[wikilike_img src=http://static.flickr.com/71/203928323_b852242318_d.jpg|url=http://www.flickr.com/photos/research_techkwondo/203928323/|caption=Nokia phone with a 3D motion sensor|width=320|align=thumb tcenter]
The recently announced Nokia 5500 “Sport Phone” (what a horrid nickname..Sport Phone), has a 3D motion sensor built in.
The Nokia 5500 Sport phone, an S60 3rd Edition device announced last month, is Nokia’s first mobile phone to use a 3D motion sensor. This feature creates new user-experience possibilities. In the Nokia 5500 Sport, software using this feature helps users monitor aspects of their exercise programs, such as number of calories burned, speed, distance covered, and number of steps taken. The technology could also be used to control other applications. For example, slide-presenter software might switch slides when the user moves the phone in a certain way. To help developers create new, motion-sensitive applications, Nokia will soon introduce an SDK for devices with 3D accelerometers. Nokia plans to introduce other phones that use 3D-motion-sensor technology in the near future.
Why do I blog this? I’m eager to work around ideas that include some sort of kinesthetic motion measuring technology. Pedometer, direction, movement — all kinds of elements that might move mobile devices into participating in our mobility. They’ve got some okay ideas around this, but I think too much emphasis on fitness directly. I mean, that doesn’t sound right. What I mean is that “sport” should maybe be more playful and not about measuring distances and speed and calories burned. Kids know best how to play, imho, and they don’t count calories. Maybe they start counting pull-ups and how long they swing and stuff, but it would be much cooler if this motion measurement could be translated into playful experiences — like tying 1st Life and 2nd Life in richer ways. This little mobile points in the right direction for that sort of thing.