Featured Tags funny, picture, vista


Sphere this entry»

A young Australian start-up technology company, MOR(F) Dynamics, is taking instant messaging and social worlds to new heights of interactivity and intelligence. Since 2005, the Company has been busy implementing advanced techniques in language technologies, artificial intelligence and real-time 3D systems into a next-generation public instant messenger, dubbed the Moji Intelligent Messenger™.

MOR(F) has created the first instant messenger client and social worlds application that dynamically responds, reacts to and understands human language. The technology works by extracting meaning and emotion derived from a user’s chat dialogues and blogs in order to trigger a range of visual responses within the applications, thereby introducing a brand new immersive and deeply personal dimension to the user’s online and offline experience. By utilising the power of language analysis, the application is able to detect if a user is sad or moody and to then dynamically change elements such as the user’s wallpapers, music or widgets to either reflect that particular mood, or to alter the state of the environment such that the user feels better.

The Moji Intelligent Messenger™ is a fully 3-dimensional system that features intelligent virtual pets that feed off a user’s language. MOR(F) CEO, Robert Fong, describes the innovations of this product best when he says that “…for too long, public instant messengers have been uninteresting with few innovations that fail to enhance and improve human to computer interactions. The massive adoption of concepts such as virtual worlds and MMOGs is proving that users are immersing themselves into products that can interact with them on a deeply personal and emotional level. Two people chatting to each other and slinging emoticons back and forth is one thing. But throw in a personalised virtual pet that absorbs, learns, lives and communicates to the users, and immediately, the dynamic changes. All of a sudden you are no longer merely controlling an avatar to mimic your expressions. Instead, the pet has now entered into your own dimension. It can communicate its desires and thoughts to you. It understands you and can react to the way you feel or the things you like and dislike. We are confident that this kind of technology will enhance a user’s experience by making the way we interact with computers more life-like”.

The Intelligent Messenger translates beautifully into the company’s social world, the MojiKan™. By utilizing the same techniques as found in the messenger, MojiKan™ is an online place where users can explore a world of interactive pets, meet other “virtual pet-owners” with similar personalities, purchase new accessories for their pets, download new language capabilities, create their own personal page and to write blogs. The difference obviously is that all content within MojiKan™ responds and reacts to users’ language. In addition, users’ pets feature on their personal page as widget-pets that can communicate with friends and visitors to a particular personal page (see related press coverage on MOR(F)’s I-Widgets). “By analysing and observing patterns in a user’s blogs or personality descriptions, we use that information in many diverse ways from changing a user’s online environment to reflect his or her current mood to matching users to other compatible users that match their personalities, interests etc.” said Project Manager, Harris Roland. “We do this to such an extent that users can feel the power and influence of their language on their online experience and in the existence of their virtual pets. This is a real breakthrough for us”.

Robert adds that the company is currently targeting the massive instant messaging and social world communities especially teenagers and young adults. However, he also believes that there is a tremendous amount of potential in child safety utilising language technologies and a kid’s version is not far off (see related press coverage on MOR(F)’s child safety system). In the future, the company hopes to expand into areas such as market research, product placement and advertising, as well as mobile applications.

MOR(F) is currently in the last phases of their development and says that a commercial beta launch is due out mid-2007. The entire team is excited of the new possibilities that will confront users with the Moji Intelligent Messenger and are keen to obtain feedback from the general public as soon as possible. As a result, they are releasing a teaser campaign that introduces some of their innovations in the form of interactive “widget-pets”. Users can download and insert these widgets into their blog or social network sites and are invited to head over to www.mojikan.com where they would also be able to pre-register for a beta tester account to test-drive the Moji Intelligent Messenger™ and to provide feedback to the company.

Thanks, Robert

Featured Tags messenger, mojikan, pets


Sphere this entry»

It seems that Picotux is the world’s smallest Linux running computer.
Its sizes are 35mm×19mm×19mm. Inside there’s an ARM7 CPU running at 55 MHz and an uClinux kernel 2.4.27 + Busybox 1.0.
Being this small, you might think the communication/connectivity part would have to suffer, but that’s not true.
It also has an 10/100 Mbps half/full duplex Ethernet and a serial port with up to 230.400 baud.
You may want to check the full list of technical specifications here.

The price may vary from ~100Euros (the cheapest) and it can go up to ~240Euros for advanced features. Aditional features can be bought as well.

