Topic: compass

One thing important is that you can't expect putting your phone in your pocket whatever way you want, it's gonna tell you which direction you are facing. You have to hold it in a specific way, for example, by looking at its screen. The compass will tell you which direction the phone faces, so your face has to be consistent with the phone's face.

Are there any other "specific ways" that are different from just looking at its screen?

Topic: technical details of LBS

LBS includes
- know where you are: get the 2D horizontal coordinate from GPS or other positioning devices
- altitude information? turning the 2D coordinate into 3D
- know your direction: how to use the compass? how accurate it is? probably what Android provides so far is just a software abstraction layer, but can we get some more info by experimenting with it?
- Manipulation of the map view
- centering, zooming, panning, animating
- overlay drawing (static and dynamic overlays)
- the screen size is a solid limitation so far, how to best overcome this? The more important question is when we should try overcome it. Since mobile phone just happen to be a computing device that we bring with ourself, whenever it's convenient we can switch to desktop.

How to test
- Testing for LBS and social applications would be hard
- how to simulate your own position/orientation/speed
- how to simulate others' position/orientation/speed
A complete testing environment is desirable.

Topic: beyond MobilityCal

what's beyond our MobilityCal?

How could we merge Todo list with MobilityCal?

One rule of thumb is to have the todo list/calendar available anytime anywhere. This doesn't mean that we will have to use our phone all the time. This means that the data should be universally available, and we should be able to access the data from whatever the most convenient device, could be a mobile phone, could be a desktop in the office, could be could be virtual environments that we are immersed in.

We should be able to enter data very quickly (what is quick? the data entry interface should be at most 1 keystroke/mouse click away). We should be able to enter data in multiple formats: text, voice, picture, video etc. We should be able to view todo/calendar entries very quickly. We should be able to mark items done very quickly.


(again, blank mind, and didn't have a topic prepared....)

Topic: windshield, the most natural AR display

Windshields of cards would become (at least) the first generation of displays when AR gets popular.

totally new experience of navigation UI. Directions can be directly "printed" on the ground. Street names would be directly "printed" on the street. No need to wait for the next intersection to see the street sign. Poor vision at night or bad weather, no problem!

Traffic signs and temporary notices can be very easily deployed and changed. The visibility of those signs are superb.

Improve safety. In combination of other technologies such as in-car radar, blocked objects can be displayed on your windshield. if you are driving behind a big trailer which almost block anything ahead of you, you can "see through" the trailer and be aware of any hazards ahead of you.

In order to project 3-D objects on the windshield, only one projector may not be enough -- you need to project (slightly) different views of the same object for two eyes so that you can cheat your eyes and brain to think that direction arrow is actually printed on the ground, not on your windshield. Probably views at a distant distance are easier because they might only need the same image.

Topic: usage of mobile projector

MicroVision's mobile projector is impressive, not sure how much power it requires though

turn every surface into a computer. in combination of Wii remote like tracker, any (flat) surface can be turned into an interactive display. This solves the switchability between private and shared display on mobile devices.

Augmented reality car navigation system. Equipped with good 3D camera, one or more portable projector, GPS and electronic compass, we can mark street names and driving directions directly on the street!

The near future of augmented reality is going to be in-car experience. Because windshields are natural screens. The large display area and natural feel when we look at it makes it far better and acceptable display than HWD and eye glasses assessories.

Topic: Virtual objects and other location based information

How are virtual objects (that live in our real world) different from other location based information?
===
From the implementation point of view, virtual objects are kind of location based information. From the user's point of view, location based information is a kind of virtual objects. Because you need a media to present whatever kind of information. Or we can say these two concepts are two different aspects of a same thing. "objects" represents its physical presence, whereas "information" represents its abstract presence. We can physically manipulate and interact with virtual objects, whereas we spiritually recognize/receive information.


(don't know what to write anymore... blank mind...)

