Droidcon Moscow 2014: r-evolution of wearables

Today I'm going to post some thoughts on a subject which may seem offtopic here, but only at a first glance. Indeed, it's about Android ecosystem, and thus embraces Android-based applications, including those related to indoor, outdoor, or whatever-else-door positioning.

The main news is that I attended Droidcon Moscow 2014 today. There is no surprise that current trends were covered: wearables, augmented reality, virtual presence, and context awareness.

Among all evolving products, which comprises these technologies, one is most noticable: glasses.

Google glasses are definitely the most widely known and promoted example. They are surrounded with enthusiastic boom and provide a truly new user experience. Yet I have some critical considerations.

First of all, I don't completely agree with Google's design. Their decision was to make the active part of glasses as a single eyeglass. The working area covers only a little part of visual field, and a user must squint in order to read info. I know this was the deliberate decision to not distract user from reality. The problem with this approach is that "real reality", augmented reality, and virtual reality are combining too fast and displaying virtual information over real world becomes a real, most important, value. As for distracting user from reality - this is just a matter of switching one display mode or another (such as completely transparent). Anyway, I'd prefer to have a glasses with both oculars and see them in front of eyes.

The second thought about Google glasses concerns another point: the glasses are actually a thin client (UI) for server-based apps. The apps which the glasses are capable of running are very lightweight. It's not possible to code somewhat computationally complicated, because the glasses discharge quickly and become hot (at your face's skin).

The third point is that Google glasses require special coding. The apps for the glasses are not plain old Android apps. On the other hand, if I have, for example, an Android application for augmented reality which runs on phones and tablets, I'd like to port it to glasses with minimal or even no efforts.

All that said, it's time to introduce another glasses - Epson Moverio BT-200. This gadget presents full-fledged, so to speak, glasses with two active oculars. Moreover, they are powered with real Android OS and can run native Android apps. This is good news. The bad news is that they made of 2 parts: the glasses themselves and a "system block" with touchpad, connected by a pretty thick wire. My user experience was not so good. It feels really unnatural to move fingers over the touchpad (somewhere in "background") for cursor control. I'd prefer that an eyemovement detection would have been built into the gadget. It does exists in other products and fits into such glasses metaphor very well - cursor just follows sightline.

Ok, let us admit that the outboard "system block" is the only solution possible nowadays to support full power of an Android device, but the touchpad, as a primary control, is inappropriate. As long as this block should exit due to current technical limitations, I'd made it as a normal Android device with touch screen. So, it can be used as is without glasses. And if glasses are connected, they use all the power of the device and adds new eye-tracking control experience, including movements, winks, etc. And as you may notice, this sounds like the (Epson) glasses could be implemented as stand-alone detachable gadget, which could be plugged into any Android device! That would be nice. But this is not all the story.

Even if the eye-tracking would be incorporated into the glasses, there is something more that could add next level of control and interaction. When I'm looking at the glasses, the brain-computer interface comes to my mind. For example, Emotiv devices just asks to be embedded into the glasses. Structurally all we need is to add some contacts on the inner side of the rim. Software part is not a problem at all.

Bottom line. I think the advent of virtual glasses is exciting as phenomenon, but existing models lack many features which could dramatically improve usability, and more importantly, all this is doable right now. So, I'm waiting for the evolution or revolution, as you like. Hope it'll happen soon.

WiFi + Direct + Dating

I know some of you are waiting for news about WiFiLine and this post may look like this but it is actually not. I have just released a brand new Android application - DirectDating. As you might guess from the name the app has nothing in common with navigation. Yet it's somewhat related to WiFiLine, and not only because of the author, but because it also uses WiFi technology. Specifically, it is based on the new WiFi Direct (Peer-to-Peer), and its WiFi Direct Service Discovery feature.

It was a challenge and very interesting task. And I'm glad I made it. I invite you to probe the app and share it with your friends. You may find the app in the Google Play.

Через WiFi напрямую к знакомствам

Я знаю некоторые ждут новостей о WiFiLine, и этот пост может показаться именно такой весточкой, но это, к сожалению или счастью, не так. Я только что выпустил новое приложение для Андроид - DirectDating. Как легко догадаться из названия, оно не имеет никакого отношения к навигации. И все же оно связано с WiFiLine, и не только тем, что у них один автор, а потому, что также использует технологию WiFi. Более конкретно, оно построено на основе нового стандарта WiFi Direct (Peer-to-Peer, т.е. напрямую между устройствами) и его функции обнаружения сервисов (WiFi Direct Service Discovery).

Это была сложная, но интересная задача, и я рад, что с ней справился. Я приглашаю вас попробовать новое приложение и поделиться им со своими друзьями. Вы можете найти приложение в Google Play.

Преимущества WiFiLine

Навигация в помещениях все еще остается развивающимся рынком, и те несколько продуктов, которые предоставляют функционал, схожий с WiFiLine, либо находятся в стадии предварительных превью, либо готовы для коммерческого использования, но только при наличии специальной "железочной" инфраструктуры. Это повод напомнить о преимуществах WiFiLine:

1. Программа бесплатна.
2. Она строится на открытых стандартах и хорошо документирована, например, формат карты - это XML/SVG; никаких патентных и юридических казусов.
3. Она работает с локальными картами, сохраненными на устройстве, не завися от сервера и подключения к Интернету.
4. На месте (в помещении) не требуется разворачивать никаких специальных устройств (обычно дорогостоящих).
5. Векторный формат карты (SVG) обеспечивает качество изображения, высокий уровень детализации, богатые возможности выбора масштаба.
6. Вы можете работать с собственными картами, используя WiFiLine Редактор.

Между прочим, теперь я понял (или по крайней мере, думаю, что понял), как можно использовать окружающее магнитное поле для навигации, о чем шла речь в одной из предыдущих заметок - Использование магнитного поля Земли в навигации внутри помещений. Это направление потребует кое-каких исследований, но идея ясна и только ждет создания прототипа. О результатах я сообщу.

WiFiLine's advantageous features

Indoor navigation is not a matured market yet, but several products similar to WiFiLine are already available: some of them can be evaluated, and some can be used commercially in a restricted environment (equipped with a special hardware). This is why I'd like to mention the most important advantages of WiFiLine:

1. It's free.
2. It's based on open standards, for example, the map format is based on XML/SVG and well documented, there is no proprietary stuff.
3. It may work with local maps (saved on a device) without any dependency from a server. No Internet connection required.
4. It does not require special and usually expensive hardware to be installed on a venue.
5. The map uses vector format (SVG) which provides high quality of images, arbitrary level of details, and rich zoom-in/zoom-out possibilities.
6. You can work with your own maps using WiFiLine Editor.

BTW, now I know (or at least I think I know) how to use environmental magnetic field for navigation, which was covered by one of previous posts - On Earth's magnetic field in navigation indoors. It still requires some research, but idea is clear and ready for prototyping. I'll let you know how it goes.

Вышла версия WiFiLine 1.0.16

Выпущена новая версия WiFiLine. Она включает некоторые улучшения и исправления ошибок. Среди прочего реализовано предотвращение известной проблемы, которая может возникать на устройствах с принудительным включением аппаратного ускорения без учета конфигурации конкретного приложения.

WiFiLine 1.0.16 is published

New WiFiLine version is published. It includes some improvements and bugfixes. Among other things, a workaround is implemented for well-known issue which may arise on devices with improperly enabled hardware acceleration.