Moneual's Rydis H67 robot both vacuums and mops

Sometimes, we just don't find the time we need to clean our homes. That's where cleaning robots can be a real life saver, as they do the cleaning for you. A new one from Moneual, called the Rydis H67, combines a vacuum for carpets and mop for tile and wood floors into one electronic workhorse.

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There's not an app for that: CAC issues warning about avalanche apps

The smartphone is like the modern day, techy Swiss Army Knife. With the help of a few apps, it can control all kinds of devices, deliver all types of entertainment and information, and get you out of jams. Heck, it can evenbecome an actual pocket knife. But it can't do everything. The Canadian Avalanche Centre says that avalanche rescue apps can not effectively replace dedicated avalanche beacons.

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Google Nexus 5 leaks in white, November now looking likely for launch

A new promotional image showing a white model of Google's upcoming Nexus 5smartphone has leaked ahead of an official announcement, alongside another potential launch date.

Designed and built by LG to Google's specifications, a partnership which previously resulted in the best-selling Nexus 4 handset, the Nexus 5 builds on its predecessor with a larger, higher-resolution screen, more powerful internals and the latest Android 4.4 Kit Kat build of Google's Android mobile operating system.

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Sony's US Mobile Strategy: Whatever

Sony has dropped three new mobile devices into the US market -- its Smartwatch 2 and its Xperia Z1 and Z Ultra smartphones -- but it doesn't seem to be playing a very high-stakes game. That's possibly because it doesn't need to. "Sony is a diversified consumer electronics and digital content company," noted tech analyst Stephen Blum. "Its competitive advantage is its brand."

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Powerful Nokia Tablet Focuses on Photo Skills

Nokia's Lumia 2520 is the first tablet to incorporate Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 processor, and it's the first to include Zeiss lenses. Also, the addition of an LTE modem in the 2520 "is a great attempt to see if [Nokia] can change the game," said tech analyst Jeff Orr. "I believe whoever can lead the charge by including a modem could be a bellwether for the rest of the market."

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LG Introduces Caressable Smartphone

Do you want your phone to curve? If you do, should it curve to fit your hand or curve to fit your face? LG has introduced the face-hugging G Flex, believing that's how consumers want their curves. An additional innovation is the self-healing elastic material used on the G Flex's back case -- it supposedly can repair any nicks or cracks caused by wear and tear.
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The IF Convertible: 3 Devices, 1 Data Plan

Get in on the ground floor as we look at the most exciting crowdfunded tech projects out there right now. This week: IdealFuture's IF Convertible, a device that combines phone, tablet and dual-screen laptop in one. The device will weigh in at less than one pound and feature an 18-hour battery; ports consist of USB, HDMI, Ethernet and memory card; RAM comes in at 4 GB and storage at 512 GB.

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iPhone and the Amazing Microfluid Dreamcoat

CODE Fluidics has 57 backers who have pledged about $4,140, as of this writing. The goal is $55,000, and the campaign ends Nov. 23. The funds will let CODE Fluidics get the mass production molds produced, as well as buy raw materials and make a production run. An early bird pledge of $35 will nab 250 backers a white or black iPhone 5/5s case with three color MicroCartridges that hold the fluids.

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'Apple can read your iMessages' claims security firm

Earlier this year, Apple said: "Conversations which take place over iMessage and FaceTime are protected by end-to-end encryption so no one but the sender and receiver can see or read them. Apple cannot decrypt that data."

But Quarkslab, a Paris-based security firm, disputed those claims at a Hack in the Box conference in Kuala Lumpur on ThursdScheduleay, according to Ars Technica.

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The Brick mobile phone is back - and has Snake

An 80s-style retro phone called 'The Brick' has been launched today at Carphone Warehouse.

The Brick is on sale for £50, has a standby battery life of up to one month, and comes with mobile phone game Snake.

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Phonebloks: a phone that can be built like Lego

A smartphone with detachable parts that could last forever has been designed.

Phonebloks is a sustainable device that can be built like Lego and would allow users to replace its parts over time instead of buying new smartphones.

Dutch designer Dave Hakkens designed it after his favourite camera broke and he was advised to buy a new one as it was cheaper than replacing the broken part.

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London-based MyTime app launched on iPhones

Free iPhone app MyTime has launched in London and is already on Apple's 'What Hot' listing on the App Store.

The app is personalised to allow the user to re-select and filter results by the type of interests and events they enjoy.

It links to iCal, so the user can select an event and see it go straight into their phone's calendar.

