Real innovation in a gimmicky world
Real innovation versus gimmicks. True technology leaps versus
hype. It’s difficult to determine which is which until after you’ve bought a
product and used it for sometime. I wrote about a few products I had used that
broke the innovation barrier and were actually useful in my day-to-day life.
I’ve been asked again and again to come up with some more. Here then is another
round-up of products that are jaw-dropping and life-changing all at once.
Mio Slice breaks the steps myth
Fitness bands are awesome – counting your steps and distance, keeping
you motivated and fit. But that’s the greatest problem within. Steps you take
when you get out of bed, walking leisurely around your office or even when
you’re driving a car – they mean nothing. And it won’t give you credit and
steps for a spinning class or weightlifting. That’s why, the Mio Slice is a
revolutionary new product that counts your true fitness. It only gives you
credit for the time your heart actually works hard. Thus, when you’re
weightlifting, spinning or rowing, it won’t give you useless steps. It’ll give
you your PAI number – Personal Activity Intelligence. It only kicks in when
your heart works at a certain intensity level. The Mio Slice also has by far
the most accurate heart rate sensor in the world. It’s backed by one of the world’s
largest health studies involving 45,000 people over 25 years that shows that an
accurate PAI level per day can extend your life expectancy by about five years.
Steps are out, PAI is in. The even bigger news: Mio Slice is now available in
India.
Comio C2 super security phone
The Comio C2 has an Intruder Selfie feature that lets you know
who tried to unlock it
Even though it’s the security functions in this phone that make
it stand out, its design is what will hit you hard first. Stunning ergonomics,
very subtle gold add-ons, a 4000mAh battery, scratch free body, three slots for
two SIMs and 1 Micro SD Card – makes it a phone way above its 7K price band.
Ever since the Face ID security was announced by Apple for its iPhone X,
security on phones has become a big deal. And Comio takes it to a whole new
level. If your phone is stolen or misplaced, it can send out SIM-based alerts
to other mobile numbers. Then there’s an Intruder Selfie feature. If someone
tries to unlock the device by trying to break the pattern or PIN, the device
automatically shoots a picture of the person with the front camera. So you can
identify who tried to get into your phone without your knowledge. Girlfriends,
boyfriends, husbands, wives – be afraid, very afraid :)
LG mosquito away phone
LG’s K7i has an ultrasonic device that drives away mosquitoes
Malaria, dengue, chikungunya, Japanese encephalitis – just a
very small list of diseases spread by the mosquito. The mosquito is now
responsible for the maximum deaths in this country as compared to any other
animal and insect (including humans killing other humans). Not a pretty
statistic. LG seems to have hit a home run here. The new K7i comes with an
ultrasonic device that emits a sound at a frequency that humans cannot hear and
yet irritates mosquitoes to the point that they want to commit suicide. Indoors
or outdoors, keep this phone in your pocket or around you and the mosquito army
will keep far away from you. In all our tests, this worked like magic.
Mosquitoes – your reign may well be over!
IBM Watson clothing
Gaurav Gupta’s LED-laden dress changes colour as per your
personality traits
The place – Mumbai. The event – Vogue Women Awards 2017. The
Audience – more than 200 of the top socialites and Bollywood stars.
IBM’s Artificial Intelligence super-computer analyses every
tweet you’ve ever done and creates a personality profile from within that
My state of mind – intimidated duck out of water. Highlight of
the evening – Gaurav Gupta and IBM Watson’s first ever truly cognitive dress.
This is how it works. You enter your twitter handle, IBM’s Artificial
Intelligence supercomputer analyses every tweet you’ve ever done (every!) in
milliseconds and creates a personality profile from within that. It then
assigns colour to the most dominant personality trait and Gaurav Gupta’s
stunning LED-laden dress then changes to that colour. Jaw-dropping technology.
But this is just the beginning. IBM Watson has the ability to analyse text,
images and illustrations. The next level would be IBM analysing every single
design and every single piece of clothing ever created and predict future
trends and even design clothes.
By the way, IBM Watson did an analysis of every piece of social
media I’ve ever posted. The result? I’m overbearing, fake and arrogant. Scary
how accurate it was :)
Rajiv Makhni is managing editor, Technology, NDTV, and the
anchor of Gadget Guru, Cell Guru and Newsnet 3
Rajiv Makhni
From HT Brunch, October 8, 2017
From HT Brunch, October 8, 2017
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