Quirks keep diehards happy

IN AMONG the stands showcasing mobile security and the latest handsets, there were a few more quirky items to be found.

From 3D displays to wireless chargers built into furniture, there was plenty to keep even the most gadget-hungry conference-goer happy.

If NTT Docomo’s technology comes to market, we may soon be controlling our MP3 players and mobile phones simply by moving our eyes.

The company used Mobile World to show off headphones that allowed such control. Demonstrated live at the exhibition, the ear buds themselves don’t look anything out of the ordinary.

But built into the headphones is a small receiver. They work on the premise that the human eyeball generates an electrical charge – positive at the cornea and negative at the retina. The transmitter picks up this charge, translating movements into increasing volume at a roll of the eyes.

The company also showcased some of its sustainable technology, in the form of solar-powered mobile phones, similar to that used in the Samsung Blue Earth handset, and wooden mobile-phone casings made from sustainable forest timber.

Elsewhere at the exhibition, the Texas Instruments stand was a hive of activity. From contextual web browsers to a 3D display, the stand was teeming with innovation. The company showed off a small device with a 3D display running on its OMAP3 chipset. A prototype device showed off its OAMP4 system, complete with dual screens, Qwerty keyboard and the ability to play TV. This is unlikely to see the light of day for the average user, but is an interesting product nonetheless.

If you are not a fan of any of the new mobile phones on the market, perhaps you can build your own. The Modu mobile phone offers users a modular “heart” that can be set into the phone enclosure of your choice, so you can customise it according to your personal needs and mood.

Another mobile offers users the chance to keep tabs on the owner, with a “personal safety” device that builds in basic phone functions. Aimed at the elderly, lone workers and security guards among others, Safelinq’s SmartLinq sends information on the user’s whereabouts to a company’s proprietary service at fixed intervals, sends an alert if the user does not move in a predefined period of time, and can sense when the user is in a “man down” situation, via a motion sensor.

The Finnish Mobile Association showcased a wireless charging technology called PowerKiss, which is built into furniture. It works through a small wireless transmitter and receiver, dubbed “heart” and “kiss”. A small dot on the surface is the only evidence that the transmitter is attached to the furniture. The receiver is plugged into the phone, and when the two elements are near each other, the phone charges.