A survey conducted by research firm IDC and sponsored by Nortel Networks asked 2,367 people what item would they select to take with them if they’d to be absent from their homes for 24 hours. More than 38% selected their mobile phone over things like keys, a laptop or music player. Less than 30% thought their wallet was the most important item. It looks as though many of us have bought into the mobile lifestyle and fear withdrawal symptoms if separated from our cell phones.

Nortel paid for the survey to determine how many people around the world can be defined as “hyperconnected.” Someone hyperconnected uses at least seven devices for work and personal access, in addition to at least nine applications like instant messaging, text messaging or web conferencing. Cell phones and laptops are examples of devices, while things like e-mail or Facebook count as applications.

I fell short in both categories to be considered hyperconnected, but 16% of those surveyed made the cut. China led the world with the highest percentage of those hyperconnected, followed by the United States. Canada and the United Arab Emirates had the fewest number among the 17 countries surveyed.

The survey had a subset of people it called “increasingly connected.” These are people who use a minimum of four devices and six applications. The survey found that 36% of those questioned fell into this category.

Within five years the survey predicts that those categorized as hyperconnected will rise to 40%. If the trend continues as predicted, it is good news for companies like Nortel. There will be an increased need for network technologies and other mobile gear to get the hyperconnected out the door and into the world, without them worrying about where they put their wallets.

If you are curious about this phenomenon, see Nortel’s Hyperconnectivity site.

Via Mobilecrunch

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Chalk one up for humanity. Even though IPv6 (AKA Skynet) is just around the corner, we have yet to accomplish the other technological advancements that will pave the way for the inevitable robotic apocalypse. We may have autonomous navigation, bee-powered nightmare dogbots, and Aliens-esque exoskeletons, it seems that we can’t create a decent murder machine. I guess […]

Chalk one up for humanity. Although IPv6 (AKA Skynet) is just around the corner, we’ve yet to accomplish the other technological advancements that’ll pave the way for the inevitable robotic apocalypse. We may have autonomous navigation, bee-powered nightmare dogbots, and Aliens-esque exoskeletons, it seems that we can’t create a decent murder machine.

I guess it’s time to come clean and state that the multimillion dollar Korean experiment in question hadn’t really created robot soldiers per se so much as an automated guard post. Unfortunately it was so ineffective at night that they had to fit alarms to the units to make sure they weren’t stolen.

The all-seeing, all-shooting eye is a sort of holy grail for militaries all over the world, but so far no one has really hit the mark, so to speak. And I can’t state I’m looking forward to the day they do.
[via El Reg]

Via [crunchgear]

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Watches were the original gadget. But unlike their silicon counterparts, good watches tend to appreciate over time. So barring that 5G iPhone prototype sitting in Jobs’ desk, we believe this $2,157,760 Patek Philippe watch just auctioned at Sotheby’s might be the world’s new most costly gadget. While the watch itself is a masterpiece, its historical weight tips the scales—owned by race vehicle driver Carlo Felice Trossi, the watch was released in 1932, “a turning point which also saw car racing and the emergence of airplanes,” as described by Sotheby’s. [Telegraph via LuxuryLaunches] [Image: Reuters]

UPDATE: Ooh, BBGadgets just pointed out to us that an even more expensive watch sold a day later.

Via [Gizmodo]

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Joining Google Sky and Stellarium is Microsoft’s entrant to the stars, Worldwide Telescope. I’ve been dinking around with it for about a half hour and it’s pretty cool. Check it out (Windows only) if you’re an outer space dork — it includes a bunch of guided tours from astronomers. I liked the “many worlds” tour, […]

Joining Google Sky and Stellarium is Microsoft’s entrant to the stars, Worldwide Telescope. I’ve been dinking around with it for about a half hour and it’s pretty cool.

Check it out (Windows only) if you’re an outer space dork — it includes a bunch of guided tours from astronomers. I liked the “many worlds” tour, which started with some west coast mountain ranges and then flew off to the rest of the planets in our solar system for some hot world-on-world action. It’d be cool if they added some audio guidance but I guess it’s pretty realistic since there’s no sound in space. Oh well.

via BBC NEWS

Via [crunchgear]

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shutindown -s -t 100 -c “Shuting Down” your personal this video is a very very cool animals pets

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It took me a few passes to realize that the “Mobile” part of LonerMobile should be read enjoy it would in “mobile phone”, not “Batmobile”. I thought they’d announced the Lonermobile, the ultimate automobile for people with no friends. Having a down day? Lonermobile thinks you look incredible. Stuck alone in traffic, and the carpool lane is wide-open? Activate the inflatable friends in the seats.

