Talk Tech - Humanoid robots

It's 2008, but there's no flying cars. Dogs can't talk. Let's face it - we won't be living like the Jetsons anytime soon.

Or will we?

For $166,000 a year, Honda's ASIMO, the world's most advanced humanoid robot, can be "hired" for service.

Expensive? Yes. Awesome? Oh yes. Don't believe me? Watch this.

According to Honda, ASIMO can recognize faces, respond to questions, run at 6 km/h and provide news and weather updates. Is it worth the price tag? That's debatable, but if ASIMO is any indication, the future (especially for lazy people) is bright.

Talk Tech: Bendable ... cell phone?

We've all seen Apple's iPhone, complete with a slick touchscreen, mobile Internet access and chic (read: pretentious) exterior.

That's pretty cutting-edge, right? Right?

But, have you ever seen a cell phone that bends like Stretch Armstrong?

Thought not.

Meet "Morph," Nokia's new concept phone. It's on display at the "Design and the Elastic Mind" exhibition at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City until mid-May and is an amalgam of ultra-new (and ultra-expensive) nanotechology.

But what does this mean for the common consumer?

It means you could wear it on your wrist, if you so choose. Bend it backwards. Twist it in half. It won't break. It's basically an electronic gymnast.

Don't expect it in Paris' Prada bag anytime soon though. Nokia says it's still in early development, but could eventually land on the market when nanotechology becomes a little less wallet-crippling.