great invention

Nice. With a little imagination, it can also give a warning while checking email, web browsing, reading eBooks, etc, thus making it safer to operate a vehicle while distracted.

Many years ago, helped with a device intended to detect when long haul truck drivers were about to fall asleep, and produce a loud noise to wake them up. One problem we ran into would likely also appear in the aforementioned Apple patent. When the alarm or warning goes off, the drivers head is in the wrong position, most likely with chin on his chest. When he opens his eyes, he's looking at the vehicle floorboard or steering wheel. It takes an amazingly long time (as I vaguely recall, about 1 second) for the driver to realize what is happening, and raise his head back to viewing straight ahead. This is often followed by the traditional "oh shit" incantation before the driver returns to full functionality. That's much too long a reaction time. The reaction time was somewhat improved by the application of a mild shock, but that was deemed inappropriate by everyone except the engineers. While the texting driver is not asleep, he might as well be as the sudden context switch from texting to driving could easily take as long.

My compliments to Apple for another innovation that will probably backfire.

--
Jeff Liebermann     jeffl@cruzio.com 
150 Felker St #D    http://www.LearnByDestroying.com 
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com 
Skype: JeffLiebermann     AE6KS    831-336-2558

How about just making the phone not work when it notices it's being used from the driver's seat? Pedals, gauges, and steering wheels are pretty obvious cues.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs 
Principal Consultant 
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC 
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics 

160 North State Road #203 
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510 

hobbs at electrooptical dot net 
http://electrooptical.net

On a sunny day (Fri, 28 Mar 2014 11:50:50 -0700) it happened John Larkin wrote in :

I have an HTC android, and I think Steve Jobs should be executed for the invention or pushing on users of the 'touch screen'[1]. I cannot get used to that shit, maybe my fingers do not have the right capacitance or are not the right size, or absence of motion feedback or all of that plus some at the same time. Then I realized he was dead already. [1] I have a cheap phone with resistive touch screen too, at least you can use a pen and press on that. I tried to make a pen for capacitive phone from a piece of anti static conductive foam, and that works, but is so clumsy... Now they want you to look using the front cam???? hey what if it lays on the table or is pointed downwards.. Apple is a crime against humanity, And their patents [patent fever] are ALSO a crime against humanity. In fact they are so stupid...

Anyways gave up on the capacitive phone, a netbook, laptop is the real thing.

Sticks up middle finger to phone.

An even better solution would be to have the device turn off for

5 minutes if it detected it's use while in motion. Art

I have a flip phone, a Casio "The Rock." It has real pushbuttons. It makes calls and gets calls, maybe 10 minutes per month total. It can be dropped onto a concrete floor, or kept in my jeans pocket with keys and knives and stuff, and it always works.

--

John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

jlarkin att highlandtechnology dott com 
http://www.highlandtechnology.com

I have the LG VN251 with a slide-out QWERTY keyboard...

Though I've designed stuff for touch-screens, I hate them myself. ...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson                                 |    mens     | 
| Analog Innovations                               |     et      | 
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    | 
| San Tan Valley, AZ 85142   Skype: Contacts Only  |             | 
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  | 
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     | 
              
I love to cook with wine.     Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Try a Blackberry Bold 9900. You can get one for $100 or so on eBay, and they're an excellent middle ground between the old trackball Blackberries and an iPhone or a droid. You get the usual touchscreen functions, plus a real keyboard, plus a really beautifully designed touch pad that's hardly larger than the old trackball, but has improved dynamics.

So you can zoom with a pinch, but still point to single-pixel accuracy and type with your fingernails in the approved manner.

Plus the Blackberry infrastructure has the best data security in mainstream phones, by a lot.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs 
Principal Consultant 
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC 
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics 

160 North State Road #203 
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510 

hobbs at electrooptical dot net 
http://electrooptical.net

I wish you could read the dam things in sunlight. My old Nokia was perfect.

Cheers

Why would anybody want to read a telephone?

--

John Larkin         Highland Technology, Inc 

jlarkin att highlandtechnology dott com 
http://www.highlandtechnology.com

How does the Blackberry Q10 compare with the Bold 9900?

Verizon has the Q10, but not the Bold. ...Jim Thompson

--
| James E.Thompson                                 |    mens     | 
| Analog Innovations                               |     et      | 
| Analog/Mixed-Signal ASIC's and Discrete Systems  |    manus    | 
| San Tan Valley, AZ 85142   Skype: Contacts Only  |             | 
| Voice:(480)460-2350  Fax: Available upon request |  Brass Rat  | 
| E-mail Icon at http://www.analog-innovations.com |    1962     | 
              
I love to cook with wine.     Sometimes I even put it in the food.

The trick is to detect drowsiness before the driver is comatose. There is a lot of work in facial recognition to determine when the eyes grow "heavy". A loud alarm isn't the right response, either. Too much chance of scaring the driver into a lane change.

Well, it could be Google.

Pairing with the cars Bluetooth radio is another hint.

You must be the only one on the planet. I think touch screens are a great invention. My laptop has one. It's great for *laptop* use.

I like my Moto Razr MAXX, too.

Because I always have it with me.

Are you serious?

Read email on the go Internet hotspot for the portable when on travel Apps (calculator, NG reader, browse for whatever, GPS, flashlight, camera, dropbox, monitor surveillance, etc)

But of course, you could go native, dig up the old rule calculator, ditch all electronics, live in a cave

Cheers

Klaus

The Q10 has a bigger screen, and the BB10 OS has more bells and whistles, but I really like the pointing precision you get with the

9900. With a touchscreen-only phone, you have to expand stuff before you can select it reliably, whereas with the trackpad, all I need is bifocals. ;)

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs 
Principal Consultant 
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC 
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics 

160 North State Road #203 
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510 

hobbs at electrooptical dot net 
http://electrooptical.net

Passengers ought to be able to use their phones, though.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs 
Principal Consultant 
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC 
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics 

160 North State Road #203 
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510 

hobbs at electrooptical dot net 
http://electrooptical.net

The Q10 has a keyboard, but no pointing device. The Z10 and Z30 are touchscreen-only.

Cheers

Phil Hobbs

--
Dr Philip C D Hobbs 
Principal Consultant 
ElectroOptical Innovations LLC 
Optics, Electro-optics, Photonics, Analog Electronics 

160 North State Road #203 
Briarcliff Manor NY 10510 

hobbs at electrooptical dot net 
http://electrooptical.net

Don't pair it. ;-)