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Cellphone as Virtual Mouse, Keyboard

Posted by ryuzaki0 on from the well-isn't-that-clever dept.

stab writes "Check this out! High Energy Magic have announced a public beta of software to let you use your camera-phone as a physical mouse by just pointing and clicking and rotating it in the air. Some very cool videos available: check out the volume control and flight booking ones in particular! The tags used are really robust - they did a wastebasket torture test for a bit of fun as well :-)"

186 comments

  1. Wow by NIK282000 · · Score: 1, Interesting

    now if only we could eliminate the phone and have th e object track your hands..

    --
    Dear aunt, let's set so double the killer delete select all
  2. Videos? by ryanwright · · Score: 5, Funny

    Some very cool videos available

    Heh. Not anymore, they aren't.

    --
    -Ryan, with the unoriginal sig
    1. Re:Videos? by upside · · Score: 0

      Yeah, and with less than 70 comments. A new record?

      --
      I'm sorry if I haven't offended anyone
  3. Wow... by k4_pacific · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Like the Camera phone itself, this is a solution to a problem I never knew existed.

    --
    Unknown host pong.
    1. Re:Wow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Insightful

      Not everything created is a solution for a problem. Sometimes it's just a clever hack that's interesting or entertaining.

      Freaking engineers!

    2. Re:Wow... by normal_guy · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Why fly when you can drive and sail? Because it's faster and more efficient. Why carry around a cameraphone when you can easily carry a brick phone and your Nikon 35mm? Because it's smaller and more efficient.

      --

      Linux: Free if your time is worthless.
    3. Re:Wow... by rudeboy1 · · Score: 1, Funny

      Now I can finally live my dream of never having to touch anything in public ever again. I can use my cell phone to book my flights, control my computer, and open doors! I won't ever have to come into contact with Evil Germs ever again!

      --
      Raging in an online forum won't do anything for the world around you. To see change, you must take action.
    4. Re:Wow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah this is just what we need, so now the idiots on the road can try to talk on their cell phones, use the camera part of the phone to snap off some shots for the scrapbook, wave the phone around frantically to turn the radio volume up, all while eating a big mac and drinking a soon-to-be-extinct super sized Coca-Cola.

    5. Re:Wow... by rainman_bc · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Yeah, the problem existed. Not the convergence question, but still. Imagine - you get in an accident, and you don't have any paper; you can take a pic of the license plate. Or someone commits a crime and you're there to witness it. A picture sure does help. From a legal perspective, carrying around a camera can really save your hide. Of course IANAL, but I can imagine the possibilities. It would make the difference in a "my word against your word" kinda case. Same goes for video. Imagine if you were assaulted and managed to catch the assault on video. Kinda makes your case more concrete doesn't it? From a "my word against yours" angle, having a camera on you at all times likely does help a lot.

      And besides, what if you were in calgary right now and want to remember all the b00bs being shown. What better way to relive the NHL playoffs than through the joy of pictures!

      and on that note, what if you were to shag a supermodel? No one would believe you (being a slashdot nerd), so now you can snap a photo while shagging a goddess! You will be the envy of your friends!

      =D

      --
      09 F9 11 02 9D 74 E3 5B D8 41 56 C5 63 56 88 C0
    6. Re:Wow... by Total_Wimp · · Score: 5, Interesting

      Like the Camera phone itself, this is a solution to a problem I never knew existed.

      This kind of statement about the lack of a use for a camera phone tends to tell me something about the person that says it.

      1. They're not very creative. I use a camera-phone all the time for stuff I'd never use a camera for. For example, I take pictures of sales displays to compare the product on the internet when I get home and I take pictures of the sign that reminds me where I parked my car at the airport. Instant notes with no effort. I also have a cool game that lets me move around by moving my phone around. If you were more creative, you would have thought of a few more uses too.

      2. They're not very spontaneous. I take pictures of my friends, family and important events far more often than I ever would if I had to carry around a full-size camera all the time. If you were interested in this kind of spontaneity then I'm sure you would see the use of a camera phone.

      3. They're self-centered. People who don't want a camera phone personally, and seem to be dumbfounded by those that do, tend to be some of the most self-centered people I know. Lots of people have camera phones and lots of people like them. You may not desire or need one, but are you able to learn from and empathize with those that do? If you were interested in the thoughts and feelings of the people around you, you might have asked one of them why they bought a camera phone and realize that not everyone has the same needs and desires that you do.

      Believe it or not, I'm not trying to slam you here. I'm just reporting my personal observations of people who've talked like you have about these devices. Camera phones are interesting because they're very popular, but there's a significant backlash. That backlash crowd, in my opinion, is really more alike than most people realize.

      TW

    7. Re:Wow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      maybe they just don't see a need for the stupid fucking camera on a phone that they just use to make calls with? did you ever think of that? obviosly not because all you think about is sticking the camera under some girls dress and snapping a pick. perv

    8. Re:Wow... by milkman_matt · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Why fly when you can drive and sail? Because it's faster and more efficient. Why carry around a cameraphone when you can easily carry a brick phone and your Nikon 35mm? Because it's smaller and more efficient.

      Interesting point, but by the same token -- Why use your cellphone as a mouse? I can't think of any reason save powerpoint presentations or something, but for that you don't really need a mouse.. Flying is faster than cars and boats, the cameraphone.. well, I'd rather carry my little phone and my Nikon 35mm, because the results from a camera phone are ass at best. I have a camera phone, and I have a little pocket olympus digital camera. If I know I'm going to be taking pictures, I bring the digital, the resulotion and clarity blow my phone out of the water. For a quick "oh wow that's neat" picture, then yes, a camera phone is fine and sometimes very useful. However, usually if you're going to be taking pictures of stuff, you know it, so you bring your camera. Well, "I", not "You", but I can only speak for myself.

      -matt

    9. Re:Wow... by milkman_matt · · Score: 1

      Or someone commits a crime and you're there to witness it. A picture sure does help.

      It's funny that you should mention this. My boss was telling me about a month ago when his friend had his camera phone for a while, he saw some guy commiting something, I forget the details, anyhow, he whipped out his camera phone and snapped a couple shots good enough to make out his face, he showed the police when they arrived and it helped to catch the guy. Very useful (as I mentioned before) but hardly necessary or anything like that. It's just handy to have around for those times when you could use your camera but didn't bring it. Hardly a substitution for a real camera in any circumstance, though.

      -matt

    10. Re:Wow... by cjpez · · Score: 2, Insightful
      (I know I probably shouldn't feed the trolls, but...)

      ... so your theory is that people who don't like camera phones
      are uncreative, non-spontaneous, self-centered assholes? Whereas
      your camera phone imparts creativity, spontaneity, and a greater
      appreciation for your fellow man? Wonder of wonders! Maybe
      this new phone will come with a feature that makes you less of
      a jerk, too!

      --
      Al Qaeda has ninjas!
    11. Re:Wow... by Ankle · · Score: 0

      Yeah I tend to agree, camera phones are incredably useful! You can totaly take pictures of girls from behind/below with them. :D

      But then again with the internet that's kinda redundant...

    12. Re:Wow... by Yobgod+Ababua · · Score: 2, Insightful

      "Why use your cellphone as a mouse?"

      As the OP notes, the primary use would be to create interactive displays and signs in places where there typically is no mouse, or it would be inadvisable to place a mouse (or other pointing device).

      The idea is to enable people to use a device that many of them already carry with them to interact with these displays, rather than building some possibly expensive or damage prone method of interaction into the display itself.

    13. Re:Wow... by Lobsang · · Score: 1

      Like the Camera phone itself, this is a solution to a problem I never knew existed.

