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Invisible iPhone prototype puts the 'hand' back in 'handset' (video)
Not too long ago, the invisible iPhone was nothing more than satirical fodder for the Onion. Now, Patrick Baudisch and his team of researchers at the Hasso-Plattner Institute have moved closer to making it a reality, with a new interface that can essentially transfer an iPhone touchscreen to the palm of your hand. The device involves an Xbox-like depth camera, mounted on a tripod, that can register the movements of a person's finger across his or her palm. Special software then determines the actions these gestures would execute on a user's iPhone, before transmitting the commands to a physical phone, via WiFi radio. Unlike MIT's motion-based "sixth sense" interface, Baudisch's imaginary phone doesn't require users to learn a new dictionary of gestures, but relies solely on the muscle memory that so many smartphone users have developed. During their research, Baudisch and his colleagues found that iPhone owners could accurately determine the position of two-thirds of their apps on their palms, without even looking at their device. At the moment, the prototype still involves plenty of bulky equipment, but Baudisch hopes to eventually incorporate a smaller camera that users could wear more comfortably -- allowing them to answer their imaginary phones while doing the dishes and to spend hours chatting with their imaginary friends. Head past the break to see the prototype in action.
Apple debuts iWarp: 'Interstellar travel for the rest of us'
Apple has unveiled a revolutionary new product that promises to change the way we travel forever. Dubbed iWarp, Apple's latest creation is a matter-antimatter reactor only one inch thick that can transport a crew of seven humans to Alpha Centauri and back on a single charge. "For decades, we've been stuck in low Earth orbit in big, clunky spaceships. They were slow, expensive, unreliable and just not a whole lot of fun to fly. But the iWarp changes all of that. It's interstellar travel for the rest of us," Apple CEO Steve Jobs told reporters and tech bloggers gathered at Apple's "data center" in North Carolina. That data center has in fact turned out to be a state-of-the-art advanced physics research facility where, over the past few years, Apple's engineers have learned to harness Jobs' famous Reality Distortion Field for practical applications. "The iWarp is incredible, but it's also very simple," Jobs said in a brief demo. "After inserting a small amount of fuel, the user simply taps a destination on the attached Retina Display -- which supports full Multi-Touch capabilities -- and BOOM. iWarp does the rest." Jobs and the assembled reporters then travelled to the Zeta II Reticuli star system, a distance of 12 parsecs, in a matter of seconds. "And the best part is this," Jobs said after pressing the "Home" button and bringing the awed assembly of reporters back to Earth. "We're selling the iWarp at a price we think our competitors won't be able to match: $999. iWarp comes in black or white, and it'll be shipping in white from day one." Critics from the Android camp have already dismissed the iWarp as a "toy." Andy Rubin in particular has lambasted Apple for its "closed ecosystem," saying that "users can't input their own space-time coordinates on the iWarp. You can only choose from Apple's pre-approved star systems. This creates a 'walled garden' approach to interstellar travel, which doesn't benefit users as much as Android's open model." When asked when Google expects to deliver a competitive Android-based device, Rubin replied, "We expect to have the Licorice version of Android ready to go in early 2012, but it'll be up to the starship manufacturers if they want to support it." In a typically terse response to an email criticising Apple's "closed" approach to interstellar travel, Jobs pointed out that "Without precise calculations, you could fly right through a star or bounce too close to a supernova. And that'd end your trip real quick, wouldn't it?"
General Mobile's DSTL1 with Android and two SIMs coming next month
We briefly toyed with the DSTL1 at MWC a few months ago, coming away pleased with the Android-powered handset's design, its high-spec autofocus camera, and... well, the simple fact that it ran Android, given what a depressingly rare trait that was at the time (and still is, sadly). It looks like we'll all finally be able to pony up some cash for units of our own starting next month, with sales expected in the US and Turkey (odd combo, but whatevs) for somewhere between $550 and $750. For that princely sum, you'll get Android 1.5, WiFi, and a pair of EDGE-only SIMs -- not a killer feature in the US, granted, but in Asia, it's a pretty big deal. Curiously, it seems General Mobile has decided to call the DSTL1 the "Imaginary" -- which doesn't bode well for its vaporware status -- so we'll hold off on planning the launch party until after we see some of these bad boys for sale.[Via MobileBurn and Android Authority]
