Hacker News Board Hacker News, browsed like a classic message board
Live data from Hacker News

Focals by North

bynorth.com

Post reply on HN
Print view View original

81–90 of 107 posts

Re: Focals by North

#81

Post by iends »

blang wrote: post #67
iends wrote: post #65

Earlier quoted context omitted.

As a runner, I used to pop on a garmin gps device and go for runs to help measure my training. Some days I would measure my heart rate with a chest strap to help my training. Apple watch, while generally not as good, it is good enough, and is something I can just wear all the time and provides the same functionality. It also has a lot of extra features like unlocking your computer without typing a password, allowing…

I'm glad you have the option and whatever keeps you running is a good thing, but I love exercising with as little as possible. It gives me a good time to truly unplug and be alone with my thoughts, I also think it lets my body set the pace.

Running with nothing is great except if you want to make data driven decisions to optimize your training. Even basic speed work requires a timer and a track. (Or just a smartwatch).

Re: Focals by North

#82

Post by jpindar »

bhauer wrote: post #51
fermienrico wrote: post #47

Am I the only one who doesn't want - Digital Glasses, Google Glass - Smart assistants - IOT devices - Smart door locks - Internet enabled washing machines, refrigerators, ovens, etc. - Push to order dash buttons - Smart watch - Smart cameras/webcams These devices are solutions looking for a problem. The value proposition is overshadowed by loss of privacy, interruptions by social media, potential for security flaws,…

Maybe. But let's frame it differently. I want many of these things, but I want them to work on my own virtual private network—communicating exclusively with my other devices and only communicating off-network according to clear and obvious needs for external data (e.g., weather). The problem is today's third-party oriented cloud that assumes that all device-to-device communication requires a third-party intermediary.…

>The problem is today's third-party oriented cloud that assumes that all device-to-device communication requires a third-party intermediary

Phillips Hue products don't. (There is a cloud, but it's entirely optional).

Re: Focals by North

#83

Post by [deleted] »

biztos wrote: post #52
fermienrico wrote: post #47

Am I the only one who doesn't want - Digital Glasses, Google Glass - Smart assistants - IOT devices - Smart door locks - Internet enabled washing machines, refrigerators, ovens, etc. - Push to order dash buttons - Smart watch - Smart cameras/webcams These devices are solutions looking for a problem. The value proposition is overshadowed by loss of privacy, interruptions by social media, potential for security flaws,…

I don't want a lot of those things, but I really want a couple of them in a different form than currently available: - Smart driving (sun|eye)glasses. - Smart plant waterers for when I'm out of town. - Something that does what Apple Watch does without displacing my real watch. It seems I'm unlikely to see the second two -- AFAICT plant watering is stuck in DIY mode, and it looks like the Apple Watch business is boomi…

[deleted]

Re: Focals by North

#84

Post by jpindar »

baud147258 wrote: post #20
chasing wrote: post #11

They pose their models in such a way to hide it, but the temples of those glasses (where all the tech lives, presumably) are huge. Which feel like they'd both be distracting to wear and to look at someone else wearing. (Although this is certainly an improvement over the Google Glasses design.) I would believe that some people would like a little heads-up display in their glasses. Not everyone. But some people. But I…

Sometime at parties I wish for a HUD that would show me people's name and the last time I saw them. On the other hand I dislike wearing glasses at social events, since I don't really need them.

Parties in Virtual Worlds are great in this regard, since you can see not only someone's name but also their IM address, profile and sometimes notes you've made about them in the past. So I know I'd appreciate it in RL.

Re: Focals by North

#85

Post by drjasonharrison »

crooked-v wrote: post #70
jumelles wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The best solution I've seen is a dashboard display with integrated maps, info, etc. BMW does this.

It's not really the same, though, because a well-made HUD gives you infinite focal depth, so you're not shifting focus with it vs the road.

You're still shifting attentional focus. Which has a big impact.

Re: Focals by North

#86

Post by core-questions »

iends wrote: post #81
blang wrote: post #67

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm glad you have the option and whatever keeps you running is a good thing, but I love exercising with as little as possible. It gives me a good time to truly unplug and be alone with my thoughts, I also think it lets my body set the pace.

Running with nothing is great except if you want to make data driven decisions to optimize your training. Even basic speed work requires a timer and a track. (Or just a smartwatch).

This is overkill for 99.999% of people who aren't at the top tier of competitive running where it makes a difference. For the rest of us, just pushing a bit harder and a bit longer will have all the effect of whatever you would have done with all this data, for far less cost and effort.

Re: Focals by North

#88

Post by gcb0 »

chasing wrote: post #54
mcguire wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

https://assets.bynorth.com/quartz/focalsPage/Product_Banner_...

Yeah, still shot in a way that minimizes the size of the boxes that hold the tech.

Is that huge switch how it detects it is on your face? seems hugely inconvenient.

Re: Focals by North

#89

Post by robsyme »

gcb0 wrote: post #88
chasing wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, still shot in a way that minimizes the size of the boxes that hold the tech.

Is that huge switch how it detects it is on your face? seems hugely inconvenient.

That may house the projector that throws the display onto the glass.

Re: Focals by North

#90

Post by ValleyOfTheMtns »

I think before we tackle "smart glasses" from technical and social acceptance perspectives, we should explore "smart headphones". Perhaps it already exists, but while I'm walking around with my cordless Bose headphones I wonder why someone hasn't already made headphones that have dual-cameras in both ear pieces, gyroscopes, and accelerators built in. I think a lot of people would be interested in being able to take photos or motion stabilised videos from their perspective with the tap of a button. There have been times where I saw something interesting, took my phone out of my pocket to take a photo/video, but the moment had already passed. Walking around with camera enabled headphones would allow me to capture the moment instantly. I just need to look and shoot.

But maybe I should just enjoy the moment for what it is, and let it pass, without feeling the need to record it...

Post reply on HN