GearBox is a smart toy company that has created a robotic ball which is controlled via a smartphone. Applications can be built on the smartphone via a simple API which requires minimal coding. Early applications include “Sumo,” where two people attempt to knock each other off of a table, “Golf,” where you swipe the phone to shoot the ball at the hole, and “Kittens,” in which users can earn points by playing with their cat and causing certain interactions.

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NETRA (Near-Eye Tool for Refractive Assessment) uses a phone’s LCD display(iPhone) and intelligent software to administer a quick, effective and accurate vision test that patients can perform at home.

he NETRA test consists of a small plastic device clipped onto the phone’s screen. The patient looks into a tiny lens, presses the phone’s arrow keys to make a set of parallel green and red lines overlap, bringing view into sharp focus, and repeats this eight times for each eye as the lines appear at different angles. Software loaded onto the phone then provides the precise prescription data. It may sound laborious, but the entire process takes under two minutes.

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DeviceFidelity, Inc. today announced the availability of its In2Pay™ solution for iPhone, designed to enable iPhone users to make contactless transactions, such as Visa mobile payments, by simply waving the iPhone in front of a contactless payment terminal. The solution combines DeviceFidelity’s In2Pay microSD technology with a specially designed, patent-pending protective case that adds mobile contactless capability and works with iPhone 3GS and iPhone 3G.

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This device can connect to your iPhone via Bluetooth, sending vital information such as physical activity, your pulse and other medical details to the app, which will then show you the information and store it for you to track it later.

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Asthmatics should regularly monitor their airways to determine if there’s any deterioration, but checking in to see a doctor that frequently is time consuming so designer Felix created Blue Flow. The system combines a peak flow monitor with mobile phone software. Information is wirelessly transmitted to the phone for your doctor to monitor. The information gathered can be used to determine the best course of action since the condition is finicky and changes based on a number of health and environmental variables.

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The Robovie-mR2 is a robotic device that integrates the iPod Touch as its central control interface and connection to the web. The Robovie additionally incorporates a CCD sensor 3.4 megapixel camera and microphones to capture information from its surroundings, using natural speech software to relay communications back to humans.

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“Microchip’s development kits help designers of accessories for iPod and iPhone bring innovative products to market faster,” said Mitch Obolsky, vice president of Microchip’s Advanced Microcontroller Architecture Division. “With thousands of potential new applications for iPod and iPhone, these kits simplify the entire process for developers.”

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PASCO is pleased to announce real-time data collection and analysis on your iPhone or iPod Touch–for the flexibility of science–anytime, anywhere. SPARKvue for iPhone, coming this spring to the App Store, supports a wide range of displays and analysis tools:

- Graphs
- Digits
- Meters
-Statistics

Just connect any of our PASPORT Sensors via our wireless sensor interface, PASPORT AirLink 2, to your iPhone or iPod Touch.

What’s more, SPARKvue for iPhone recognizes the onboard acceleration sensor, so you take that sensor with you wherever you go. No extra sensors, no big boxes. Just you and your iPhone or iPod Touch–and the roller coaster. Amusement Park Physics Days are revolutionized!

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Apple filed the application with the US Patent Office. It states: “The device can communicate with an external device to open a lock. By way of example, the electronic device may be a model of an iPhone.
“The external device may be any suitable electronic device such as a portable media player, personal data assistant or electronic lock that may be used to access a door, car, house or other physical area.”

Instead of waiting for this magical technology to appear on the next iPhone though, a research assistant at CASA/University College London has managed to build his own RFID iPhone accessory (video below).

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Related articles:

- The iCarte – a RFID Sensor for iPhone;

- Future iPhone to include an build-in RFID reader?

Created specificially for all the Iphone brands, and ipods, nanos etc, its independent output voltage, it can charge any Iphone style on the market, which covers over 100% with a lifespan of up to 2,000 times charging usage or over 4 years of daily useage (provide access to direct sunlight).

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