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Man Has Nokia Phone Embedded In False Limb
judgecorp writes "A British man born with one arm has a Nokia phone dock embedded in his prosthetic limb. Apparently, Apple refused to have an iPhone suitably customized for the job. From the article: 'Mr Prideaux, of Wedmore, Somerset, said: "I think this is the first time this has ever been done in the world - and it is brilliant. I can now take calls and make texts just by using my one hand, while the phone sits inside my arm. The phone slots smoothly and securely within my limb and is easily removable, when required. I think this would help a lot of people with prosthetic arms - especially those who were not born with the disability. People who have had motorbike crashes and soldiers who have lost limbs - they could all benefit from this."'"
"Apparently, Apple refused to have an iPhone suitably customized for the job."
We all know Apple's position on people who hold it wrong...
People who've had motorbike crashes and soldiers? Is that what comes to people's minds when they think amputees?
..Sit with a blackberry phone up my ass. (Posted from my BB playbook 'Bridged' with my BB )
Now all he has to do is put a bluetooth headset in the artificial hand.
Imagine, speaker embedded in the tip of the thumb, and mic embedded in the tip of the pinky finger.
That would look awesome!
Just think of the additional batteries you could fit in an area the size of a prosthetic limb. You could probably get upwards of a month of normal smartphone use without recharging.
Better known as 318230.
If he is serious about ease of one-handed typing why wouldn't he choose an Android based phone?
Talk about being permanently attached to an OS. I hope he really really likes WinMo 7
We all know it's coming, that is why Apple wouldn't do it. What prior art? On a side no
Hmm, if you are going to get a smartphone dock built into your prosthetic, it really ought to be an Android phone.
Does it count as a hands free kit when you're driving? Even if you only have one hand?
Of course Apple refused to be involved - they gave up on man-machine hybrids after the HUMAN CENTiPAD fiasco: http://www.southparkstudios.com/full-episodes/s15e01-humancentipad
He should have gone with the Nokia N9 or N900, the latter even more accessible than the former, software and hardware wise - you can just hack away in any language you want, even just shell scripting, no need to learn an all new programming language/framework and no need to get any sort of license to be able to write apps etc.
With a little hardware tweaking he would have a device in his arm that could basically function as a full PC (the N900 is designed for landscape mode), a short range FM station (integrated FM receiver and transmitter) AND as an infrared remote for his TV et al. (IR transmitter programmable by software)! How cool would that be?
Just kidding :)
Could have used any phone then.
I have a cochlear implant for hearing; why can't they implant a whole phone? I could answer calls and texts with brain waves instead of muscle movements.
Hasn't this dude ever played mega man games? A mega-buster in the arm is way cooler than a phone, not to mention with a mega buster you will always have access to a phone as you can simply "borrow" the phone of whoever is next to you.
Monstar L
Of course, nobody reads the original article, including the OP. Apple didn't refuse to customize an iPhone. He asked them for a blank iPhone casing to develop the prosthetic, and they refused.
Why does this lack of reading comprehension fail to surprise me?
I don't think it's such a big deal to put a cell phone in a wooden leg.
I had an uncle who kept a typewriter and a box of cuban cigars in a cedar chest.
(yeah, yeah, I know the article doesn't say anything about the artificial limb being made of wood, but I get to use that joke so seldom, that I felt this would probably be my best opportunity for some time.)
Get it? Wooden leg...cedar chest...? See...oh, forget it. I'm going back to Rage to kill some more Jackals. Those sons a bitches are pain, but they make a great noise.
You are welcome on my lawn.
I don't know how many manufacturers will customize their product for a single customer, especially when that customization amounts to a case that's embedded in a prosthetic limb.
Hey, how's it going?
Maybe the Def Leopard drummer could get one and a drum machine app!
nokia seems to have really gone out on a limb for this guy!
booya!
-
Hey, I hate Apple as much as the next /. reader, but this is just a baseless attack. OP writes "Apple refused to have an iPhone suitably customized for the job."
From TFA: "Trevor contacted Apple to try and get hold of a blank iPhone casing to test it out, but he said the communications giant refused to co-operate."
So some guy calls Apple and says "Hey can I get an empty iPhone shell to test out in my fake arm?" and they said no. The guy couldn't just go BUY an iPhone? Or borrow one?
It's not like Nokia custom-built a phone for him. It doesn't even sound like Nokia knew about this. The guy went to his local O2 store to upgrade his old phone and the workers there agreed to help him.
There has always been talk of sporting a Dick Tracy watch.
- It would appear Trevor Prideaux has bested all attempts.
The entire comment about Apple was completely out of place. I don't see any value for Apple (or even Nokia) on spending $$$ on R&D just to help one customer.
The only company that he should had talked too was the one building the prosthetic arm. They are the ones that can design the "hole" without damaging the device and if designed properly, the "hole" can have "adapters" for different models of smartphones that meet some criteria.
http://xkcd.com/644/
connecting peep'l.
The guy went to his local O2 store to upgrade his old phone and the workers there agreed to help him... to get in contact with the right people at Nokia.