      Sometimes, we got to admit, they Have their use...

    14. Re:Wow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Thats a great quote....one for the books. =)

    15. Re:Wow... by sffubs · · Score: 1

      To be honest, the quality of the pictures from my cameraphone is so far short of a real digicam that I tend to just carry my Canon with me, and forget that the phone can take pictures.

      I know that the quality of cameraphones will improve dramatically, but when you consider that even the smallest consumer digicams tend to be about the size of a phone, I think it'll be a while before phones catch up with the bottom end of the camera market (quality-wise). And until then I personally wouldn't want to trust taking pictures of friends, family and personal events to one.

      --
      ݼ)s$æúßðíÊ'öX'îò5^àûßQç£
    16. Re:Wow... by greggman · · Score: 1

      they already have caught up here in Japan. There are about 10 differnt 2megapixel camera phones out here. Some with auto-focus. The bottom of the digital camera market is currently 2megapixels. By Christmas here those phones will be the free phones you get for signing up for service and 3megapixel phones will be out.

    17. Re:Wow... by DrPizza · · Score: 1

      Except that my old non-camera phone is a much better phone, and I wouldn't carry around a camera anyway. Nor would most people (as amply evidenced by the fact that prior to the release of camera phones they didn't).

      As such, the camera phone falls squarely into the "solution looking for a problem" category.

      And even if one really did want a camera, a camera phone would be hopelessly inadequate anyway; crap compared even to a disposable 35mm camera, let alone a proper one.

    18. Re:Wow... by cwis42 · · Score: 1

      Like the Camera phone itself, this is a solution to a problem I never knew existed.

      You must be new here.

    19. Re:Wow... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Soo... why not just label them C(camera)P(phone) H(Haters) mr judgemental extrovert?

      I feel there are only 20 distinct types of people. I thought about adding another type to my list of people after reading your comment. But then i realized that CPH fits under another person type.

      Why don't you call a spade a spade and point out that camera phone haters are nerds?

    20. Re:Wow... by Kiryat+Malachi · · Score: 1

      I felt like camera phones were useless.

      Then I got one for free. And once I had one, I changed my mind. For times when I don't have my good camera (Olympus C-50) with me, its nice to be able to just take that quick shot.

      I think most of the people who are so heavily anti cameraphone, simply haven't used one and therefore haven't thought about the uses.

      --

      ---
      Mod me down, you fucking twits. Go ahead. I dare you.
      (I read with sigs off.)
  4. Here's an idea: by magefile · · Score: 4, Interesting

    If the spot codes can hold a few bytes of info - wave your cell over a tattoo or a shirt someone's wearing to get their name/cellphone number ... um, never mind, that'd be a bad thing.

    1. Re:Here's an idea: by Richard_L_James · · Score: 1

      Hey great idea, this would work well with your average spotty geek! Personally I've found asking people for their number is the easiest way but I guess this is slashdot - why do it the easy way when you can spend 6 months dev'ing up something really complex to do it for you ;-)

    2. Re:Here's an idea: by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Who the hell modded this offtopic? How is this offtopic?

  5. I don't understand... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Why integrate a cell phone with all these add on features that aren't nearly as good as things devoted specifically to the task? Cameras on cell phones are horrible compared to a decent digital camera, cell phone games are also quite lame (though, in Japan, you can get some nice looking versions of Dragonquest 1 and FF1), and now this... Why not just fix certain problems with the PHONING (i.e. bad signals) - the main capability for which they were developed, rather than adding a whole number of (useless) features?

    1. Re:I don't understand... by Khakionion · · Score: 5, Insightful
      Why not just fix certain problems with the PHONING (i.e. bad signals) - the main capability for which they were developed, rather than adding a whole number of (useless) features?
      Put yourself in Sprint's shoes. You could spend more on improving your network, thus upping your subscription costs, or you could have Samsung come out with a shitload of useless PCS Vision features. Both sell phones, but there's less risk for Sprint, since Samsung's doing the majority of the R&D.
      --
      OMG! Wau!
    2. Re:I don't understand... by Mz6 · · Score: 2
      Because the phone is the last thing people care about!

      I have a couple friends who work as Spring salespeople and they say that the last thing that people ask about it the actual phone quality itself. They want to know about games, planners, cameras and all the other toys, but the actual phone part is last, if even touched upon at all.

      --
      Hmmm.
    3. Re:I don't understand... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why develop 2GHz CPUs when 1GHz is fast enough? Why not just fix problems with 1GHz CPUs (make them cheaper, etc..)?

      Certain problems with phoning were fixed a half decade ago. Note, cell phone can't help if your service provider has a crappy network.

      Now the manufacturers are adding other features to the phone. Camera is a very useful in the phone and the sales show it. In the last year, camera phones outsold digital cameras. Currently about 20-30% of the new phones have camera.

    4. Re:I don't understand... by Diaspar · · Score: 4, Interesting


      Didn't Motorola CEO get kicked out because that's precisely what he was saying ("concentrate on quality that's obviously suffering right now, and not race for features")?

      I think in the current market there is always race for features. More, more more and more. Until some complaint gets too loud and bites the company in the ass. Then fixing it becomes a future as well ("Our dialer is now better than ever").

      I found it interesting how Microsoft acted back in the day. They bloated their software with features, many many features, to beat the feature list of the competitor. Well, so what that it crashed constantly, so what that it didn't do the job that well. (sarcasm). For some reason, it's still around...

    5. Re:I don't understand... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      People seem to enjoy spending hundreds of bucks in things they don't really need.
      I prefer cheap but reliable cell phones, like nokia 8260

    6. Re:I don't understand... by Diaspar · · Score: 3, Insightful


      I think the issue here is that the people *assume* that the phone just works. Quality of service is usually attributed to the provider.

      Now that we got that out of the way, once people take reliability for granted they look at optional things, such as camera, organizer, phone book, etc.. nothing wrong with it, just how the mentality works.

    7. Re:I don't understand... by realdpk · · Score: 1

      I'm still waiting for them to come out with a Bag of Holding to carry all of the individual electronic devices that could replace the functionality of my Treo 600. One that could fit in my jeans pocket.

    8. Re:I don't understand... by Kenja · · Score: 1

      I call it "Japanese Schoolgirl Technology". The US market is not the main one for this stuff.

      --

      "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
    9. Re:I don't understand... by ndykman · · Score: 2, Insightful

      All these toys just allow the companies to churn phones and do nothing about, well, phone service. I agree. Two things I care about.

      Reception. I understand that this is a combination of the network and the phone, but I'm not seeing many companies really making the effort to examine coverage, make investments in infrastructure upgrades. I think the phones may not have much more they can do on reception, save for a breakthrough in antenna design (the PLL for example).

      The second is of course battery life. This is just a fundamental problem, but hey, not sticking a ton of crap in the phone can't hurt. I must admit, I do like some color screens, just because they are bright and easy to read to see who is calling, and whom I'm calling.

      I am looking at switching providers, and I'm really looking at Nextel and Verizon, as they really seem to be about "getting phone calls". Any comments?

    10. Re:I don't understand... by Biomemetic · · Score: 1

      I have a colleague who uses this feature to control his Mac during PPT presentations, enabling him to wander all over the room during presentations, rather than being shackled to the keyboard. Sure, there are other ways of doing this, but it does look pretty slick.

  6. What the ?? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Can someone explain to me how you can "point and click" your phone? Click!?

  7. seriously... by jbellis · · Score: 2, Insightful

    pretty underwhelming that something described as a "virtual mouse and keyboard" turns out to be more like "virtual touchscreen, as long as you don't have more than a few options you want touchable."

