THE
NEXT STEP
From
flexible phones to foldable cars, tech will push the boundaries in 2013
As far as personal
technology is concerned, we live in interesting times. After almost a decade of
incremental progress, the technology landscape has changed drastically with the
arrival of touchscreen, cloud computing and pervasive internet connectivity.
In the new year, it is safe to assume that we are not slowing down. Besides the usual list of suspects that are going to hit the market — ranging from the new iPad, new Galaxy phone, new iPhone as well as gaming consoles like Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4 — there are a number of other exciting gadgets and technologies that are likely to be part of 2013. TOI-Crest brings you a glimpse of your high-tech future...
DIGITS
If you are a geek and have watched Iron Man, or The Avengers for that matter, you will agree that the way Tony Stark interacts with his machines is ultra-cool. He just flicks his wrist or points at something to click. Going by reports, it is possible that gamers among you may be able to do the same by the end of this year to play something like Call Of Duty. Microsoft’s research division is working on a wearable wristband that allows you to use hand-gestures to perform actions on screen. In a video demo posted by Microsoft, a user was able to perform various tasks on the screen, including moving objects with just gestures. Unlike Kinect, which also registers hand gestures, Digits doesn’t require any direct line of sight to connect to sensors. While Microsoft says that it has several uses, the technology is most likely to be a part of a gaming controller. If it is the controller for Xbox 720, we may get it in 2013
GOOGLE GLASS
Do you want to take a picture of the ball swinging towards you while you prepare to play the stroke? Or do you want to see the route to the nearest café in a new city laid out in front of your eyes while you walk towards it? Yes? Well, get in line. Google Glass, the pet project of Google co-founder Sergei Brin which will make augmented reality a part of everyone's daily lives, is expected to reach the hands of consumers in 2013. Brin and several other Google employees are reported to be using it almost on a daily basis. In September, fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg wore the glasses during her show in New York and filmed the event from her perspective. Earlier in June, Google put together a show where parajumpers filmed their stunts with Google Glasses while falling from the sky. It exists. And if it works as intended, it can be the gadget of the decade.
FLEXIBLE PHONE
Samsung, which has been working on screens that can bend, will show a 5.5-inch screen with high-definition resolution of 720P in less than 10 days at Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Nokia and LG too are working on flexible displays and if we are lucky, it is possible that we will see one of these screens pop up in a phone in 2013. Rumours are that this phone could be one of the flagship Galaxy smartphones, possibly Galaxy S IV, from Samsung. The benefits of a bendable screen are huge — they are thin and can be rolled up. Most importantly, these phones won’t shatter when they fall. Flexible displays will allow companies to do a complete rethink on phone design.
BASIS BAND
What after the smartphone revolution? Many experts believe it is going to be about health monitors. And if you see Basis Band, you’ll know why. Most digital monitors can keep an eye on how much you walk, how many calories you burn and your heart rate but Basis Band simplifies it all. With basis band there are no chest straps or fiddling with apps. It is just a watch-like gadget that you can wear round the clock. More important is what it can do. With its array of sensors, Basis Band promises to monitor your heart rate with the help of a blood flow sensor, quality of sleep with the help of an accelerometer, sweat level (especially during exercise) through perspiration monitor and skin temperature. While it is possible that Basis Band, which can be pre-ordered, may not see wide availability, more similar monitors are likely to launch in 2013.
OCULUS RIFT
In the film Gamer — released in 2009 — the players virtually entered the game, with action taking place around them instead of in front of them. For long, various technology companies have been chasing after the holy grail of true 3D video gaming but none have succeeded. One firm is, however, quite close and in 2013 is likely to release a head-mounted gadget called Oculus Rift that may give immersive video gaming a new meaning. The project has got the backing, at least in spirit if not financially, of John Carmack, the legendary game programmer and the man behind Quake, Doom and Wolfenstein 3D. Palmer Luckey, the man behind the project, has said that the Oculus Rift developer kits will begin shipping in March 2013
HIROKO
We all know that parking is a big problem. It’s a problem across the world and a few clever researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have come up with a unique solution. It’s called Hiroko. A two-seater electric car, Hiroko is tiny and cute. But it also packs in some serious innovation. To begin with it can fold itself in the parking lot, reducing its length from 2.5 metres to 1.5 metres. Its windshield also acts as a door and its robotic wheels don’t require any radius space to turn. The car is likely to be delivered to customers in Europe in the first part of 2013.
