PowerTrekk, developed by the Swedish company myFC, is an impressive cell-phone charger that uses a fuel cell and water.
PowerTrekk is a pocket size, lightweight charger for users who spend time away from the electricity grid. Providing instant power anywhere, PowerTrekk uses advanced fuel cell technology which cleanly and efficiently converts hydrogen into electricity. With its rugged, waterproof casing and robust technology on the inside, PowerTrekk is designed to match demanding requirements.
PowerTrekk is a 2-in-1 solution that is both a portable battery pack and fuel cell. The portable battery pack can be operated on its own as a ready source of power or storage buffer for the fuel cell. The fuel cell enables instant charging from a depleted battery state without ever needing a wall charge. Users simply insert a fuel pack and add water.
Although they are aimed at the outdoor market, I’m sure we will see these popping up in urban environments soon. No price yet, but it is been launched next week at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
C3 Technologies is a Swedish company offering photo-realistic 3D city visualizations for search and navigation. The extreme detail available offers endless opportunities for the creation of augmented and/or social experiences and may soon be available on mobile devices.
A Swedish offshoot of SAAB, C3 has ultra sharp 3D maps of major cities based on de-classified government aerial photography technology. … They are actively licensing their 3D photography through an SDK such that it can be used for mobile applications on iPhone, iPad, and Android, or in your computer via a Javascript API for Safari, Chrome, Firefox, and IE. Now covering 100 cities in the US and Europe, C3’s maps are among the most detailed I’ve ever seen, and the company is expanding into interior spaces as well. You could explore an ultra-realistic 3D map of a building before you ever set foot inside it.
As Emgard explains in the … video, the applications for social mapping are clear. With a high-quality three dimensional map you can show friends exactly where you want to meet – you could tag a tree or lamp-post with no problem! I’m sure we’ll also see virtual tour apps – guides so clear that you can’t possibly get lost.
I have been a fan of Amber Case’s work for quite a while and was excited to see her talking at TEDWomen on cyborg anthropology. As we move towards a world where mobile is the norm in any urban environment, her conceptualization of what this means can open doors to interesting insights for librarians as we deal with this change, seeking the balance between space for reflection and silence (a traditional role for libraries) and time for information gathering and our online “second-selves”.
Tapworthy apps cope with small screens and fleeting user attention to make every pixel count, every tap rewarding. Learn to: capture the elusive ingredients of irresistible mobile interfaces; craft comfortable ergonomics for fingers and thumbs; dodge the usability gotchas of handheld devices; and turn tiny-touchscreen constraints to your advantage.
Includes plenty of ideas and UX advice for anyone thinking of designing an app for their library.
The University of Wisconsin’s Games, Learning and Society research group have released ARIS (Augmented Reality and Interactive Storytelling), a tool for making location based educational games, stories, and tours.
Features
- Use GPS location and QR Codes to link to virtual characters, items and media
- Create and Place virtual Items that can be picked up by players, exchanged, used and moved around in a persistent AR world.
- Author virtual characters that talk with your players, giving them information, exchanging items and responding to their choices.
- Design Quests for players to find particular information/items, talk with characters and collect media recordings at particular locations.
While it is currently available only on the iPhone, ARIS provides another excellent opportunity for librarians and libraries to get involved with augmented reality, mobile technology and gaming.
