Google Glass
If there’s one gadget that looks like the future, it’s Google Glass.
Sure, we’re still waiting for the final, productized version of this
wearable computer, but it’s far more than a proof of concept. Earlier
this year, the world witnessed as a group of daredevils took Google
Glass and us along with it, from a plane, though a thrilling,
live-streamed skydive, to the top of a building and right into Google
Founder’ Sergey Brin’s Google i/o keynote. That stunt instantly turned
Google Glass into the first must-have wearable computer of the 21st
century.
Surveillance is a fact of life. Cameras are everywhere and drones
patrol the skies of hot zones around the globe. If you wonder what it’s
like to be on the other side of the camera, Parrot’s AR.Drone puts
average people in the driver's-seat and all through the friendly
interface of your standard-issue iPad. As for the drone itself, it can
fly hundreds of feet up in the sky with pinpoint-precision control from
the iPad-sporting pilot on the ground below. You see what it sees on
your iPad and you can choose to record onboard the drone or direct to
you tablet. It’s addictive, powerful and fun.
Microsoft not only innovated this year, it surprised us. The Windows
RT- running Surface Tablet is a stunner from top to bottom and we had no
idea Microsoft was building it. Inside it features Microsoft’s new
ARM-ready OS (which, at its heart, is a lot like its desktop-friendly
Windows 8) and is designed and built entirely by Microsoft. They
agonized over ever feature and it shows. Surface isn’t perfect, but it’s
unique in the marketplace and absolutely screams “I am different.” For a
company with as stodgy as rep as Microsoft, no declaration could be
more welcome.
There are big phones, and then there are big phones. At 5.55-inches,
the Samsung Galaxy Note II falls on the latter side of the spectrum. For
some that’s a deal breaker, but they might be missing out on something.
In addition to the large, brilliant display, this phone includes a
stylus that is literally married to the device. Not only is it aware of
when the pen in touching the screen, it knows when the pen is hovering
just above it, as well. The tech is called Airview, and we’ve never seen
anything like it in a device of this size. Not only is the screen aware
of the pen, but in-air gestures make things happen on screen. This is
smart technology that put Samsung Galaxy Note II a level above an army
of look-alike smartphones.
Lytro, the camera that resembles a super-sized version of one of
those single-image viewer souvenirs you used to get from the zoo, is one
odd camera with a very special gift. Its oddball design allows you to
take pictures capable of telling more than one tale after the fact. In
other words, it no longer matters where you focus, crystal-clear
information is available for all parts of the image and you and everyone
else looking at the image (on a web page) can access that detail at
will. I can’t say if this special ability will ultimately make Lytro a
success, but there’s no doubt I am impressed.
No comments:
Post a Comment