This week’s Countdown features transparent phones, proximity detection web site and an app that promises to make a movie of your life.
Number 5) Transparent phone
Given just about every other science fiction gadget has now been created, you must have asked yourself in the past ‘where the hell is my transparent phone?’ Fortunately, the systems integration firm Polytron is here to put your out of your misery.
There’s not a lot of info available about the device, other than the fact that it’s clearly not 100% transparent as they haven’t quite managed to make the battery and circuit board invisible. Regardless, it’s an entirely unnecessary piece of kit that’s obviously a must-have.
Via Digital Trends
Number 4) Artlens – socially curated journeys through art
Ever found yourself somewhat put off the idea of visiting a museum as you fear an insurmountable amount of exhibits with no smart way to navigate through them? Artlens from Cleveland Museum of Art is a smart social solution.
Artlens is a cunning app that enables people to capture and share their own path through the collection and share it with others. Wherever the Artlens iris logo appears, visitors can access audio and video content related to specific parts of the piece via AR through holding up their iPad and scanning it. Users can also mark their favorite works and share them to Facebook and Twitter. Sounds like a cool way of using technology to make art more accessible.
Via Springwise
Number 3) Lego Happy Holiplay
Next up is a simple social idea to promote the imagination and play qualities of Lego called ‘Brickmented reality’. Tapping into the photographic trend of playing with perspective, Lego encouraged people to take snaps of their Lego creations superimposed in imaginative situations. Celebrating people’s enthusiasm for Lego is a clear opportunity for social media given the mass enthusiasm shown for it every day, so the campaign went suitably viral.
Via Adverblog
Number 2) Real-time responsive typography
A Croatian designer has developed a smart hack that enables typography to be dynamically altered according to someone’s proximity. After permitting the site to use your webcam, the user’s movements are tracked and words appearing on the screen appear smaller or larger depending on how far away from the screen they are. Could be a cool concept if what’s on your screen resizes so you can kick back and relax at work without having to undergo any pesky eye strain.
Via Gizmodo
Number 1) 1 Second Everyday App
‘1 Second Everyday App’. The app has achieved 3 times its $20k funding goal on Kickstarter as a lot of people have clearly seen its potential. With barely any memory of what happened yesterday, let alone last week, month or even year of my life I can definitely see the pull of this one. The app captures just one second of every day of your life so you can compile a movie of it and look back to see all the things you’ve achieved, or perhaps procrastinated with. The promise of being able to remember every day of your life is certainly a powerful one – fully deserved of being this week’s number one.
Via Kickstarter
That’s it for this week. As ever, if anything screamingly awesome has been missed out, let us know in the comments below. Or feel free to ping any recommendations for next week to @jamescfilmer.
James Filmer
Chief Innovation Officer
UM