Tag: gadgets

The first traffic ticket has now been issued to an individual who was wearing Google Glass.

Someone has now become the first to be charged for distracted driving while wearing the augmented reality gadgets known as Google Glass.

This represents the first time that a California driver has been ticketed while distracted by wearable devices.

The driver received the ticket in San Diego County, and has now been cited for driving while distracted by wearable gadgets – in this case, Google Glass. The driver was Cecilia Abadie, who was 44 years old, at the time. She received the ticket after having been initially pulled over for speeding. That said, while the driver was pulled over, the officer noticed that she was wearing the device and upgraded the ticket for driving while distracted by a mobile computer.

This use of the gadgets is currently considered to be completely illegal, in California, while behind the wheel.

According to the California Highway Patrol (CHP), it is not legal for a motorist to operate a motor vehicle while using a video monitor, TV, video screen, television receiver, or other means of displaying a television or video broadcast in a visual way, for a business or entertainment application, if it is visible to the driver, even if it is in the back seat, facing forward. This would imply that wearing these augmented reality gadgets could be defined as breaking the law as – depending on what is being displayed – it could be showing something of an entertainment or business purpose.

At the same time, according to Google, its gadgets are designed to assist their wearers to better communicate and experience the real world, not to distract them from important tasks – such as driver – in which full attention is required. There are a growing number of people who are hoping that Abadie will take her case to court and fight it, so that there will be a precedent in favor of future wearers of the augmented reality glasses.

Abadie has explained that if she does fight the ticket in court, the outcome may depend on whether the judge is a technophile, who understands the gadgets, or if he or she is someone who simply thinks that they are devices that look odd.

These devices are being labeled “smartpens” and are the very latest in note taking tools.

The Livescribe 3 gadgets are being nicknamed smartpens are devices that are used to automatically transfer notes that have been written by hand onto the screen of a tablet or smartphone.

However, they also have a type of capacitive tip that allow them to be used as a stylus, as well.

The Livescribe 3s are in essence gadgets that work like a premium form of ballpoint pen that will allow you to take notes on paper and wirelessly transfer them to the virtual world in a quick and easy way. It connects to the mobile device by way of Bluetooth. Once that connection has been activated and the supporting app has been launched on a smartphone or tablet, any notes that are taken on paper through the use of the smartpen.

These gadgets provide a comfortable and realistic bridge between handwriting and the digital world.

At the same time, even if the gadgets aren’t activated, or connected to a mobile device, it can still perform. Its battery lasts as long as 14 hours and, as long as it is fully charged, it can store everything that has been written so that it can be transferred to the device once it is reconnected. Moreover, the pen can be used for activating the microphone of a device so that audio can be recorded at the appropriate location within the notes. Beyond that, it also has a cap that converts the traditional pen into a stylus that can be used against the screen of the smartphone or tablet.

According to the Livescribe CEO, Gilles Bouchard, who spoke about these gadgets, “People shouldn’t have to choose between their pen and their digital devices. The Livescribe 3 smartpen sends everything they write on paper to their tablet or smartphone, where our mobile application makes this information useful in truly innovative ways.” Bouchard added that “It’s simply the most elegant and versatile pen we’ve ever made.”

These gadgets are compatible with iPhone 4S devices and newer, as well as everything including and after the third generation of full sized iPads, all of the iPad Mini tablets, and everything including and after the iPod Touch fifth generation.

There are two different version of the Livescribe gadgets. The first smartpen costs $149.95 (RM471), and includes both a USB charging cable and a 50 page notebook. The other model is the Pro Edition, which costs $199.99 and includes the charging cable, a 100 page notebook, an additional ink cartridge, and a subscription for one year to Evernote Premium. Already available in the United States, its launch in Canada, Europe, and Asia is coming soon.