Clothes & Phones

In any 2013 class of University students;
– everyone is wearing clothes
– most students have keys in their pockets
– most students have some cash money on them
– everyone has a phone
Isn’t it amazing that people have worn clothes for thousands of years, carried keys for hundreds of years and carried cash for hundreds of years but have only carried phones for just the last 5 – 10 years? Clothes and Phones are the only two items that all students carry. A revised “hierarchy of needs” might reasonably now link warmth and connectivity.

The phone has taken up permanent residence in people’s pockets and bags. Even while sleeping it often can be found under the pillow.
In view of our visceral wholly encompassing attachment to phones it seems rational to suppose that a body network will power other phone like interfaces that are more easily accessed than taking a phone out of a pocket and holding it to the ear to make a call. On reflection it seems absurd to carry a black rectangular box in your pocket and then lift and out and twiddle with it and put it back in your pocket. How did we get here? Will films made in 2013 be easily time calibrated because actors do the handheld phone maneuver?

Ideally, theoretically, phones and people may merge with a total embodiment of the phone into the nervous system? Just thinking about a phone call will cause instantaneous connection and thinking the words will automatically send a message. Of course an internally mounted phone/human scenario would be nice but it still seems like a very remote possibility, but exo-skeletal phone accessories are already commonplace. Bluetooth headsets for taking calls while driving are an indicator of what is to come. Men’s jackets commonly have two inside pockets, one for a wallet one for a phone, ☺. The Pebble watch concept offers easy to read texts and convenient switching on/off phone calls. The Pebble and the Headset together tend to point toward the idea of the phone increasingly staying put in the pocket while phone functions are carried out using a body network and peripheral accessories. Building on this idea Golden Krishna from Samsung tweeted at SXSW13 @goldenkrishna “we serve computers but its time computers serve us” #NoUI

So what are the challenges and where are the likely opportunities for a co-joined future of clothes and phones or indeed a bodily-embedded phone? Here is a quick look at the components of the problem, at least the components of the problem of the phone as it appears today.

Screens:
It is hard to imagine a phone without a screen. The screen could be very small, small enough perhaps to fit into a contact lens, perhaps there may even be a Nano scale device that could be implanted on the retina. We could train our eyes to use the area of the retina that sees the screen. More realistically Google glasses and many other projects have shown the possibility of screens mounted into glasses. Of course the downside of needing to wear glasses has to be overlooked.
There have been lots of prototype foldable, roll-able and bendable, screens. Bendable screens could more easily fit the shape of the body. A folding screen could fold out to suit the size of screen required for the occasion.
Multiple screens positioned around the body could offer an alternative method to control the phone. The Pebble watch is a pioneer design in that idea domain. One could also imagine screens worn on a ring, a bracelet, a necklace.
Another idea would be that your phone could connect with any nearby screen, adopting a tablet or laptop as a temporary big screen.

Type input:
Typing stuff in has proven itself to be a very good survivor in the evolution of computing. Candidate ideas that could dispense with typing include; voice recognition, context based intelligence, gestures and a different sort of keyboard.
Voice recognition input of commands has recently been sent to the fore with the launch of SIRI. Some may say it was sent backwards with SIRI. Is voice recognition command input one of those since fiction wishes that turn out to be a real life disappointment (like video telephony)?
Another idea is that the phone can understand the context the user is in at any one moment and automatically deduces what you want to do and sets the command up for you without much or any human input.
Gestures could become a useful additional way to control your phone. To make a call we could simply small finger, index finger symbol for phone call to initiate a new call.
There have been lots of design suggestions for better keyboard layouts than QWERTY. None have been adopted. The power of “it is this way because that is the way it was yesterday” has taken very strong hold over keyboards.

Batteries:
Bulky heavy batteries cause problems for embedding phones into clothes and for wearing phones bodily. Charging the battery is also difficult. Today you need to plug the phone in somewhere – off body.
Potentially there may be an opportunity to trickle charge a battery derived from the kinetic and or heat energy of the body. This charging could be supplemented with solar charging. If the battery was being constantly charged maybe it could be smaller and if that were so then perhaps it could be concealed in an item of clothing or implanted bodily in some soft tissue.

Storage:
To say any technological problem is solved is to in part suggest that further innovation is not required. That is not the case with storage, however current storage technology such as a 32GB micro SD card is small enough and good enough to be sewn into a t – shirt or embedded in the body with a day surgery procedure. Unlimited storage can be accessed in the Cloud. Problem solved!

Processing:
We already have a powerful computer in a phone. Moore’s law suggests that computing power will increase exponentially. The processor part of the phone is already small, it seems certain that we can wear or embed a powerful processor on or in the body. Biotechnology based developments may even provide us in the future with computation ability built using the living fabric of the body. So it seems that phones and clothes are destined for each other but that is only a start point.

Systems and software:
This is where all the action is going to be. The idea of a worn personal computer – a computer for life – is unprecedented. Pop up context based alerts with relevant information served at the right moment and context ranging from short texts to rich media seems like a certain area for development. We are beginning to see the first clues as to how that concept may form in the way that people are using smart phones, notifications and apps today.

Graduate Developers

We are looking for clever computer science graduates (June 2013) and/or programmers with 1 or 2 years development experience to join our team Derry/Londonderry.

About us
EyeSpyFX make enterprise strength mobile apps for security cameras.

