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Bill Would Allow Coloradans To Use 1 Earphone Behind The Wheel

4/18/2015

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Cellphone makers have come up with lots of devices that make it easier to drive with both hands on the wheel while using their technology, but in Colorado one common setup for going hands-free is illegal.

Using earphones while driving is illegal in the state, even if only one ear has an earbud in it or the headphones have audio coming out of only one side.

Rep. Jovan Melton, a Democrat who represents Aurora, says that’s a problem.

“I definitely understand and respect that they’re following the letter of the law, but people shouldn’t be punished for trying to drive safely by keeping both hands on the wheel,” he said.

Melton says Denver police has written 172 tickets in the past three years for people wearing earphones or a single earbud.

“It’s important that we clean this piece of the statute up,” he said. “Allow people to drive safely without having to worry about being fined or ticketed or pulled over for wanting to do the right thing.”

This is illegal in the US, and is also illegal here in the UK, it's not common to see drivers in the UK doing this. But the worrying rise in touchscreens in cars could increase the chances of more accidents.

Melton is carrying a bill that would allow motorists to use one earphone or earbud while driving.

“A lot of the earbuds that you get with your phone will come with two for music listening, but we wanted to make sure that you are only using one earbud so you can still hear emergency vehicles,” he said.



Melton’s bill doesn’t require hands-free devices like earphones when talking on the phone behind the wheel. Melton tried and failed to get such legislature approved last year. But he says he’s not giving up.

“I think if we can get this passed it’s just one more step in that conversation which will hopefully lead to a successful (hands-free) bill next year,” he said.

The one earbud bill has passed in the House of Representatives and it was approved unanimously in a Senate committee on Thursday. It now moves on to the full Senate.

Colorado has several laws currently on the books related to distracted driving:

– It is illegal to text and drive

– If you are under 18, you can’t text or talk on the phone

– You cannot have a TV or computer that shows entertainment, social media or email in a position in the vehicle where the driver can see it.

Source - http://denver.cbslocal.com/2015/03/05/bill-would-allow-coloradans-to-use-1-earphone-behind-the-wheel/

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Sony To Launch VR Headset In 2016

4/14/2015

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Well, the headline above pretty much says it all. Electronics company Sony have announced that they will be ready to launch their hotly anticipated PS4 virtual reality headset as early as next year.

...And I don’t mean late next year, either. Although no official release dates have been given, Sony have assured consumers that the new VR headset will be available for purchase during the “first half” of 2016. This is exciting news for any gamer (as well as for those of us that make a living writing about such advancements!)

Project Morpheus as the headset has been nicknamed by its developers, was officially announced at the recent Game Developers Conference in San Francisco, California, USA. One year earlier, the annual event saw the unveiling of an early prototype headset.

This latest prototype, however, features a larger screen and exterior LED lights that aid in the tracking of movement. The new screen has a 100 Degree field of view and can render imagery at a speed of 120 frames per second.

Improvements include the redistribution of weight toward the back of the user’s head, as well as a section of the headset that accommodates the user’s eyeglasses.

Anyway. Now that the real deal is nearly ready to “rock and/or roll” (as Springfield’s Reverend Lovejoy would have it), gamers can eagerly look forward to the addition of a new dimension to their favourite pastime.

Yahoo! News reported that, Shuhei Yoshida, President of Sony Computer Entertainment Worldwide, announced the news, along with the following, "Our goal with VR is to deliver a sense of presence, making the player feel as though they've stepped inside the world of a game (...) The new Project Morpheus prototype brings us closer to that goal, as it improves the visual experience and tracking accuracy, both of which are critical to achieving sense of presence."

As my old Nan used to say, “it’s all clever stuff”. However, Sony aren’t the only computer company dabbling in virtual reality entertainment. HTC and Valve are expected to release their Vive system later this year, while Oculus VR are also heavily involved in the development of a similar device, the Oculus Rift headset.

As with all new technologies, there will probably be a few ‘ghosts in the machine’ to start of with, however, VR gaming is certainly going to represent a fascinating step forward in the field of computer-based entertainment.
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