Topic: The near future of Virtual Reality Hybrid

How could virtual objects be useful given the current technology? i.e. at most, virtual objects can only be display on your mobile phone, not merged with your own vision etc.
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game
coupon pickup/advertisement
e-Pets

Virtual objects are different because of the way they are deployed. Location is the first class parameter when a virtual object is deployed/published. This is different from other online information. Users perceive location as the first class parameter too.

Given the current technical limitation, i.e. virtual objects can only be visible/sensible through a specific display, it's hard to imagine some more advanced applications. If there is no such limitation, what advanced applications would be?

When thinking about virtual objects, I can't help thinking of other location based information applications, such as location based weather/disaster forcasting, location based blogging, location based tip sharing. Virtual objects are actually location based information. Is it meaningful to have virtual objects a fine-grained sub-category of location based information?

How are virtual objects (that live in our real world) different from other location based information?

Topic: Centralized phone book

phone book should be based on subscription. When you change your phone number, there is no need to call everybody telling them your new number. You new number will be automatically updated.

Goal is to brainstorm the architecture, how other people who don't have a smart phone would benefit from it, and how this is gonna be profitable

=====

Senarios:
Exchanging phone number:
Tom and Jerry both have a smart phone. They meet each other at a party and would like to keep in touch. They both turn on their smart phone book and their phones display Tom's avartar (photo, phone number, id etc) on Jerry's phone and Jerry's on Tom's phone. They choose "accept" and the contact info is saved in the online centeral directory. The number would be automatically synchrnozied into their phones should there is a change with their contact info in the future.

Tom has a smart phone, Jerry has a regular phone. Jerry dials Tom's phone number. Jerry's phone number appears on Tom's phone. Using the phone number, Tom's phone finds Jerry's entry in the online directory. Tom save Jerry's entry as his personal contact. They can still keep in touch should there is a change with their contact info in the future. (Zero button press needed!)


is phone number gonna disappear in the future?
would it? Since people can connect via all kinds of online services, and phone numbers will be automatically synchronized. Will people tend to forget the metaphor of phone number? but ... there still needs to have something that could identify a person. A mobile device?

A short term goal:
Facebook & Android phone book synchronizer

No limitation, no innovation

limitation and innovation are really controversial. Arguably all innovations are invented to overcome some limitations.

Topic: Usage of virtual objects

虚拟物品有什么用？

In general, before breakthrough in physics, i.e. before object teleporting is invented, all that can be virtualized is information. But see what the information revolution has brought us so far, information is so important.

What I am talking about here is not a totally virtual world, it's the hybrid of virtual and real world. This will fundamentally change our lives. We are living in a real world, but the real world has many hard-to-break physical laws, that is the point of virtualization which helps us to have power way beyond these physical laws.

A practical use of virtual&reality hybrid is again, navigation. Imagine when you are driving, you can see the names of streets projected on your wind shied as if they are actually printed on the street. When you should turn, you can see a pointer right at the intersection showing the correct direction.

it can be used to show all kinds of 标志、路牌、广告牌. All can be so easily deployed and removed using a computer.

Another, of course, the games. It would be so easy to turn your street block as a battle field.

Everybody has a digital device that is able to receive and present virtual objects, i.e. know where you are and which direction you face, download virtual objects, display virtual objects by projecting them into your vision, receive your input by means of voice, hand gesture. One can easily filter, search, and of course turn on/off virtual objects,

beyond Marvin -- the real world virtual world projection browser

From the first glance, actually from its name and brief intro, Marvin sounds like a really cool idea. However, as I finished their videos, I can't help thinking that it's just a Google Earth mobile version. With a much shrunk screen and keyboard, obviously you can't expect any better experience than Google Earth on a desktop.

What we want to take advantage for the mobile devices is location, the LIVE location.

若干年后，虚拟世界和真实世界已经结合成一体。通过软件可以轻松的在地球上任何一个地方放置虚拟物品，人们使用手机之类的随身携带的电子产品或者带上特殊的眼镜即可看到周围的虚拟物体，并与之交互，虚拟物品的图像也可以投影到车窗上。

Topic for May 15 -- What a mobile device can do and a desktop cannot do, and vice versa?

