Gadgets of the Week: Gesture to reject call while driving [video]
This week’s gadget round-up takes in a few innovative products such as the all new heads-up display that makes cars smartphone-friendly.
Read your Facebook posts even as you gesture to reject a call.
The recently unveiled Amazon Echo is not just an ordinary speaker but extends the smart home concept to the next level. Read on…
Navdy – The next-gen car display
This is straight out of the future car concept. A set-top box inside your car that projects displays onto your windshield.
Navdy is a gesture enabled heads-up display, that projects images six feet in front of you. What’s more, it works on any vehicle, be it your 15-year-old car or a minivan or a school bus, thanks to its adjustable base.
So the next time you are driving and your smartphone beeps, you don’t have to take your eyes off the road. Displayed on your screen will be a custom built notification centre, specially designed for use while driving.
It works both on iOS and Android devices and simply extends the apps on your device. The device is fitted with an IR camera for touchless gesture control – meaning you have to swipe left to answer a call, or right to dismiss a notification.
It even connects to your car computer to display relevant information.
Navdy has already raised $6.5 million through seed funding and an additional $2.5 million through pre-orders. Users can avail a $200 discount on early pre-orders and the offer is still available online and for customers from across the world.
You can pre-order one sitting here in the UAE and get it delivered for an additional $30 as shipping cost. It ships early 2015.
Amazon Echo – Digital home assistant
This is not simply a speaker. It listens to everything that you say and at times responds or just simply acts. It is neither a robot. Amazon last week released what it calls ‘Echo’ - a speaker type that’s always on, and responds to your questions.
Just ask for information, music, news, weather, and more. Echo begins working as soon as it hears you say the wake word, ‘Alexa’.
It's also an expertly tuned speaker that can fill any room with immersive sound.
Fitted with seven microphones, the sensors inside the device use beam-forming technology to hear a voice from any direction.
According to Amazon, enhanced noise cancellation features mean that the device can hear you even while it's playing music. It has dual speakers and enables hands-free voice control for Amazon Music, Prime Music, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn. It is also bluetooth- enabled.
The device runs on cloud-based Amazon Web Services.
Priced at $199, the device can currently be purchased on a discounted sale of $99 for prime members only through an invitation.
It is a multi-purpose 3D printer, scanner and laser engraver and is not the first of its kind in the market; but the real difference this new Taiwanese product brings is in its pricing. Similar products are priced at $689.
The device uses high resolution stepper motors to print objects and comes with three cooling fans.
The device easily converts from a printer to a scanner.
A 1.3-MP sensor, is used to scan small objects up to 8cms in height and 14cms in width.
The project is currently featured on Kickstarter and has set itself a goal of $100,000. You can pledge $499 for an early-bird Flux with the printer and scanner and an additional $180 will give you the option for laser engraving. The device will be ready by mid-2015.
Project Beyond – Samsung’s new 360° 3D camera
Samsung is getting more aggressive and serious about its entry into Gear VR headset, which it announced earlier this year.
It has now unveiled a new camera and called it Project Beyond. The 360 degree camera can capture videos and images the size of 1GB per second.
Its device itself has 16 full HD cameras to capture a 360-degree panoramic view in 3D.
According to Samsung, Project Beyond is the world’s first true 3D 360-degree camera.
“We use stereoscopic interleaved capture and 3D-aware stitching technology to capture the scene just like the human eye, but in a form factor that is extremely compact.
“Beyond can stream real time events, as well as store the data for future viewing,” it said.
According to Samsung, this is the first operational version of the device, “and just a taste of what the final system we are working on will be capable of”.
Although the camera will not be available for sale immediately, the content generated from Project Beyond it says will be available to every Gear VR user immediately.