Computter adaptation
SensoGlove knows from good golf grips, and tells you when yours is off. It’s got both video and output to help you adjust your finger positions. Something like this might be helpful for people who need dexterity retraining as a result of, say, a stroke, or need permanent assistance due to neuralgia or similar conditions.
Gizmodo: Digital golf glove tells you exactly hard to grip it
Nokia if you got ‘em
You’ve got a Nokia N8 phone. You’ve got a TV or other display with an HDMI interface. You plug the former into the latter, and voila: an instant magnified, touchscreen-style interface for a limited number of functions, such as running a slide show or operating a calculator. More capabilities to come, we hope.
MobileCrunch: Nokia turns any display into a touchscreen with “Plug and Touch.”
Like a hand with a cool seven-letter word, or like QWXJJZK?
The first commercial app is now available for the Kindle: a uniplayer version of Scrabble. Can it be used with Kindle’s voice output capabilities? Now that there’s a precedent, will there be other apps that take advantage of Kindle voice output? Will Larry Wanger’s article on Kindle accessibility affect the number of blind users who even buy one? Tune in tomorrow…
Sync and swim
YouTubeSocial is a website that lets you load a video and notify all your pals so they can watch it along with you, IM-ing all the while. Anyone else thinkin’ this could be a great tool for providing on-the-fly real-time captioning?
Gizmodo: The simplest way to watch cute YouTube videos in sync with friends
You must remember this…
And the iPad jumps into the world of brainwaved-powered operation. Currently used for osculatory goals, but other applications could be developed, either to allow people with little or no dexterity to run apps or to serve as a biofeedback trainer.
Dvice: iPad kissing game improves your ‘Jedi mind tricks for dating’ skills
Ubuntu in your face
An Ubuntu prototype will react to your face and body position in a variety of ways–automatically making text larger as you move away, for example, or expanding a video to full-screen mode if you lean back. Very promising for both vision and dexterity accommodations.
Engadget: Ubuntu prototype uses face recognition to intelligently move UI elements
You go, gel
Bödysöf is a new shower gadget that removes the need for squeezing bottles of bath gel. Instead, it lets you pull a lever to dispense gel into the stream of your shower. Looks pretty friendly for people with arthritis and other dexterity impairments. Available in chrome for $140 or plastic for $80; umlauts sold separately.