WIRELESS ORB COLORS YOUR WORLD
 The next time you walk into your local Brookstone store, you'll see
something that looks like a fortune teller's crystal ball on steroids.
But what you're actually seeing is Ambient Devices' "Orb," their
newest version of the "classic" version that made its debut around a
year ago. The Orb is a nicely made white, frosted glass oval that sits
on your desk or any level surface. A bright yet softly glowing color
permeates its entire surface. The Orb can generate literally hundreds
of colors which is a good thing since color is how the little device
primarily communicates its messages to any observer. It can also pulse
those colors in different rhythms such as "heartbeat," or it can also
spectrally shift from one color to another, looking like a tiny
electronic rainbow. What's new and improved in the new version is a
slightly smaller orb, and the external status light module has been
eliminated making the unit entirely self-contained. The internal
firmware has also been updated to accommodate newer and future
services. As with the classic version, momentarily pressing down on
the Orb lets you select from three levels of brightness.
The Orb literally gets its information from the air. No phone nor
computer connections are required or even possible. Ambient claims
that around 95 percent of the U.S. receives its signals. Just take the
Orb out of the box and plug it into any wall outlet. The Orb will
flash red a few moments as it seeks out the omnipresent radio signal.
After detection, the orb will begin its spectral color cycling as it
begins to synchronize itself to the Ambient network. Depending on
location and timing, this can take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. Once
synchronized, the Orb will display either a solid green, yellow or
red. That's because out of the box, the orb is set to detect the
current status of the Dow Jones Industrial Average. Green means it's
up, yellow means it's unchanged and red means head for the nearest
window. Shades of colors are important as well. In the Dow Jones mode
for example, market movement of plus or minus 1.5 percent is the
range. The greener the Orb, the higher the percentage. At either end
of the range, the Orb will pulse either bright green or red at the
corresponding limit.
The Orb is also capable of tracking other kinds of information. To
do so, you must first register your unit by logging onto the Ambient
web site (www.ambientdevices.com).
Each device has a unique serial number so that the Ambient network can
specifically target your Orb and send it your requested information.
You must also choose whether you want the free or Premium service. The
free service lets you choose from several stock market indicators such
as Nasdaq, S&P 500 and the Russell 2000. Weather forecasts for New
York, San Francisco, Chicago and Atlanta are also free. And the new
Homeland Security service lets you monitor the level of threat
assessment from the office of Homeland Security.
The Premium service lets you create and track your own stock
portfolio by entering in the stock symbols and number of shares you
own. Other premium services include the current and forecasted pollen
count for your area, perfect for allergy sufferers. Current and
forecasted weather for your particular area is available. Just enter
in your city's name or zip code. You can also set the Orb to flash
when there is either, or both a weather alert and weather warning. The
USA Today Money Exchange service tracks public opinion on the future
performance of the economy. The World News Exchange service tracks
public consensus on the chances that a future event will happen such
as the capture of Osama Bin Laden. And coming up is a new service that
will notify you when a particular screen name is currently logged onto
America Online's AIM instant messaging service. That's particularly
handy if your Orb is in a room away from your computer, or you don't
want to keep your computer turned on all day. When the Orb glows blue,
that person is offline. When it glows red, there they are.
In most all of the above services, you can choose different colors
to represent different functions. In the AIM service for example, you
may want the Orb to glow green when they are offline instead of blue.
The new model Orb is available at all Brookstone retail stores and
web site (www.brookstone.com)
and sells for $150. The price also includes three months of the
premium service which afterwards is $9.95 a month. Now go light some
incense, begin chanting, and gaze into your crystal Orb. Who knows
what the future will bring.
www.brookstone.com
www.ambientdevices.com |