I think you are reaching a bit to say Nokia didn't know about it based on the contents of the article. I mean, the author mentions "chiefs at Nokia" several times, I'm pretty sure they were not talking about O2 employees.
I would rather have the Frag Cannon from Unreal Tournament in place of an artificial hand/arm! Much more usefull than a cell phone!!
"Trevor Prideaux, who was born without his left arm, used to have to balance the smartphone on his prosthetic arm or put it on a flat surface to use it." ... erm, who needs two hands to work his mobile?
Really? Because I send text messages on my iPhone just using one hand all the time, just type with your thumb. (This is totally ignoring the fact that an iPhone 4S would allow you to *speak* the text message to Siri)
I can't her you, but I prefer Lead Zeppelin, Motley Crew and Limp Biscuit myself.
Confucius say, "Find worm in apple - bad. Find half a worm - worse."
This man is cool.
"Try the new Nokia. You'll be hooked"
As of now, Britain is now the most cyberpunk country!
ring ring... "helloaarrrgghhhh me eye"
sag
Is the Nokia C7 ARM based?
That's what I was thinking. Why not simply use some hook-and-loop fastener?
So that's why the edges are rounded on the iPhone!
It would be way more awesome if he had gotten a rotating submachine gun or a flamethrower.
He's a catering manager, not a geek. He probably doesn't have a clue what shell scripts are, he just wants to text his wife and let her know he'll be a bit late home from work, phone customers while in his office, etc. Maybe Nokia told him he'd have to pay extra for a N900 and he's happy enough with the phone he's got. Maybe got other more important things to spend money on than an expensive phone.
You do make cool suggestions, you should drop him a line, maybe he'd be interested.
Shame on Apple for turning him away though.
If they could just figure out how to embed one in a penis I'd be all set... My wife would finally touch me again.
I wonder if he knew about this, and what his thoughts were if he did. If he did *not* know of it, I wonder what might have been.
I'm not surprised this was done, but it's hard to believe that it wasn't done before.
I'm not sure where you're getting your words, but the article doesn't say anything about the O2 workers contacting Nokia. It just says "The catering manager sought help from medical experts and communications chiefs at Nokia to build the special prosthethic." It doesn't say that he actually received any assistance from Nokia directly, so we can't really tell.
But my original point still holds. Nothing from Nokia was "customized" from what I can tell. It sounded to me like they basically made a cast from a phone that they could use to size the hole in the prosthetic. You can't blame Apple for not wanting to ship some random dude a blank iPhone shell just because he asked nicely. I'm pretty sure that if he had called Nokia and asked the same question, and they said yes, it would have been in the article.
It actually looks like a pipboy from Fallout. He can even use it as a flashlight!
Now he needs a Geiger counter app..
I've been wanting to build one for a few years, and with a cheap ipod touch, it's feasible.
Nouvelles de jeux et technologies en français. TC
Can I borrow your phone?
Talk to the hand.
Nostalgia isn't what it used to be.
Seriously this is the same sort of stuff Car stereo installers have been doing for years. Modifying consoles to imbed electronics.
Now I can see maybe doing this to an artifical arm may affect structural intergirty but is this really special? It's just a phone imbeded into a plastic arm.You can now make phone calls with one hand, but I guess having it there in your arm is rather convenient.
"I can now take calls and make texts just by using my one hand"
I used to be able to do this, back when my phone had raised buttons. I didn't even have to look. Hold one button down for speed dial. I could text without looking since I had the keys memorized, which was great for driving. I don't even try to do that now. A glass touchscreen and more functionality is nice but it's less specialized as a result and not an improvement on older phones in every way.
simple, fast homepage with your links: http://www.ngumbi.com/
I saw the picture and all I could think was "That is one high tech pirate!"
just get an arm band used for jogging made for ipod and put iphone into the damn..thing. strap it anywhere, you don't have to have false limb to do it.
Did no one else notice the phone is upside down in the picture?
If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
So some guy calls Apple and says "Hey can I get an empty iPhone shell to test out in my fake arm?" and they said no. The guy couldn't just go BUY an iPhone? Or borrow one?
I think Apple were extremely lucky this wasn't some amputee war hero just back from Afghanistan. What sort of a miserable fuck would you have to be not to have agreed anyway?
To have a right to do a thing is not at all the same as to be right in doing it
If all he was looking to do was to embed the phone into the prosthetic limb why couldn't he simply take any one of a thousand iPhone cases and embed that? A cheap case and a little epoxy and he's done. If he wanted to integrate the 30 pin docking connection then I could see him needing Apple support.
Q: So what do you get when you put a telecommunications device in your prosthetic?
A: A phoney limb!
Really, thanks folks, I'll be here all week...
No sig for you! Come back one year!
Anyone? Anyone....
"Man. . . Man my best friend. . ." But when I say, "Mike?" he doesn't answer.....
No need to type at all - just say "call so & so".
All you need now is a shoulder-mounted, triple-laser guided canon.
light sabers