By Cynthia Herbert :: 10:36 PM
Although they’re not even widely available yet, outside of Google’s exclusive developer program, West Virginia is the first jurisdiction to attempt to ban the use of Google Glass while operating a motor vehicle in the state.
The legislation, which was introduced by West Virginia representative Gary Howell, adds Google Glass to the state’s current regulations against texting while driving. Howell said that the bill was inspired by a review of Google Glass that he read in the tech press, and his feelings that the emerging technology would be a distraction to drivers.
Under the proposed law, Google Glass would be grouped together with handheld cellular phones and other electronic devices which the state already bans from use by the operator of a motor vehicle. The fine for the first offense is $100, and second, third, and subsequent offenses are fined at $200 and $300 respectively.
By Paul Thomson :: 4:50 PM
Reports of a suspicious package inside a car located in the parking garage of a busy Los Angeles, CA mall have caused an evacuation, and a flurry of activity on Twitter.
The Beverly Center mall was evacuated early on Sunday afternoon, with shoppers being told to leave the mall and connected parking structure.
Local media reports that the Los Angeles Police Department’s bomb squad was called to the scene. The call was made after a motorist reported a suspicious package in his vehicle, which was not there when he first parked at the mall.
By Paul Thomson :: 8:48 AM
HTC announced today that it will be introducing the HTC One handset this week, the phone that the Taiwanese company considers to be its flagship smartphone model, and possibly its final attempt at taking some kind of hold in the smartphone marketplace.
The long-awaited phone has been delayed due to issues in HTC’s supply chain – chiefly the shortage of at least two key components for the smartphone. HTC had told carriers earlier this month about the delay, but gave no timetable for rollout at that announcement.
“We appreciate our customers’ patience and believe that once they have the phone in their hands, they will agree that it has been worth the wait,” a company spokesperson said in a prepared statement for the announcement.
When the HTC One actually shows up on store shelves, it will encounter some of the toughest competition that the smartphone market has ever seen. Offerings like the Galaxy S4 from Samsung have the potential to totally eclipse whatever HTC hopes to do in the fiercely competitive marketplace.
As far as specs go, the phone will have a 4.7″ touchscreen display with a resolution better than Apple’s current retina display, and a quad-core Snapdragon processor under the hood. A 2GB memory chip will make things speedy, but it will only be running Android 4.1, not 4.2. HTC’s own interface, Sense, will run on top of the Android operating system.
By Gilbert Falso :: 10:34 PM
Apple today confirmed that it has spent $20 million to acquire WifiSLAM, a Silicon Valley company that builds technology that enables GPS-like positioning features indoors.
A spokesperson for the company confirmed the purchase with the Wall Street Journal, but did not go into great detail about why Apple sought to purchase the company, or what it intends to do with the technology.
WifiSLAM’s indoor positioning technology extends location data availability to the inside of buildings and other structures where satellite-based positioning systems, like standard GPS, do not work. WifiSLAM makes use of Wi-Fi signals to generate location information.
The indoor positioning company is a startup – just two years old – and had raised funding from various investors. It was founded in 2010 by a former Google engineering intern, and graduated out of Stanford University’s tech accelerator StartX. According to a Venture Beat report from August, the company had raised a million dollars from a variety of venture capital firms and angel investors.
As for what Apple would do with the company – right now it is anyone’s guess. With the lackluster performance of Apple’s Maps product when it launched with iOS 6, it is possible that the company is looking to make the next version go above and beyond the current popular Google Maps offering. And, as usual with these types of deals, Apple is keeping its collective mouth shut.
By Gilbert Falso :: 4:17 PM
Another day, and another technology company throws its hat into the ring in the smart watch competition.
This time, South Korean electronics company LG has announced plans for both a smart watch as well as a Google Glass type wearable computer eyeglass device.
According to the Korea Times, sources at the company say that both technologies are currently under development. While products may be under way, no concrete details have been released about either device.
LG is the fourth company in recent weeks to announce plans for a smart watch device. It joins the ranks of Apple, Google, and Samsung in the race to get a wearable computing device around the wrists of tech savvy users.
While four companies may have announced plans to build smart watches, not a single one of them has any kind of details out, publicly, about their products. Rumors, however, are everywhere.
Apple may have the most concrete plans for their smart watch product at this time. We have seen at least two patent filings dealing with wearable technology from Apple, and several sources agree that a team of hundreds is collaborating on the device.