  8. How quickly is this all done? by Fiz+Ocelot · · Score: 3, Insightful
    So how fast is it? From what it sounds like in the description: A bar code like "spot code" is on an object. Your phone reads it with the camera, communicates this to a nearby pc via bluetooth, which then somehow runs code on the phone.

    Sorry but first off, I don't want a camera phone. Second, Will this all run within my 2 second attention span? Most likely just targeted ads anyways. Not to mention what this would do to the phone's battery life.

    1. Re:How quickly is this all done? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      if you dont want a camera phone dont buy one, its simple

      I do, infact i want a camera/phone/mouse/credit-card/addressbook/email/i rc-chat-client/walkie-talkie/scanner/barcodereader /pdf viewer/personal-computing-device and i want it to fit in my shirt pocket.

      if you can package all of that into a single system and market it for arround 100 dollars (american) per device, then i will take two. untill then keep up the good work, but right now i just cant afford it.

    2. Re:How quickly is this all done? by stab · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Sorry but first off, I don't want a camera phone

      You're probably posting from the US. In Europe, it's almost impossible to buy a cellphone without a camera these days. You're correct in that I dont particularly want to take pictures with the crappy camera - so why not use it for something useful?

      Will this all run within my 2 second attention span?

      Pretty much ... the decoding happens in real-time (you see the camera viewfinder, and it highlights tags). Once the main slashdotting dies down, the videos hopefully explain it a bit better.

      Not to mention what this would do to the phone's battery life.

      Actually, it's not too bad ... I was demonstrating this stuff at a research demo day recently, and we ran a normal Nokia 3650 for a good 8 hours without seriously killing the batteries - that the camera and bluetooth active at the same time.

    3. Re:How quickly is this all done? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      > You're probably posting from the US. In Europe, it's almost impossible to buy a cellphone without a camera these days.

      I live in the Netherlands and the majority of the cellphones in the shops here don't have a camera. Hell, it's even easy to buy phones without a color screen, let alone without a camera.

  9. Mirror for some of the videos by stab · · Score: 5, Informative

    Since the main site is predictably a bit bogged down, there is also a page at the University of Cambridge Systems Research Group detailing the research side of things. It also has some cool videos :-)

    1. Re:Mirror for some of the videos by upside · · Score: 1

      I guess the lab gets its name from you, judging by that photo - you look "high energy" there! Seems you've also managed to recruit the obligatory llama into your team. :D Nice work.

      --
      I'm sorry if I haven't offended anyone
  10. and the need for this is...? by chamblah · · Score: 1, Insightful
    I honestly cannot see any real reason for this. As cool as it is for a proof of concept the idea is nice.

    But this trend of incorporating everything into one device is annoying.

    1. Re:and the need for this is...? by Rick.C · · Score: 5, Funny
      But this trend of incorporating everything into one device is annoying.

      That's the same line the Mormons use to justify polygamy.

      --
      You were 80% angel, 10% demon. The rest was hard to explain. - Over The Rhine
      "Math in a song is good."-Linford
    2. Re:and the need for this is...? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Well, it makes all those "RFID reader in cell phone" immediately obsolete. Good.

  11. New Policy by bogie · · Score: 3, Interesting

    If a site is unreachable within the first 10 posts the story gets yanked. Delete it like it never happened. Seriously, how the hell are we supposed to have a discussion about something we can't even read about?

    --
    If you wanna get rich, you know that payback is a bitch
    1. Re:New Policy by SwornPacifist · · Score: 5, Funny

      how the hell are we supposed to have a discussion about something we can't even read about?

      Since when has reading the article been a requirement to post authoritatively on Slashdot about it?

    2. Re:New Policy by Chewie · · Score: 1, Funny

      ...how the hell are we supposed to have a discussion about something we can't even read about?

      The same way we have discussions when no one's read TFA regardless of availability? :)

      --
      49 20 68 61 76 65 20 74 6F 6F 20 6D 75 63 68 20 66 72 65 65 20 74 69 6D 65 2E
    3. Re:New Policy by Pizzop · · Score: 2, Funny

      It's just a ploy by someone who secretly hates the people who did it. They have the site /.'ed and then laugh when the persons computer melts!

      --
      How to Speak Leet
    4. Re:New Policy by bogie · · Score: 1

      I know I know, walked right into that one. But still it is rather annoying.

      --
      If you wanna get rich, you know that payback is a bitch
  12. ideas by medvezhatnik · · Score: 2, Insightful

    what else can we turn cell phone in to ? i'd like to have web server and ssh installed on it too, wash the dishes, flashlight, what else ? :-)

    1. Re:ideas by gandalphthegreen · · Score: 3, Informative
      flashlight
      You apparently haven't seen this.
    2. Re:ideas by eboot · · Score: 1

      went to the web site and i have a query... why does the torch need to be connected by bluetooth to a phone? Does it need the power of sony ericsson phone to know the difference between off and on?

      --
      Two tears in a bucket. Motherfuck it.
    3. Re:ideas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      what else can we turn cell phone in to ? I'd like to have web server and ssh installed on it too, wash the dishes, flashlight...

      You can't install all this on a cell phone. Because, if you do, you can't call it a cell phone, you'd have to call it EMACS.

    4. Re:ideas by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The SE P800/P900 also satisfy the other demands (webserver, ssh client)

    5. Re:ideas by dJCL · · Score: 1

      I have the Sony-Ericsson CAR-100, it's basically a mini RC car that charges off the phone's power connector and uses bluetooth to control the steering and speed. I syspect that the S-E phones have a bluetooth serial option to allow control of properly setup devices... ie, I build a bluetooth car, and my older models can deal with it, same with the light, it probably lets the phone know what is going on with the light - maybe even turn it on and off.

      Yes, these things are generally useless, but who really cares?

      --
      On Arrakis: early worm gets the bird. Magister mundi sum!
    6. Re:ideas by Melchior_of_wg · · Score: 1

      1 - No mentions of bluetooth. It has a BLUE light, maybe you missread.

      2 - It has no internal power source, instead of uses the mobile's battery, hence the need for a physical connection.

    7. Re:ideas by ryanwright · · Score: 1

      Seriously, a flashlight built into a cellphone would be great. How many of us have used the backlighting from the LCD to locate stuff in the dark? I'm guilty. In fact I've done it several times. So why not just put a couple of high powered LEDs in the front of the thing with an on/off button? That would get me one step closer to the perfect "Swiss Army Cellphone."

      --
      -Ryan, with the unoriginal sig
    8. Re:ideas by skzbass · · Score: 1

      Or the new Samsung E715 The flashlight is actuallty a arguable feature, ive been in thge dark trying to write something down, a Led would come in handy

      --
      Sig (appended to the end of comments you post, 120 chars)
  13. Astroturf... by batgimp · · Score: 0, Troll

    Not entirely sure about that. The submitter doesn't really have anything to do with HEM. Googling his email address will give you a page with the following:

    "Anil Madhavapeddy
    I am currently a PhD candidate at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory, in the Systems Research Group. Current research interests include improving operating systems security, audio networking, and creating more sensible compilers. In addition, I enjoy developing free software, primarily the secure OpenBSD operating system."

    So why do you think it's Astroturf ?

    1. Re:Astroturf... by CoffeeJedi · · Score: 1

      oh, ok... i guess it was just the "wow! gee-wiz! cool" tone of the post, it just seemed.... fake i guess

      --
      May you be touched by His Noodly Appendage. RAmen.
    2. Re:Astroturf... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Informative

      Because this was invented at the University of Cambridge Computer Laboratory, in the Systems Research Group. Link

    3. Re:Astroturf... by forrestt · · Score: 1

      You forgot to mention the picture of him at the bottom of the page.

