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20
magazinei
innovations
Foldable NFC
keyboard
Norwegian company One2touch has
developed a foldable NFC keyboard
that can be paired with a smartphone
with just one tap. One2touch CEO
MortenWiese said: “We are pleased
to see that our investment in NFC is
starting to pay off. Even though the
mobile payment trend has been slow
to take off, NFC has reached a point
of no return with 125 million NFC-
enabled devices shipped in 2012”.
ABI Research forecasts that the
number of NFC devices in use will
exceed 500 million in 2014, with an
expected minimum shipment of 285
million devices in 2013.
www.one2touch.no
A fine Gesture
Steelcase has designed its latest office
chair to accommodate changes in
posture brought about by the use of
smartphones, tablets and laptops.
Gesture’s design was influenced
by a global study of 2,000 people that
identified nine positions people adopt
when working with notebooks, tablets
and smartphones (for a list view the
summer issue of
Pen to Paper
magazine).
In order to maximise support in all
positions, Steelcase designed:
1. the ‘upper limb interface’ to allow
people to get closer to a work surface
so that they don’t have to hunch over
a small screen;
2. the ‘core interface’ to hug the lower
back when people recline to scroll on a
tablet screen; and
3. the ‘seat interface’ to react quickly to
changes in posture so that users aren’t
forced to perch on the edge of their
chair.
www.steelcase.co.uk
Mobile wireless
server
A useful back-up power supply for mobile phones and tablets,
the Kingston MobileLiteWireless with built-in 1800mAh
battery also functions as a mini mobile wireless server that
enables up to three mobile devices to access movies, images,
files and music at the same time.
Putting the note into
notebook
3M has expanded its Post-it range with
a selection of refillable laptop note
dispensers, each of which includes a pad
of Post-it Super Sticky Canary Yellow
Z-Notes. The dispensers come in £3.50
packs of three (green, pink and grey).
www.3M.co.uk
If you like that, try this
New software that makes it easy for window shoppers to
find similar items from other retailers has been developed
by a spin-out from Imperial College.
Cortexica software can analyse a photo of an article of
clothing taken with a smartphone and suggest alternatives of
a similar colour, pattern or design. The user could then make a
selection and buy the chosen item instantly.
The software can also take visual clues from other sources
such as wallpaper or colour swatches and deliver appropriate
results.
Iain McCready, CEO of Cortexica, said: “’Find similar’ has
eluded software designers for years and we are delighted to
have achieved this major breakthrough. It is a bit like putting
your own shop assistant into a competitor’s store.We think
this has the potential to change market dynamics in fashion
retailing.”
He added: “We all recognize that deep feeling of
frustration after hunting for an item of clothing that we’ve
seen or admired or the experience of finding something and
wishing we could find a better or more affordable alternative.
Our software is the answer to these perennial problems.”
The company already supplies software that finds identical
items. eBay Motors, for instance, has an app powered by
Cortexica software that enables users to take a picture of the
back of a car. The image is analysed instantly and cars that are
available for sale via eBay are listed for the user to browse.
Cortexica says several leading UK fashion retailers are
already testing the software which will be integrated into
websites and mobile phone-based apps in the autumn ahead
of the crucial pre-Christmas shopping season.
Gesture-based
authentication for
smartphones
HID Global has been awarded
patents relating to gesture-based,
three-dimensional sequences of
movement. The technology allows
a user to define a series of hand
motion sequences or gestures to
control operation of an RFID-based
device, such as a smartcard or
NFC-enabled smartphone.
The company says its invention
opens up a new field of gesture-based
authentication and is particularly
pertinent when incorporated into an
NFC-enabled mobile phone.
Apart from the benefits of
convenience and speed, the user can
define gesture-based passwords to
easily add an additional factor of
authentication (e.g. something you
know in addition to something you
have) to a phone-based transaction.
User-defined gesture-based
passwords can work in a two-
dimensional mode similar to a
combination lock or they can include
3-D motions such as moving to the
left, right, forward and backward.
HID Global says its invention can
also be utilised to unlock Apps; lock
and unlock a door similar to the way
a mechanical key is used; or allow the
user to secretly signal that he is using
his card or phone to gain access but
is under duress.
www.hidglobal.com
One picture, two versions
Nokia has won plaudits for the camera on the Nokia Lumia
1020 featuring a 41 megapixel sensor with Zeiss optics
and six physical lenses with optical image stabilisation
for razor sharp images. The camera comes with a new
application, Nokia Pro Camera, that makes it easy to
capture, edit and share photos and a dual capture feature
that simultaneously takes a high resolution 38 mega pixel
image for editing and a 5 megapixel picture for sharing on
social networks.