Researchers want to make window shopping a special experience in future by enabling passers-by to operate window displays with hand and facial gestures.Cameras record the 3D positions of peoples hands,face and eyes and transform them into commands for selecting and purchase goods even after the shop has closed.
IMAGINE THIS
A woman passing by the window display is captivated and asks her companion Isnt the leather bag chic Which one do you mean There are so many of them. The woman points to one of the bags and the purse appears on a display in the shop window.Then she points to a button and the object rotates.So thats what it looks like from the back. She makes another gesture to zoom in letting her see every detail.
This experience is possible thanks to a 3D system from the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications in Germany.Its interactive shop window enables people passing by to put goods behind shop windows onto a display with simple hand and facial gestures.
GETTING INTERACTIVE
Interactive shopping has been standard operating procedure in the Web for a long time.Now,were putting this technology into pedestrian passageways and shopping centres with the entire unit behind the window, said Paul Chojecki,a scientist at the Fraunhofer Institute for Telecommunications.
Cameras continually record the 3D positions of the hands,faces and eyes of persons passing by.Then,imageprocessing software calculates the coordinates and transforms them into the corresponding inputs for selecting goods,viewing them in detail and immediately purchasing them even after business hours.
Anyone interested can have also themselves shown product information such as colour,material,price,availability and information on the manufacturer.
HOW IT WORKS
The interactive shop window consists of four cameras and visualisation software.Two of these stereo cameras record the face and eyes while the other two record the motion of the hands.Image processing recognises both gestures such as when you turn your hand and when you point to a button with your finger that you can see on a monitor.The researcher adds that the system doesnt store any personal data and only the coordinates of the body parts it recognises are passed onto the visualisation.
The way the payment process is taken care of is also left up to the shop owner.
But thats not all.The interactive shop window not only identifies how many people are in front of the shop window,but it also can suggest on the basis of the gathered data what products and information the people passing by might be interested in.
It only move that cursor around your screen?! Not anymore. With the Genius Navigator 380, your mouse now works as a VOIP phone, an instant messaging device, not to mention the 1200dpi optical mouse part. All of these are rolled into its sweet clamshell design. Of course, if you have this multi-functional device, its primary use will be the mouse, but when you receive a call from one of your friends, it will either ring or flash a green light (underneath where your hand would be).
The Genius Navigator 380 is a great little peripheral for you business travelers as well. You can save precious room in your laptop case to use for that enormous power adapter they didn’t tell you the laptop required. To top it off, the Genius Navigator 380 can juggle six separate instant messengers (Skype, MSN, Yahoo, GoogleTalk, QQ, and AIM) simultaneously in one window. Another multi-function that will save you space and money.
Genius Navigator 380 can be carried along with a notebook and features a 1,200 dpi optical engine. The LED on the mouse blinks when there is a call through the IMs. And if the PC speaker is on, the ringing will also alert an incoming phone call. The mouse opens like a clamshell mobile phone. The Genius Navigator 380 is available in India for Rs.1,850 (INR).
The company has officially launched the guitar and calls it Kitara. The Kitara features a 8-inch multi-functional touchscreen, MIDI controls and an on-board polyphonic synthesizer with effects, allowing guitarists to fully express their musical vision. Instead of guitar strings, Kitara guitarists control sound through their fingertips, using the touchscreen and fret board to play, enhance and alter sounds in real-time.
The Linux-based Kitara offers over 100 digital sounds, six pre-loaded effects, 24 frets and 144 notes. It has 1.25-inch audio out, MIDI out and 3.5mm headphone out. The Kitara digital guitar is available for pre-order for $849. There is the Kitara Limited Edition with a precision-etched body of solid aluminum, which is priced at $2899.
Western Digital is trying to build upon the success of its WD TV Live Plus with the launch of the WD TV Live Hub, a set-top box that delivers even more functionality for entertainment seekers.
The WD TV Live Hub comes with a built-in 1TB hard drive, allowing customers to store all kinds of video and audio content on the device. In fact, Western Digital said the product includes support for 1080p video formats, .mkv, .mp4, and .mov. In addition, video, music, or photos stored on the device can be streamed to any DLNA/UPnP-compatible products, including the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Western Digital also said that the content can be streamed to the iPad, iPhone, and Android-based smartphones with the help of third-party applications.
The WD TV Live Hub boasts user interface configuration options that allow users to change screen backgrounds or themes. The device comes with two USB ports that let users transfer content from cameras, external hard drives, or other products to the WD TV Live Hub.
But the set-top box doesn't solely cater to those who want to watch their own content. The device also includes support for Netflix streaming, YouTube, Flickr, and Pandora. It's the only product in Western Digital's line of set-top boxes to feature Blockbuster On Demand. The WD TV Live Hub also includes Facebook integration, allowing users to upload photos or videos, as well as change their status and view their news feeds.
