No, it’s not the Nintendo DS in arcade form, it’s a touch panel display that can be operated by touching either side of the panel. It’s almost two-player Nintendo DS action except it has lame graphics and a wall separating the players. That’s alright, Tic-Tac-Toe is still a kick ass game.

Teraokaseiko Co Ltd. displayed this technology at the Sign & Display Show at Tokyo Big Sight. With its capabilities of detecting pinching, pushing and sliding finger movements, the possibilities of gameplay are extensive. That is, if you can get around the 256 × 120 resolution and the orange monochrome display.  Imagine if they set these up in bars. You could be playing Tic-Tac-Toe with a complete stranger who ends up becoming the love of your life.

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Apparently, NXT STEP blog reader DTAAX’s watch must have broke, which would explain why he designed this LEGO sundial. This DIY finds a new way to tell time the old way. It was built using the LEGO NTX platform (plus a PDA for trigonometric functions) using a slew of light and touch sensors, allowing the sundial to perform like any other sundial save that it’s powered by three motors.

After the LEGO set rotates for some time, Bluetooth communications are sent out which detail the exact magnetic point in which the maximum level of light had been seen. It is accurate within fifteen minutes of actual time, so don’t go using it for your next dentist appointment despite it having a better track record than traditional sundials. Unfortunately, it will not fit in your LEGO backpack like a normal watch or clock would.

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Looks like the Apple fanboy community couldn’t wait one more day for the release of the iPhone/iPod Touch 2.0 software. Someone found the .ipsw file of the iPhone 2.0 firmware on Apple’s servers and posted the link on MacRumors. With iTunes 7.7 available (I just updated), you can now update your iPhone to the new software. Have an iPod Touch? No dice.

In order to install it after you’ve downloaded you will have to hold the Option key when pressing the “Check for Update” button in iTunes. You will then select the file you’ve downloaded manually. I just did it and it was very simple.

Clicking “Link” below will download the .ipsw file directly from Apple’s servers. Be sure to do this kind of stuff at your own risk.

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Why get all of our information through computers via sight and sound when we have a sense of touch? Korean and US researchers have developed a flexible tactile display small enough to wrap around your fingers, similar to a Band-Aid. Overcoming the bulkiness that plagues current devices of the same nature, this soft, flexible alternative could possibly aid communication for the blind

“When you apply a normal device to a non-flat surface like human skin, it is impossible to stimulate the whole skin through its shape. In the case of a wearable tactile display, however, it can be applicable to many kinds of surfaces without the limitation of stimulus area because of its flexibility.”

With absurd flexibility, efficient power usage, cost-effectiveness and easy fabrication, the finger tactile display could prove to be a valuable commodity to the visually impaired. Though the design is in its infancy, the results are looking promising.
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The OLPC movement is better known for its $100 laptops that sport Windows XP.  A new line of laptops, said to be released in 2010, is probably the cheapest touch screen laptop ever. For only $75,  this laptop comes with no keyboard, as opposed to the computer that cuts out the middle man. Better yet, it has a fold–out, dual touchscreen, designed to fend off the glare in the middle of a sunny day.

The designers felt that not producing the laptop with a keyboard would translate into less mechanical failure for the unit. As OLPC strives to rid the world of computer-phobia, it’s designs like these that could one day make everyone a computer-savvy nerd.

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The Atari 1980 masterpiece Missile Command is given a whole new take on interactive gaming thanks to Steven Mason. Steve wrote the clone for the multi-touch wall at Obscure Digital. It’s the same classic game, except you touch to shoot defending projectiles at incoming missiles. This adds a new element of game play and also gets your lazy ass off the couch. Chances are it’ll have you frantically slapping your hands against a wall for both exercise and entertainment.

We’ve seen this sort of technology before, even some with some newer games like Warcraft 3, but a classic such as Missile Command gives us a retro game with a fresh take on gameplay. I don’t see this kind of technology boosting the gaming industry’s innovation anymore than the Wii (a modern-day power glove), but seeing old Atari classics brought to life again makes me nostalgic.

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Designed by Tom Howard, these EarFlux headphones are really a cool little gadget, though only a concept so far. The EarFlux phones are completely wireless and touch-controlled, as well as ultra-portable.

The audio is controlled right from the outer frame of the headphones by sliding your finger around the wheel ala the iPod. When you’re done listening, the phones snap together for a very portable set of phones that can fit in your pocket. (more…)

Moaning Lisa is a conceptual interactive game which not only looks like a real blast, but also teaches you knowledge on how to crack the code to the cryptic female orgasm. Lisa comes with a set of 7 touch sensors marked with stars to help you become better equipped to please the female form.

Much like a real woman, if she’s left ignored, she’ll start moaning at passerbys to come give her a tickle. So you better keep her pleased if you don’t want to attract too much attention. — Andrew Dobrow

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Pictured above is the infamous N73-clone, called Nokir E828, produced by a mainland Chinese company (NOKIR) next to the real Nokia N73 (on the right), it has been selling well enough to catch Nokia’s attention. However the company did not have enough evidence to go against the manufacturer and the copyright-protection laws are a bit tricky in mainland China, so instead they decided to bully the tiny tiny shops that are selling the Nokir E828 in Hong Kong. Those poor scapegoats are asked by the representing law firm to relinquish all the stock voluntarily and pay a HKD 30,000 ($3870) fine for the damage incurred. Most of those shops are only run by 1-2 people in a space no bigger than 25 squared feet in Mong Kok (a more ghetto part of Hong Kong). According to the shopkeepers, they’ve been trying to get in touch with Nokia as the deal is not fair, so far they have received no reply.

The Nokir E828 is a dualband GSM phone that houses a 2.6″ QVGA touchscreen and a 2 megapixels camera. MP3 and MP4 are supported and the memory expansion used is microSD. Being smaller and lighter than the N73 (110×55x14mm 105g), the E828 seems to have everything a fanboy would dream of, check out the $100 price tag, too: unbeatable. You’ll have to be very lucky to find any of these after this incident though. –Sam Chan

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Swedish company Neonode has started this online market campaign for their highly anticipated tiny smartphone a while ago, and just a few hours before 3GSM opens, they finally showed us a real picture. All we know from the official details is that the Neonode2 is 70g and 77mm tall; but rumors are floating around that the device will be 14mm thick support Quadband GSM and Bluetooth, there should be a SD card slot, camera and USB port, Neonode fans are speculating that there would be some revolutionary changes to the Windows CE-based (Windows Mobile 6?) user interface. The Neonode 2 should be available in Europe this spring. More details till then. –Sam Chan
Pregnant man blog [Neonode]