Tag Archives: proximity
SenCbuds Self-pausing Earphones: Plug Back, Playback
Earphones are becoming smarter and smarter, but most of them incorporate fitness or communication options. SenCbuds on the other hand promise a simple but still practical feature. They automatically pause the audio when you take them off, then resume playing if you put them back on.
SenCbuds appear to use proximity sensors to detect if you took them off. They also have a couple of other practical features, and a couple of strange ones. The earphones are supposedly made of an anti-bacterial material called SaniPolymers. They also have a small control unit that doubles as a cable manager and has buttons to adjust the volume as well as to answer calls.
Curiously, the control unit has a switch that supposedly makes the headphones work with either iOS or Android devices. Even more curiously, there’s a button on the control unit to toggle a red LED on the earphones. It’s supposedly to tell the people around you that you don’t want to be disturbed, but that’s not exactly a universal sign is it?
I think SenCbuds’ auto-pause feature is neat, although I think that’s their only compelling feature. If you’re sold, pledge at least $50 (USD) on Kickstarter to receive the earphones as a reward.
LEGO Mechatronic Wings: Mindstorms Give You Wings
In 2014, fashion designer Anouk Wipprecht made a robotic spider dress that can brandish its spiky appendages when something comes too close to the wearer. Anouk’s new wearable wings have a similar feature. Since they’re made with LEGO, they’re easier to build than the arachnid-inspired armor.
The wings are mainly made of Mindstorms EV3 and Technic parts. If you want to make them react to an object approaching their wearer, you’ll need the Mindstorms infrared sensor or ultrasonic sensor. Alternatively you can activate the wings manually using the EV3 Brick.
Sweet. I’d love to see that with a mecha costume. Head to Anouk’s Instructables page for her full guide.
[via Gadgetify]
Ultrasound and software could replace a phone’s proximity sensor
Smartphone makers are obsessed with making their gear thinner, and Norwegian startup Elliptic Labs has come up with a pretty good way to help. Their answer: get rid of the proximity sensors in our phones (and the requisite dark dots near our screens)...
Google patents drag-and-drop content sharing with nearby groups
Proximity-based content sharing systems for mobile tend to focus on one-at-a-time transfers -- see Android Beam and Apple's upcoming AirDrop as examples. Google, however, has just patented an interface that would simplify sharing content with nearby groups. Users would only have to drag private items into a public space to share them with everyone inside of a certain range; the reverse would hide those items once again. The approach wouldn't be limited to files, either, as it could be used for invitations to chat sessions or events. Google won't necessarily take advantage of its sharing patent, but the concept is simple enough that we wouldn't be surprised to find it in future apps or Android revisions.
Filed under: Cellphones, Software, Mobile, Google
Source: USPTO
Spider-Man Spidey Sense T-Shirt: My Wallet is Tingling!
Spider-Man’s Spider Sense alerts him to danger and allows his body to react on its own to avoid attacks. Thinkgeek’s Tingling Electronic Spidey Sense T-shirt on the other hand only alerts you when someone – or something – is behind you. But at least you don’t have to get bit by – or look for – a radioactive spider.
Actually there’s nothing special about the T-shirt itself. It comes with a clip-on proximity sensor that also has motors to make it vibrate. When someone approaches at least 5ft. behind you, the device will emit a pulse, emulating Spider-Man’s power. The pulses become more frequent the closer someone is to you. Wait… is this a naughty toy?
I wonder if it will still work if you wear it under a hoodie.
You can pre-order the t-shirt from ThinkGeek for $40 (USD). It won’t be released until October, but I have a feeling it’ll be sold out way before then. I bet tinkerers will be selling replicas of the gadget online before we know it.
Citizen Eco-Drive Proximity: A Gentlemanly Bluetooth Watch
While there are a bunch of Bluetooth watches on the market, none of them could be easily worn by your fashionable Bond-like gentleman. LEDs and LCDs don’t really go with a tuxedo. Sure, these days, a lot of us don’t need to wear a tux to go to work, but it never hurts to have a fashionable stealth watch that also has Bluetooth technology built-in.