The WD TV Live Hub is a definite step up over the WD TV Live Plus, which lacks the 1TB hard drive and the ability to stream content throughout the home. But like the WD TV Live Plus, the WD TV Live Hub lacks Wi-Fi.
WD TV Live Hub owners will be forced to connect to the Web via Ethernet or buy an accessory to connect to a Wi-Fi network. It's unfortunate. And it's a glaring omission in a field with several devices, including the Apple TV and Logitech Revue, that do come with Wi-Fi built in. The Western Digital TV Live Hub retails in India atRs 9,999.
Specifications : Gigabit Ethernet, USB 2.0, HDMI, Composite A/V, Component video, Optical audio, 1 TB capacity, Windows/Mac operating system supported.
Features:
Watch popular movies and TV episodes instantly: Don't wait for the mailman to deliver your movies and don't settle for streaming to your small computer screen. Choose from over 10,000 titles from Blockbuster On Demand or access your Netflix unlimited membership and watch TV episodes and movies on your big screen.
Access popular Internet content from the comfort of your living room: Play YouTube videos, access Facebook, see your photos on Flickr, play music on Pandora, and watch daily video podcasts from CNN, NBC, MTV, ESPN, and other online content.
Play almost any type of media file: WD TV Live Hub supports a wide variety of the most popular file formats including HD camcorder video formats. No need to spend time transcoding.
Automatic play: Select your favorite song, movie or photo slideshow to automatically play when the device is turned on. Perfect for living art on your HDTV or for digital signage.
Access media anywhere on your home network: The Ethernet port lets you connect this media player to your home network so you can access and stream video, view photos, and play music from any Mac, PC, and network drive in your house.
Play all your personal media the easy way: Load up the high-capacity drive with all your media to create your own media jukebox. In a few clicks, you can play your home movies, share vacation slideshows, and play your music on the big screen and sound system in your living room.
It's a multi-room media server streaming to any TV in your house: You can stream any file on the WD TV Live Hub media center to a WD TV Live media player or any DLNA/UPnP compatible TV, Blu-ray Disc player, or game console. The system is powerful enough to handle multiple streams so you can stream a movie to your Blu-ray Disc player, while viewing photos on your TV upstairs.
Video camera-ready: Connect your camcorder or digital camera directly to the media center and instantly view or archive HD video and photos without a PC.
Sync new media: The player automatically synchronizes with watched folders so new content from any PC, Mac, or USB storage will be added to the WD TV Live Hub.
Transfer files easily: Copy, move or delete files stored on a USB drive, a network drive, your camcorder, or a camera attached to the media center using the on-screen menus.
Programmable remote: Use the included programmable remote control to make your entertainment choices using our crisp, animated navigation menus. Customize buttons for quick and easy access to your favorite music, photos, videos or menu choices.
Full-HD 1080p video playback: This is the real thing; Full-HD 1080p playback. Sit back and enjoy the spectacular picture quality of brilliant high definition video and the crystal-clear sound of digital audio.
Works with USB keyboards: Use the on-screen keyboard, an alphanumeric keypad, or attach your wired or wireless USB keyboard for easy text input. Perfect for searching videos on YouTube or updating your status on Facebook.
HDMI 1.4, composite video and component video output: The HDMI port lets you connect to the highest quality HDTV or home theater. Additional composite (RCA), and component outputs ensure compatibility with virtually all television sets.
SPDIF digital output: The optical audio output sends digital signals to your AV receiver for the best surround sound experience.
LONDON Its processor works 1,000 times slower than the Apple iPad,but the first ever Apple computer has sold for 425 times the price.
The Apple I,one of only 200 such models ever made,was sold at Christies auction house in central London for $2,10,000.It came with its original packaging and a signed sales letter from Steve Jobs,one of Apple Computers co-founders and the current CEO of Apple.
When the Apple I was introduced in 1976,it was the only personal computer to come with a fully assembled motherboard,making it ready to use straight from the box provided the user supplied a keyboard,power supply,and display,Christies said.
It sold for $666.66 and was available until it was discontinued in 1977.Bidding on the Apple I came quickly,with the computer eventually going to Italian businessman and private collector Marco Boglione.
Wozniak said the auction was a historic moment for his work,especially when sold alongside such other technological greats as the writings of mathematician Alan Turing,considered one of the founders of modern computing.
Today my heart went out as I got to see things auctioned off like the Turing documents and the Enigma machine and the Apple I, Wozniak told journalists after the auction.It really was an important step,(even though) I didnt feel that way when I designed it. AP
The Robot Hand from Squse features movable polycarbonate “bones” that are covered with a very realistic looking fleshtone silicon rubber. Kyoto-based Squse has developed the so-called Robot Hand H-Type [JP], a creepily realistic (but very cool) robotic hand.
