First peek at a pico-projector
We’ve been posting on pico-projectors for a while, those tiny projectors planned to replace or supplement the screens on mobile products. Now one has actually reached the market, a media player. The relevant concerns? People with impaired dexterity may not be able to hold these products well enough for convenient use. And will the projected image be bright enough? This one is rated at 9 lux (for a 53 inch image), which is less than a footcandle — the brightness of a surface illuminated by a single candle held a foot away. A smaller image may be bright enough to use, depending on ambient lighting conditions. We’d be less worried if we knew there had been some attempt to factor in the needs of users with relevant disabilities.
PMP: Sunvision PMPP, World First Media Player With Pico-Projector
First swipe’s club
Nokia is first-to-market with a mobile phone with built-in short-range wireless technology: near-field communication (NFC). (Note that we just used up this month’s allotment of hyphens.) NFC will let you buy stuff just by passing the product and your phone near a checkout scanner, eliminating the credit card gymnastics that are difficult for some folks with reduced dexterity, and the signature pads that vex blind customers. Some security scenarios (Caution: sibilant account balance near zero) may complicate this a bit, but in most cases it’ll be a net gain in ease and convenience. Just watch those dollars drain away!
Nokia’s 6212 with Bluetooth NFC: Let the pairing revolution begin! - Engadget Mobile
Curds and way cool
A Danish company called Eva Solo has built a better cheese grater: it’s bucket-shaped and closed at the bottom, so it can hold what you shred. If it’s weighted on the bottom, or if a little Velcro were applied, it could be terrific for one-handed gourmets. Sometimes it’s the simple innovations that make our day…
Lets you Jabba anywhere
In honor of AOMS’s favorite holiday, Qualcomm has announced the HandSolo, a waterproof phone that gets implanted in your little finger (although a thumb drive may be available). Simply hold your hand palm up to convert it to a speaker phone. Other features include an alarm clock (”with adjustable wake-up intensities from slight finger prodding to intense face slapping”) and a breathalyzer. Interesting access potential; zero availability–for now.
Youtooth
This may have been inevitable: a Chinese company now has a Bluetooth microphone designed to be implanted in an actual molar or bicuspid. Could have positive implications for hands-free speech recognition use. Anyone who manages to talk their dentist into doing an installation please let us know: is the device tasty, or does it bite?
Gizmodo: Tiny Bluetooth microphone goes in a hole drilled in your teeth
Inflated hopes
Designed for motorcycle riders, this wearable air bag system will protect against falls and other high impact events. Many more people could continue to live independently if they felt safer moving around their homes and neighborhoods. Just be sure to de-activate it before doin’ the Bump at the Senior Surgical Sock Hop.
Girly, yes, but we like it too
We can think of two reasons why even hopelessly macho men would go for the pink Fleur flash drive if they have mild or moderate dexterity disabilities. One is a sleeve that slides up and down over the drive itself, acting as an unloseable cap. The other is a good-sized hole in the handle, which looks ideal for fitting over a finger to facilitate drive insertion and removal.