The joystick ring. Why is it not available?
What the world needs is a tiny laptop-style erasertip joystick or mini analog joystick attached to a bluetooth chip and a small battery.
Something small enough that you could throw a little strap on it and wear it like an upside-down ring on your middle finger, using your thumb to direct and select.
Better yet, the same equipment set inside a metal ring, hopefully with some method to charge it. (microusb plug?) Even better if it could reliably get its power through kinetic energy – walking around or even typing at your normal keyboard throughout the day could charge it.
I do wish I had the know-how for that, because I think it’s entirely possible (maybe a larger formfactor than my photoshop-imaginings). Add that to a very small netbook or smartphone and throw in one of many awesome portable displays (cell projector or videophones), especially the transparent “augmented reality” style glasses, and you’ve got a frickin’ awesome prototype.
Are you listening, ThinkGeek? ’cause I’d buy the snot out of that.
Hmm maybe throw in an accelerometer or something on the other hand and I’m sold. Kind of a Wiimote plus nunchuck on rings. That’s be cool.
Two words: Battery Life.
I think it could be done cabled, but no one would really want it. It’d also have to be so small that a battery couldn’t really fit in there, otherwise it’d get in the way.
These are my geekdreams, dude. It doesn’t have to be utterly realistic. Make me replace watch batteries, make me shake hands to charge it, I don’t care. It would be fun, stylish maybe, and some form of enjoyable convenience.
If they can do this ugly thing in 2001, probably horrendously sucking down power via a proprietary wireless standard, think what they can do with the relatively sippy bluetooth in 2009 or 2010.
We have GPS chips the size of eraser tips – this is not completely unfeasible.
I don’t understand this need of yours to quash anything I post like this – not so much constructive thoughts as telling me why these ideas are impossible.
Well, your post did ask why it’s not available.
It’s not available because of battery life. Yes, absurdly tiny devices can be made, but there’s still the massive problem of power, especially when RF comes into play.
It’s not a need to quash things; just like with this post you post something publicly seemingly to elicit discussion. If someone (namely me in these two cases) mentions something contrary, you seem to take offense.
Wow. You reply then ban me from commenting. How grown up.
I think it’s a bit shortsighted to think that we can’t make this work on a small battery. Hell, I had a pen-style device a few years ago that made this work in a slim pen form factor with room for a full size retractable pen.
In my experience, everyone who has ever said something “can’t be done” has been wrong…in my opinion, this trend will continue.