    4. Re:Astroturf... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Oops...my bad, it is astroturf. In my defence, the site itself was unreachable so I wasn't able to check it out properly.

      batgimp.

  14. Google Cache by jm92956n · · Score: 3, Informative

    Yes, that's the way I like to be clicked.

    --
    An effective signature identifies a particular user amongst a base of thousands.
  15. Never really trusted them .... by taniwha · · Score: 1

    Those guys over in High Energy Magic ... I've read all the stories about what goes wrong over there ....

    1. Re:Never really trusted them .... by Pxtl · · Score: 1

      I know. The very fact that there exists an organization with that name is hilarious. Hats off to them.

    2. Re:Never really trusted them .... by einstein · · Score: 0, Offtopic

      If they take their hats off, how will you tell they are wizards? won't they just be fat men in dresses at that point?

      --

      I post links to stuff here

  16. Please Mod Up The Parent -- Good & Fast Mirror by william_lorenz · · Score: 0

    As the subject says, please mod up the parent! :)

  17. Gyroscopic mouse technology - patented by networkGhettoWhore · · Score: 5, Interesting

    What wasn't reported though is that the company Gyration already has patent pending on gyroscopic mouse technology. Gyration had already released an open letter last week addressing this when the cell phone mouse was first announced.

    --
    Natural Selection: self-destruction of the poor and lazy
    1. Re:Gyroscopic mouse technology - patented by poot_rootbeer · · Score: 1

      Well, I can't know for sure because the article is Slashdotted, but I expect the cell phones don't actually contain any gyroscopes -- I know mine doesn't -- so "gyroscopic mouse technology" wouldn't really apply.

      It would, I imagine, track the motion of the images captured by the camera to calculate relative motion -- sort of like the way an optical mouse works, but with less precision.

      Pretty clever stuff -- this could either be the Killer App for Bluetooth, or the biggest nuisance ever, once anyone nearby will be able to change the channel on your TV using only their cellphone.

    2. Re:Gyroscopic mouse technology - patented by FattMattP · · Score: 1
      What wasn't reported though is that the company Gyration already has patent pending on gyroscopic mouse technology.
      Cell phones don't contain gyroscopes. This uses the camera to detect movement.
      --
      Prevent email address forgery. Publish SPF records for y
    3. Re:Gyroscopic mouse technology - patented by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      It usues, given you have enough lawyers.

    4. Re:Gyroscopic mouse technology - patented by Phroggy · · Score: 1

      Anyone remember the Nintendo PowerGlove? It was ultrasonic rather than gyroscopic or optical...

      --
      $x='S24;r)>63/* h@<5+oZ)32"5cz';$me='phroggy'x$];
      $x=~y+ -xz+\0-Tx+;print$_^chop$me for split'',$x;
  18. Join us next time... by advance512 · · Score: 2, Funny

    ...when we show you how to take pictures of your family using an optical mouse!

    Actually, this is pretty cool - nice idea. No need to carry around a mouse for your laptop (if you hate the touchpad), just use your cellphone! Simple and smart.

    1. Re:Join us next time... by dJCL · · Score: 1

      Not quite what they achieved, classic RTFA, but still an interesting possibility.

      My Sony Ericsson T616 has a relativly crappy camera on it(good for those shots when you have no other device nearby). An option to connect as a Bluetooth mouse to my laptop and just put the phone on a flat surface with non-repeating textures would rock! I would not have to carry my wireless mouse with me, and therefore one less device to drag around.

      --
      On Arrakis: early worm gets the bird. Magister mundi sum!
  19. new use for this... by ferrocene · · Score: 4, Funny

    Eliminate beer Goggles! Picture the scene: you're at a bar, gettin' close to closing time. The chick you've been talking to is lookin' pretty good, but all your friend's have abandoned you.

    Whip out the phone, take a pic of the broad. Phone flashes green if she's good, Red if she's not.

    That would have saved me uh...i mean...yeah...

    --
    Most folk'll never lose a toe, and then again some folk'll...
    1. Re:new use for this... by mrtroy · · Score: 1

      Thats why camera phones were invented!

      Whip out the phone, take a pic of the broad. Phone flashes green if she's good, Red if she's not.
      Screw software...get a good and sober friend to judge and textmsg you back if shes ok or not.

      Oh wait...software might be a good idea...their scale might accidentally be reversed ;)

      --
      [I can picture a world without war, without hate. I can picture us attacking that world, because they'd never expect it]
    2. Re:new use for this... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I went to a frat party where the brothers would write a "random" digit on peoples hands as they entered. Of course, the hot girls had 7, 8, or 9 written on them and the ones to stay away from had 1, 2, or 3.

    3. Re:new use for this... by droid_rage · · Score: 4, Funny

      Come to think of it... The only thing I've ever used my cameraphone for is to get a pic of the girl whose number I just got, to decide if I'm going to call her or not once I sober up.

    4. Re:new use for this... by rayand · · Score: 1

      Er... yes, and in fact these spots have already been used as tattoo's for dating applications.
      http://corp.bango.net/corporate/med ia/releases/57_ bangospot.asp

  20. What I really miss in cell phones... by jorlando · · Score: 4, Funny


    a multimeter...

    lots of times I needed a damn multimeter and I looket to the cell phone and imagined it could have a pair of probes...

    at least a AC/DC voltmeter up to 300V...

    1. Re:What I really miss in cell phones... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I know I could really use a toothpick and a nail file on my Cell phone.

      I am amazed there is no Swiss Army Kone yet.

    2. Re:What I really miss in cell phones... by markttu · · Score: 1

      The Palm in my phone is great, add simple AC/DC voltmeter and 0-20mA DC ammeter and then if I could just unscrew the tip of the stylus and have a scredriver, and uhh.. I'd have a brick phone... and that would destroy the geeky cool factor...

    3. Re:What I really miss in cell phones... by jorlando · · Score: 1

      modded as funny?

      I mean it...

    4. Re:What I really miss in cell phones... by pyrrhonist · · Score: 1
      lots of times I needed a damn multimeter and I looket to the cell phone and imagined it could have a pair of probes...

      Digital Phonimeters? Hmmm, I can see it now...

      If you make yours an Extech, you would have a built-in laser!

      If you got a Triplett, you could get a free poster!

      And there's probably already a phone on some Fluke multimeter. Hell, this one comes with an orgasm.

      --
      Show me on the doll where his noodly appendage touched you.
    5. Re:What I really miss in cell phones... by simonjester2424 · · Score: 1

      I wonder how hard it would be, I have a fairly small multi-meter on my desk, but its still bigger than most of the new phines out there.

      --
      Beware of gifts bearing Greeks.
    6. Re:What I really miss in cell phones... by jorlando · · Score: 1

      not hard... I have an old (more than 15 years) voltmeter and ohmmeter from hioki, sized like a credit card.

      a large size from the footprint is due to the rotary dial (select VAC, VDC, ohms and continuity). Using the phone keys for selection you could have the same footprint of any cell phone, a bit bolder due the probes connectors.

      it's feasible, the problem is: there is a market for this?

      geeks of the world in need of a cell phone with multimer, unite :-)

  21. Might be useful in a museum... by FirstTimeCaller · · Score: 2, Insightful

    If anyone has been to Seattle's Experience Music Project (assuming the outside appearence didn't scare you away), this could be used as a replacement for the MEG devices that they provide. I could see using this to point at an exhibit and getting bluetooth audio streamed to your phone. Might be useful for museums that don't have Paul Allen's deep pockets.

