Tag: billy-steele

Facebook eyes ride-sharing feature for events pages

Facebook has been ramping up its Events pages as of late, and a recent patent application shows another use for those listings. In the paperwork, the social network explains how Events pages can also serve as a hub for ride sharing. Instead of the usual Going, Not Going, and Interested RSVPs on an event’s page, you would have the option to say whether or not you plan to drive. If you do, you can input details as to how many passengers you can take, if you just want to offer a ride to friends and what time you’ll be leaving. As you might expect, Facebook can pair passengers and drivers based on personal details like common interests, where you went to school and more to decrease the chances of awkward silence. After your pals (or soon-to-be pals) are all locked in, you’ll receive navigation info to guide you to the pickup spots. While a patent app doesn’t mean the company will actually implement the feature, this makes a lot of sense for Facebook. Using the Events pages as a primary interface could allow the folks in Melo Park to include ride sharing and carpooling relatively easily. For now, though, you’ll have to rely on hailing an Uber through Messenger . Via: Tech Insider Source: USPTO

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Facebook eyes ride-sharing feature for events pages

Microsoft’s prototype keyboard cover has an e-ink touchscreen

Tablets are becoming more useful for getting real work done. Looking to further bridge the gap between slate and laptop, Microsoft Applied Sciences built a prototype device it calls the DisplayCover: a keyboard cover that houses an e-ink touchscreen display. The 1, 280 x 305 resolution panel not only provides access to app shortcuts, but it can also handle touch gestures for navigation and accept stylus input. The stylus feature seems to make things like signing documents and scribbling notes a breeze, based on the demo video. In the case of an app like Photoshop where you need constant access to tool palettes, those items can be parked at the top of the keyboard so they don’t take up valuable space on the tablet’s display (in this case a Surface ). Why e-ink? Well, the team says the material was selected because it wouldn’t put too much added strain on battery life like a full-color touch panel would. Sure, the DisplayCover is a prototype that’s obviously far from finished. However, it’s interesting to take a look at what companies are doing to make efficient use of small screen sizes for maximizing productivity. [Thanks, Antonio] Filed under: Peripherals , Microsoft Comments Source: Microsoft Applied Sciences Tags: cover, displaycover, e-ink, keyboardcover, microsoft, surface, tablet, touchscreen

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Microsoft’s prototype keyboard cover has an e-ink touchscreen

3D-printed bottle caps will let you know if your milk goes bad

If you’re not a fan on the ol’ smell test to see if milk has spoiled , you might soon be in luck. Researchers from the University of California at Berkley and National Chiao Tung University in Taiwan created a “smart cap” for food storage containers that can detect spoilage. Using 3D-printed electronics, the lids house circuits and passive wireless sensors that are capable of determining if milk or juice has spoiled when it comes in contact with the lid. The components can detect changes in the liquid due to the presence of bacteria and transmit details wirelessly in real time. This means that you could potentially use a mobile app to check the freshness of food before you decide to buy it, for example. The group of engineers sees other uses for the technology too, including so-called smart implants that can relay pressure and drug concentrations to an external device. [Image credit: Brendon Thorne/Bloomberg via Getty Images] Filed under: Science Comments Via: Entrepreneur Source: Microsystems & Nanoengineering

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3D-printed bottle caps will let you know if your milk goes bad