The Citizen Eco-Drive Promixity is exactly that, a Bluetooth watch that looks like many other manly-chronograph watches. It will definitely cut it in a business meeting, thanks to its bold lines and steel casing. The watch can sync up to your iPhone 4S that has Bluetooth 4.0, as well as the next generation iPhone once it arrives.
If you miss a call or get a message, the second hand of the watch will point towards a word on the inner flange to indicate what happened on your phone. An analog cellphone indicator dials sound like something out of steampunk! There are no LEDs or flashing lights to make you look like a tech geek with this watch. There’s even a search mode that allows you to help your phone if you lose it in your house.
The Eco-Drive Proximity will sell for $550(USD) when it’s released this fall. That’s not cheap, but the design is certainly more timeless than the barrage of digital “smartwatches” hitting the market these days. Hopefully the tech inside won’t be outdated by next year.
[via Engadget]
Mosoro releases its Bluetooth LE sensors and SDK for VIP appcessory developers
Since we last heard about Mosoro's Lego-brick sized Bluetooth LE modules, they've changed their names, picked up another member and are now making their way to iOS app developers. The 3D-Motion's got an accelerometer, gyroscope and magnetometer, while the Enviro measures temperature, humidity and barometric pressure. New to the team is Proximity, useful for triggering location-based apps and tracking motion for creating alerts. All three rechargeable Bluetooth low energy sensors have "shake-to-wake" support, an RGB "glow-cap" for notifications and a humble programmable button. They are expected to hit retail in fall 2012, but "VIP" app developers can grab them now, as well as the SDK which simplifies iOS Bluetooth integration. Got the ideas and inclination to become one of Mosoro's "rock star app-developer partners?" Then go sign up on the website and see if you make the VIP grade.
Continue reading Mosoro releases its Bluetooth LE sensors and SDK for VIP appcessory developers
Mosoro releases its Bluetooth LE sensors and SDK for VIP appcessory developers originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 04 Sep 2012 21:09:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
Permalink | | Email this | CommentsCitizen Eco-Drive Proximity watch notifies iPhone owners without betraying their nerd status
It's hard to deny that Bluetooth watches usually lack the social graces you need when dressing to impress. Citizen doesn't want to leave you a binary choice between technology and poshness, however. The company's upcoming Eco-Drive Proximity watch has all the respectability of an analog steel timepiece, but it quietly syncs to an iPhone 4S (or newer) through Bluetooth 4.0. Miss a call, get a message or approach a meeting, and the seconds hand will point to a word on the dial indicating what needs attention -- there's no broadcasting your geek credentials to everyone in the room. The iPhone syncs its time with the watch if you're so inclined, and a search mode will ping the handset if it's lost under the couch. Expect to pay $550, or about as much as many mid-tier quartz watches, when the Proximity goes on sale in the fall. It's certainly not a trivial price next to other Bluetooth watches, but the public acceptance factor may be more than worth the premium.
Filed under: Cellphones, Wearables
Citizen Eco-Drive Proximity watch notifies iPhone owners without betraying their nerd status originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Sep 2012 04:32:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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A Blog To Read | Email this | Comments Facebook’s Find Friends Nearby feature falls off the map, leaves buddy locating to other social apps
We're happy to chat up our Facebook friends on the web, but empowering them to track us down in person makes that virtual social experience feel a bit too real. Perhaps that was the reasoning behind the mysterious disappearance of the company's new Find Friends Nearby feature, which bit the dust yesterday just as quickly as it first appeared. During its hours-long tenure, the new tracking tab didn't give precise friend location information, but did provide a list of buddies in an undisclosed vicinity, making it possible for some not-so-top-tier contacts to realize that you're still in Tulsa, and didn't actually make that move to Timbuktu. Whatever the reason, Find Friends Nearby is now very much lost, but it could theoretically make its return at any point in the future. For now, you'll need to return to keeping an eye on acquaintances the old-fashioned way.
Facebook's Find Friends Nearby feature falls off the map, leaves buddy locating to other social apps originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 26 Jun 2012 16:35:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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