Movers and Shakers Bring Rock and Roll to Navigation

RobBrady

Fresh from their success as Overall Winner at the GSM Association's Mobile Innovations Awards at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Toronto based GestureTek Mobile are showing off their gesture controlled EyeMobile Engine this week at the CTIA Wireless 2008 Show, Las Vegas. It utilizes a similar, but more precise, motion-sensing technology to that used in Nintendo's Wii game console.

GestureTek introduced the world’s first application that allows gesture controlled navigation of maps with GPS integration in September 07. The application is currently available on 8 out of 9 DoCoMo phones in Japan. This represents about 7 million phones. They are now hoping to break into a much wider market.

With no hardware add-on required, the EyeMobile Engine utilizes the camera in mobile devices to control movement in navigation. It includes three ways to track movement: shake, rock (no, it doesn't rattle!), and roll. By shaking the device it will determine the amount of motion in the camera image. Rolling determines the motion direction and the scrolling function while rocking it interprets specific gestures (right, left, up, down). Basically you can pan and zoom a map just by twisting your wrist.

Having established itself well in the SatNav arena, it can certainly include itself as one of the most popular stands at the show. EyeMobile Video
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Robert Brady

GPS_fan · Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 8:19 am Post subject:

I'm glad you saved this one for today, rather than yesterday!

It would be good to see this in action, although many drivers might already argue that they control navigation by gestures Laughing

I must admit, though, when I first saw the pictures, I thought this was Trevor Bayliss' wind-up mobile phone - although using motion to 'charge' the device, like the technology Seiko use with their Kinetic range of watched.

Now, I'm pleased that I took a second look and read the article more closely!

Is there any indication of likely lead time or price for the UK?
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Andy
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RobBrady · Posted: Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:14 pm Post subject:

RobBrady · Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 1:58 am Post subject:

They don't have any specific announcements to make re the UK yet, but they may have intentions towards the UK market through their Telefonica venture partners and 02
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Robert Brady

mikealder · Posted: Thu Apr 03, 2008 8:17 am Post subject:

If O2 are there UK based network provider you might want to mention to them that their data tariffs are about the highest in the UK, being a data based dervice they would be better off using someone else - Mike

RobBrady · Posted: Wed Apr 23, 2008 8:56 pm Post subject:

Hi Mike,

Sorry for the delayed response, I was waiting for further details from GestureTek.

Telefonica, who has taken an investment position in GestureTek, owns O2. They tell me they are also in discussions with a number of other operators around the World.
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Robert Brady

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