SixthSense blurs the digital world and the real world

Researchers from the Fluid Interfaces Group at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Media Lab have unveiled the latest prototype of SixthSense – a wearable, gesture-driven computing platform that continually augments the physical world with digital information.

Imagine being able to turn any surface around you into an interactive surface – checking your email on a blank wall simply by drawing an @ sign in the air with your finger, or being able to check the time by using the same finger to draw a circle on your wrist to produce the image of an analog watch. You can put your thumbs and forefingers together to make a picture frame allowing you to take a digital photograph, or just use your hand as a keypad or dial pad.

If you were in a bookstore and holding a book, SixthSense will recognize that and go to Amazon and display the online reviews and prices of that book right on its cover. The system is also customisable so that if you don't want Amazon reviews you could instead choose to find out what the Guardian thinks of it, or if the actual bookstore had decided to provide their own content you wouldn’t even need to go online to find more information.

MIT are trying to make it possible to have access to relevant information in a more seamless way, and while today's mobile computing devices can be useful, they are still ‘deaf and blind’, meaning that we have to stop what we're doing and tell those devices what information we need or want. MIT have a vision of a computing system that understands, at least to some extent, where the user is, what they are doing, and who they are interacting with. It can then proactively make information available to that user based on the situation.

The idea is that SixthSense tries to determine not only what someone is interacting with, but also how they are interacting with it. The software searches the internet for information that is potentially relevant to that situation, and then the projector takes over.

The prototype has been improved since it was first introduced to the public last year when it consisted of a web camera strapped to a bicycle helmet. The current prototype promises to be more ‘consumer friendly’ by consisting of a small camera and projector combination (about the size of a cigarette pack) worn around the neck. An accompanying smartphone runs the SixthSense software and handles the connection to the internet.

The camera acts as a digital eye, seeing what the user sees, and also tracks the movements of the thumbs and index fingers of both of the user's hands. The hardware included in the SixthSense system is not that expensive, with the current prototype costing about £300 to build, however this attempt to merge the digital world with the physical world requires some serious programming and engineering! The real work is in the software that is constantly trying to figure out what's around you and what you're trying to do. It has to recognise the images you see, track your gestures, and then relate it all to relevant information at the same time.

This initial research phase has only meant a few applications have been developed, but in the longer term it is envisioned that the SixthSense platform will be opened up to let anyone develop applications for it.

There are already some commercial applications planned, with the team looking at developing a sign language application that would "speak out" a translation while someone was signing. There is also potential for SixthSense in the field of gaming. Unlike the Nintendo Wii, which keeps you in front of the television, the SixthSense system might allow a player to go outside and be able to get a real tennis lesson on a real tennis court.

No one involved in the SixthSense project feels that their platform will replace laptops and smartphones, but in certain instances, it can do things that a desktop or laptop can't do, which is quickly put contextual information right where a user wants it wherever they are.

Watch Pattie Maes talk about SixthSense at TED.

MSN Mobile launches music download service

Microsoft has launched a music download service on MSN Mobile which allows users with internet-enabled phones to purchase and download music via their mobile.

The new service is available across all UK network operators and boasts a catalogue of up to one million tracks, 25,000 Realtones and 10,000 Music Videos from record labels such as Sony Music and Warner Music.

Users can purchase full tracks for £1.50 via the PayForIt billing framework; appearing on the user's monthly bill for post-pay contracts, or debited directly from pre-pay mobile plans.

Consumers enter www.msn.co.uk into their phone internet browser and select the music service from the menu, or alternatively text MSN to 63463 to recieve a link to the service.

Mobile internet use up 25%

Mobile internet usage is growing eight times faster than PC-based internet according to the first set of mobile data from Nielsen Online.

The Mobile Media findings show that mobile internet traffic increased 25% from 5.8m in Q2 to 7.3m users in Q3 2008. In comparison PC-based internet only had a 3% growth from 34.3m to 35.3m.

