[CES 2010] If There Was Any Doubt That Google Was Slowly Taking Over The World, Behold The Android Powered Microwave And Washing Machine!

The idea of a microwave oven or a washing machine running Android might seem like a bit much, but the company behind these two concepts, Touch Revolution, actually has a pretty clever product. Their Android-powered NIM1000 Touch Module can be integrated by an OEM into a wide range of products (hence the proof of concept microwave and washing machine on display) adding gesture-based touch controls to almost any device.

It saves a company from having to research and develop their own touch-screen hardware and software, and because it does run Android, the possibilities of what that touch screen can do are almost endless. The brief demo I saw had them loading Pandora on the microwave and playing a bit of Jason Mraz through a pair of built-in speakers.

(Source: Oh Gizmo!)

Next Evolution in Mobiles: Hand-Waving Cell Phone Controls?

It’s bad enough that we’ve got a generation of cell phone users parading around, shouting into nearly invisible Bluetooth headsets and looking like they’re having conversations with themselves. Soon, if Japanese researchers have their way, mobile phone users will add frantically waving hands to the list of traits they share with schizophrenics.

Professors Masatoshi Ishikawa and Takashi Komuro, from Tokyo University, have developed a new cell phone input method that uses a front facing camera to track hand and finger movement in three-dimensional space. Such cameras are common on Asian and European handsets, but current camera tech is not fast enough to accurately track hand movements. The demo (seen in the video below) features a specially designed camera that captures 154 frames-per-second, converts finger motion into cursor movements and clicks, and even allows for 3-D painting and photo zooming.

The concept is interesting, but doesn’t seem intuitive. We’ll stick with our multi-touch, capacitive touchscreens, thank you very much

(Source: Switched)

Philco PC

SchultzeWORKS designstudio of Pasadena, USA, designed the Philco PC. The design of the Philco PC was inspired by the 1954 design classic Philco Predicta, as well as an eclectic mixture of modern minimalism, the steampunk movement, and antiques.

The result is a design aesthetic that blends multiple elements of the familiar, but with some surprisingly fresh styling that just so happens to house a state-of-the-art Windows PC.

(Source: Presurfer / SchultzeWorka)