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Finally – a Star Trek Communicator You Can Use – the Trekkie’s Ultimate Speaker Phone

By on July 24, 2015 in blinking lights, bluetooth, gadgets, general geekery, more nerd than geek, shiny metal objects, shut up and take my money!, star trek
Shut up and take my money!

Shut up and take my money!

For those of you who are Harry Potter fans, or even those who are not (I’m fairly indifferent myself – enjoyed the movies, never read the book, liked the SFX, that’s about it), you may have seen or heard about the Magic Wand Universal Remote Control. A well balanced (in the hand, anyway), stunning replica of a magic wand from Harry Potter lore that actually has 13 ‘magical’ functions in regards to using it as a remote. Well, that same folks, The Wand Company, are about to release their latest invention, a true-to-life Star Trek communicator. This is the old series style that Cpt. Jim Kirk used, not the insignia type used by Picard. Flip up screen foil, moving moire. The whole kit-and-kaboodle. The thing you’ve always wanted… but not some dorky toy that makes you look like you still live in mom’s basement. No – this thing works. Sadly, you cannot reach Scotty to beam you up for about 100 years or so… and First Contact with an alien race (the Vulcans for you non-Trekkers) doesn’t even happen until Apr. 4, 2063. BUT – you can use it as a bluetooth speaker for your phone. Your convo will not be private, but it will be the coolest looking phone call anyone will ever see you have. EVER.

If you are a Trekkie and you go to a Star Trek convention or Comicon, you might actually be morally obligated to carry one of these. Just sayin'. :)

If you are a Trekkie and you go to a Star Trek convention or Comicon, you might actually be morally obligated to carry one of these. Just sayin’. 🙂

com4The Wand Company has worked every detail of this true-to-size communicator to give Trekkies the ultimate geek-out experience with a gadget. The central moire disc actually spins while in use and the USB charged gadget will pair with your iPhone or other smart phone so you can use it just like any other bluetooth headset – it’s just that this is more of a handset. Just take a step back, my fellow geeks and think about how much Star Trek has influenced today’s culture. It is truly hard to believe that we are rapidly approaching Star Trek‘s 50th anniversary. No – that is not a typo. We are really that old. I mean Star Trek is really that old. I’m personally not that old (yet), but I’m gaining on them at FTL.

Just look at that picture above and tell me you do not want to secretly lick your screen. It looks like it’s better quality than what Captain James Tiberius Kirk got to use. And he was the captain of a starship! You just pretend to be the captain of a starship! It’s so classy looking, I can actually see this sitting on an executive’s desk. Even the charging base is stunning.

You can learn more about the Bluetooth Star Trek Communicator at The Wand Company’s website, their Facebook page and on Twitter.

We’re a Few Steps Closer to the Star Trek Holodeck

By on July 20, 2015 in future tech, general geekery, holograms, star trek
One day, Captain Janeway might just be able to hold hands with her hologram, Michael Sullivan. (Everyone saw 'awwwww.')

One day, Captain Janeway might just be able to hold hands with her hologram, Michael Sullivan.
(Everyone say ‘awwwww.’)

Thanks to the work of the Bristol Interaction and Graphics (BIG) group, we are a few steps closer to the fantasy land of the future – the Star Trek Holodeck. I loved watching all the Star Trek series, and while I enjoyed the episodes featuring the Holodeck, I felt like I had to dismiss reality to accept it. You can’t touch light. The holograms were light, right? Well, not entirely. BIG uses light AND sound. Sound you can’t hear (unless, maybe, you’re a teenager), in the ultrasonic range. Through the clever manipulation of sound, the holographic image gives the appearance (or rather, feel) that you’re touching the image.

This takes haptic response to a new level. Those with an Apple Watch already know a bit about haptic response. You touch the screen with Apple’s “force touch” and feel a haptic response. It’s an illusion. You’re feeling a vibration in response to your touch that mimics how a clicky key may respond to being tapped. It’s cool. We’re humans and we really dig putting our hands on something – but we can’t always do that. Imagine 3D imaging a mummified Pharaoh in his sarcophagus… you don’t want to open it right away, but you can x-ray it and image it in 3D. BIG’s technology would let you ‘feel’ the mummy. Ok, that’s a creepy example – but you get my drift.

Even the Holodeck could not make Worf a merry man, but it could be really cool for actual humans.

Even the Holodeck could not make Worf a merry man, but it could be really cool for actual humans.

Perhaps a more practical (and less creepy) example would be a soldier in Iraq, Skyping with his wife as she gives birth to their child. Using this technology, they could not only see each other, he could theoretically stroke her hair – from across the ocean. As with any future tech invention – there are many steps to the journey that get us to an actual Holodeck – where you could actually engage in a kiss with the holographic image the way Janeway was able to on Star Trek: Voyager (and let’s not get into all the crazy adventures that Lt. Cmdr. Riker got into on the Holodeck!).

So – we’re not at the point of a handshake yet – but patty-cake, definitely… although without the sting. 🙂

You can keep up with BIG’s progress on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+ and their website.

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