Alas, it’s not a vehicle. LonerMobile is a new Blackberry application by GPS developers BlackLine, announced this day at WES. While it might not provide transportation for those in need of social assistance, it could very well save some lives. LonerMobile is intended to keep lone workers safe when they’re out in the field by transmitting status messages and GPS coordinates back to their employers. If the worker doesn’t respond to a check-in request or suddenly loses device communication, their employer is alerted and can pull up their last known locations for the rescue celebration.

BlackLine hasn’t updated their site yet, but information should be up soon.

Via Mobilecrunch

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Last Friday and Saturday, MSN Messenger users found themselves unable to send YouTube links to each other. Microsoft acknowledged and fixed the problem, pointing the finger at “a 3rd celebration that is a Microsoft partner” responsible for managing potentially harmful URLs that are sent through the Messenger program. A company blog post says: “Microsoft […]

Last Friday and Saturday, MSN Messenger users found themselves unable to send YouTube links to each other. Microsoft acknowledged and fixed the problem, pointing the finger at “a 3rd party that’s a Microsoft partner” responsible for managing potentially harmful URLs that are sent through the Messenger program.

A company blog post says:

“Microsoft didn’t request to block any of the URLs that were accidentally blocked. The blocks were made by our partner as a result of their process to block harmful URLs. We are still investigating the specific reason our partner made these incorrect blocks and we will work with them to improve their process for detecting harmful URLs while not blocking safe ones.”

So to reiterate, it wasn’t Microsoft’s fault — just the company Microsoft hired to oversee “this entire process for Messenger”. Not Microsoft, though.

via CNET

Via [crunchgear]

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When you have been rouging it where showers are hard to come by, you will be happy to to have a Universal Shower Diffuser close at hand. Basically,the device attaches to the top of a standard PET water bottle and restricts the flow of water so that it can be dispensed like a shower head when squeezed. Just make sure you don’t use that bottle you took a leak in during the vehicle ride—unless you are into that sort of thing. Available for around $50. [Made in Design via Swissmiss via Likecool]

Via [Gizmodo]

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Looks like Nikon is set to pile up another advantage over arch-rival Canon pretty soon. It’s recently taken the lead in the DSLR world with the extremely popular D40 and D300 and is now setting its sights on the prosumer range where Canon’s full-frame 5D has been so popular. And if it keeps adding features […]

Looks like Nikon is set to pile up another advantage over arch-rival Canon pretty soon. It’s recently taken the lead in the DSLR world with the extremely popular D40 and D300 and is now setting its sights on the prosumer range where Canon’s full-frame 5D has been so popular. And if it keeps adding features like this one, the 5D’s time is short.

Essentially it’s a picture-in-picture view, where you can switch between the wide and zoomed views, or overlay one upon the other. Very nice for tracking a player in a game while keeping track of things around him, for instance. It could let you know if you’re in danger of having your frame violated by something, or a number of other equally helpful functions. It appears to be augmented by an additional pop-up lens by the flash. At any rate, it never hurts to have these extra features, so good for Nikon. You can check the extremely long patent application at the US Patent office, publication number 20080084484.

Via [crunchgear]

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Last week, CrunchGear reported on a rumor that Helio and Virgin Mobile had gone to the table to discuss the possibility of a merger.

SK Telecom, one of Helio’s two parent companies (the other being Earthlink), is calling shenanigans. According to a spokesperson for SK Telecom, there had not been “any sort of talks” between Helio and Virgin, saying all rumors as such were “groundless” and that they remained “committed to Helio.” In the vaguest statement of the century, she also added that SK Telecom was actively seeking opportunities to expand in the US.

Being a massive fan of Helio, I’m relieved to hear that SK Telecom is sticking with’em. SK Telecom certainly has deep enough pockets, and Helio’s got the right idea - they’ve just gotta figure out a way to get their devices onto more shelves, in more places.

[Via mocoNews.net]

Via Mobilecrunch

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