Category: Gadgets

Mobile technology helps drivers keep their eyes on the road

Navdy wants to give drivers the ability to focus on their smartphone and the road at the same time.

The new product from the San Francisco based startup is similar to Google Glass, only the mobile technology is designed for car windshields and gives drivers the capability to access information on their smartphones without having to take their eyes off of the road.

The HUD system from Navdy is an aftermarket console combining gesture and voice controls with a projection display.

The head-up display (HUD) system is designed to sit between the windshield and steering wheel and projects a translucent image that appears about 6 feet in front of the windshield. On the transparent display, drivers can view notifications, maps and access music apps from their phone.

The system can connect to the user’s Android phone or iPhone through Bluetooth and data can be shared via WiFi. In addition, the system can be connected with Google Maps, and the navigation that is projected on the windshield will not disappear when the user receives a message or phone call. Instead, the screen splits, allowing both to be seen.

Upon receiving a call, all the driver needs to do to answer is to give thumbs up above the steering wheel. To hang up, they just need to swipe. As for messages, they can be read to the user while they drive. Additionally, the system has been designed to display car alerts once it has been connected to the car’s computer, such as speed, battery-voltage and miles-to-empty. It is compatible with any car that was manufactured as far back as 1996.

The mobile technology enables users to customize their experience.

The Navdy system has parental controls and enables users to choose the type of notifications they receive while driving. For instance, they can choose to only receive social media notifications and texts when the car is stopped or these notifications can be shut off completely.

The co-founder and CTO of Navdy, Karl Guttag, told Mashable that “It’s obvious that touchscreens and nobs and buttons all force you to take your eyes off the road.” He added that “Theres a lot of opportunity to improve that whole experience and make the whole experience safer and more natural and intuitive.”

Therefore, while drivers will not be able to browse Facebook while they drive using this mobile technology, they can receive notifications and stay connected with their smartphones without having to fiddle with their device.

Wearable technology named after empowering Katy Perry tune

The aptly named product is designed to be worn by women as a form of self defense mechanism.

Yasmine Mustafa has designed a new form of wearable technology that can be worn by women who want to feel self assured and empowered everywhere they go, in the way that the designer feels when she hears the song called “Roar” by Katy Perry.

That’s why she gave her mobile gadget the same name as the hit song.

The purpose of this wearable technology is to help to keep women safe from assault and is the latest invention that Mustafa has created. She is one member of a team of five that is currently working on a version of the small mobile device that works as a flashing light and a high pitched alarm that can work to attract attention to someone who is being attacked, while distracting, disorienting, and hopefully scaring off the attacker.

The Roar wearable technology is a small and lightweight module that is about the size of a quarter.

Wearable Technology inspired by Katy Perry songThe design of these wearables makes it easy for a woman to attach it to nearly anything, from clothing to shoes, from handbags to jewelry, or even to a smartphone. Mustafa explained that “The alarm and flashing light will startle the attacker, providing the victim with an opportunity to escape.”

In order to use this mobile device, the wearer simply needs to press a button and the light and sound functions will begin. Moreover, a text message with a link to the location of the wearer is also automatically sent to the people who have been pre-programmed into her contact list. Mustafa added that the device can also activate a call to 911 emergency services.

Mustafa is the head of the Philadelphia chapter of the Girl Develop It program. She was inspired with the idea after having gone on a trip on her own for half a year to South America. While she was there, she said that she had come across an “overwhelming number of women who had been assaulted.” Once she returned to her own home town, there were reports that there was a young woman who was raped in her own neighborhood of Center City. She’d had enough and decided to use wearable technology to help woman to protect themselves against these attacks.