Smart Lock via Activity Recognition tipped to land on Android

Smart Lock is a Google feature that will let Chromebook users unlock their devices with their smartphones without having to enter a password. It would seem this feature might be getting an update in the future. Android Police has discovered a possible new feature during an APK teardown of the newest Google Play services. It says Smart Lock can be triggered using Activity Recognition. It is described as an experimental feature so it might take a while before we see it. Activity Recognition could mean anything though. For example, maybe in the way you walk or shaking your phone in a particular pattern. But that might be a tough way to unlock a phone. Perhaps we’ll hear more about it at this year’s Google I/O. Any guesses on what the application could be like?

Source: Android Police | Via: Ubergizmo

‘Deus Ex Machina’ gets ported to mobile

A 30-year-old game is getting a new lease on life after it gets ported to two of the most popular mobile platforms—Android and iOS. Deus Ex Machina, a game released in 1984, is getting improved graphics and a remastered soundtrack to try and keep up with the times. Of course, it won’t look exactly as it did 30 years ago but it would approximate that. According to Mel Croucher, creator of the game, they are working on bringing the game to multiple platforms. You can purchase the 30^th Anniversary Collector’s Edition of the game for $5.79 over at the Apple iTunes App Store and $6.99 from the Amazon Appstore. But if you want the updated version, the Kickstarter-funded Deus Ex Machina 2 will be launched later this month.

Source: Ubergizmo

'Project Phire' is Corning's answer to sapphire crystal for smartphones and tablets

Corning has made four generations of Gorilla Glass which serve to protect multi-touch displays on smartphones and tablets. Since these devices are mostly glass, they need to have some durability and drop resistance and Gorilla Glass has succeeded in making this possible while continously making glass thinner and even more curved.

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James Dyson Award now open for entries

If you’re a university or college student studying product design, industrial design, and engineering and have a great idea you want to implement, the James Dyson Award is now looking for entries for this year’s competition. The competition looks for solutions to real-life problems from young scientists or engineers. But participants are encouraged to use less and design with the environment in mind. This year, the competition is open to 20 countries. Now, students in Taiwan and Hong Kong can also join. The international winner can stand a chance to win $54,000 for himself/herself and $9,000 for his/her university department.

The competition will be open for entries until July 2. The entrants will need to submit evidence of prototypes as well as stories detailing their design process and inspiration. The international winner will be announced by James Dyson on November 10. You can find out more information here.