G-Speak: a NEW (old) way to communicate
Ever watch a toddler talk? Arms waving, jumping up and down? Pointing? Then fast forward to 2002 when Tom Cruise waved his arms around in Minority Report… It’s heeeeeeer… (Read the article)
Archive for the 'New/Unusual Technology' Category
Itsy Bitsy Projectors - When You MUST Make that Presentation
PowerPoint and portable projectors have made it possible for anyone - and everyone - to make professional (sort of) presentations. From the days when “portable” projectors required a special wheeled case to manage to the development of projectors that can be tucked into a briefcase or even a purse, miniaturization has reduced them to palm-sized!
One Step Forward, Two Steps Backward - Esquire’s E-Ink Cover
Announced in the New York Times, on July 21, the magazine industry is about to take a giant leap forward. In a step to change a format that is 150+years old, Esquire will put a digital cover on a printed magazine. The October issue of Esquire - 100,000 newsstand copies only - will sport an electronic cover incorporating technology from E Ink. (Read the article)
eReader for iPhone
It’s heeeeere! And I’ve got a big smile on my face!
A little background for you: many years ago - in reality, just one year ago - I read books on my Treo. In fact the first book I read as an ebook was the DaVinci Code.
It was a perfect book for reading on the little screen. First, I was likely to read it only once. While I never throw away books, I do call some books “throw aways.” You know, those trashy murder mysteries they sell in the airports? I’ve been known to buy one every now and then; and leave it in the seat pocket when I get off the plane.
Second, the story moved so quickly, that reading in “gulps” was perfect! I could pull my Treo out of my pocket, whip through a few pages and tuck it away for another opportunity. It was almost like guilty sips!
So why not buy a Kindle? After all, a neighbor - and Amazon employee - brought his over for a test drive one Sunday afternoon not so long ago. Nice toy, but no color; and besides, do I really need another hand held to put in a bag somewhere?
One note: With the Kindle, you can download books with “one click,” with the eReader it’s a two step process. First you buy the book online and it gets moved to your “bookcase.” Then you use the iPhone to move it from the bookcase to the phone. Not a quick and easy, but certainly not difficult. It’s a similar process to the Treo.
So how big is the screen? About this big:
Now I’m a happy camper! With the new 2.0 software for my 1.0 iPhone, I can now read books on my favorite tool again! And I didn’t even have to buy a new one!!
Holograms, Redux
Way back last February, I was all starry-eyed about a new breakthrough in holographic displays. Foolish me; just wait a few months and look what technology offers! Looks like we’ll be seeing Princess Leia any day now.
Researchers at the University of Southern California’s ICT Graphics Lab have created a new type of holographic display that can generate simultaneous 3D views for multiple observers without the need for special glasses. (Read the article)
