Gesture controlled devices

[gilesjuk]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-15970019

This just makes me mad!

"Using a GPS device without touching it while driving could be safer"

How is it ever safe? you have to look down at the device and take your eyes off the road.

[skicat]

Right. I've taken out my speedometer, tachometer and disconnected all those irritating blinky lights on the dashboard for that very reason.

[thirdcrank]

When I saw the thread title I thought this was about something else.

[gilesjuk]

Right. I've taken out my speedometer, tachometer and disconnected all those irritating blinky lights on the dashboard for that very reason.

I know what you're getting at. But those things are gauges, you look at them and see the value. A Sat Nav device is a navigation computer with menus, settings and all sorts of things. You should never be controlling such a device on the move and no amount of gesturing is going to eliminate the need to have a look at the screen.

[skicat]

I know what you mean too, and you're right, there isn't much difference between prodding buttons and waving ones arms around at the thing. Voice recognition is becoming quite reliable (check out Apple's Siri and you'll get some idea), but it still has some way to go. If I may temporarily hijack the thread, I'm reminded of my first ever conversation with a mobile phone with so-called voice recognition. This was about 6 or 7 years ago:

Me: (having already recorded myself saying "home" and set the phone to respond to this): "Home"
Phone: "Not recognized"
Me: "Home"
Phone: "Not recognized"
Me: (louder) "HOME"
Phone: "Not recognized"
Me: "Hooooooome"
Phone: "Not recognized"
Me: (shouting) "Just call home you stupid useless lump of &%£**&%£# !!"
Phone: "Calling home"

I don't think I ever bothered with that feature after that.

[boris]

'''Right. I've taken out my speedometer, tachometer and disconnected all those irritating blinky lights on the dashboard for that very reason. '''

Blimey, you'll be switching off your mobile phone next, and how will you text then? I wouldn't be able to stay awake if I didn't have someone to talk to. And what's all this about phone calls ruining your reflexes like alcohol? I think a pint relaxes me a bit and improves my driving.

Personally i find mounting the sat-nav in the middle of the windscreen particularly effective. They're so accurate now you hardly need to look out the window, which is why I always mount mine right in the middle of the windscreen, so I don't 'have' to look down at it.I can still see straight ahead, I'm not an idiot!

I look at those m0r0ns reading maps rested on their steering wheels and think ' get up to date, man!'.

I do draw the line at filling in my delivery log while driving, unless I'm really pushed for time.



I have heard most of these things said to me in all sincerity, even in the context of a formal medical exam for the dvla.

[byegad]

I know what you mean too, and you're right, there isn't much difference between prodding buttons and waving ones arms around at the thing. Voice recognition is becoming quite reliable (check out Apple's Siri and you'll get some idea), but it still has some way to go. If I may temporarily hijack the thread, I'm reminded of my first ever conversation with a mobile phone with so-called voice recognition. This was about 6 or 7 years ago:

Me: (having already recorded myself saying "home" and set the phone to respond to this): "Home"
Phone: "Not recognized"
Me: "Home"
Phone: "Not recognized"
Me: (louder) "HOME"
Phone: "Not recognized"
Me: "Hooooooome"
Phone: "Not recognized"
Me: (shouting) "Just call home you stupid useless lump of &%£**&%£# !!"
Phone: "Calling home"

I don't think I ever bothered with that feature after that.

Orange used to have a voice controlled answer phone called Wildfire. I loved the way it worked and it recognised my voice brilliantly, so when I got a phone with voice dialling I was eager to use it. It would not recognize 'home' in any tone of voice, and whatever I tried as a 'name' for my mother's number it wouldn't call it. I gave up.

[bikes4two]

I cycle and drive a car (like many others on this forum). Before throwing my penny-worth into the fray, I was going through the list of what other things might be considered 'distractions' that a car drive has to deal with.

There are course many of them and they are always going to be there and different drivers will be distracted by different things: that's the way it's always going to be too, so if gesture controlled devices actual prove to be less distractive then that's an improvement to the current situation is it not?

As an aside, there are not many things in life that we have control over. There is one thing that we can control though, and that is our reaction to events / things / people etc.

So me, do I get mad at newspaper articles like this one? Well, sometimes yes and sometimes not, but I'm trying to increase the 'nots' in favour of a more restful life. I'm having to work hard at not getting miffed with silly beggars on the road though