    --
    Wanted: witty unique signature. Must be willing to relocate.
  22. damn it! by Haydn+Fenton · · Score: 2, Interesting

    You wouldnt believe my face when i saw this story.. I've been mouseless for some time now (I'm sure a /.er can help me - details below), this was a god send.. then the site gets slashdotted - im not so happy
    then i see some mirrors - im happy again
    then i find it wont work with my phone - im pissed.

    Anyway, I have two mice (1 USB and 1 PS2), yet neither work (the cursor will not move and clicking has no effect). Windows says the drivers are fine, it's not a virus.. i've been told it might be the motherboard, can anyone verify this?
    The mouse was jumping a little a few days before breaking, then the day before it broke it was stopping and starting. The day it broke.. well, it broke. Right in the middle of making the GUI for a program.

    WHY ARE MOUSEKEYS SO DAMN SLOW?!?

    1. Re:damn it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      The mouse is overrated. Use keyboard shortcuts and you'll be fine. Learn how to use cmd.exe and you'll never need to use the mouse again.

    2. Re:damn it! by Haydn+Fenton · · Score: 1

      do you have any idea of how long it takes me to tab through all the links (or use mousekeys) on pr0n sites before i can get to what i want?

      Nobody can understand the pain im going through.

    3. Re:damn it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      What I like is how people who are good at programming are usually retarded when it comes to regular PC use and troubleshooting. Kind of makes you understand why the Windows GUI looks the way it does.

    4. Re:damn it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Did u try rebooting it?

    5. Re:damn it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Get a Mozilla browser and use Type Ahead Find. If you see a link that you want to visit, type the first letter of it and it'll automatically be focused. Then you can press enter to visit the site.

    6. Re:damn it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1, Funny

      Try cat /dev/mouse and see what comes out.

    7. Re:damn it! by bcmm · · Score: 1

      Who needs a mouse? Or even a cursor?

      --
      # cat /dev/mem | strings | grep -i llama
      Damn, my RAM is full of llamas.
    8. Re:damn it! by dJCL · · Score: 1

      New trick: Tab, Shift-Tab, Alt-Tab, Space, Enter and the Arrow keys... trust me, you get proficient at them and the mouse will seem slow by comparison for everyday tasks...

      --
      On Arrakis: early worm gets the bird. Magister mundi sum!
    9. Re:damn it! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Turn mousekeys speed and acceleration all the way up. Check the box that lets you hold down control to go faster. It's plenty fast like that, I just don't recommend trying to play Unreal Tournament with it.

  23. Wait a Sec by ZHaDoom · · Score: 2, Funny

    Dont have a phone call while your using your new mouse. Sure let me see whats playing tonight. One second (scruffing sound) Sorry about the but my phone is also my mouse.

    --
    War isn't about who's right. It's about who's left.
  24. Slashvertisement? by Quixote · · Score: 3, Informative
    Submitter: Stab, a.k.a. Anil Madhavapeddy
    Story is about HighEnergyMagic, for which WHOIS tells me:
    Administrative Contact:
    Madhavapeddy, Anil anil@recoil.org
    100 Carnbrae Avenue
    Belfast, Northern Ireland BT8 6NH
    UK
    +44 7771640674
    Story is mirrored at University of Cambridge Systems Research Group, where we find that the page is "© 2004 Anil Madhavapeddy".

    Seriously, shouldn't the submitter put some sort of a disclaimer somewhere? Or failing which, at least pay Slashdot to run these "ads", dammit! :)

    1. Re:Slashvertisement? by stab · · Score: 4, Interesting

      Give me a break ... where do the disclaimers stop? I mean, the software's being given away for free for non-commercial use, and I think it's of interest to other techies. Notice I didn't submit anonymously.

      And don't start spouting "open-source this, open-source that" to me ... I do my bit there as well. But noone cares about that stuff, so why bother talking about it instead of stuff I think is fun?

    2. Re:Slashvertisement? by tgd · · Score: 0

      Or at least make sure their server can handle it before they slashdot themselves?

    3. Re:Slashvertisement? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I believe you could avoid any accusations of dishonesty by just writing your blurbs to say "Check this out! My company...etc. etc.". People do that often and it's not a problem if the tech is cool enough (and this tech is cool). People get annoyed when you write the blurb as though you're just a third party bystander who found this out there. Otherwise it smells like astroturfing. This tech is cool enough to stand on its own, why mess around with marketing stuff that will give geeks pause?

    4. Re:Slashvertisement? by stab · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Yeah, I think you're right ... live and learn eh? First time I've heard the term 'astroturfing', not going to forget it in a hurry :-)

    5. Re:Slashvertisement? by Quixote · · Score: 1
      Did I mention "open source" in my post? Or are you trying to flash your OSS creds to catch some slack?

      Your post reeks of astroturfing (thanks AC, I forgot the right word). Nowhere did you mention your affiliation with the company or the research lab.

      See the use of "they" in this sentence:
      The tags used are really robust - they did a wastebasket torture test for a bit of fun as well :-)

      It would indicate a separation between you, the postor, and the company, HEM, when in fact there is none.

    6. Re:Slashvertisement? by stab · · Score: 1

      I can only say that it's pretty obvious that wasn't my intention ... if it had occurred to me that this "astroturfing" was a problem, I could have submitted the story anonymously, or used a friend's account, or a hundred other ways to do it properly.

      You might think it's clever to post my home address and phone number to /. by "cunning" use of the 'whois' command, but really - it isn't.

      If I've offended, then I apologise.

    7. Re:Slashvertisement? by Quixote · · Score: 1
      You might think it's clever to post my home address and phone number to /. by "cunning" use of the 'whois' command, but really - it isn't.

      Seriously, man, drop it. If it was a mistake, apologise (as you finally did in the last sentence), and move on. Bringing up OSS and your home address (how is anyone supposed to know it's your home address? It is public WHOIS knowledge, for Chrissake!) just prolongs the suffering. Seeing the fact that you've been around on the 'net for so long, I'm surprised you haven't heard of astroturfing; there was even a slashdot headline about it last Friday.

      So, what is your relationship to this company HEM? Just curious.

    8. Re:Slashvertisement? by The+Cydonian · · Score: 1
      I think the real question is what is a Gult doing on /. (via Ireland) of all the places. :-)

      (Always thought the only places you could find Tech Gults were Sunnyvale and Hyderabad...)

      --
      More than mere navel gazing.
    9. Re:Slashvertisement? by ilargi · · Score: 1

      Back in November, I deleveloped an application (MobileEye) which converts a camera phone into a barcode reader. This work was already presented in the MovilForum conference organised by Telefónica in SPAIN. Therefore, I dont think that this SpotCode system is anything new. I was the author of the TRIP system at the University of Cambridge, on which I believe the SpotCode is highly based on. I think it is really likely that they have used the algorithms that I described in my PhD dissertation. I would have appreciated some acknowledgement! Both the TRIP system and the MobileEye application are opened source available at: http://www.ipina-dorsman.org/trip

  25. Reminds me of a few things... by Flat+Feet+Pete · · Score: 1

    QR Codes:
    This guy has got a phone that reads qr codes. More info here.

    CueCat:
    nuff said

    My CD Player: (blatant self promotion)
    Keep the camera still and move the cards.

    Also I couldn't find any of the guestural/movement stuff you'd associate with a mouse. More like buttons you'd press with the camera.

    I'm not sure if it's just because I'm interested, but there seems to be a lot of camera based code reading bits around recently.

    1. Re:Reminds me of a few things... by maxdamage · · Score: 1

      CueCat:
      nuff said

      When I saw this that was the first thing I thought!

