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Matt Cutts: One of the more fun gadgets I've been playing with lately…

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Re: Matt Cutts: One of the more fun gadgets I've been playing with lately…

#21
post #15
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not a huge fan of inPulse - not because of what they do, which I think is awesome, but because of their size - if I could get the watch of my preference (random example, but here's the kind of watch I personally like http://s7ondemand4.scene7.com/is/image/Signet/8349614?$detai... ) with a few of these features, such as vibration in patterns to show the difference between a call, an SMS, an email... then I'd jump…

".. vibration in patterns to show the difference between a call, an SMS, an email" This is genius. Why doesn't my phone do this now ? Sure, I have different audible tones for reminders/sms/email/calls but most of the time my phone is in vibrate-only. I think we will end up with watches similar to those you describe. I imagine they'll have more functions than alerting you though. A device in constant contact with the…

By default, iPhones vibrate once for emails, twice for texts.

Through the accessibility settings, you can set completely custom vibrations for each of the contacts in your address book (e.g. you could make morse code of each of their names)

Re: Matt Cutts: One of the more fun gadgets I've been playing with lately…

#23
The cool factor is definitely there but I am not buying one of these devices unless they figured out how to charge it without any help from the user.

I do not want another device I have to remember to connect to its charger and given its functionality I don't think its battery life is stellar.

Re: Matt Cutts: One of the more fun gadgets I've been playing with lately…

#24
post #15
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not a huge fan of inPulse - not because of what they do, which I think is awesome, but because of their size - if I could get the watch of my preference (random example, but here's the kind of watch I personally like http://s7ondemand4.scene7.com/is/image/Signet/8349614?$detai... ) with a few of these features, such as vibration in patterns to show the difference between a call, an SMS, an email... then I'd jump…

".. vibration in patterns to show the difference between a call, an SMS, an email" This is genius. Why doesn't my phone do this now ? Sure, I have different audible tones for reminders/sms/email/calls but most of the time my phone is in vibrate-only. I think we will end up with watches similar to those you describe. I imagine they'll have more functions than alerting you though. A device in constant contact with the…

Android can already do this, with CyanogenMod at least. If I remember correctly there are choices like "long pulse", "three short pulses", etc.

Re: Matt Cutts: One of the more fun gadgets I've been playing with lately…

#25
The global watch industry is pushing $50 billion and very few people wear them anymore. With the mobile revolution this category is really ripe for a complete overhaul. This isn't it but it's one of several starts in that direction.

People talk about how phones are getting more powerful processors each year and extrapolate that out but what's also going to happen is that the current slab phone paradigm will be challenged strongly by a combination of lighter tablets at the high end and even more miniaturized devices -- glasses, watches, headsets, armbands, etc. on the low end.

Advances in LTE networks mean your mobile chip really only has to be good enough to decode audio and video at a low ping. Those chips are going to get tiny indeed and run extremely power light.

3D printing advances continue to astonish, check out this 330x130x100µm3 racecar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5y0j191H0kY

Voice and Kinect-style motion controls are rapidly maturing as alternatives to touch input. Eye movement and thought control perhaps not that far off.

Flexible screens, projection and very high density VR screens are also maturing and offer alternatives to the current slab phone screen.

Re: Matt Cutts: One of the more fun gadgets I've been playing with lately…

#28
post #15
post #13

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not a huge fan of inPulse - not because of what they do, which I think is awesome, but because of their size - if I could get the watch of my preference (random example, but here's the kind of watch I personally like http://s7ondemand4.scene7.com/is/image/Signet/8349614?$detai... ) with a few of these features, such as vibration in patterns to show the difference between a call, an SMS, an email... then I'd jump…

".. vibration in patterns to show the difference between a call, an SMS, an email" This is genius. Why doesn't my phone do this now ? Sure, I have different audible tones for reminders/sms/email/calls but most of the time my phone is in vibrate-only. I think we will end up with watches similar to those you describe. I imagine they'll have more functions than alerting you though. A device in constant contact with the…

Ye olde BlackBerry would let you set custom vibration patterns per-app. It's technically possible on Android too, but most apps don't take advantage of it (including the built-in apps, negating the usefulness of such a thing)

Re: Matt Cutts: One of the more fun gadgets I've been playing with lately…

#30

Interesting that this works with Blackberry and not iOS devices. Is this because the app store specifically rejected their app? If so, why?

It meshes well with the way Blackberry handles incoming messages (email, IM, etc.) and the Blackberry has a public API to allow 3rd-party access to such incoming messages.

iOS has no such public API, and the various types of incoming messages (email/SMS/IM) are not unified in iOS like they are on BB. It's always been a weak spot on iOS. The iOS 5 notification center improves the situation quite a bit, but there's still no public API to enable a device like this watch.

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