Mobile over desktop/laptop

mobility: the first thing is mobile devices are mobile. You can bring it anywhere, use it anywhere at any occurences. As an additional benefit mobile devices happen to be able report their position and orientation. You will be able to know where you are and which direction you are facing even when your biological brain cannot tell. The term of mobility not only refers to that you can use your devices on bus or on the beach, it also means that you can browse internet while lying down on bed, while running on treadmill. You don't have to sit straight and face a screen.

private: because the mobile devices have to be made small enough to be portable, there is physical limitation of its size. This limitation sometimes becomes an advantage -- the screen is so small that the guy beside you cannot see anything while you are watching a video on your mobile phone. It makes the mobile device a very personal device that you can keep fair amount of privacy.

identity: because the device is small, portable and private, people tend to put it into their pockets, and bring it wherever they are. Mobile devices become electroical identity of humans. You use it as a ID, you use it to make payment, you use it as a bus pass etc.

Convergence of multiple electronical devices: we will see more and more digital devices attaching to our body anywhere at any time.


Desktop/laptop over mobile: the conclusion is immobile devices as desktop/laptop will lose its publicity, as long as mobile devices are powerful enough to satisfy our every growing everyday needs, and the UI of mobile devices is able to easily switch between private and public mode.

ease of entering information
more computing power
more storage
semi-public

Topic for May 14 -- User interface of mobile devices

The uniqueness of mobile devices... beyond multi-touch screen, accerlermeters, voice, and haptic

First of all, mobile device is by far a very personal device, one can enjoy his own stuff on his own. He might not want to share it, and it will actually be very hard for him to share with even anybody standing around him. The future interface of mobile devices would be very easy to switch between private mode, and public mode. When it is private, strictly nobody but the user can see/hear/feel/control the content. When it is public, others that the user chooses would be able to see/hear/feel/control the content, whether a laser projection, a beam of sound/video, virtual reality artifacts etc...

The hybrid of virtual and reality. We will soon see the convergence of the virtual world and real world. Virtual objects would spread everywhere in our real everyday life. We will be able physically interact with those virtual objects as if we open a door, kick a football and pick up a phone. the virtual objects would give us physical feedback so that we can see/hear/feel. Of course, they are not limited by physical laws. We can bring a virtual object by swing one of our fingers. We can open a virtual door by just thinking of it.

Mind interaction -- the ultimate human-machine interaction.

Brainstorming morning

30~ minutes to think about a topic
- restrict to only one topic, brainstorming it and dig into details as much as possible
- plan for the next day's topic, at least one.
10 minutes to write it out. It has to be strictly 10 minutes, no more, no less.
- make it the first thing I do right after I return to my desk. NO Email checking, NO news browsing, NO messaging, NO phone calls.
- use the full length of 10 minutes to write as much as possible
- create a topic for the topic of next day.
- when time permits, improve grammar. Make it an article.

If nothing changes, nothing changes

I enjoy listening to great presentations,

good presenter, passionate and energetic, good sense of humor, but started as boring no meaning words: value, etc, but got into some interesting and impressive points

life long learner

the closing note is pretty exciting and inspiring: "if nothing changes, nothing changes"

compared to Jobs' presentation.
evaluating a presentation in mind, see how many points you can remember after the presentation

Suddenly remember my previous goal about presentation: to make people laugh -- now I have made it!

when negative attitude dominates

When negative attitude dominates, you will feel you don't belong to anywhere. You will become frustrated about what you really want. You will make superficial and subjective conclusions.

When negative attitude dominates, do not complain.

Real world search engine

Type in several keywords, it'll show a list of matched destinations. Clicking one of the matches, the system will teleport you to the destination.

-- A hybrid of a 90's technology and a 2050 fantacy. :)