Here’s a picture of it. What do you think?

Featured Tags linux, picotux, small


Sphere this entry»

I was somehow expecting that. Google launched today two new services, out of which I’m expecting at least one to be true, and the other to be fake. Since GMail is three years old today, I assume that the GMail Print feature will be for real.

Starting today, Google introduces GMail Paper. Now in Gmail, you can request a physical copy of any message with the click of a button, and they’ll send it to you in the mail. Google will print all messages instantly and prepare them for delivery. You should be receiving them in 2 to 4 days. Basically, a stack of Gmail Paper arrives in a box at your doorstep, and it’s yours to keep forever. You can read it, sort it, search it, touch it. Or even move it to the trash—the real trash. (Recycling is encouraged.)

So far so good, but since Google made a habit out of tricking us today, they also launched TISP, a service that is supposed to offer you Wi-Fi internet access from everywhere. Google TiSP (BETA) is a fully functional, end-to-end system that provides in-home wireless access by connecting your commode-based TiSP wireless router to one of thousands of TiSP Access Nodes via fiber-optic cable strung through your local municipal sewage lines. Well, it could have been believable until the part where they’re tweaking up their toilets.

1st of April is not over yet. Enjoy.

Featured Tags april-fools, gmail, google


Sphere this entry»

Three years ago, Google was launching GMail, an innovating mailing service that was perceived as a practical joke at the beginning due its chosen launching day. Today, three years later, GMail is one of the most popular webmail options, directly competing with Yahoo’s Mail.

Even if recently, Yahoo offered unlimited space compared to GMail’s 2,9GB, I still believe that users are not looking just for storage space, and they want more flexibility and user-oriented features. That’s why GMail was and will still be my favorite.

Happy birthday ;)

Featured Tags birthday, gmail, google


Sphere this entry»

ZenZui is the latest Web browser from Microsoft. The Redmond Company has announced yesterday the launch of ZenZui as an independent company focused on innovating Web content consumption and interaction via mobile devices.

I know, it sounds a bit weird, but its user interface uses a technology 100% developed and patented by Microsoft.

Conceived in the research lab by experts in human-computer interaction and data visualization, and refined over three years of development, ZenZui represents an entirely new way to discover and consume the mobile web. With ZenZui, your phone screen is a portal into your own customized Zoomspace, an information landscape of personalized, cached content in the form of Tiles that directly reflect your lifestyle. Using a single thumb, you fly in and out of your Zoomspace – two simple taps get you directly to any Tile. Through some clever engineering, we constantly refresh your Tiles in the background, so they’re always fresh, available, and ready to be Zoomed.

New phones launch every week, with a wild diversity of screen resolutions, input hardware, and orientation. They took this into consideration when they built the ZenZui adaptive rendering platform, which enables your tiles to work on a wide array of mobile devices and platforms, all with a consistent, intuitive, and gorgeous user interface.
Mobile browsing no longer needs to be a slow and painful experience. ZenZui: Choose your Tiles. Stop Surfing. Start Zooming.

Here’s an interesting video that proves ZenZui’s functionality. Also, Here‘s a small introductory podcast where you can hear from ZenZui’s founders about the project’s inspiration and genesis. Born out of years of mobile user interface research, ZenZui is a new kind of mobile media company and development studio. This Podcast will walk you through the adventure of bringing ZenZui to life.

Featured Tags browser, microsoft, zenzui


Sphere this entry»

As the time passes, the iPhone gets closer and closer to the release date. Meanwhile, Apple is looking for a powerful European partner that will be able to distribute the wonder-device in many countries all over the continent. At the time I’m writing this, Vodafone has the most chances to win the competition, but Apple refused to comment on anything related to this subject.

The main reason is that the iPhone might be equipped with 3G features, and Vodafone has experience in the field, as it’s already distributing similar services. However, no further information is available since Apple keeps the release date for iPhone, uncertain. They’re afraid that with a specified date, the sales for other Apple products will drop subsequently.

At this time, there are numerous rumors sustaining the Apple iPhone will be challenged by a similar product designed by Google able to provide almost the same functions. Although numerous photos and articles with a potential Googlephone were published, the company recently denied the speculations, sustaining Google is a firm that works on developing software solutions and not on the hardware side.

Featured Tags apple, europe, iphone


Sphere this entry»