3D handsfree motion-sensing

If you're in love with Nintendo Wii's interactivity motion-sensing controller, wait till you check out Singapore's 3D handsfree flavor. Capable of measuring depth and immune to background disturbance, the A*STAR real-time gesture tracking technology is a class above current solutions which rely mainly on handheld controllers and measurement probes.

Designed for applications ranging from advertising to medical and gaming, the system is based on inexpensive off-the-shelf components comprising a stereo camera, display and a computer. The core intelligence here is delivered primarily by proprietary software and talks are already underway with several vendors on integration of this motion-sensing technology.

Actually we are more interested in finding out whether this will be finding its way into any of the current gaming consoles. Imagine throwing a punch in Fight Night without taking the chance of breaking your precious big screen from a flying controller.

More CommunicAsia 2008 coverage here.

Sync remote data securely via TwinUSB

Misplacing a laptop is an expensive lesson. However, losing its hard drive's confidential data may even compromise your privacy and cost you your livelihood. This is where Singapore's A*STAR (Agency for Science, Technology and Research) TwinUSB comes into the picture, promising a solution which addresses this vulnerability, while offering the same level of information mobility.

Delivered in the form of a portable thumbdrive-like gadget, TwinUSB enables plug-and-play file-sharing through the Web using strong encryption technology. Best of all, no password is required as authentication is performed automatically by the device. All you need to do is mate two halves of the dongle to the host and mobile computer, on top of a Web connection, to retrieve remote data.

Think of it as an invisible hard wire that securely links up two computers. As a last line of defence against hackers and data thieves, you could either unplug the remaining dongle at home, call a hotline to deactivate the virtual connection, or tap on the device's optional password for extra protection. Expect a more "elegant" finished product upon launch, priced tentatively at around S$20 (US$14.21).

More CommunicAsia 2008 coverage here.

Digital frame doubles as a secondary display

Call us eternal optimists, but perhaps companies are starting to figure out that digital photo frames are among the most use-challenged inventions of the digital age. In recent months manufacturers seem to have begun trying to add functions that might actually make them worthwhile, whether they've built in a Webcam or used them for something like the PhotoPhone, which displays a picture of the person who's calling.

ASUS, too, seems to understand the concept as it has introduced a 7-inch LCD frame with a "sub-display" feature that can turn it into a secondary screen to complement the PC's main one, Akihabara News reports. It sounds like an alternative to those mutant experiments that have grafted a second screen onto desktop monitors.

The frame itself has a 800 x 480 resolution, 128MB of memory, and a USB connection. It may be slightly difficult to color-coordinate it with your existing desktop, however, as its finishes seem more appropriate for a nursery: Blush Pink, Sky Blue, and Star Silver.

Via CNET Crave

Sony gives remotes a new palette

Sony certainly can't be blamed for designing more electronics products to be fashionable. After all, we've seen other companies try everything from Jetsons-style TVs to designer settop boxes. But there's a sad social commentary in so much thought being given to the remote control.

Sony has experimented with multi-colored remotes before, even making some of them waterproof (another sad commentary). Apparently, that wasn't enough. Now the company is making yet another remote to match the decor, in metallic finishes of silver, blue, or red.

Promising a bit of detente, the RM-PLZ510D supposedly works with products from rival Japanese manufacturers, according to Akihabara News. But given our experiences with Sony remotes, it's not the color or compatibility that we'd be concerned about.

Via CNET Crave

Sharp's 108-inch LCD descends on Tokyo

The 108-inch LCD that Sharp unveiled in January is now coming to market, ready to induce hernias everywhere.

The massive display measures 93.9 inches wide and 52.9 inches high, in full-HD 1080p resolution. That means there's plenty of real estate in the back for a variety of inputs, including HDMI and DVI-I connectors, according to Fareastgizmos. It also has a fanless design to keep noise to a minimum.

The first stop for Sharp's LB-1085 will be the Shinjuku Piccadilly multiplex complex in Tokyo, a massive theater facility that will maximize the visual impact of the gargantuan HDTV because the theater is designed in a theme that has everything painted "pure white." Because this 108-incher needs all the help it can get to be noticed.

Via CNET Crave

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