Our
smartphones are destined to get ever smarter with our ability to use them for
gathering and sending information and images, as well as playing multiplayer games. One of the
problems that they still have is the annoying way that they tell you, and the
whole world, that someone wants to tell you something of no interest to anyone
else, but which keeps all around you spellbound as the half conversation is
taking place.
Even
if you’re texted, your phone will beep and startle everyone. Of course you can
put it on vibrate, but often the vibrations aren’t silent and if your phone is
on a desktop, the buzz is really annoying.
What’s
the answer? Nokia have it apparently with US patent 20120062371 in the use of
magnetic inks as reported in Unwiredview.com (1). The idea is that when we sign
our smartphone contract we get a tattoo done tastefully with magnetic inks and
that will vibrate to let us know that a friend has a juicy piece of gossip that
we just have to hear.
With
caller id, our tattoos will let us know who is calling as well. The patent also
suggests the option of a patch but that seems to be rather a wimpy solution for
techies.
With
general Bluetooth connections, our tattoos could also do double duty as an
access device for our desktops, laptops and tablets. Of course colored inks
could be used to make our tattoos more appealing. Not all those girls with a
dragon tattoo would have the same connection. Although the dragons might look
the same, the magnetization pattern would be applied after the tattoo is
completed.
Should
this work, I can see the potential for smart tattoos replacing id cards. Sounds
more fun than rf chips.
