[NEWS] CommBadge smartphone phone accessory

[Your Name]

The first step towards a proper CommBadge communicator.

From LockerGnome.com ...

CommBadge Brings Star Trek Communicators to Life on Android or iOS
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If youıre like me, then you grew up on Star Trek: The Next Generation
and love the idea of being able to communicate with someone by
tapping a badge rather than bringing a phone to your ear. Mobile
phones we know today more closely resemble the communicators from
the original series, but havenıt we evolved a bit since then? What
if we could recreate the communicator badge envisioned in the ı80s
and featured in series like The Next Generation, Voyager, and Deep
Space Nine?

Image:
<http://www.lockergnome.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/12/CommBadge-250x187.png>

Enter CommBadge, an Indiegogo project that promises to bring science
fiction to reality for users of both iOS and Android. This simple
little badge doesnıt look so much like a science fiction geekıs pin,
but a standard clip-on badge holder used by corporations the world
over to hold RFID identification badges employees are typically
required to wear anyway. By tapping CommBadge, you gain access to
features like Siri so you can communicate with either ³the computer²
or make a hands-free call to someone without having to take your
phone out of your pocket.

YouTube Video:
<http://www.youtube.com/embed/45jOLNy5Yhg>

I like the CommBadge concept because unlike bluetooth earpieces
which make you look a bit more like a Borg and cause people to
give you strange looks as you appear to be talking to yourself
in the subway, CommBadge is more of a speakerphone which makes it
easy to take and receive non-personal calls while youıre doing
other things.

Imagine cleaning around the house or going out for a jog and being
able to carry on a conversation without breathing into someoneıs
ear when you get your pace up. CommBadge clips on to your shirt or
jacket so you should be able to be heard clearly regardless of
what youıre doing.

Here are some of the features outlined in the CommBadge Indiegogo
Project. http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/267138/x/1079399#_=_

* Place and answer calls
* Send and receive text messages (³text-to-speech² through CommBadge)
* Use your phoneıs native voice commands, such as Siri, S-Voice, or
Google Now, to set calendar events and reminders, get sports news,
and search for information
* Receive an alert from the Wireless Tether feature that you left
your smartphone behind
* Be notified of incoming calls, texts, calendar and social media
events with customizable vibration, sound, and LEDıs

According to the creators, CommBadge is designed in a way that
delivers clear audio to the user, but anyone sitting more than a
foot away from them would have a hard time understanding (or even
hearing) the conversation at all. I havenıt seen this work for
myself so I canıt say whether or not this claim is backed by
real-world testing, but it is quite an important detail about the
design. Speakerphone conversation certainly donıt lend anything
in terms of privacy for all their convenience.

In order to fund further development and the first round of
fabrication, the CommBadge project has been started with a
flexible funding goal of $100,000. This is a pretty lofty goal,
though once the right amount of Star Trek fans catch wind of it,
Iım pretty sure itıll be met.

The deal Indiegogo backers will get is a CommBadge for their very
own at a funding rate of $75-80. An integrated ID holder (for use
as a corporate clip-on lanyard) is offered for the five dollar
difference.

What do you think? Would you fund in CommBadge?

[Your Name]