 million in January over the previous year.

"Over the course of the past year, we have seen use of mobile Internet evolve from an occasional activity to being a daily part of their lives," Mark Donovan, comScore's senior vice president of mobile, said in a statement. "This underscores the growing importance of the mobile medium as consumers become more … Read more

Intel partners with LG on mobile Internet devices

BARCELONA--Intel announced here Monday at the GSMA Mobile World Congress that LG Electronics will use its latest generation technology to build a new class of device called mobile Internet devices, or MIDs.

Specifically, Intel and LG will work together to build these new devices using a processor that Intel has code-named Moorestown. The devices will also use a version of the Linux open-source operating system called Moblin. The LG device is expected to be one of the first Moorestown designs to market. And Intel has said that devices using the new Moorestown chips will hit the market by 2010.

Intel … Read more

AMD extends deadline for Abu Dhabi spin-off vote

Faced with a lackluster voter turnout, Advanced Micro Devices announced Tuesday it is extending the deadline for its shareholders to vote on the proposed spin-off of its manufacturing business.

AMD, which in October announced plans to spin off its manufacturing operations, failed to get a quorum of its shareholders to vote on the issue. As a result, the deadline for casting votes has been extended to February 18. A majority of the shares is required to vote to establish a quorum.

The chipmaker reported that as of Tuesday, 42 percent of the eligible shares had been cast. Of this group, … Read more