Welcome to Gadget Dreams and Nightmares, the column that veers slightly left from the Mobile World Congress deluge to bring you the most intriguing of the latest gadget announcements.
In this week’s bowl of potpourri are a projector with pizazz, a connected toothbrush, Star Wars helmets and voice modifiers, and a dedicated Spotify portable music player.
As ever, these are not reviews, as I was not in Barcelona to test out items showcased at MWC. Woe is me. What’s more, the ratings reflect only my level of yearning to try each gizmo.
Perceptive Projector
Sony’s Xperia Projector Concept turns any surface into an interactive display. One can, for instance, check the latest temperature, play games, edit documents, or make video calls.
It is a self-contained system, and it does not need to connect to a smartphone or a computer to operate. It seems that Sony has designs on turning this into a portable device as well.
We’ve for years had tools that project keyboards onto hard surfaces using lasers. While it’s a compelling idea, I don’t welcome the idea of typing for an extended period on a solid surface over a physical keyboard.
Yet Sony’s projector has swept my mind into a world of possibilities. Turning any surface into what is essentially a tablet opens many doors to new ways for us to interact with technology.
I admire this and can see so many possible functions for which it could prove useful. It’s fascinating, and I hope Sony can find a way to bring it to market, for there’s a lot of potential here.
Rating: 5 out of 5 Tapping Tables
Clean Tech
With a new version of its connected toothbrushes, the Oral-B Genius, Oral-B promises to put more technology into your mouth than ever before.
The latest device uses motion sensors, along with a smartphone camera, to determine how clean your teeth are. The sensors measure how much pressure you’re putting on your teeth, the location of the brush in your mouth — and, of course, the length of time you’re brushing.
The toothbrush senses if you’re doing something that’s not quite right, and it will adjust the speed by itself. Checking the application will let you see which parts of your mouth need a little more attention and whether you’ve missed a tooth or two.
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