The virtual world is getting more real every day. An Israeli company, 3DV Systems, is unveiling technology that lets electronic gamers use their body as a controller for a wide variety of videogames. The technology relies on an inexpensive camera, called a Zcam, that connects to computers and game consoles via a USB cable. The camera picks up changes in light reflected off objects at high speed (namely 60 frames a second) and translates those into videogame commands.
Source: Rachel Rosmarin, Forbes.com, December 10, 2007
One of the festering complaints folks have about cellphones is the lackluster buying experience. No one really likes buying a phone based on a few minutes spent pressing the greasy buttons of a dummy handset. A new interactive online service called TryPhone aims to revamp the process by letting consumers experiment with virtual cellphones online.
Source: Elizabeth Woyke, Forbes.com, December 10, 2007
Google Inc.’s controversial Street View feature, which offers 360-degree, street-level images of urban life so clear that passersby often can be identified, is set to make its Boston debut this morning. Starting at around 10 a.m., Internet users who click on the “Street View” box on Google Maps (maps.google.com), will be able to peek at images from streets in Boston and surrounding communities.
Source: Robert Weisman, The Boston Globe, December 11, 2007
Tracking tech predicted to boom in Europe
Technology for wirelessly tracking vehicles and people is predicted to take off in Western Europe throughout the next five years. Business needs and personal security concerns will generate $4.85 billion in spending on the technology by 2012, according to a Juniper Research report. The business sector will be the main area where it will take off, but there also is potential in the consumer sector for child- and pet-tracking systems, which are gradually gaining acceptance.
Source: Tim Ferguson, Silicon.com, December 11, 2007
New satellite navigation system may save firefighters
A new tracking system to pinpoint people inside smoked-filled buildings has been developed in a move that should slash the risks faced by firefighters. French aerospace company Thales said on Wednesday its Indoor Positioning System (IPS) was aimed initially at helping fire services, although it could also be used by the police and armed forces. A Thales spokeswoman said the new system was based on a new kind of radio signal, called Ultra Wide Band, designed for very short range and high data-rate links.
Source: Reuters, December 12, 2007
Introducing the futuristic mobile phone that can buy your clothes for you
A revolutionary new mobile phone will soon be able to let shoppers snatch a photo of clothes they want before ordering them online. Nokia is currently developing the device which lets you buy clothes, furniture or holidays in the High Street — without going into a store. Buyers can now avoid queuing at the checkout and even buy clothes simlpy by looking through a shop window and taking a photo of the window display. The phone then uses image recognition software to find the same object on the Internet.
Source: David Derbyshire, The Daily Mail, December 13, 2007
Meet the moofers: the office is so last century
[Who are the Moofers? They're "mobile out of office workers." Will this word be on our future dictionaries? Make your guess.]
Source: James Knight, The Sunday Times, December 9, 2007