  26. phones are getting retarded by super_ogg · · Score: 0

    Sorry, but the things you can do with the phones they have now is getting stupid. I had some guy fooling around with his phone all weekend trying to take pictures and send emails and shit. Buy a phone for a phone. Buy a camera for a camera. Retarded! ogg

    --
    Black cat, searing pain, flames...? I must be in Heaven! - Homer Simpson
  27. Videos + /. = ... by Nightreaver · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Some very cool videos available:

    Haha! So they think...

  28. Right idea, wrong tool by bo0ork · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I haven't RTFA (./:ed), but these guys have potentially made a great piece of software for the physically impaired. Strap a webcam to the side of your head: Voila, no need to use hand to maneuver a mouse.

    --
    Does everything include nothing?
  29. bad... by proudlyindian · · Score: 2, Funny

    Now how will you (pretend to) listen to your gf/boss when ur actually surfing ;)

    Striving to be common....

    --


    Striving to be common...
  30. I don't mind the extra toys... by canfirman · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    ...as long as the phone does what it's supposed to do - allow me to take and make phone calls. I have one of the newer phones out there, and I still have signal trouble in downtown Toronto. If I can't get a clear cell signal, it's just a fancy paper weight.

    --
    It is not our abilities that show what we truly are... it is our choices.
    1. Re:I don't mind the extra toys... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      This is rarely an issue (except with some Sony Ericsson models). It's generally a matter of the service provider, not the phone manufacturer.

  31. Doesn't work on P900 by clmensch · · Score: 2, Interesting

    I installed the app on my P900 (28kb), but when I try to run it I just get a "Folder Not Found" error. And now when I try to uninstall it, I get a "There is insufficient memory available for the specified installation." This after a phone reboot. Ah, Symbian...

    --
    There is no gravity...the earth just sucks.
  32. Did the submitter read the article? by tgd · · Score: 1

    This is a camera phone barcode reader for a special "dot" format, not a mouse/keyboard.

    For what its worth, that sort of thing exists, too. I had a program on my mac, which I can't recall its name, that let me move the mouse, click, and control things like iTunes via bluetooth from the phone. Didn't work well.

    Either way, the submitter doesn't seem to have read the article. Which is really weird, given the other comment someone posted that the submitter is the person who WROTE the article.

  33. Re:robust robust robust Arrrrrggggg !!!! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    No, it didn't die. A piece of software described as "robust" is not only reliable, but reliable when abused or otherwise subjected to unexpected problems. For instance, recent versions of Windows (2K, XP) are reliable, since they will run indefinitely without falling down, but not terribly robust, since they are easy to break.

    A "robust" user interface is one that is reliable when you use it as designed, and reliable when you misuse it, too, in that it gives useful error messages instead of unexpected side effects and crashes.

  34. Freecache of the videos... by acariquara · · Score: 1

    plasma
    spinner
    throw
    slider
    passive-throw-subtitle
    passive-crumpled-subtitle

    --
    Dear aunt, let's set so double the killer delete select all
  35. something is better than nothing by Doc+Ruby · · Score: 1

    Because the cameraphone is better than nothing, and it's very well integrated with the phone. It's about as good as a disposable (film phone, and much more convenient. The ease of use of a single device for all these functions translates to ubiquity and popularity - everyone does it, at the entry level. So the network effect of exponentially increasing value gets started right away.

    There's nothing to stop a "specialist" or enthusiast from getting a better outboard camera, etc. Especially with Bluetooth, we're establishing a mobile platform with minimum quality on a broad minumum featureset, on which people can improve with components. It sounds like the right approach to me.

    --

    --
    make install -not war

  36. Blindingly obvious by t_allardyce · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Ok maybe im pointing out the stupidly obvious but.. bluetooth (or even just normal phone/wap) is TWO WAY! why would you need a camera phone with ugly spots all over your poster/screen!? just press cursor keys on your phone and send that over blue-tooth (like a dvd menu interface)?

    What would be totally totally neat would be a dumb-terminal standard using bluetooth so when you walked into say an airport and launched the 'dumb-terminal' app on your phone you would get a screen produced by the airport computer which would be able to tell you exactly where you were (triangulation or bluetooth 'cells') on a visual map. Then you could just tap in the 'customer code' on your ticket and the airport computer would be able to tell you the real time of your flight, delays, where you should go, how much time you had, where you could get discount booze etc etc. the same could work for libraries, train/bus stations, sports-games, malls, towns, tourist attractions, and of course cinemas (where the screen would say "turn your fucking phone off" just before the film started) the protocal could either be like wap/html or pushed by the server, whatever aslong as its a standard, its open, it supports funky graphics, sound and vide and you dont get charged for it.

    --
    This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
    1. Re:Blindingly obvious by Nevo · · Score: 1

      This seems seriously cool to me.

      I check into a convention. The program has descriptions of each of the presentations with one of these barcodes. I use the barcode and my cellphone to get more info about the presentation, and decide I want to attend. Press a button on my cellphone and the convention organizers know I'm going to that session, and my cellphone calendar is updated with that session.

      I'm in a museum and want to know more about the exhibit. Wave my phone over the barcode and get more info on the exhibit.

      And that's just off the top of my head. Yes, I know there are other ways of accomplishing those two tasks. But imagine what could happen if all these disparate things could be integrated into my cellphone/PDA/whavever and I carry around the information I glean from my encounters with these barcodes.

      I see a *lot* of potential here.

  37. Cellphone as virtual mouse and keyboard by jrumney · · Score: 0, Redundant

    So every time I want to move my pointer on the screen, I wait for my cellphone camera to take a photo and pay my network provider 30p for the MMS message? Nice gimmick, but no thanks. 10p for 160 characters is not quite so bad, but I do find my PC's keyboard much easier to use that the 12 key phonepad, even with predictive text input and both thumbs going flat out.

    1. Re:Cellphone as virtual mouse and keyboard by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Err, no - from the look of it you just view the tag using the camera. It decodes it on the camera. No sending of MMS required.

    2. Re:Cellphone as virtual mouse and keyboard by stab · · Score: 1

      Err, no ... the camera does all of the image processing, so there is no GPRS or MMS stuff going on.

      The idea is that you interact with local interfaces with low-latency (comms over Bluetooth, fast and free), and when/if you want to buy something, you can just go online and pay via your phone bill without having to whip out credit card numbers etc.

    3. Re:Cellphone as virtual mouse and keyboard by jrumney · · Score: 1
      Err, no ... the camera does all of the image processing, so there is no GPRS or MMS stuff going on.

      The idea is that you interact with local interfaces with low-latency (comms over Bluetooth, fast and free), and when/if you want to buy something, you can just go online and pay via your phone bill without having to whip out credit card numbers etc.

      OK, I see the cellphone in there - instead of pulling out my credit card number, I pull out some phone number I guess. But I still don't see a mouse and keyboard, sounds like a barcode scanner to me (and no, I still can't get to the website to RTFA).

    4. Re:Cellphone as virtual mouse and keyboard by Kiryat+Malachi · · Score: 1

      The glyphs they use for recognition are orientated; by processing the image of the glyph, the phone can determine a relative motion and rotation and suchlike, which allows it to work as a mouse, sort of.

      Is there a claim that it could act as a keyboard? I didn't see it...

      Anyway. Imagine a glyph which represents the volume control for your computer. Aim the phone at the glyph, then hold down the 'activate' button, and twist. The phone measures how much rotation you apply, and changes the volume accordingly.

      Neat in concept; not sure how useful in reality.

      --

      ---
      Mod me down, you fucking twits. Go ahead. I dare you.
      (I read with sigs off.)
    5. Re:Cellphone as virtual mouse and keyboard by jrumney · · Score: 1
      Is there a claim that it could act as a keyboard? I didn't see it...

