We spend a band of time bemoaning how often we stare at our screens . One survey estimates that the average smartphone user burns throughseven weeks a yearswiping through apps and tick substance — possibly causingback problems , anddefinitely impairingyour power to walk down the street . A fresh gimmick aim to disengage you from your covert without sacrificing your ability to communicate .
The Orion Labs Onyx , a filmdom - less equipment about the size of a little jounce lid and designed to be worn on a shirt or purse strap , is kind of like a high - tech , wearable walkie talking picture ( its Maker liken it toStar Trek ’s communicator badge ) . equip with a microphone , speaker system , and GPS , it connects to your phone via Bluetooth to allow you to conference call and share your location without having to whip out your headphone , asmental_flosssaw in a February demo . It only has one push , and it links to an app where you’re able to adapt setting , add fresh members to a group , switch conversations , and see others ’ localisation ( if they ’ve enabled that setting ) .
Though there are plenty of ways to keep in soupcon with friends , the Onyx ’s simple , single - button design smartly name it more useful than yet another smart watch . Just drive and talk , and your message will be transmitted to all the hoi polloi in your subject matter group . It ’s ideal for on - the - job coordination between coworkers , whether it ’s put across between employees in the warehouse and the retail entrepot or among a work party pose up for an event . You do n’t really need superfluous hands to use it , and you may talk while you multitask . Because it uses Wi - Fi or data , there ’s no range limit , either , mean you could be talk to someone across the globe as easily as someone in the next room . It ’s also perfect for outside body process like skiing or cycling , where you ’re seek to keep path of everyone in the group but ca n’t necessarily take out a phone . While currently , user locations are only portion out via flag - points within the app , in the future , the company hope to roll out a voice - activated feature so that you could call for Onyx , “ Where is Sarah ? ” and it would tell apart you her cross street , without Sarah needing to text “ almost there , on my mode ! ”
We endure in a worldly concern where beak up the phone is reserve for big update and word . But texting is n’t always effective , specially if you ’re hear to organize something more complicated than dejeuner plans . press a clitoris and talking , though , feels less formal than a traditional phone call . you could deal a quick update without feeling like you call for to exchange the pleasantries assort with a phone call , while skip the waiting period of breathlessly watching thosethree little dotsturn into an actual text subject matter . Whipping out your telephone to text takes you out of the world around you , whether you ’re walking down the street or waiting in personal credit line at Starbucks . A screen - less clitoris let you stay in the moment ( and fend off crashing into other pedestrian ) without sacrificing the power to send and receive fast update ( chocolate orders ) .
Unfortunately , this form of engineering is only useful if other people around you use it . Unless you may win over your whole family , company , or friend radical to shell out more than a hundred bucks for their own machine , it ’s not go to be worthwhile . But if it becomes the type of gadget everyone has , then it could become a seamless part of your Clarence Shepard Day Jr. , just like Gchatting or texting .
other adopters , you’re able to get an Onyx two - packfor $ 250 .
All images courtesy Orion Labs
