Hasta La Gadget!

Maybe I’m an old-fashioned geek, but I’m never really understood the interest in a bracelet or a watch that can notify you of what’s going on your smartphone. I mean, all you have to do when it beeps or vibrates his pull it out of your pocket to see what’s going on. It seems like that would be much easier than trying to remember what notification a specific color on a bracelet goes with.

If you like technology that keeps you from the first-world problem of having to pull your phone out of your pocket, a new product has landed on Kickstarter called the Embrace+. The device is a bracelet that has RGB LED lighting inside, which makes the bracelet glow. The color of the bracelet can be customized to notify you of just about anything your iPhone or Android device can do. Simply use the companion app to attach notification colors to events on your smartphone.

For instance, if you want bracelet to turn blue when a new Facebook post is made, it will do it. If you want the device to turn red when someone retweets your posts, you can do that too. You can even set the bracelet to show you a color when the battery on your smartphone is low, or you have an upcoming appointment.

If you want one of the Embrace+ bracelets, you’ll need to pledge $39(USD) or more and can expect delivery in June – assuming the project hits its rather lofty $220,000 funding goal by March 23, 2013.

Rumors about the potential for an Apple iWatch continue to build, and adding fuel to the fire is a patent filing from Apple discovered by Apple Insider which shows off a curved, touchscreen display which could be worn on the wrist.

The U.S. Patent filing, originally submitted in August 2011, but updated as recently as today, starts off as follows:

A wearable video device arranged to be worn by an end-user, comprising: a flexible substrate having a flat state and a curled state; a flexible display disposed upon a first surface of the flexible substrate, wherein in the curled state the flexible substrate conforms to an appendage of the end-user, the flexible substrate further comprising: an electronic module in communication with the flexible display, the electronic module providing information to the display, at least a part of which is presented in real time for presentation by the flexible display; and a mechanism for detecting an end portion of the flexible display, the detection for adjusting the arrangement of information shown on the flexible display to match the size of the appendage the wearable video device is mounted on.

…or in layperson’s terms – a watch with a flexible touchscreen and flexible electronics.

The design would wrap around its wearer’s wrist, and automatically adjust the display UI based on their wrist size – pretty slick stuff. The capacitive touch display would be wrapped around a “bi-stable spring substrate,” which would allow the watch to conform to its wearer’s wrist, much like a slap bracelet. In addition curved screen and bracelet, the patent describes the inclusion of an inertial orientation  sensor which would automatically reorient the display based on how the user is looking at it.

In order to keep the patent sufficiently broad, they don’t specify all of the potential use cases for the watch, but one example sounds like it could offer smartphone connectivity similar to that found in other smartwatches already on the market:

…the end user could respond to alerts sent from the portable electronic device and even direct the operations of the portable electronic device to an extent limited by the accessory device user interface. With a touch screen user input a user can accomplish a number of different tasks including adjusting the order of a current playlist, and reviewing a list of recent phone calls. A response to a current text message can even be managed given a simple virtual keyboard configuration across the face of the flexible display.

The patent also describes the potential for using a kinetic energy device as well as an ambient light energy collector to help keep its battery charged. It also envisions a possible configuration which would include bright edge-lighting for displaying alerts with increased peripheral visibility. They also hint that the device could support both 5GHz 802.11n Wi-Fi and/or Bluetooth connectivity, with Wi-Fi being used for content like video streaming, and Bluetooth for smaller data payloads.

While it’s always possible that Apple won’t bring any or all of these ideas to market, it clearly shows that there’s still innovative thinking going on within the walls at Apple, and that if they do release an iWatch, it won’t be like any other watch you’ve seen.

You can read the full patent application here.

[via Apple Insider]

Want to be part of the very possible future? Google has just announced that they will be giving U.S. residents the chance to be the first to own a Google Glass, the company’s much-hyped wearable computer. But don’t belt out God Bless America just yet. You have to prove to Google that you really want to own their computer.

Aside from being a resident of the United States, in order to be eligible to pre-order (yes, you’re going to pay) the headset you have to be at least 18-years-old, and finally you have to answer a simple question: “What would you do if you had Glass?” You must answer the question in 50 words or less and send your answer to Google via a Google+ or Twitter account with the hashtag #ifihadglass. Google will then choose 8,000 applicants to become “Glass Explorers.” If you’re one of those people, you’ll still have to fork over $1,500 (USD) to finally get a Glass. So what do you get in exchange for all that trouble? Watch Google’s new video to find out:

Head to the Google Glass website for the full instructions of the contest. Be sure to read the FAQ and Terms as well so you don’t screw up your application. If any other company required you to join a contest for a chance to give them $1500 of your money, that company would have been laughed out of business. But this is Google we’re talking about, and the Glass looks like no mere product.

[Google via Acquire]

While there’s plenty of hype going on about smartwatches these days, most of the watches out there solve fairly superfluous problems – like seeing that you have a phone call because you’re too lazy to get the phone out of your pocket. On the other hand, this smartwatch could really help deaf and hard-of-hearing people.

The Android 4-powered Moneaual Smart Care System (SCS1000) can be used to alert people with hearing difficulties to emergency situations by relaying information to the LCD screen of the watch, as well as an accompanying vibration alert.

The device can detect specific sounds and alert users to them on the watch display. In indoor mode, the watch is smart enough to identify everything from the sound of a doorbell ringing, to a smoke alarm beeping, to a crying baby to a phone ringing or boiling water. In outdoor mode, it can detect car horns and other loud noises to protect wearers from dangerous situations. The watch also offers an emergency mode which can call 911 and request help on your behalf.

There’s no word yet on pricing or a release date for the Moneaual Smart Care System, but it could definitely be a great gadget for those with partial or total hearing loss when it’s ultimately released.

Every year, 140 billion pounds of packaging are disposed of in the United States alone. The world is running out of space for land fills and we’ve already got enough particulate matter in the atmosphere, just in case some people think burning the whole lot is the solution.

Design student Aaron Mickelson is well aware of the impact that all this packaging has on the environment. His alternative? Disappearing packaging.

Not the type of disappearing that involves magic, but ingenuity. Instead of using non-biodegradable materials to package various household products, Aaron’s packaging calls for the product itself to be integrated into the packaging, so the latter gets used up in the process as well.

Instead of ending up with an empty bottle, you’ll end up with… well, nothing. Some example designs include detergent pods which punch out of a perforated sheet that forms the package, soap packaging made out of soap, and garbage bags that are packed in, well… a garbage bag.

Doing something like this might be easier said than done, but it’s worth a shot, at the very least.

[via TAXI via Bit Rebels]