Hasta La Gadget!

A couple of years ago, Tobii made headlines when they unveiled their eye-tracking sensor. We first saw it installed on a laptop and then on gaming machines. Now Tobii wants to ride the tablet revolution with the EyeMobile, an add-on for Windows 8 Pro tablets.

The EyeMobile makes use of Tobii’s USB-based PCEye Go sensor, a custom mounting bracket that doubles as a tablet stand and a Windows 8 Pro tablet. Tobii will be selling a bundle that includes the Dell Latitude 10 tablet, but you can also buy the sensor and the bracket separately if you already have a Windows 8 tablet.

In their hands-on with the EyeMobile, Digital Trends found the sensor to be quite accurate. Going back to the tablet in the top image, you can see a virtual dock on the right edge of the screen. You first have to look at one of the icons on the dock then look elsewhere to perform an action. For instance, if you want to left-click on something, you can’t just look at the thing you want to click. You first have to look at the left-click icon on the dock and then at the thing you want to click. It’s a bit tedious, but for people with certain disabilities this is a great way – if not the only way – for them to use modern technology. In addition, the PCEye Go sensor can be detached from the mounting bracket and used with a laptop or computer.

Tobii will be selling the PCEye Go sensor for $3,900 (USD) while the bracket costs $350. They’re pricey for sure, but it’s way better than nothing. Check out this video if you want to see how life-changing Tobii’s eye-tracking sensor can be (and if you need a good cry.)

Head to the EyeMobile website for more information.

[via Digital Trends]

When the new SimCity game launched earlier this year, it caught a huge amount of flack for requiring an Internet connection to play and bunch of server issues that prevented many gamers from playing for a long time. Those launch woes are behind the game now, and Maxis has announced its first expansion pack is coming on November 15.

The expansion pack will be available for PC and Mac gamers and is called SimCity: Cities of Tomorrow. The expansion pack is set 50 years in the future from the original game and brings a number of new technologies and planning techniques for your cities. Keep in mind that game does still require an Internet connection to play.

One of the complaints of the most recent SimCity was that larger maps were needed to allow people to build bigger cities. The expansion pack doesn’t expand the city size, but does introduce MegaTowers that allow players to build their cities vertically. The expansion also includes an exclusive disaster and a new villain in the form of a corporation that strip mines resources and pollutes the environment.

[via Eurogamer]

About three years ago, I talked about Table Connect, a 58″ touchscreen display that mirrors the screen of an iPhone. Or not. It turns out that the display we saw in the video wasn’t even a prototype; the “demo video” we saw was made using special effects. But now the same people behind that viral video claim they can make a real device.

Now called TableConnect – the lack of a space tells you they’re serious this time – is more or less the same idea, except now the final product will supposedly work with both iOS and Android devices. As with the fake product, you’ll be able to navigate and control your mobile device from the screen itself. The table can even be propped in an upright position to mimic the portrait mode of mobile devices.

TableConnect is expected to have an edge-to-edge 1080p LED touchscreen and come in two sizes: 60″ and 32″. It will also have several “Smart Areas” – i.e. home buttons on every corner and orientation buttons on the edges.

TableConnect will also supposedly support Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and HDMI connectivity, although this part is confusing because the prototype shown in the video below connects to an iPhone 4 using a 30-pin cable. TableConnect will also require a jailbroken iOS device, although the final product will supposedly come with a “pre-configured” iPhone or iPad. There’s currently no word on exactly which Android devices it will work with.

TableConnect is currently asking for money on Indiegogo to help with the development of the final product. Unlike most fundraising projects you cannot get a TableConnect as a reward, but even if they did offer one, most of us won’t be able to afford it anyway. The projected final cost for the 60″ version is a jaw-dropping €25,000 (~$33,000 USD) while the 32″ version will cost €15,000 (~$20,000 USD). There goes my dream of playing epic sessions of Spaceteam.

[via TableConnect]

You can convey a lot of things through touch. You can give a sympathetic hug, a joyous high-five or an angry punch. But Disney Research Pittsburgh came up with an interactive installation that can transmit sound using the human body. The sound will then be heard when a carrier touches someone’s ears. This means you can transmit a verbal message through touch.

The researchers call their invention Ishin-denshin, after a Japanese idiom that describes “unspoken mutual understanding.” Ishin-denshin consists of a microphone connected to a computer’s sound card. There’s also a thin piece of wire connected to the microphone’s cable and wrapped around its metallic casing. The microphone is set to start recording when it receives sound with an amplitude above a preset threshold, presumably so it won’t record ambient noise.  The recorded loop is sent to the computer, which converts the sound into a high voltage but low current electric signal and sends it to the thin piece of wire. The signal is then transferred to the person holding the mic, who can then pass it on to someone else via touch. The signal can be passed to multiple people before it’s directed to someone’s ear.

I wonder if it’s possible to make a visual version of the Ishin-denshin.

[via Disney Research & New Scientist via NOTCOT]

Livescribe pens are popular and powerful recording tools, but they only work with Livescribe’s own notebooks. A new product called the iSketchnote can’t record audio, but it presents a cheaper and more intuitive way of recording your drawing or writing. I think it can also be a good way to introduce luddites to the wonders of technology. By technology, I mean the iPad.

The first model of the iSketchnote will be an iPad cover. The back of the cover has an array of sensors where you’ll place any A5-sized paper or notebook. The iSketchnote pen is just a normal pen except it has a ring-shaped magnet embedded inside. When you fire up the iSketchnote iPad app and start writing or drawing, you’ll see your work get copied in real time on the iPad. When you’re done, you can replay the recording and share it online right from the app.

The final version of the iSketchnote app will also let you change the colors of the ink, support multiple layers and more. The company behind iSketchnote also hopes they can make their device compatible with popular writing apps like Paper and Evernote. But the iSketchnote can actually work even without the iPad, but you’ll need to supply an SD card so it can store data.

Pledge at least $149 (USD) on Kickstarter to get an iSketchnote as a reward. But before you pledge note that the first batch will only be compatible with the iPad 3 and later. The company behind iSketchnote did say that their technology already works with Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and Android, but they’re focusing on the iPad for now.