Here's an interesting project from the MIT Media Lab that has been getting quite a lot of recent acclaim (in publications such as Business Week, USA Today, etc.).  It's called the Jerk-o-Meter, and it is being developed by a group of students led by Anmol Madan (shown in the photo - the same one that appeared on the USA Today story).  The Jerk-o-Meter is a real-time application that analyzes speech patterns to determine whether or not a participant in a phone call is really paying attention to the speaker.  It can use speech features for activity and distress to determine whether or not a person is really "being a jerk" on the phone.  The current version runs in Linux on a Zaurus IP softphone (the Sharp Zaurus SL-6000 appears on the same photo showing Anmol).  There are plans to add new features such as empathy.  For more details on the features, please follow this link (and open the PDF file entitled "Voices of Attraction").

Gizmodo is reporting on more info being leaked about the Motorola Q (expected to make its debut early next year).  So the market for smart devices will get really competitive, with models such as the RIM Blackberry 7100G (already launched earlier this year), the Palm Treo 670, and the Motorola Q, among others.