      The headline. But I guess that's made up by CmdrTaco, not the submitter. Slashdot's usual standards.

  38. I must be tired. by freeze128 · · Score: 1

    I thought you said:

    As cool as it is for a proof of concept, the idea is mice.

  39. They can't be doin too well by foniksonik · · Score: 3, Funny


    They've already put their domain up for sale!

    --
    A fool throws a stone into a well and a thousand sages can not remove it.
    1. Re:They can't be doin too well by t_allardyce · · Score: 1

      Problem is if your going to develope something so radical you'd better make damn sure its a very very very good and marketable idea that fixes an existing problem or atleast makes people think theres a problem and that it fixes it. Otherwise you go the way of the cue-cat and your marketing team jump off the roof while high on that private stash of coke you bought off a shifty looking peruvian shepperd.

      --
      This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
  40. Interesting idea by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Ok, at first I looked at the two top pictures, and I thought "this is stupid, just use a touchscreen, which would be more expensive but more accessible", and then looked down to the passive methods, and now I think that the idea has some merit, though not necessarily the way these people have it set up.

    They want to use the cellphone as an input device to a nearby computer. I'm thinking instead to use the camera as a user interface to the phone.

    For example, you could have business cards made with a picture-spot-type thing on the back. When somebody takes a picture of it, the phone interprets it and enters your name, phone number, etc, and allows them to add it to their address book, with no communicaiton to any other device. All the hardware for this exists, it's just a matter of setting up a standard for the picture-thing.

    I guess this reminds me of the whole cue cat thing, except that you don't need to add extra hardware or communicate with other computers. A newspaper ad can have a picture-spot-thing for "call us now!" which admitedly wouldn't save much time, but it could catch on. I guess you could use your phone to read barcodes and get more info on the net, or organize your DVD collection, but I always considered that kind of stupid.

    I can't think of any good reason to use the "communicate with a PC in the back" thing, except to reduce the cost of touch-screen booth things. But then again, I haven't been able to see the videos.

    They do seem to point at using the phone as a credit-card, which would be nice if you actually give the phone its own private key and do some real crypto.

    I guess you could do internet grocery shopping by using the phone to pick the barcodes of your stuff that's running out. 2 - picture of mountain dew barcode, 1 - loaf of bread barcode, 1 - milk ... Send. You could fill in some by searching on your computer.

    So, not a bad idea if you already have the hardware, but they need to work on image recognition and stop using these "spot-codes" only. You'd need to be able to read barcodes and you need more storage capacity.

    Damn, I should've patented all the above rather than written this post. oh, well.

  41. SSH on Symbian OS by MoreDruid · · Score: 2, Informative
    Here you will find putty for the symbian OS, so your SSH fix is already available. I have it on my nokia 3650. It's a pain to use because you have to type in the commands and with a cellphone keyboard this is absolutely not intuitive but it works.

    Why you would want to put a webserver on your phone is beyond me though, the bandwidth technology is still a long way from usable for this kind of thing. Maybe in the future though, but still... what do you want to serve? A live stream from your phone that sitting in your pocket? Wow... a dark screen... that would be cool to watch.

    Sure there would be some use for this (live webcast from a convention for instance) but it's more a brag thing than something useful as opposed to an SSH client.
    --
    The best weapon of a dictatorship is secrecy, but the best weapon of a democracy should be the weapon of openness.
    1. Re:SSH on Symbian OS by electrichamster · · Score: 3, Interesting

      You can get both a dyndns client and a webserver for the sony ericsson P800/P900, so there you go, all bases covered :)

  42. I've been doing this for a year now by jgarland79 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Sailing Clicker does just this. I'm using a 12" Powerbook with built in bluetooth and a Sony Ericson T68i. I can controll the mouse movements with the joystick on the phone.

    --
    Microsoft Windows runs on stress and frustration.
    1. Re:I've been doing this for a year now by Sunnan · · Score: 1

      Using the camera to track the movements isn't the same thing as using some dinky "joy"-stick.

  43. Nothing New by ftzdomino · · Score: 1

    For controlling a computer via bluetooth, there is Bemused Which works pretty well for playing mp3s, and can do other things which I haven't tested. There have been a lot of other attempts to read data in with camera phones. http://semacode.org/ allows you to open up web links from physical items.

    I'm working on an open source bar code recognition program which functions, but is still in its alpha stages.

    1. Re:Nothing New by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      From what I can see the difference is that this one works. I tried semacode last week; it takes many seconds to process a tag, and then 50% of the time tells you it's failed. If you try again, it runs out of memory due to some giant leak and seg faults.

  44. Did you read the article? by dangermouse · · Score: 1
    I think you missed the point of the article. The on-phone software "locks onto" those circular "barcodes" with the phone's camera, and can detect phone movement relative to them. If you have a GUI interface with a spotcode on a slider, for instance, you can "grab" the spotcode with your phone and, by moving your phone around, drag the slider.

    This is not cuecat, and it's not Salling Clicker-- Salling Clicker does none of the motion detection or image processing stuff.

  45. You think that's odd. by /dev/trash · · Score: 1

    Last night I was on and tried to post a comment but got: "DB is being worked on, so no commenting". Which is okay, but within 30 minutes three new stories were added.

  46. That's not how they make money... by dgies · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Carriers generally LOSE money on the phones. A phone with more whiz-bang features is a more expensive phone they have to subsidize. Carriers make money off of charges for using the network. The reason all the carriers are promoting picture phones is because they're hoping you decide to use your fancy new picture phone to send and recieve pictures over the cellular network, which they can charge extra for. That's the same reason they were heavily promoting downloadable ringtones and games last year. All carriers make money off of is your use of the network. The phones are just a nuisance from a carrier's point of view.

  47. OMFG CONVERGENCE IS TEH SUX!!!!111 by dangermouse · · Score: 2, Interesting
    Why integrate a cell phone with all these add on features that aren't nearly as good as things devoted specifically to the task?

    Like what? What device, specifically, will perform the task these guys are describing? Are you going to build a completely new device with a camera, mouse buttons, and wireless connectivity for people to carry around so they can use these interactive installations?

    Doesn't it make more sense just to install some software, which is practically free, on a device which already has all the necessary hardware?

    Doesn't it make sense, if there are a lot of applications which require the same hardware, to just build one damn device and use it for all of them? If you really need a better implementation of one specific application than this convergence device can provide, carry a specialized device when you need it, as well. That still beats carrying a bag full of devices around all the time, when on any given day at least half of them are expensive and complete overkill.

  48. Cellphone usage proposal by blingbing · · Score: 1

    What about cellphone as a TV romate controller? so next time you can't find your reomoate control, you can always pull out your cellphone.

    or car door opener? car engine starter? that's one less thing to carry around. the only problem is when the phone battery runs out, you are stuck and you can't call AAA.

  49. A move to the dark side? by Foo2rama · · Score: 1

    Is it me or do spot codes look vaguely like the Imperial emblem from star wars? **Insert funny star wars quote/joke here as I can't think of one**

    --


    ---In a time of Chimpanzees I was a Monkey.
  50. The mark of the beast by tepples · · Score: 1

    If the spot codes can hold a few bytes of info - wave your cell over a tattoo

    I can think of at least 666 things wrong with that scenario.

  51. Other 2d barcodes could rapidly outpace this by jhsiao · · Score: 3, Interesting
    It appears that Spotcode supports only 42 bits. Obviously, this is to accomodate the low processing power and camera quality of most camera phones on the market. At only 42 bits, the spotcode can't support any meaningful alphanumeric. But as a numeric value, there are enough unique patterns (over 4 trillion) to support almost 700 spotcodes for every human on the planet.

