A cigarette vending machine that recognizes faces

Now why would a cigarette vending machine need to recognize faces? Apparently, this "Child Check System" introduced by Japanese company Fujitaka uses facial recognition to determine if the person buying cigarettes is over the legal age limit, which is currently set at 20 in Japan. A camera embedded in the vending machine takes a picture, compares it with its database of 100,000 faces. It even checks for lines and skin tones to ascertain a person's age.

We have it that the Fujitaka Child Check System will be installed in about half a million vending machines in Japan from July this year.

Whether this system actually works in stopping underaged consumers from smoking is still too early to tell. After all, there are lots of people who look younger than their actual age, and some who appear more mature than they are. Besides, young people can still easily buy cigarettes from convenience stores. So what's next? A vending machine that determines if you are too fat to consume sugared drinks? Hey, you never know.

Via DigitalWorldTokyo
Picture credit: DigitalWorldTokyo

SingTel, StarHub and MobileOne to bring iPhone to Singapore

It's official. SingTel has announced it will bring the iPhone to Singapore later this year. According to the media statement, SingTel, Bharti Airtel, Globe and Optus have signed an agreement with Apple to bring the iPhone to Singapore, India, the Philippines and Australia. No further details were mentioned in the release.

We've also just gotten word that the iPhone is expected to be available from all three telcos in Singapore. According to Michael Sim, senior corporate communications manager for StarHub, "we expect all three operators in Singapore would be offering the iPhone by the end of the year". We know it's stating the obvious, but this simply means the iPhone that will be available in the island-state won't be tied exclusively to any of the local telco operators. And surely, that's a piece of good news on a Monday afternoon.

Cell phone power is in your hands

Even if your telecom operator gives you cellular coverage all the way into the heart of a tropical rainforest, it won't mean a thing if your mobile phone runs out of power. Here’s a product that will address that problem, the Hand-Crank USB Power Charger sold on the National Geographic site.

If your mobile phone can be charged using USB, it'll probably work with this. The concept is simple--plug in your phone, and start cranking. You'll probably work up a sweat just trying to get one call out of your flat battery. But in case of emergency, a sweaty t-shirt would be the least of your worries.

This device costs US$39.95 and includes adapters to fit most Motorola, Samsung, Nokia, and LG phones. For those using brands not listed here, getting a third-party USB charger for your phone will probably do the trick, too. The Hand-Crank USB Power Charger even comes with an AC adapter so you can deposit power into the device when you have access to a power outlet--that'll help save you a few turns of the handle when out in the field.

Samsung SGH-i200 smart phone gets WM6.1

The SGH-i200 was first showcased at the Mobile World Congress in February. Back then, it was running on Windows Mobile 6 Standard. Today, Samsung has announced that the SGH-i200 will ship with the latest WM6.1 to Europe in June and in the other markets within the subsequent month. The candybar smart phone measures 11.8mm thin, has a 2.3-inch QVGA TFT screen and comes with features like HSDPA, onboard light sensor, a 2-megapixel camera and microSD expansion card slot. Unfortunately, the i200 won't be available in Southeast Asia. So what you can do now is read more about what's new in Windows Mobile 6.1 and the list of devices getting the software upgrade here.

Diotek develops Korean handwriting recognition software for iPhone

Sure, the iPhone may be getting Chinese handwriting recognition, but it's not done yet. Diotek, a mobile software company based in Korea, has announced DioPen--a handwriting recognition software for the iPhone. According to ZDNet Korea, the DioPen can recognize Korean, Chinese and English/European letters and digits written in cursive, print, or both. It works on the iPhone's capacitive touchscreen LCD, as well has handsets with resistive touchscreens. No word on when it'll be available, though.

Via ZDNet Korea

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