AFTER IPHONE, IPAD, IPOD, WHATS NEXT???

Owning a latest technology gadget and going gaga over applications is what has become today’s trend. Sharing a joyful talk on features of a new iTab or iPhone, posting pics on social networking sites, of the ‘pride possession’ of these gadgets has become a common thing among the youngsters today.


The release of any new technology mobile phones or new gadgets always creates a vibe among people with an interest to explore more on What’s new with it adding to the present. Especially any ‘i-gadget’ soon becomes the rage and every youngster dreams of owning one. Oh why just youngsters ? I was astounded and speechless when a relative of mine asked his 2yrs old kid as to what he wants to play with – a toy car or an i-pad, and the kid snatched the i-pad from his dad, throwing the toy-car down in resentment. Goodness gracious! Where do the kids learn all this from???


Another amazing example of the I-phone craze!! Wedding invitation of one of my friends...!!

The “i” craze has grown so much that I sometimes feel…Am I missing on something??
A few days back, on a hot sunny day, I went to an ice-cream parlour. The guy gave the menu card and guess what I saw written on it?? New offering from Arun ice-creams –“i-cone” !! I was completely baffled to see that !! The curious me immediately asked the parlour guy what an ‘i-cone’ was? And he replied “its for all you youngsters who love the gadgets i-phone and i-pod. Why don’t you try it”..I obviously couldn’t resist...:P :D …..so for all those who haven’t heard of it yet – here is a snapshot 

Another interesting thing that I came across while surfing through the  internet was this –

Edible Iphone's a hit in Beijing bakery

A cake shop in Beijing has started making iPhone cookies and iPad cakes. The baked sweets are proving popular among customers who are willing to pay 228 yuan, or about $33, for an edible iphone.

This is just a image from Sky News ... no word on where in Beijing this cake shop is, but no doubt this trend will be soon replicated at cake shops , and very soon your little one is not only going to demand a device of his own, but also an iPhone-themed birthday party..!!


iCone , iPhone cookies and iPad cakes…..what do you have to say about all these??? iWannaeat???? :D

MISSION IMPOSSIBLE 4 – IMPOSSIBLE TO RESIST TOM CRUISE!! :D

Yes !! I am so much in awe of Tom Cruise!!! He is 50 n yet a hottie..!! ;) 

Mission impossible 4 starring Tom Cruise, Jeremy Renner, Simon Pegg, Paula Patton and directed by Brad Bird is a complete masala flick with an amusing combination of action, humor, suspense, thrilling stunts and the astounding use of gadgets and technology. 

The main highlight of the movie is the Burj Khalifa, the tallest skyscraper in the world. It’s incredible how Tom Cruise plays around with it, climbing on it one moment and sliding down it in another.  One another breath taking stunt is where he uses his belt to slide over and escape from the hospital.

              
 

                                                                                           

The gadgets and technology used in the movie just gets the eye-balls rolling!!  Everything related to tech is at its best.

1. The Elecro- magnetic gloves which Tom Cruise wears in the epic scene scaling Burj Khalifa                                       
2. The surface computer

3. Lock Picking – Throughout the movie Ethan(Tom Cruise) and Benji Dunn(Pegg) use their iPhone 4 to unlock doors. Thanks to a special attachment case for the iPhone, Cruise inserts a card-sized attachment into card reader slots. The iPhone then figures out the code to hack into the door lock granting nearly instant access to hotel rooms and government offices containing nuclear launch codes.

4. Hacking From a MacBook Air – It’s the thinnest and lightest portable on the planet yet it packs the power of a full-fledged computer, so of course it’s the laptop of choice for tech guru Benji and the IMF team.

5. Facial Recognition Scanners – Facial recognition cameras have been done before, so how does Bird take it to the next level? He places a computerized contact lens on the eye of one of the IMF agents and has it work in tandem with the iPhone to do facial recognition scans of a massive crowd of people. The contact lens is connected to the agent’s iPhone and discreetly scans faces in the crowd to find a match for the person they’re looking for.

