TOKYO - Worried that you're not getting enough exercise or that you've eaten way too much garlic? A Japanese firm has come up with a phone that can help.

Japan's largest cell phone carrier NTT DoCoMo unveiled this week a "Fitness Phone," designed to help the user stay healthy -- and avoid bad breath.

The handheld phone, equipped with various devices that can measure your pulse or the amount of steps you've taken in a day, dispenses heath advice after you've punched in statistics such as gender, age and weight.

And you can also exhale into the phone and it will tell you whether its time to reach for the breath mints.

"Our primary target groups would be fat-fighting middle-aged businessmen and young women on diets," said Kentaro Endo, a spokesman for NTT DoCoMo.

Via: MSN
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Labels: technology

YouTube has announced international versions of its web video service.
The video site, owned by Google, has launched nine versions across Brazil, France, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Netherlands, Poland, Spain and the UK.

Each site is translated into local languages and has country-specific video rankings and comments.

"Video is universal and allows people around the world to communicate and exchange ideas," said Chad Hurley, YouTube co-founder.

"Our mission is to entertain, inform and empower the world through video."

More localised versions of YouTube will be rolled out this year.

More than half of all viewers on YouTube were now from outside the US, Mr Hurley added.

YouTube has also unveiled content partners around the world, including deals with France 24, Antena 3 in Spain, European football clubs such as AC Milan, Chelsea, Barcelona and Real Madrid, as well as organisations such as Friends of the Earth and Greenpeace.

"We want to create a YouTube experience that is a local experience," said Steve Chen, the service's other co-founder.

"It's not just about translating, it also about creating content unique to certain countries."

Source: BBC News

Labels: technology

Microsoft has unveiled a new touch-sensitive coffee table-shaped computer called "Surface".
Designed to do away with the need for a traditional mouse and keyboard, users can instead use their fingers to operate the computer.
Also designed to interact with mobile phones placed on the surface, Microsoft says it will initially sell the unit to corporate customers.
These will include hotels, casinos, phone stores and restaurants.

'Multi-touch'

So-called "multi-touch" interfaces - which allow the user to move several fingers on a screen to manipulate data, rather than relying on a mouse and menus - have been making waves in tech circles for some time.

With a 30-inch screen, Surface will initially sell for between $5,000 and $10,000 (£2,525-£5,050).

However, Microsoft said it aimed to produce cheaper versions for homes within three to five years.

Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6703249.stm

Microsoft Surface Presentation video:

Labels: gadgets, Interesting-Stuff, technology