03-22-2004, 09:00 AM
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Swami
Join Date: Feb 2004
Posts: 4,303
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Second Sight Screen Shipping Soon
Last year, we posted a story about a "cool display adapter". Well, a new version is being shown publicly at Cebit, Cebit NY, E3, and FOSE in Washington, DC for the first time next week. The product should ship in 4-6 weeks time from now � though the pricing is not available yet.
"Many applications require the full screen display of a laptop AND the pocket sized portability of a PDA. Second Sight delivers this, as it offers the equivalent of a desktop monitor in a low profile, compact form factor. The M2100 is the small and light (sic), weighing less than 2 oz. So light you won't know you're wearing it! Second Sight is easily readable in either daylight or darkness. The display connects directly to virtually any CompactFlash (CF) or PCMCIA slot on PDAs and notebooks. Our software for Pocket PC based PDAs, allow for full VGA screen information (640X480 pixels) to be displayed on the M2100 display, giving the user, access to high resolution content from images to schematics and more." Yes, schematics are all fine and well, but what about the games? :wink:
So, landscape VGA (640X480) at 60Hz refresh rate a few cm away from your eye. Can you guys see yourselves using this kind of device and what would you use it for? Is it took too geeky for words, or just the thing for your busy tech filled lives?
Oh and by the way, you *will* be assimilated! :robot: :lol:
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03-22-2004, 09:11 AM
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Thinker
Join Date: Oct 2004
Posts: 318
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Can we tie this into Ed's post about most useless application never invented? :wink:
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03-22-2004, 09:24 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Mar 2002
Posts: 58
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i think id siue it as a tv. watchin all my dvd=pocket pc movies
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03-22-2004, 09:47 AM
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Theorist
Join Date: Apr 2004
Posts: 268
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"The M2100 is the small and light (sic)"
ROFL, they may as well have written it 'teh'. 
I have high hopes for tech like this, I hope one day it will enable displays that are indistinguishable from a pair of stylish sunglasses. Can't wait for that. High res stereo display for when you need it for surfing, work, or entertainment. Otherwise a persistent small peripheral display in a corner of one lens for just when you're out and about - maybe jogging or something displaying news feeds or what have you.
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03-22-2004, 09:47 AM
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Intellectual
Join Date: Jul 2003
Posts: 176
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Quote:
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So light you won't know you're wearing it!
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I think everyone else might notice! :mrgreen:
Still, we need something to kickstart the development of VR applications for PPC eh? :wink:
I can forsee a whole new interface metaphor for Agenda Fusion.... Week 2D, week 3D...
Iain.
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03-22-2004, 09:57 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 734
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I don't really see the point in this. On a PC, yes it might be handy, but only if it was wireless and if you had a wireless mouse. You could leave the laptop in the bag and watch on the headset... that would be cool.
But if it needs a cable, the farthest you'll be able to go would be what... two, three meters? With all that cable behind you? I don't think so.
And on a PPC.. welll, that would be totally useless. Not only would it be too large and bulky with all the cable and stuff to carry around with you, the cable would get in the way, and how would you even control the PPC?
You'd need to use the stylus on the screen, which means, you *have* to look at the screen, which kind of defeats the purpose of this headset...
I just don't see it happening. Make it wireless and I'll buy one, but only for my laptop.
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03-22-2004, 11:12 AM
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Sage
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 810
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Unless there's some sort of wearable data input and retrieval mechanism along with a wearable computer, this device in and of itself would be worthless/pointless while working with a PPC or a laptop/desktop. If you have to look at your PPC's screen or your laptop's/desktop's keyboard/touchpad/mouse to navigate, input, and retrieve data - well, you'd already be looking at those screens at that point... so what would be the point of having another screen closer to your eye? Wouldn't that be redundant and a bit idiotic? Why would someone use a stylus with their PPC or type/navigate on their laptop/desktop while looking through this display to see what they're doing when they could simply look down, up, or straight ahead 12 inches in front of their face to see the computer screen itself? Nobody would need this device to do that. Beyond this, it would only be for a nerd who likes the idea of looking futuristic or some ridiculous thing of that nature. Headpieces are for wearable computers, not computers and devices that already have their own screens.
I love technology of all kinds, but it has to be practical and make sense, otherwise it has no value.
However, the device coupled with input hardware like small dual keyboards perhaps (one for each hand) or a wrist keyboard - with an integrated touchpad to control screen positioning for the purpose of navigation as you would with a stylus or mouse pointer, (and for a PPC, the software and drivers to make that a possibility), would then be fantastic. Voice control alone would not be sufficient. At that point I could see a market for it. People who need to see, retrieve, and input data and who need the power of a full-fledge computer (which a PPC couldn't provide) while remaining fully mobile (even more so than a laptop would allow), and who want the ability to quickly toggle between tying up their hands to manage data and freeing their hands, and who also wish to find a better way of managing data and navigating without taking their eyes off of other things to much and perhaps also for privacy/anonequity issues (which is what an eyepiece/headphone would provide) - well, those people would make great use of this type of technology. Of course, then this would just compete with those companies/universities that design, develop, and maybe manufacture full-fledge wearable computers such as MIT (MIThril) and Xybernaut, for instance.
A headpiece alone makes no practical sense, but with input and control devices and a matching computing system, it would.
Not a bad looking headpiece, though.
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03-22-2004, 11:20 AM
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Theorist
Join Date: Oct 2003
Posts: 258
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This could be marketed at the vertical market where people are in need of their hands all the time such as doctors or mechanics where instructions could appear on screen.
Good for porn too.
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03-22-2004, 11:43 AM
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Ponderer
Join Date: Jan 2003
Posts: 64
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Quote:
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could be marketed at the vertical market where people are in need of their hands all the time such as doctors
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If my doctor strapped one of these to his head and then plugged it in to a PPC I would bolt. "Scalpel... forceps... retractor... DAMMIT! Someone hit the reset switch on my iPAQ.. and be careful not to hit the hard reset!"
This was a cool (but still geeky) idea before VGA PPCs. Now that we are (several) months away from more VGA units, who needs to look like a Borg fanboy? :twisted:
Actually, even if I got 1024x768 or higher I wouldn't wear one of these things.
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03-22-2004, 12:07 PM
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Thinker
Join Date: Mar 2004
Posts: 383
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No, it's not geeky by any means .. Actually, it'll go well with the Scott eVest and will look very stylish while driving to work with your Segway. :roll:
/jizmo
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