January 2014 – Page 2

Gesture Oops

January 9, 2014

Someone I know got a new phone recently. It had gesture recognition capabilities. (No, I’m not going to name names. Partly because I don’t know.)

Fortunately, he was able to turn that feature off. And you’re not going to believe why he decided to do that.

Apparently, a “wave” gesture was used to end a phone call. And I’m sure that gesture was tested over and over, but only in the obvious use case: when you’re done with a call, you wave and … Read More → "Gesture Oops"

Paper Harvester?

by Bryon Moyer

January 8, 2014

My skeptic senses are tingling a bit here… Perhaps unfairly; let’s see.

Energy harvesting is a big deal these days, with folks off trying to scavenge enough power to do useful things without the need for an external connection or a battery. Is it possible to take an old party trick and rebrand it as energy harvesting?

Disney has been getting a fair bit of attention over their “paper energy harvester.” Here’s the deal: paper and Teflon are rubbed together, creating a field via the triboelectric effect. The … Read More → "Paper Harvester?"

Your Wall As a Touchscreen

by Kevin Morris

January 7, 2014

Pico-projectors sound like an absolute dream for anyone who has to travel with a standard projector in tow. Being able to attach a small device to your phone has the potential to eliminate one heavy bag and to give your shoulder a badly-needed rest. In reality, of course, they don’t have the power that a “real” projector has, so you’re not going to thrill an audience in a big room using your phone. But when the need arises, they can allow for ad hoc display of anything on a modest patch of wall.</ … Read More → "Your Wall As a Touchscreen"