City dwellers are more likely to face this problem than town dwellers. But, in this day and age where mobile phones are rampant everywhere, this problem can be faced anywhere irrespective of your geographical location. The problem of bumping into random people and object just because one is too busy to raise their eyes from their cell phones to look where they are going. And while these “busy bodies” irk the masses, technology is siding with them. The tech prodigy ‘Apple’ now has the patents of an application dubbed as ‘Transparent Texting’ which is designed for the “busy bodies”.
What is ‘Transparent Texting’?
‘Transparent Texting’ connotes text messages on a screen which acts like a mirror for the environment around you. Which means you can be engrossed in texting and still watch out where you are headed right there on your phone screen.
How does it work?
It will simultaneously capture a live video while you are texting, using your phone’s rear-facing camera. The video would be the backdrop of your text messages, which would be the only thing opaque on your screen. Such is the app, that it extends to IM chats too, where the bubbles itself would turn transparent and showcase the video of the world around you. The ‘Transparent Texting’ mode can be switched on by pressing a transparent button displayed within the texting session which would switch on the video feed.
Works on progress?
Well, for now it is an Apple patent, which means this functionality can only be found on Apple devices. But who knows what the future holds? While Apple has always been the ‘leader of the pack’, its successors have always charmed customers from the non-niche market (i.e. a substantial crowd).
When will it be around?
The US Patent and Trademark office published this patent on Thursday, but this patent was originally filed more than a year and a half ago, in September 2012. The proposal also includes advanced features like a transparent webpage, where the content of the webpage would be displayed on the live video feed of the surrounding around.
Meaning the application is still not around. It may turn up in the market tomorrow or anytime in the coming years.
Would “Transparent Texting” be a hit?
A recent study by the University of Buffalo in the US found that texting while walking is more injurious than walking distractedly. In addition, it was also found that car accidents due to texting inflict irreparable damage to the driver than distracted driving.
Given to the rising number of accidents due to ‘text-walking’, this application is likely to be a hit amongst the nomophobiac masses.
For now you have to make do with safely tucking your phones into your pockets while walking.
