Sensors turn skin into control pad

Tapping your forearm or hand with a finger could soon be the way to interact with gadgets, says the BBC.

US researchers have found a way to work out where the tap touches and use that to control phones and music players.

Coupled with a tiny projector, the system can use the skin as a surface on which to display menu choices, a number pad or a screen.

Security researchers on Friday unveiled an open source device that captures the traffic of a wide variety of wireless devices, including keyboards, medical devices and remote controls, reports The Register.

Keykeriki version 2 captures the entire data stream sent between wireless devices using a popular series of chips made by Norway-based Nordic Semiconductor. That includes the device addresses and the raw payload being sent between them.

The open source package was developed by researchers of Switzerland-based Dreamlab Technologies and includes complete software, firmware and schematics for building the $100 sniffer. At the CanSecWest conference in Vancouver, Dreamlab demonstrated how Keykeriki could be used to attack wireless keyboards sold by Microsoft.

Sony is dropping "Other OS" support from all non-slim PlayStations 3s, states Total PlayStation.

Via a firmware update set to go live on 1 April, the "Other OS" option on the XMB will be removed, although it is anyone's guess if the drive partition will be removed.

People choosing not to update will still be able to use their PS3s, but the online functionality will effectively be removed.

A controversial new DVD system that can censor films is to be released in the UK later this year, reports the BBC.

ClearPlay allows parents to filter material with options to remove scenes containing blood, violence, offensive words and blasphemy.

However, the system has been criticised in America, with the Directors' Guild of America taking the company to court claiming violation of copyright laws.