In the new year, it is safe to assume that we are not slowing down. Besides the usual list of suspects that are going to hit the market — ranging from the new iPad, new Galaxy phone, new iPhone as well as gaming consoles like Xbox 720 and PlayStation 4 — there are a number of other exciting gadgets and technologies that are likely to be part of 2013. TOI-Crest brings you a glimpse of your high-tech future...
DIGITS
If you are a geek and have watched Iron Man, or The Avengers for that matter, you will agree that the way Tony Stark interacts with his machines is ultra-cool. He just flicks his wrist or points at something to click. Going by reports, it is possible that gamers among you may be able to do the same by the end of this year to play something like Call Of Duty. Microsoft’s research division is working on a wearable wristband that allows you to use hand-gestures to perform actions on screen. In a video demo posted by Microsoft, a user was able to perform various tasks on the screen, including moving objects with just gestures. Unlike Kinect, which also registers hand gestures, Digits doesn’t require any direct line of sight to connect to sensors. While Microsoft says that it has several uses, the technology is most likely to be a part of a gaming controller. If it is the controller for Xbox 720, we may get it in 2013
GOOGLE GLASS
Do you want to take a picture of the ball swinging towards you while you prepare to play the stroke? Or do you want to see the route to the nearest café in a new city laid out in front of your eyes while you walk towards it? Yes? Well, get in line. Google Glass, the pet project of Google co-founder Sergei Brin which will make augmented reality a part of everyone's daily lives, is expected to reach the hands of consumers in 2013. Brin and several other Google employees are reported to be using it almost on a daily basis. In September, fashion designer Diane von Fürstenberg wore the glasses during her show in New York and filmed the event from her perspective. Earlier in June, Google put together a show where parajumpers filmed their stunts with Google Glasses while falling from the sky. It exists. And if it works as intended, it can be the gadget of the decade.
FLEXIBLE PHONE
Samsung, which has been working on screens that can bend, will show a 5.5-inch screen with high-definition resolution of 720P in less than 10 days at Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. Nokia and LG too are working on flexible displays and if we are lucky, it is possible that we will see one of these screens pop up in a phone in 2013. Rumours are that this phone could be one of the flagship Galaxy smartphones, possibly Galaxy S IV, from Samsung. The benefits of a bendable screen are huge — they are thin and can be rolled up. Most importantly, these phones won’t shatter when they fall. Flexible displays will allow companies to do a complete rethink on phone design.
BASIS BAND
What after the smartphone revolution? Many experts believe it is going to be about health monitors. And if you see Basis Band, you’ll know why. Most digital monitors can keep an eye on how much you walk, how many calories you burn and your heart rate but Basis Band simplifies it all. With basis band there are no chest straps or fiddling with apps. It is just a watch-like gadget that you can wear round the clock. More important is what it can do. With its array of sensors, Basis Band promises to monitor your heart rate with the help of a blood flow sensor, quality of sleep with the help of an accelerometer, sweat level (especially during exercise) through perspiration monitor and skin temperature. While it is possible that Basis Band, which can be pre-ordered, may not see wide availability, more similar monitors are likely to launch in 2013.
OCULUS RIFT
In the film Gamer — released in 2009 — the players virtually entered the game, with action taking place around them instead of in front of them. For long, various technology companies have been chasing after the holy grail of true 3D video gaming but none have succeeded. One firm is, however, quite close and in 2013 is likely to release a head-mounted gadget called Oculus Rift that may give immersive video gaming a new meaning. The project has got the backing, at least in spirit if not financially, of John Carmack, the legendary game programmer and the man behind Quake, Doom and Wolfenstein 3D. Palmer Luckey, the man behind the project, has said that the Oculus Rift developer kits will begin shipping in March 2013
HIROKO
We all know that parking is a big problem. It’s a problem across the world and a few clever researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have come up with a unique solution. It’s called Hiroko. A two-seater electric car, Hiroko is tiny and cute. But it also packs in some serious innovation. To begin with it can fold itself in the parking lot, reducing its length from 2.5 metres to 1.5 metres. Its windshield also acts as a door and its robotic wheels don’t require any radius space to turn. The car is likely to be delivered to customers in Europe in the first part of 2013.
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