Communication Breakdown
Communications from the world of, er, communications. And other stuff.
Monday 30 April 2007, 3:49 PM
BT's balanced approach to accessibility
Looks like those PS3-toting folks at Sony aren't the only ones to be ripping off Nintendo's motion-sensor tilting tech from the Wii. BT's now in on the act too, but it's OK - it's all in the name of accessibility.
Bearing in mind that mice and keyboards can be a bit fiddly for the disabled and elderly, BT has created an accelerometer chip-based adaptor called BT Balance, which plugs into a laptop or tablet PC to add motion-based functionality. The user can then configure it how they like - maybe a certain tilt of the laptop could turn a page on an e-book, or tipping it back could connect an incoming VoIP call.
It sounds awesome. I am, though, a bit skeptical about how the thing could malfunction if the laptop teeters on the side of a desk or gets bumped. It would need to be fairly carefully configured... but hey, maybe it's the future. So, at the risk of one day looking like the guy who dissed Fred Astaire before he found fame, I'll reserve my judgement until I get a closer look.
Bearing in mind that mice and keyboards can be a bit fiddly for the disabled and elderly, BT has created an accelerometer chip-based adaptor called BT Balance, which plugs into a laptop or tablet PC to add motion-based functionality. The user can then configure it how they like - maybe a certain tilt of the laptop could turn a page on an e-book, or tipping it back could connect an incoming VoIP call.
It sounds awesome. I am, though, a bit skeptical about how the thing could malfunction if the laptop teeters on the side of a desk or gets bumped. It would need to be fairly carefully configured... but hey, maybe it's the future. So, at the risk of one day looking like the guy who dissed Fred Astaire before he found fame, I'll reserve my judgement until I get a closer look.
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