Consumer Electronics Show goes spry-tech

January 14, 2009 By Etan Horowitz

High-tech gadgets aimed at older people are becoming more mainstream. This year, a section of the floor at the massive International Consumer Electronics Show featured products and services aimed at seniors and older baby boomers. Young folks might enjoy these, too.

Here are four from the exhibition that closed in Las Vegas on Sunday:

_ emWave Personal Stress Reliever

This is designed to help people focus on their breathing so they can relieve stress.

To use it, place your thumb on a finger sensor that takes your pulse and then displays colorful, moving lights to help you focus your breathing. It also uses colored lights to display your emotional state, which should change from stressed to relaxed after you think positive thoughts and follow the breathing guidance.

An emWave spokeswoman suggested people with a lot of stress at work keep the $199 device, available at emwave.com, in their office and use it a few minutes each day to change their outlook.

_ Myine Electronics Abbee Commercial-Free FM Radio

Being able to listen to your favorite songs on a portable music player is something people of all ages enjoy. But if you don't know anything about MP3s or don't want to pay for new music, it can be an intimidating task.

This $250 home-speaker system, available in the spring, is like a TiVo for free FM radio. Simply turn the unit on, tune to your favorite stations and the gadget will records hours of songs. It comes with a portable player so you can listen to your recorded songs while you are out, and it even strips out commercials and DJ talk. There's no monthly subscription fee or per-song download price.

_ Windows 7

Microsoft's new operating system, expected to ship later this year, lets users zoom in and out on the screen by pressing a few keys. Daniel Hubbell, a Microsoft employee who focuses on accessible technology, said that although past versions of Windows let the user magnify the screen, it wasn't as easy to do, and the features were labeled in a way that may have turned some people off.

"The Control Panel in Windows XP had a wheelchair icon, it was labeled 'accessibility,' and it was very targeted toward 'Hey, you have some disability or impairment; you are special; you are different,'" Hubbell said. "In Windows 7, we're looking at actually changing the features and integrating them more into useful tools that anybody would use, rather than have some accommodation that you have to go and turn on."

_ ClarityLife C900 mobile phone

This cell phone has large buttons and large fonts, but it also has a slide-out keypad that resembles some popular phones. It amplifies incoming sound by 20 decibels, which should help people with hearing loss, and it doubles as an emergency-response device.

A button on the back of the $270 phone calls and text-messages five preprogrammed numbers and continues to call until there is an answer. When the phone is closed, calls can be made by using four buttons. The phone, available at Clarityproducts.com, will work on a service plan from AT&T or T-Mobile.

___

(Etan Horowitz is the technology columnist for the Orlando Sentinel. He can be reached at ehorowitz at orlandosentinel.com.)

___

© 2009, The Orlando Sentinel (Fla.).
Visit the Sentinel on the World Wide Web at http://www.orlando … entinel.com/
Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.


Rank 4 /5 (1 vote)
Relevant PhysicsForums posts
  • How to calculate total compressibility in liquid porous solid system
    created2 hours ago
  • Need help reading 3-D
    created22 hours ago
  • A way to send and receive wireless data
    createdFeb 11, 2012
  • Calling function with no input argument
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • Force free body diagram problem on gym equipment
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • Empirical data regarding shower heads and water
    createdFeb 10, 2012
  • More from Physics Forums - General Engineering

More news stories

Japan scientist makes 'Avatar' robot

A Japanese-developed robot that mimics the movements of its human controller is bringing the Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar" one step closer to reality.

Electronics / Robotics

created Feb 10, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (8) | comments 12

Intel packs performance and reliability into its latest SSD 520 series

Intel Corporation announced today its fastest, most robust client/consumer solid-state drive (SSD) to date, the Intel Solid-State Drive 520 Series (Intel SSD 520), a 6 gigabit-per-second (gbps) SATA III SSD ...

Electronics / Hardware

created Feb 07, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 4

Google rumored to have built Heads-Up-Display glasses prototype

(PhysOrg.com) -- 9to5Google is reporting that they have received a tip from someone they believe to be a reliable source saying that Google is working on a Heads-Up-Display (HUD) pair of eye-glasses. The per ...

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

created Feb 08, 2012 | popularity 4.3 / 5 (9) | comments 2 | with audio podcast weblog

New Kindle Touch is an impressive e-reader

When it comes to reading digital books, tablets are all the rage. But there's a lot to like about simple e-readers, which over the past year have become both a lot cheaper and a lot less clunky.

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (4) | comments 1

Apple to debut 'iPad 3' in March: report

Apple will unveil a new version of its market-ruling iPad table computer in March, according to a report in Dow Jones-owned technology blog All Things D.

Electronics / Consumer & Gadgets

created Feb 09, 2012 | popularity 1.9 / 5 (21) | comments 0


Overeating may double risk of memory loss

New research suggests that consuming between 2,100 and 6,000 calories per day may double the risk of memory loss, or mild cognitive impairment (MCI), among people age 70 and older. The study was released today and will be ...

Google might launch Drive for cloud storage soon

(PhysOrg.com) -- Google's next big move, according to the Wall Street Journal, is a cloud storage service called Drive. Hardly first to the plate, Google is simply catching up to introducing its cloud reposi ...

Scientists discover molecular secrets of 2,000-year-old Chinese herbal remedy

For roughly two thousand years, Chinese herbalists have treated Malaria using a root extract, commonly known as Chang Shan, from a type of hydrangea that grows in Tibet and Nepal. More recent studies suggest that halofuginone, ...

New method to examine batteries -- MRI from the inside

There is an ever-increasing need for advanced batteries for portable electronics, such as phones, cameras, and music players, but also to power electric vehicles and to facilitate the distribution and storage of energy derived ...

Lab study raises questions over nano-particle impact

Tests involving chickens have raised questions about the impact on health from engineered nano-particles, the ultra-fine grains commonly used in drugs and processed foods, scientists said on Sunday.

Injured boomers beware: Know when to see doctor

(AP) -- It happened to nurse Jane Byron years after an in-line skating fall, business owner Haralee Weintraub while doing "men's" push-ups, and avid cyclist Gene Wilberg while lifting a heavy box.