Sony, as usual, is developing its own version of something we thought everyone else had agreed on. This time it’s Bluetooth. The New Scientist says that Sony’s Interaction Laboratory in Tokyo is working on “point-and-connect” technology, a camera-based system that lets users instantly transfer data from a laptop or handheld computer to a device in close proximity connected to the same wireless network.
Gaze-Link uses the laptop’s camera to read a code displayed on a small sticker attached to each device. Software running on the laptop then automatically locates the device on the network. Hmm. I know Bluetooth is not working great right now, but as more and more devices have it embedded, I believe it may end up working out for us. The only advantage I can see for this technology is when one Bluetooth device won’t recognise, or ‘find’ another, even when it is sitting right in front of you.