fingernails
Latest
IBM fingernail sensor tracks health through your grip
The strength of your grip can frequently be a good indicator of your health, and not just for clearly linked diseases like Parkinson's -- it can gauge your cognitive abilities and even your heart health. To that end, IBM has developed a fingernail sensor that can detect your grip strength and use AI to provide insights. The device uses an array of strain gauges to detect the deformation of your nail as you grab objects, with enough subtlety to detect tasks like opening a pill bottle, turning a key or even writing with your finger.
Nokia Lumia screens tout Synaptics tech for gloves-on use, 920 adds outdoor-friendly brightness
Everyone who regularly deals with cold winters knows the pain of using a smartphone in January -- you're usually forced to take your gloves off and risk frostbite if that call just can't wait. Nokia's new Lumia 820 and Lumia 920 phones bring in a Synaptics ClearPad Series 3 sensor whose responsiveness will keep those hands toasty. Super Sensitive Touch, as Nokia calls it, lets the capacitive surface react to more than just direct skin contact: it can recognize input through gloves, as well as from those with long fingernails. You'll want to spring for the Lumia 920 if you envision updating Twitter during a sunny skiing trip, however. On top of that extra-large 1,280 x 768 resolution, the 920's PureMotion HD+ display is reportedly about 25 percent brighter than its next-best rival. We're looking forward to a real field test -- not to mention preserving all the feeling in our fingers.
Google patent application could give Project Glass one true ring controller to rule them all
Let's face it: right now, the head nods and other rudimentary controls of Google's Project Glass are mostly useful for looking good, sharing photos and not much else. A US patent application submitted last September and just now published, however, raises the possibility of more sophisticated control coming from your hands. A ring, a bracelet or a even a fake fingernail with an infrared-reflective layer would serve as a gesture control marker for a receiver on heads-up display glasses. Having this extra control would give the glasses-mounted computing room to grow by learning gestures, and it could even depend on multiple ornaments for more sophisticated commands -- at least, if you don't mind looking like a very nerdy Liberace. We can imagine the headaches a hand-based method might cause for very enthusiastic talkers, among other possible hiccups, so don't be surprised if Project Glass goes without any kind of ring input. That said, we suspect that Sauron would approve.
Klhip your fingernails with this $50 personal grooming device
We've never stopped to think that the world needed an "ultimate" nail-trimming device, but lo and behold, it now has one. Such is the modest tagline accompanying the Klhip nail clippers, which are composed of stainless steel and offer the not unheard of ability to collect your nail shards instead of ejecting them out into space. What's advanced (and award-winning) about its design is that you place pressure directly above the cutting blade, which is touted as being precise enough to omit the need for filing afterwards. If that sounds like the thing that's been missing from your bathroom cabinet, you can pre-order one for $50 ($80 with a leather case, visible after the break) for delivery in a month's time.
Fashion alert! Pogo Stylus / Pogo Sketch now in hot pink
We've discussed Ten One Design's Pogo Stylus and Pogo Sketch before; they're great if you like to sketch and need a finer brush than your finger can provide. Now the company has provided just the thing for the artistic members of our readership, and a good reason to show a booty shot on TUAW -- the new Hot Pink versions of the Pogo Stylus and Pogo Sketch. While the model in this photo appears to have neatly manicured nails, our contact at Ten One Design says that many women with long, luscious nails have been buying the Pogos so they can keep those back scratchers and still be able to use the touch user interface of the iPhone and iPod touch. The Pogos are also useful with the Autograph application. I use one with my MacBook Air to make my signature via the touchpad look a lot more like it's been done with a pen. The hot pink anodized finish for the US$14.95 Pogo Stylus or Pogo Sketch joins the other colors: black, white, and my personal favorite, gunmetal. And yes, this is a slow news day...