Events can also be shared to a user's friends, and it is updated in real-time so users do not miss out on last minute events or one day exclusives.

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LG unveils G Flex curved smartphone

South Korean mobile phone maker LG claims that the vertically curved design of its G Flex smartphone is optimised for the average face, to deliver improved voice and sound quality. The curved form increases the sound level by 3dB compared to typical flat smartphones.

The curved design also offers a more reassuring grip and fits more comfortably in the user's back pocket, according to LG. In landscape mode, the display offers an IMAX-like experience, providing accc angle for watching videos or playing games.

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BBM for Android and iOS hits 20m downloads in a week

BlackBerry has announced that its BlackBerry Messenger (BBM) apps for Android and iOS have already been downloaded more than 20 million times.

It means it now has more than 80 million active users globally across BlackBerry, Android and iPhone devices.

BlackBerry re-launched the Android and iOS apps last week, after problems with a rogue version of the Android app forced BlackBerry to suspend the rollout for almost a month.

BBM quickly rose through the rankings on the App Store to become the number one free app in 107 countries and top free app in 35 countries in Google Play during its first week.

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New coating could lead to waterproof mobile phones

Dropping your phone down the toilet may never be a problem again.

Researchers have developed a new way of waterproofing electronic components that means they can be immersed in water for days without being damaged.

The technique coats components with a protective layer just a few atoms thick that is impervious to air or water.

They claim devices treated in this way can be left submerged in salt water for months without being harmed – conditions that would destroy normal electronics.

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Shoto photo app launches on Android and iOS

A new app is launching in the UK today that uses a combination of location and phonebook details to automatically create albums of all the photos taken together by a group of friends at a given place and time.

Known as Shoto, the aim of the app is to solve the problem of never getting to see the photos that other people have taken an event, like a wedding or a office party. However, it also includes privacy controls that let the user select which people at the event get to see their pictures.

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Stepping Out Of The Lab: Steve Cousins' New Robotics Company

 At the Pioneers Festival in Vienna, several of the leading voices in robotics, including Rodney Brooks, CEO of Rethink Robotics, and Steve Cousins, former CEO of Willow Garage gathered to have a candid discussion about the future of robotics.

Cousins, also the creator of ROS (Robot Operating System), an open source software that’s become the de facto standard in modern robots, announced his new robotics company, Savioke. He won’t go into a lot of detail, but he did say the company is focused on service robotics.
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Latest mobile phones 2013: hottest handsets reviewed

In the ever-changing mobile market, it can be hard to keep pace with the latest mobile phones. That's why we've put together this hub for our latest mobile phone reviews and hands on: to give you the ideal jumping-on point for choosing the best handset for you out of the most current models around.

We cover a plethora of brands, including Apple, HTC, Nokia, Samsung and Blackberry, and operating systems, such as Android, iOS and Windows Phone 8, so you should find something that piques your interest here.

In short, if you're seeking a new mobile phone, this is a great place to start.

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Oculus Rift Is Coming to Android—iOS Still Waiting Read more: Oculus Rift Comes to Android - Popular Mechanics Follow us: @PopMech on Twitter | popularmechanics on Facebook Visit us at PopularMechanics.com

Oculus Rift, the massively Kickstarted virtual reality headset and PopMech Breakthrough Award Winner, is going mobile with Android compatibility. Chief executive officer Brendan Iribe announced the integration yesterday during the GamesBeat 2013 conference in Redwood, Calif. 

The mobile Rift headset will be much lighter than its PC-tethered counterpart, and the team announced that it hopes to launch both sets next year. The company's blog also says that Oculus Android development kits are already running. Games will most likely be created around or modified for the device, and Oculus demos like the VR Cinema 3D will allow users to watch movies unrestricted by cables. 

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GIMP review: This free image editor is no longer a crippled alternative to Photoshop

Whether you are actively considering a move away from Photoshop, or simply hoping there is a non-proprietary tool for reading your Photoshop images if you ever decide to stop subscribing to Adobe’s cloud, you’ve probably wondered about GIMP. A free, open-source, image editor, the GNU Image Manipulation Program (GIMP) has been a go-to tool for Linux users for years, but has a reputation for being hard to use and lacking many of Photoshop’s features. The reality has changed dramatically over the last couple years. GIMP now has a very competent user interface, as well as an extensive and powerful set of features. Its openly extensible nature means that in some areas, like running well-known image processing algorithms on your photos, it actually outshines Adobe Photoshop.
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