6.The electro magnets that keep Jeremy Renner floating..

7. iPad Reality Distortion Field – Aaah!! This one is my favourite bit from the entire movie!

To deceive a security guard, the IMF team uses an iPad connected to projector and screen to create a Reality Distortion Field. The iPad is used to handle all of the computing, while a camera tracks the eye movements of a security guard so that a life-like image can be projected on a screen that blocks the IMF team from view. It sounds complex, and it is…but it’s totally awesome and you should definitely check it out. I was so fascinated by this part of the movie!!!

Of course Apple is no stranger to product placement in movies. Apple products were featured in 24 of the top movies from 2010, but no movie has used Apple’s technology to as many awesome things as the Impossible Mission Force uses them in Mission Impossible 4.

Few others are Contact lenses that can scan a document with two eye-blinks, causing an exact photocopy to print out inside a nearby briefcase. (The briefcase can also print out an exact copy, with some of the numbers in the document scrambled, just as instantaneously.)  lol:P

There are also magic holographic screens, Minority Report-style car windshield displays, and tons of other crazy science fictional toys.

And oh my god! How can forget to mention the use of really sexy  car BMW i8 which Ethan uses to chase the villain Cobalt. 

Classy !!! Exotic!!! Splendid!!!!! Isn't it??

There are a couple of totally random, out-of-nowhere events that I didn't see coming, which help propel Tom Cruise into the plot proper. Ethan Hunt gets sprung from a Russian prison and is sent on a mission to discover the identity of a Russian traitor whose sexy henchwoman has stolen some nuclear launch codes. Hunt and his team get blamed for an act of terrorism in Moscow. Soon, they're all disowned by the U.S. government, and they have to stop the real terrorists without any government support.

Although some humor in the film doesn't work quite as well, like the whole bit where Paula Patton has to seduce a rich Indian businessman (Anil Kapoor) to get some satellite codes from him, mostly, it's a triumph of Brad Bird's visual sense and action sensibility over all the tired spy-movie formulae. 

At last I would say I loved the movie and thoroughly enjoyed it with my friends! And I would give this movie 4 stars. ****:)

THE PC READS IT IN UR EYES!!

 I happened to read this article called “OPENING THE THIRD EYE” in the Business Line dated 7th November 2011. The article is about how eye tracking is going to be the next step in controlling the gadgets after touchscreens and gesture recognition. Its a very well known fact that the pace at which technological advancements are happening is mind-boggling! 
Intuitive and direct control of computers is the new frontier of technology. Apple achieved a milestone step in the evolution of intuitive interfaces by developing the multitouch surface for its iPhone and iPad. Microsoft’s Kinect has sold millions of units and this is another approach that frees users from physical contact with a device. With the concept of eye tracking you might not need to control the computer with deliberate actions at all. Instead it will recognize where you are looking, understand what you want to do and react accordingly. 
A computer controlled by the eye will scroll down when you reach the end of the page while reading. It will offer definitions of the words or translations if your eye lingers on a particular word for sometime. You will get real eye contact with characters in 3D video games. Such levels of control are possible because of the way the eye functions. The eye has to focus on an object for at least 50 milliseconds to recognize what it is.

HOW IT WORKS

In order to grasp fixations, a webcam which is built into a notebook or a specialized camera accessory like the Microsoft Kinect has to emit an invisible infrared pattern that is reflected by the eyes. The eye tracker captures these reflections and analyzes them.

Eye control is not going to completely replace current input devices like mouse and keyboard, but add to them. For example, a user could control the mouse pointer with his eye, while his hands rests on a button and just clicks. That works very fast and reduces micro-movements of the arm muscles that often lead to shoulder and back problems.
The  researchers claim that eye tracking will add new life and realism to the businesses, entertainment and educational software. However, the million dollar question is that, with the hazardous heat transmission and high intensities of infra red light (with their wavelengths ranging from 700-1400 as defined by the International Commission on Illumination) causing damage to the skin and eyes, how far is this new technology going to do any good ?