Technology Round-up: Intel sells it's own reader to the Health Care Market

This week I discovered an article about how the company Intel and how they have released their new Reader as well as their focus and sales in the health care market. Intel, a company well known for their primary products found in 80% of computers. Although, Intel has been dominating the market demanding processors, microprocessors and processing chips. They have recently embarked on expanding their business into the health care market with their recently developed "Intel Reader" a palm-reader, by just pointing the camera at books or groupings of words it interprets the area you focus the camera on and plays an audio of what it reads. It can also be called a txt to speech product.

Article Discovered From: New York Times > Technology > BITS > Intel Sells It's Own Reader for the Health Care Market > By: Ashley Vance

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The reason why I chose to point out this new technology this week is because, recently many new projects for companies involved with developing technology have produced products like the new Intel Reader where a "smart" camera can diagnoss and interpret what it sees for the user. For instance, last week I mentioned the new "Sixth Sense" technology. Well, this week I am presenting the Intel Reader because I believe it is an extremly constructive way to use our new technoloy to help others in need. Case in point, the Intel Reader is focused on reaching the Health Care Market to aid people with dyslexia and blindness. It could also aid a student read books by scanning their material and repeating back to them via audio.

Intel has always just had their brand name on other user products like PC's a notebooks. However, in the case of the Intel Reader they have decided to keep it all their own. Costing on average $1,500 compared to competitors similar products costing between $5,000 and $10,000. Part of the reason for the cost difference is that Intel used the Atom Processor, one of their own processor products as the heart of this device, making it almost a full blown computer. Which is why they chose not to add in wireless capability, they did not want students to be going online with it. The Intel Reader is already popular with people who have poor or no vision and will most likely grow more popular due to it's low cost.

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I think that this is a great article and technology round-up because this a great idea for a company who has exhasted its expansion in a certain area to try somthing new and different. But, what is really great is when the company tries to expand by using what they do to help others and contribute where they can in the health care field.The intent with this device as well as the intent for many of Intel's future projects is to help people in the heath industry and find more uses for their products to help doctors and hospitals.

http://bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/10/intel-sells-its-own-reader-for-the-healthcare-market/?partner=rss&emc=rss

Technology Round-up: Adding a "Sixth Sense" to your cell phone

This week I discovered another very interesting brand new technology written about by the New York Times. I feel the the New York Times does great job discovering the latest and greatest innovations and concepts. It's because of this that I was so intrigued about the article they wrote about a new technology reffered to as the Sixth Sense Technology.

New York Times > Technology > Bits > Adding a "Sixth Sense" to your cell phone. By: Vikas Bajaj

First off, many people including myself would never have thought they would have lived to see technology like this, because it is a complex integration of life around us through our cell phones. What this means is our cell phone has become in this instance can soon contain this new software which allows users to interact with anything in front of them via their cell phone while using their fingertips in mid air. Understandably it is a far fetched concept but it is also very interesting and on the brink of the cutting edge of technology. Sounds crazy, but here is a link to see and believe it. Here is a link to a YouTube video which gives you an informative explanation of the Sixth Sense as well as a visual of the new product.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLEEiQZOYDs

As the Article explains, the "Sixth Sense" was created at MIT and is a combination of a camera and a projector working together with software for a cell phone to sync all three components. Although it seems bulky to be worn around the neck it is still considered to be a prototype and will most likely see an upgraded version after its initial testing and feedback phase is complete. Amazingly this new technologically advanced product only costs about $350 to make a single unit, assume that there will be minor increase in price before a final product is released to mainstream markets. The purpose of this new technology was chalked up to the new popularity with touch screens and using our hands and finger tips to interact with the most common of devices like our cell phone. Primarily combining a way for people to interact with the world and digital world with a sixth sense. This means that is you were standing outside looking at your house and wanted to take a picture you could hold your hands up in front of you and form a square with your two thumbs and index fingers. Then look through the square at your picture and bend your thumb to snap the picture. This is a fascinating feature amoung many others that will blow your mind.

After recent development talks between creators of the Sixth Sense at MIT and corporations like LG and Samsung, it comes to no suprise by me that those companies would be interested in a new innovative product such as this. Also at the same convention which the Sixth Sense was introduced was another product with many of the same ideas in a different format to look out for soon. A company called Wipro Technologies called their product an augmented reality system which is basically a pair of glasses with lots of technology accopanied by a back pack..But it allows similar new concepts to happen much like the Sixth Sense.