Fashion and technology are not exclusive to one another, and in a recent fashion show, one hundred Sony Xperia Z handsets were used to help decorate the runway. It’s a pretty interesting concept and while the phones look like they might have only been used as a decoration, in reality they were used as cameras as well, all one hundred of them! As the model walks through the spiral of Xperia Z handsets, they all fire off and snap photos as the clothes the model wears are being ripped off (don’t worry, there is nothing lewd in the video!). (more…)
Other than lasers and Elon Musk, magnets might be the most superhuman objects we have on this dear Earth of ours. They can make things fly, they can make things stick, they can demolish laptops, they can make you squeal and scream and feel like a kid. Another thing magnets can do? Make clothes. The two dresses above were "grown" using magnets.
Searching for that ultra-fashionable onesie on eBay requires the patience of a saint, or at least it did. The UK arm of the auction giant has teamed up with startup Dressipi to offer a personalized shopping service for style-conscious women. Users are required to create a dress recipe Fashion Fingerprint comprising their vital statistics and clothing preferences, and then Dressipi’s service will scour eBay looking for appropriate apparel. At some point part-way through the six month trial, the service will also gain like and dislike buttons to further hone the recommendation engine, putting it one step ahead of Facebook in that regard.
I love rings. Getting my fingers cut off by a butcher’s knife, not so much. Surprisingly, you get something sort-of pretty (in its own way), creepy, and fashionable when you combine both together.
This is the Cleaver Ring by Raul Souza, who hails from Brazil. It’s made from Sterling silver and recycled wood and as its name implies, it’s essentially a butcher’s knife-shaped ring that you can wear around your intact digits.
As you can see, it’s normally not “bloody” so you’ll have to add the “blood” yourself. I think some watered-down ketchup or corn syrup and red food coloring will do fine.
The USB Tie Pin Cooler from Japan’s Thanko takes Mad Men style to a newer, cooler level. The lightweight, high-power clip-on fan normally runs off a wired USB connection but includes a battery pack so you can keep chillin’ out when you have to leave the office.
This is a whole different kind of big bang theory. As a nation we are obsessed with hair — and phobic about being bald. So now even the natural youthful baldness of babies is starting to get a cover-up with Baby Bangs. Much as I hate to admit it, they are pretty damn cute. I look at it as just being a new breed of baby bonnet that don’t tie under the chin.
Have you ever wanted to wave your hand to unlock a door or transfer your contact information by simply touching a phone? How about keeping all of your top secret passwords at arm’s length, literally? Well, with this Kickstarter-funded near field communication-enabled ring, all that could soon be possible.
Okay ladies! You’ve got your zombie apocalypse survival plan ready to go. You’re zombie survival kit is packed and by the door just in case. Now, how are you going to blend in so that you can fight on (or sneak away)? Time for a disguise. You’ve got the halting walk and blank stare down. You’ve got the make-up planned. One more thing and you are on your way — a nifty pair of zombie tights to make your legs look really bad (or really good).
Yet another player is joining Meta, Japan’s Telepathy One, China’s (allegedly real) Baidu Eye, and big Google’s Glass at the face-mounted AR table. GlassUp, the newest kid in town, claims precedent on the concept. Google just shrugs and pays its legal retainer.
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First of all, as contemplated here before, and as we all learned from the The Great Virtual Boy Tragedy of 1995, it could be, it just might be, that aside from early adopters, the geek elite, and a tiny slice of industry – nobody really wants the PIA of having AR in their glasses. Plus, there’s also the ongoing debate on how unusable and silly AR glasses would be in actual human life.
Something to consider. Okay, on to the new:
GlassUp, Heads-Up, Read-Only Yep, another competitor jumps into an as of yet non-existent market: Venice, Italy-based GlassUp’s angle is to Bluetooth its way into a user’s smartphone and display email, SMS, Tweets, Facebook notifications, etc. as they arrive. If developers get hip, other possibilities include translations, directions, and location-specific info displayed in real time as one arrives at a given waypoint.
With zero subtlety, GlassUp promotes their product as:
“Receive only.” No photos or videos involved, no privacy issues. (As opposed to? -Ed.)
The projection is Monochrome (currently green, but we may switch to amber).
Longer battery life (Than? -Ed.)
GlassUp projects the information close to the center of vision, with less strain to the eye of the wearer. (Whereas those other guys make you look up and to the right. -Ed.)
CEO Francesco Giartosio and co-founders claim to have begun work on their AR glasses two years ago, about two months before Google went public with Glass. Should their indiegogo crowdfunding campaign prove successful ($41,169 of $150,000, 20 days remain), they hope to come to market around February of next year – ahead of Google Glass, and, at $399, hitting a much more realistic price point for the average individual or bulk-buying corporate consumer.
Possible Legal Problems & Precedential Issues & Stuff It’s unclear if “GlassUp” is an attempt at drafting off of Google’s marketing campaign, or if it’s been there all along (maybe it was “VetroUp?”). In any case, if, for example, one has an invention in their basement that only 3 people know about, and they’re calling it “1234,” but then one of the largest, most powerful corporate entities in the history of humanity invents something similar, gets patents and trademarks, and years before anybody hears of your stuff, happens to name their product “123,” then one’s kinda hosed.
But, Google does occasionally surprise, and they might Don’t Be Evil and simply concede that the word “glass” is like, you know, common, and that it’s also part of the word “eyeglasses,” which is also like, you know, common; indifference, pity, or straight-up common sense could prevail. Or, Google could decide to lawyer the name “GlassUp,” perhaps even the whole product, out of existence.
People do love an underdog story, so should Google go aggro, at least GlassUp will get a pile of publicity. Either way, for Sig. Francesco & Co., using the word “glass” is kinda win-win.
More images & video below:
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Reno J. Tibke is the founder and operator of Anthrobotic.com and a contributor at the non-profit Robohub.org.
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