The survey found that mobile internet is increasingly popular among young people, with 25% of mobile internet users aged 16-24, with just 12% being older than 55.

BBC News is the most popular mobile internet site, attracting 1.7m unique users in Q3. This was followed by Google, Facebook and Hotmail, highlighting the advantage of mobile when it comes to immediacy.

Mobile internet traffic also accounted for the majority of page visits to sites like BBC Weather, Sky Sports and Gmail.

People often need fast and instant access to content wherever they are, and mobile can obviously satisfy this. But the fact that weather, sports, news and email sites make up the majority of the leading mobile sites show that at the moment mobile internet is mainly about functionality and need, as opposed to the more entertainment and ecommerce-focused makeup of the leading PC-based sites.

However, the fact that so many people now access the web through their phone shows that mobile internet is fast becoming a viable opportunity for advertisers and publishers to reach important demographic groups.

Virtual Geo Sticky Notes with Socialight

Socialight lets you explore the world and connect with people in a totally new way – by creating, sharing, and discovering virtual Sticky Notes stuck to actual places all around you – using your mobile phone or the Web. Sounds simple? It is! And it’s also very powerful...The basic building block of Socialight is the Sticky Note. A sticky is similar to a yellow Post-it note that you find in the office, except that it can contain text, images, audio and even video. It’s virtual and can be attached to any location in the world for as long as you like.

Socialight have basically created a virtual layer on top of the world which is made up of sticky notes created by people – known as "geo-tagging". You can also choose whether to keep a note to yourself, share it with your friends, publish it to a Channel, or share it with the whole world.

Contacts are what make Socialight social. By having your friends in your contact list, you can create and share the things you find, making the whole system work for you. For example finding a list of restaurants near you is cool, but finding the one that your friend said was great, is better. You can even just leave a note where you are, so any friends that walk by can find you!

But sometimes your friends don’t have all the answers, so Socialight also has Channels which lets you find specific types of content: All the places with great cocktails… places with free wi-fi… hotels in the area… or anything else you can think of!

If you subscribe to a channel, they’ll notify you about the things in it. If the channel owner lets you, you can also add your own stickies, or post messages for others in that channel. And even better, anyone can create a channel, and if you do, you set the rules!

With Socialight you can always feel like a local. You can get a place's vibe through stories and information from everyone who's been there before, especially the people you trust. If you're in your home city, or travelling the world, you can find sticky notes tied to the places you go. Socialight can also notify you on your mobile any time you're near a note – it displays the note content, and also allows you to check out some background on the person who posted it. From there, you can instantly respond, leave your own note, or just move on.

So could Socialight on your phone be the future of mobile? The best part about Socialight is using it on your mobile as it lets you discover things while you walk around! You can also create new sticky notes, make comments and rate the things you find. Just tell them where you are and they will notify you about the things nearby that interest you – like content from your friends or the Channels you’ve subscribed to. Unlike ordinary messages, you only get Sticky Notes when it's relevant based on where you are and who your friends are. It's like having a guidebook written by your friends and the people you trust.

It's also fun to explore the world using Socialight online – browse sticky notes all over the world. You can drag the map around, zoom in and out and see what you find. You can also search for something specific and they’ll show you all the places that match your search. If you don't find what you are looking for, you can always create a new Sticky yourself!

UK mobile internet penetration reaches 12.9%

The UK has the second largest number of mobile internet users, behind the US, according to the latest report from Nielsen Mobile.

The report revealed mobile internet penetration in the UK is 12.9%, just behind the US which has 15.6%, but ahead of Italy which has 11.9%.

The figures for Q1 2008 also revealed 28% of UK mobile internet users recalled seeing ads while browsing. Nielsen Mobile said mobile internet penetration has reached critical mass of users as an advertising medium in the US with 40m subscribers.

The report cited unlimited data plans, improved browsing experience due to handset and network advances and a greater range of sites from familiar brands, as the main reasons for the growth.

Portal sites remain the most popular mobile web destinations with 36m global unique users in May 2008 followed by email, weather, news and search sites.