Working on the leading edge of the Internet of Things, Machine to Machine Technolgy & Mobile Services. We create Mobile Applications across a range of platforms including iOS, Android, Blackberry, Windows Phone & Java Mobile. These Apps work with our own homegrown cloud services & server-side technology to allow our users real-time mobile access to their security.

We work closely with world leading security camera manufacturers & security system integrators. As well as creating our own in-house applications & services. And we have a number of exciting new projects that has us keen to recruit staff.

advert450

About you
Do you have a good foundation in Object Oriented Programming?
Are you ready to learn new skills & use new technologies?
Can you contribute new ideas & develop products with our team?
Then we’re looking for you.

Additionally (but not required), we’re looking for anyone with knowledge and/or experience in any of the following
– Java,
– C#
– Objective C
– Server Side technolgies
– Cloud computing & services

If you’re interested in working with us,
please send an email with your CV to: info@eyespyfx.com

Viewer for AXIS Cams v3.0.0. Update now available with Edge Storage

EyeSpyFX is pleased to announce that our iOS app “Viewer for AXIS Cams” has been updated. The new app has many performance upgrades and now features an In App Purchase enabling access to Edge Storage.

Edge Storage is a development in AXIS network cameras that enables video recording directly to an on-board SD-Card or a Network Attached Storage (NAS) device. It is sometimes referred to as local storage or onboard recording.

With mobile access to Edge Storage “Viewer for AXIS Cams” users can create a complete security system with motion detection event recording all onboard a single camera. This could give a perfect solution for a small business owner who is keen to monitor live and recorded events while away from the premises.

edgestorage

PVM for AXIS Cameras

EyeSpyFX are pleased to announce our latest AXIS compatible app!

PVM for AVIS Cameras is the world’s first Public View Monitor App solution that works using iOS devices. This contrasts with the conventional solution, which involves computers or expensive proprietary hardware.

Public View Monitor for AXIS Cams sends up to 16 wireless camera feeds to your TV or monitor system.

pvmscene9450

The app integrates with AXIS Camera Companion, providing a neat modern surveillance solution for small businesses.

Key features:

  • Using a Digital or Composite AV Adaptor cable, plug your iOS device straight into your TV or PVM Monitor.
  • Fast setup: Wirelessly scans and logs into AXIS cameras from your local network
  • Display options: Cycle through at time intervals or go splitscreen.
  • Sitelist: Track multiple sites for complete security e.g. the office, the shop, outside.
  • Compatible with all AXIS camera systems

PVM Screenshots

PVM for AXIS Cams is available on the appstore

Get it now for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch.

HVR App Update v3.0.1 _ Analogue cams reach for the cloud

HVRMobileWe are pleased to announce that our HVR for the Secure-I cloud based hosted video security cam service has been updated. The HVR mobile app now offers full support for AXIS Video Encoders.

This development extends on the compatibility with AXIS Network Cams and now enables you to use older analogue based cameras via an AXIS Video Encoder box and still enjoy the Mobile viewing benefits of Cloud based security monitoring and recording.

hvr4502

We are hiring!

weneedyou

EyeSpyFX are a small team of specialist app developers making enterprise strength security cam apps. We are based in Derry/Londonderry in Northern Ireland. We are working exciting new projects at the leading edge of the IoT, M2M app technology and services.

We are looking for super clever computer science graduates and/or programmers with 1 or 2 years development experience.

We move quickly, you are flexible enough to weigh in wherever the need is.

You have meticulous attention to detail and expertise in Java, C Sharp and/or Objective C. Knowledge and experience of LAMP server side technologies would be an added advantage.

Contact us: info@eyespyfx.com

3 types of connectivity set up for Network Cameras: Number 3: CLOUD

cloud

Cameras connect to a user account service hosted in the cloud. Mobile viewer apps connect to the same user account to view live cameras and recordings. This type of service is known by many names, for example: VSaaS, (Video surveillance as a Service) AVHS (AXIS Video Hosting Service), HVR (Hosted Video Recording), VSP (Video Surveillance Provider), MVS (Managed Video Service).

A major advantage of a VHS system is that there is no need to open a port on your LAN. This makes it idea for locations where the It manager will never agree to open a Port – Doctors surgeries for example. It is also idea for businesses with multiple locations, for example franchise businesses. Storage of the recorded Video is offsite and this feature also provides some key advantages.

3 types of connectivity set up for Network Cameras:

Number 1: Direct Connection

Number 2: Camera Management System Connection

Number 1: Cloud

3 types of connectivity set up for Network Cameras: Number 2: Camera Management System Connection

CMSconnection

Cameras within a LAN connect to a CMS (for example AXIS Camera Station). Custom built Mobile Apps are required to connect to specific CMS software. Mobile apps can connect to a CMS system via an open Port. These systems can be very large and suit installations up and above 100 cameras.

3 types of connectivity set up for Network Cameras:

Number 1: Direct Connection

Number 2: Camera Management System Connection

Number 3: CLOUD

3 types of connectivity set up for Network Cameras: Number 1: Direct Connection

directconnection
Many stand alone network cameras are set up this way. Each camera is assigned an IP address, generally hosted from within a LAN. Viewers connect to the camera by inputting the IP address details in a mobile app such as “Viewer for AXIS Cams” or “D-Link Cams”. A port in the LAN needs to set to Open and the camera needs to be Port Forwarded if it is to be viewed from a mobile device outside the LAN. This sort of set up is ideal for installations with up to 16 cameras.

3 types of connectivity set up for Network Cameras:

Number 1: Direct Connection

Number 2: Camera Management System Connection

Number 3: CLOUD