    But with cameras and processing power on cell phones getting more sophisticated, other 2d barcode like QR Code or semacode will eventually outpace this technology with their considerably larger data capacity (up to as many as 4000 alphanumeric characters). In fact, semacode is already demonstrated on Series 60 implementations.

    The submitter points to an application that uses spotcodes for remote control. In that implmentation, the spotcode translates to a number which the program then uses to send an instruction over Bluetooth.

    However, those wishing to skip the tedium of entering URLs from the keypad using Spotcodes should note that BangoSpot (using the Spotcode technology) almost certainly uses a middleware server which performs a Spotcode number-to-URL lookup. So someone will know that you're using the Spotcodes. It's sort of like the CueCat but the implementation _requires_ them to know what you're looking up in order to provide a WAP URL.

    It's an interesting approach, but I wonder how fast cellular carriers can adopt Spotcode-to-URL servers in their network before phone technology ends up leapfrogging and reading and entering sophisticated 2d barcode data directly into a phone browser.

    1. Re:Other 2d barcodes could rapidly outpace this by williwilli · · Score: 1
      Agreed, of the technologies I've seen so far this one is quite cool, but I think semacodes provide a superior implementation.

      Semacodes are based on an open standard, they support more characters, they link directly to a URL and could easily support the features show in the story. As far as I know, semacodes are also free for any use, not just noncommercial use.

      I've started a project to create a game framework using semacodes as location markers in an online, real-world RPG called SemaRPG. This framework could be customized and extended and used with standard technologies outside of the concern of cel carriers. As net-enabled camera phones become more pervasive I think these various URL-marker technologies like spotcode and semacode will continue to try and compete for market acceptance (Sony has it's own proprietary standard they would love to see adopted, etc.). It will be content that drives the adoption of these standards, so anyone interested in contributing to some open content is encouraged to check it out. SemaRPG could be a relatively simple project to put together that ends up being a lot of fun!

    2. Re:Other 2d barcodes could rapidly outpace this by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0
      Agreed, of the technologies I've seen so far this one is quite cool, but I think semacodes provide a superior implementation.


      Have you tried using the semacode phone reader? It takes many seconds to decode one of the semacode tags (demos of spotcode I've seen do it at the frame rate of the camera) and then unless you've got the semacode tag perfectly aligned it fails to decode it. Try again a couple of times and the reader runs out of memory due, I presume, to a memory leak, and seg faults.

      How is that a superior implementation?
    3. Re:Other 2d barcodes could rapidly outpace this by rayand · · Score: 1

      The point is that the phone is always connected.

      That means you can have (say 42 bits) "limited" capacity, and do the resolution to richer content (URL's etc) on the network. Also means that once printed, a spot can have a long life.

      QRcodes and such like have to carry a heavy payload because they were designed in the days of "non connected" readers.

      Horses for courses.

  52. lame by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    that is retarded.

  53. Next up... by gwoodrow · · Score: 0, Offtopic

    Coming soon... a refrigerator with a TV in it, plus internet access and mp3 capabilities! Huh? Someone's already thought it up?

    Um... okay then give me a second... how about a computer tower with lotion dispenser!! What?! You're kidding me, someone's done THAT too?

    OK OK I've got it... it's a jump... to conclusions mat. You see it'd be this mat, and it'd have different "conclusions" that you could jump to!

    1. Re:Next up... by gwoodrow · · Score: 1

      Aw, my previous post wasn't at all off topic! Who's the person without a sense of humor?

      But for those that have difficulty connecting humor to real-world events, I'll explain. What I was trying to get across is that I think the number of items being released that add in mostly useless extra features and hybrid functions is ridiculous.

      A phone with remote control, mouse, keyboard, and pop-out canteen are just extra baggage. I have a nice samsung flip-phone with so many features it bothers me. I just want to keep it in my pocket unless I need to call someone. Why is any of this extra stuff necessary?

      The mashing of many different kinds of media devices together is useless. Listening to music is something that can either be totally passive or integrate fully into one's day. Therefore - improved mp3 listening, options, and storage is always welcome.

      Watching a video screen or playing a game is NOT a passive or easily-integrated activity. It requires mostly full attention to watch, listen, AND interact with something (unless it involves listening to your girlfriend gripe - that's easily ignored).

      A cell phone that serves as a virtual keyboard/mouse is as usless as computer tower with lotion dispenser

      So you see, the ON-TOPIC joke was that these devices are mostly a waste and will not be making any sort of drastic change in a user's life - save for a few more bucks siphoned from his or her wallet. Most people don't even know how to use all the buttons on their regular mouse - what in the world makes anyone think they're going to try to figure out how to use their phone as a mouse? Baby steps, people... baby steps.

      Think about it this way: UNIX is as good as it is because it has several different smaller tools that are organized differently to serve different functions. But the smaller tools within the system remain the same - and they remain the best at what they do. Windows sucks because each program has to reinvent the tools they use every time - and each one does it so badly.

      We need phones that can just be phones, mice/keyboards that can just do what they do, refrigerators that keep food cold, computers with hardware/software and not tissues, and digital music players that just play music. Why is the baggage necessary at all?
      Personally, I'd RATHER have a jump to conclusions mat.

  54. Chocolate + Peanut Butter = mmmm by d474 · · Score: 1

    Cellphone + CueCat = wow.

    Wish I would've thought of that.

    --
    Authority questions you. Return the favor.
  55. New use for stickers. by d474 · · Score: 1

    I can just see a new black market for stickers to put over the originals that link to the info. This could lead to gorilla combat advertising. You go to a Pepsi poster, and the Coke Rep puts a different sticker over the original to link you to some Coke website coupon or something stupidly capitalist like that.
    You could wear a dorky T-shirt with some circular logo on it that chicks can snap a picture of and it links her to your account on some dating website or something stupidly desperate like that.
    It'll never work.

    --
    Authority questions you. Return the favor.
  56. too bad there isn't a way to find an eliminate by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    the gene that causes frats and the assholes who join them

  57. Correct URL by Lobsang · · Score: 1

    Oops,

    This is the right URL. Sorry about that... :)

  58. The Midnight Caller... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You want a flashlight?

    You obviously haven't seen the Nokia 5100:

    http://www.expansys-usa.com/product.asp?code=510 0D KGREY

    (You also get a thermometer, radio, calorie counter and noise meter thrown in for good measure and it's rubber armoured and weatherproof.)

  59. Better use, same idea by gosand · · Score: 1
    Whip out the phone, take a pic of the broad. Phone flashes green if she's good, Red if she's not.

    Or you could snap the pic and send it here.

    If it comes back with Salma Hayek, take her home now. Abe Vagoda, run.

    --

    My beliefs do not require that you agree with them.

  60. CueCat debacle revisited? by macraig · · Score: 1

    Hmmm... I still have my CueCat gathering dust in a corner, after that similar attempt to further commercialize hyperlinking failed. Might this not suffer the same fate? At least in this instance the device already has am existing primary purpose (as a phone), unlike the now-near-useless CueCat (it can be adapted as a barcode reader with some effort).

  61. Re:robust robust robust Arrrrrggggg !!!! by maximilln · · Score: 1

    I did approve the offtopic in M2 but I'd like to add to this.

    I feel the same way about "touch base". Every time I hear someone use the term "touch base" I get the impression that they want to keep in contact because the association is doing far more to benefit them than it is to benefit me. I guess I've just been screwed over by too many managers who always want to "touch base". Funny how they never want to "touch base" about increasing my salary or promoting me. It's always just to ride my backside.

    --
    +++ATHZ 99:5:80