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assistant

Robust backup tool

BackupAssist provides a rich set of features for scheduling, managing, and monitoring backups. The application is overkill for the lone freelancer, but small and midsize businesses will appreciate the wide range of options and ability to create multiple jobs.

A wizard interface walks you through setting up a new job, starting with the type of backup (system, file, or application). BackupAssist does a good job of presenting its many options through visual cues and integrated Help text. We appreciated the built-in list of scheduling options, which came with recommendations on the type of company most likely to use each one … 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

Focused IE searches

Teaching your search engine to return results more focused on your online habits and preferences is a bit easier with this Internet Explorer add-on. By clicking on its results, Surf Canyon "learns" your preferences and focuses subsequent searches accordingly.

Surf Canyon loads into the IE search field at the right end of the URL bar along the top of IE's window. Accessing it is simply a matter of selecting it from the drop-down list of search engines built into the field. It functioned well in our tests, returning results quickly. We liked that by clicking the icon … Read more

Wearable bot said to make you stronger

This is about the closest thing to a Superman suit we've seen. Put it on, say its creators, and the motorized Hybrid Assistive Limb can "expand and improve physical capability" up to tenfold in activities such as walking, standing, and climbing stairs.

Through a sensor attached to the skin, "HAL" captures faint biosignals on the skin's surface that result from messages sent from the brain to muscles when a person attempts to move. A computer analyzes how much power the wearer intends to generate, then calculates the amount of torque needed to put limbs into action.

Especially noteworthy here is that the suit responds to intended motion, rather than actual motion.

"This is what we call a 'voluntary control system' that provides movement interpreting the wearer's intention from the biosignals in advance of the actual movement," explains Japan's Cyberdyne, which will soon begin manufacturing the cybernetic suits for about $4,200 apiece, possibly making it the first such wearable device aimed at civilians.

The company was formed by Sankai Yoshiyuki, a professor at the University of Tsukuba who is heading up research on HAL, which he says has the advantages of both robot and cyborg. Yoshiyuki says he was inspired by reading Isaac Asimov's "I Robot" as a child. … Read more

AbledBody helps disabled navigate gadget world

Assistive tech for the disabled is an important topic people may not give much thought to, even though an estimated 54 million Americans are considered to be physically or mentally disabled. That's about 19 percent of the U.S. population.

AbledBody is a new consumer tech-focused site just for this segment. On it, news of trends and gadgets that can aid the disabled at work and home are reported on daily through original and sourced news, personal commentary, and contributors' expert opinions. It's a great idea for a tech blog and one we're happy to share.

The … Read more

Access frequently used programs quickly

This application manager allows users to access frequently used programs, but its extras may cause chaos in the system tray.

Application Assistant is a fairly clear-cut utility, allowing users to quickly load programs from a multicolored bar on the right side of the desktop. Users can easily add to and sort their list of programs for quicker access. While this is similar to the recently used programs feature already programmed into the Windows Start menu, this application manager offers other features. Several aspects of the user's system status are displayed in the system tray. Users can pick and choose … Read more

Ford offers Lincoln 'Park Assist'

A new feature from Ford Motor will allow drivers to let their car do the steering when faced with a parallel parking space, the company announced Tuesday.

This latest car gadget, which Ford calls Active Park Assist, works slightly differently than the park assist feature on Toyota's self-parking Lexus.

On the self-parking Lexus, the driver can use an interface to adjust the space the car aims for, and only maintains control over the brake while it's maneuvering.

In Ford's version the driver pulls up alongside a space and pushes a button. The car then applies ultrasonic-based sensors … Read more

Accounts central

An ultimate mobile productivity application, Pageonce's personal assistant gives you the tools to view all your online accounts in one sophisticated application. Sure, you'll have to be comfortable storing all your passwords on your phone, but if you are, you'll find yourself relying on Pageonce's stylish interface to get all your details in a glance.

After adding accounts through an assisted browsing process, Pageonce will display them as buttons on the Accounts tab. Tap it to view, for instance, your banking transactions and total balance, travel itineraries, social commitments, and friends' status updates on a slew … Read more

Software aims to stop calls while driving

Dave Teater says his son, Joe, could really light up a room.

"He was always happy, always smiling--I never remember Joe being angry with anybody," Teater said. "He loved life."

Four years ago, 12-year-old Joe was killed by a woman distracted while on her cell phone. She ran a red light and plowed into the Teaters' car.

"You never get over it," he said.

His wife, Judy, survived.

Teater closed his automotive consulting business to take up a cause--warning others, CBS News science and technology correspondent Daniel Sieberg reports.

"I don't think … Read more