Mobile pizza

Got any batteries?

http://www.firebox.com/product/1458?src_t=t20

3GSM - everyware

The event is even larger than last year, with an extra hall dedicated to mobile content.

This is however a prototype that's hidden away in a remote booth. It's a mobile handset with a flexible screen that wraps around the main body.  I've seen digital ink displays before, but this is the first time I see it used in a way that makes the most of it.Download flex_screen.mp4

On a similar theme, one can also find keyboard-sized flexible solar panels that can be used to charge mobile phones anywhere, and - certainly less newsworthy - jackets with built-in controls.

Put it all together and the picture of the mobile experience begins to change.

Mobile hugs

The Hug Shirt is a shirt that makes people send hugs over distance! Embedded in the shirt there are sensors that feel the strength of the touch, the skin warmth and the heartbeat rate of the sender and actuators that recreate the sensation of touch, warmth and emotion of the hug to the shirt of the distant loved one.

It all works through a Java application on each mobile, communicating with the shirt over Bluetooth.

Ubiquitous brands

I watched part of 'A Town Called Eureka' the other night. Enough to get annoyed at the Cisco logos appearing all over the research lab's monitors.

I'm sure that branded content will need to become increasingly common, given the more interactive nature of our media consumption. So I couldn't advocate the removal of product placement from Eureka.

Brands will however need to become less annoying and attention seeking.  There is a parallel here with the current transition to ubiquitous computing, calling for a quieter and more seamless technology.

Could we therefore talk of 'ubiquitous brands'?  Brands that infiltrate their audience's daily lives as welcomed guests or descrete helpers?

Shops forced to reveal 'super tags'

“Where personal data is collected, generated or disclosed using RFID, either directly or indirectly, the [Data Protection] Act will apply,” says the guidance. “Those collecting personal data with RFID will have to give notice of the presence of tags on products, and of readers, and explain the implications.”

According to the article, a few shops have already started using RFID beyond stock management and even combined it with CCTV.

Displays everywhere

Another one for the UbiToolbox.

A video projector that is the size of a sugar cube has been created by researchers.
The miniature device could be used to project images from mobile phones, PDAs or laptops, according to the team.

It is currently limited in its colour range and there is no indication of unit cost. Still, one can imagine it embedded into interactive artifacts.

EveryWare links

Fiber-optic and interactive fabrics are starting to make their way from the lab to market.

Rfid story from the BBC:
Microchips in bins which help councils charge for the weight of rubbish collected could be common across the UK within two years.