Although we don’t have enough multitouch products to test for the moment, Obscura Digital went ahead and designed a holographic multitouch display. First, check out the demo clip:
What you see in the clip is not a finalized product. It is rather a preview of what fully interactive holographic displays should be looking like in the next few years. According to Gizmodo, the system is dubbed VisionAire and is still being developed by Obscura Digital that has adapted proprietary multitouch software to the Musion Eyeliner hologram projection system. The Musion Eyeliner was first used for the holographic Gorillaz effect during the 2005 MTV Video Music Awards.
Do take notice that you need a big stage for this to work properly. So it would be designed exclusively for big-budget presentations However, the effect is much more impressive than any standard multitouch surface, since you only wave your hands in the air. That might prove to be a good thing in some situations, but in other it might as well confuse the user, as the system doesn't provide tactile feedback.
Thus, in order to operate the VisionAire, it could hel if we first took some lessons interpretive dancing. Without tactile feedback, we won’t be able to operate the system like Tom Cruise does it in Minority Report. There’s always room for improvement, so version 2.0 could be introducing the lacking features at a later stage.
Are you looking for cool table designs? Check out these impressive models designed by artist and engineer Lee Rowland.
I know most of us would by cheap wooden tables that are meant to serve their usual purpose. However, these tables might not fit with a modern tech interior. This kind of interior needs a more radical design, something that can be found in Rowland’s Ripple Series.
According to DVice, these models are built using sophisticated 3D milling processes and a variety of materials such as polished aluminum, clear polyester resin and a dash of aerospace engineering. The designer says that his intention was to depict the stillness of time with the aid of droplets and ripples.
Now, you should be careful not to break any of those suspended droplets. Anyway, the Ripple Series will surely impress any of your guests, if you can manage to buy any of these tables, that is.
Presumably, the price might not be a problem, but do take notice that the cheapest and smallest table in the Ripple Series will set you back $45 grand. Looks like us mere mortals will only get a thumb-sized table for a decent price. Good enough for our kids’ miniature houses, at least.
My experience with the piano lasted about two years. It seems I wasn’t much gifted on this side, but there’s still hope for me or any other person who wants to learn (or relearn in my case) to play the piano at an advanced age. Thanks to the DGC1M4 Disklavier Mark IV Grand Piano from Yamaha, now everybody can learn to play the piano, without ever needing a professor.
First of all, let me point out that this is not a mere piano (though we know Yamaha does some of the best pianos out there). The new Disklavier may very well be taken for a PC. Just take a look at the features list:
• Direct Internet connection for streaming music from the web to your keys.
• Pocket Remote Control touchscreen PDA with wireless LAN card for song control.
• Karaoke player with microphone input
• Integrated piano teacher (with auto-follow accompaniment)
• 80 GB hard drive
• Alarm clock
• 10 channel online radio tuner
• CD and USB flash drive ports
• Camcorder port for synchronised video recording
• Laser powered key sensors
• Six hours of on-board music included
The key technology behind this piano is provided by the SmartKey feature which makes it easy to learn to play without taking a single lesson. All you need to do is to follow along as SmartKey shows you which notes to play by partially depressing the next key in the melody.
SmartKey prompts the Disklavier to wait for you and play at a speed that best suits your skills. Within minutes, you can play sophisticated songs and Disklavier is able to follow your lead with virtuoso harmonies and arpeggios.
You can find the DGC1M4 Disklavier Mark IV Grand Piano online for as low as £17175.00.
What’s all the fuss about Microsoft’s Mojave Experiment?
Well, it seems that the event organized by Microsoft hosted a mass experiment consisting of a demonstration of the future operating system’s capabilities, by allowing all the visitors to operate it for a few minutes. The deal was to play a bit with Windows Vista before getting on the Mojave system.
Seen in the media as a sneaky method of promoting the operating system in a way never encountered before in history, the Mojave Experiment is a quite impressive idea.
The Vista trial lasted 10 minutes for each user so we’re not surprised to find out that the overall mark was of 4.5, from a 1 to 10 rating scale. After this failure, people went further on the Mojave system and there were about 120 users in total, invited to attend the demonstration. At the end they had to rate this one too, and here all had another surprise – the marks went higher at 8.5 on the average. Everything was fine till that point.
Microsoft though, threw a large bomb after all this interesting show, by announcing that Mojave is actually Windows Vista disguised. Yea, and this smart thing was done to prove that users of Vista-running computers have formed a bad impression about it, which is not correct and was influenced by advertisers who are hungry for black advertising.
Other details from the media are about the hardware of the system which was running on Mojave during this experiment. There was a HP Pavilion dv2000 computer integrating 2GB of RAM memory, no extraordinary configuration. The percentage of satisfaction was as follows: 89% of users were satisfied by Mojave, 83% would even recommend it to a friend or family member.
Tokyo Flash has recently launched yet another cool watch. Although it’s the latest model in the Nekura series, the design does not feature any cryptic time telling systems. The watch sticks to a somewhat classic look, unlike what we’ve seen from Tokyo Flash in the past months.
The new model is dubbed Nekura Twilight features a black face with a circular dial highlighted in bold tones of orange and blue, for added contrast. The watch also features a sleek silver casing with rounded corners and a custom engraved, self-adjustable wristband made of stainless steel. The face is covered by a curved glass lens and features simple white numerals which represent hours. A rotating disc points to the hour numerals, while minutes are presented on the inner dial. Tokyo Flash chose to display digits only at cardinal points on the face in order to provide a clear appearance.
Finished with a neatly designed clasp and available with a black or clear strap, Twilight is a strong unisex design with uplifting character. The watch also features authentic Japanese movement mechanisms and weighs only 60 grams.
You can buy this watch, as well as all the other enticing models from the Tokyo Flash site. The Nekura Twilight watch is now available for around $90.