This robotic limb is powered by 22 actuators with 16 joints, giving it a certain degree of realism in its movements.It weighs 340g and can lift up and move objects weighing up to 1.5kg. One can easily mistaken it for a real one.
The Robot Hand H-Type will be used mainly for industrial applications. Squse says " Two auto makers & another two companies from the food industry already showed interest in our product " . It includes three item set (hand, arm and image-processing system) which costs a whopping $94,000.
Someday there will be no gadgets left that cannot be powered by a USB port. They’ll all be shrunk down and in many cases suddenly be made much more cheaply. There are times when that’s not necessarily good, but on occasion it makes certain devices very handy. Like this little air purifier that plugs into your USB port. It’ll make sure that you get clean air while you’re glued to your computer. Best for all programmers and gamers who stick to their pc for longer time.
This air purifier works by emitting healthy negative ions into the air. Then by attaching themselves to air molecules and any impure particles in the air it negatively charges them. This will get rid of toxic substances in the air like odors, dust, mold and hopefully will help to rid you of that sweaty smell coming from the guy with serious pit stains. Hopefully.
In its effort to promote itself as the softdrink vendor of the future, the Coca-Cola company is now providing its customers with one hundred new ways to get early diabetes, using its new soda fountain, the Freestyle, offering more than 100 flavors from flavored water to carbonated and noncarbonated sodas and energy drinks.
Designed by the BSquare coroporation, the Coke Freestyle's touch interface allows you to select any drink of your choice, or even live it up a little by combining several drinks to make for one very potent sugar rush. The Freestyle works on PurePour technology, which was originally invented to monitor and measure cancer drugs and dialysis. But of course, choosing or mixing and matching your favorite softdrinks is now the more important function.
The Freestyle can also send business data back to Coke headquarters to determine product demand and peak times of beverage consumption, to help them learn how to ruin your health more effectively and at little cost as possible!
These are available in the country by the way. Two new speakers have been revealed to us by Logitech: the Logitech Z523 and the Z323 multimedia speakers priced at PhP 4,750 and PhP 2,650 respectively. Both are 2.1 systems and feature downward firing woofers and are made to be used for any system, PC or home theatre, or even with digital audio and video players. Logitech promises to give you a 360 degree experience.
The speakers are set up in such a way that they deliver omnidirectional acoustics to create a substantially wider sweet spot, which they say is helpful if you constantly move computer around but your audio system just sticks to one place. Technically speaking, you should be able to get the same sound quality even if you face these speakers away from you since Logitech says that there's an additional speaker driver facing backwards for each of the sattelites.
The Logitech Z323 Speaker System
The Z323 offers 30 watts of RMS power while the Z523 offers a little more oomph at 50 watts. No remotes here by the way, the speaker volume control's located at one of the speaker itself. There's RCA and a stereo 3.5mm jack input to choose from. Great if you're running on two sources, but don't turn both of them on unless you're just out to make some noise.
And here we thought the ideals and funky ideas of Japanese vision was already dampened by Chinese generics and the standardization of technology. The recent Onkyo dual screen LCD netbook proved that the Japs still had something great to infuse in these computers, and now just when we've seen the last Libretto back in 2005 shoved out of the game with the official debut of netbooks, Toshiba has decided to resuscitate the line again and introduced the dual screen W100. So Microsoft's Courier was thrown into the back burner... so what? Toshiba went along with a similar if not the same idea and went ahead with the mass production.
This computer comes with two 7-inch multi-touch LCDs with a resolution of 1024 x 600, an Intel Pentium U5400 CPU running at 1.2GHz, 62GB of SSD, 2GB memory, 4G / Wi-Max, Wi-Fi N, Bluetooth 2.1, 1x USB port, 1.02 megapixel camera, and Windows 7 Home Premium. It only weighs in at 699g (or 899g with the enhanced battery).
There's also six different keyboard overlays to choose from and can be used as if you were holding a book, or in a more traditional notebook form - there's an accelerometer to take the hassles away from that rotation job.
As for price, we're looking at a thousand bucks in United States dollars.
In line with random people coming up with different ways to get fat lards out there to exercise once they've ran out of all those marathons that claim to either be environmental (since all marathons are done on foot instead of cars, aren't all marathons therefore environmental?) or benefits the environment in some way (if 'environment' also means the marathon's product sponsors) - the E-Rope helps you work out for at least twenty minutes, but with an added twist - it can also charge your batteries while you're at it.
Exasperated by the countless reports and studies that show obesity in every place that has either a fast food restaurant or a useable couch, E-Rope has decided to lure exercise-challenged people everywhere with batteries. 2 AA batteries are stored on each side of the jumprope handles, and with every successful loop you overcome the batteries charge. It takes roughly twenty minutes of continuous jumping for all 4 batteries to fully charge, after which you can sit back on the couch, watch Two and a Half Men, place the batteries back into your remote control and order fries with that burger meal.
