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The app can determine if a stuffed animal is being hugged, squeezed, or even moved, using the smartphone's camera and flash. As the toy is compressed, so is the soft foam inside, which decreases the brightness level of photos taken using the camera's flash. And in the same way an optical mouse can track movement by comparing sequential images, the app could easily determine if a plush toy is being moved and played with, automatically triggering sound effects as a result.

"According to their writeup, Disney has partnered with a company called Jaxx to create a line of toys that can be recognized by phone or tablet apps, then trigger animations based on Disney's movies or other properties. In the example seen by Reuters, pointing an iPad camera at a set of Little Mermaid-branded bongo drums will cause the crab Sebastian to come on-screen and perform a song by "playing" them. Specific animations could also be used to sell the products in stores, like an animated Tinkerbell who flies out of her box when shoppers look at her with a smartphone camera."

"There's a robot snake that slithers along on wheels, and actually snaps out to bite your hand when the infrared sensor sees you there. You can shake a smartphone to make it hiss and strike, or tilt to use the phone's inertial sensors to steer."

consumers browse and follow offline retailers and if one of walk.by's merchants has the product in stock. it will notify the users and they can hold item.

We've seen numerous mobile apps designed to improve drivers' safety on the road, but Automatic takes what may well be the most comprehensive approach to date. With the help of a small device that plugs into the car, the Automatic app monitors that car's health, makes money-saving driving tips, remembers where the car is parked and more. Users begin by plugging the Automatic Link device into their car's data port; it supports every gasoline-engine car made since 1996, its San Francisco-based maker says. Once that's done, the car and smartphone will automatically connect wirelessly whenever the user takes a trip. Among the services Automatic provides along the way are driving suggestions for better fuel efficiency, trip timelines including miles per gallon, and automatic crash detection as well as sending alerts to 911 and loved ones. Also available are engine-health monitoring and parking reminders. Pricing is USD 69.95. The video below explains the premise in more detail:

1. New MRI Tech Detects Diseases In Seconds Rather Than Hours 2. Smartphone Camera Reads User's Pulse Through Facial Imaging 3. Wearable Sensor Measures Secondhand Smoke In Real Time 4. Simple iPhone App Diagnoses STD's 5. Burn Wound Sensor Lights Up When Bacteria Is Detected

The Android piece is particularly interesting. If you're a publisher or developer with an Android app to promote, a Google+-authenticated user who is browsing around your desktop website will be prompted to download the Android app, too. Then, the user can opt to get an over-the-air install of the app without ever touching a smartphone. Read more at http://venturebeat.com/2013/04/02/google-plus-login-button/#lOL2oCXRukFeFdM4.99 

The Big Issue In The North, a U.K. magazine sold by homeless street vendors to give them a steady income, is launching a digital edition, alongside its print edition. If a customer wants the digital version street vendors will sell them an access card with a QR code plus one-off access code on it which will enable them to download the edition to their smartphones or tablet.

"The Beam Brush is the first app-connected toothbrush. A sensor embedded in the upper part of the brush tracks your activity and syncs it to the company's app on your smartphone via Bluetooth. The free app is available for your Android or iPhone device. By recording this data, you can get a better picture of your overall dental hygiene habits."

"Big Is Beautiful As smartphone screens get larger, companies have found some success with ads such as "takeovers" that briefly fill all or most of a device's screen. San Francisco app company Fotopedia sells such ads on its iPhone and iPad apps, which let people flip through high-quality photographs of Paris, national parks or wild animals. Marketers including National Geographic and travel websites Jetsetter and Expedia Inc. EXPE -0.23% pay roughly $1 to $1.50 for each user who clicks an ad, which fill a full screen. Like fashion ads in a luxury magazine, the Fotopedia ads appear every 10 "pages" or so of the app. As many as 18% of people who see an ad click on it, said Christophe Daligault, Fotopedia's senior vice president of global operations. On the Web, it isn't unusual for just 1% of people shown an ad to interact with it, marketers said. Still, big ads should be used sparingly, some marketers said. Craig Bierley, director of General Motors Co.'s GM -0.84% Buick advertising, said the auto maker tends to limit takeover ads to major product introductions because otherwise "people might find it annoying.""

epperHealth will also detect a rapidly rising heart rate, check in on how you're feeling, follow up on your sleeping habits and remind you to take your meds - the robot will even call up an Uber for those unable to use a smartphone. It works by detecting abnormal vitals through the Watch such as a rapid heart rate or a fall and then Pepper "wakes up" and comes over to check out what's going on. Should something serious happen, Pepper will alert a built-in emergency system and give medics the elder's location to get them immediate assistance.