Example of accelerometers utility

Daniel Barkalow barkalow at iabervon.org
Mon Dec 3 21:35:20 CET 2007


On Mon, 3 Dec 2007, Stroller wrote:

> On 2 Dec 2007, at 15:42, Steven Le Roux wrote:
> 
> >Here is a video which shows some applications for accelerometers in a current
> >phone use:
> >  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWc-j4Xs5_w
> 
> I _love_ the ball-bearing inbox and the way that a message from your g/f might
> have a different timbre from one from your bank. That feels VERY innovative to
> me, and more than compensates for the stupid name (Shroogle? WTF?) and the
> dull video.
> 
> ISTM the problem with accelerator-UI applications is that it's difficult - if
> not impossible? - to convey more than one kind of information.
> When I pick the phone up & shake it, how does it know whether I want to rattle
> my inbox or hear my battery-level in splashiness?

You obviously choose the application you want by tilting the screen so the 
marble rolls through the maze to the application's icon.

Actually, more seriously, you slosh liquid in a bottle by shaking sideways 
slowly, and rattle ball bearings by shaking vigorously up and down. 
Detecting the difference between these is much easier than detecting the 
difference between either of these and random other activity, and much 
much easier than calculating the correct response, so having a bunch of 
different kinds of "thing" inside the phone isn't actually difficult 
compared to doing that at all (and getting it to respond with the natural 
timing).

	-Daniel
*This .sig left intentionally blank*




More information about the community mailing list