A prototype of the AirDock.
(Credit:
Video screenshot by Amanda Kooser/CNET)
Driving and smartphones don't mix well. While you can get a lot done using voice commands with Siri on your iPhone, you still have to activate her. If you're driving, that can take valuable seconds away from paying attention to the road. The AirDock Kickstarter project is looking to make Siri air-activated rather than fingertip-activated.
AirDock is described as "in-car, eyeless Siri." That means you don't have to take your gaze off the road to use it. The prototype version of the AirDock involves a suction-mount dock you put your iPhone into. A plastic tube with a squeeze bulb on the end sticks out from it. Squeeze the air bulb to push the home button, turn on the phone, and activate Siri.
There's a certain silly factor to the AirDock. After all, it's a dock with a tube with a squeezie-thing on the end. It's a couple steps up from a whoopee cushion. The prototype is big, though the final design should shrink considerably. All in all, making it safer to access your iPhone while driving is not a bad idea.
What might be more fun would be to take the rubber squeezer off and use the tube like a straw. Blow into it and activate Siri. Not a bad party trick.
AirDock creator Tim Hugall is aiming for a pretty ambitious $75,000 goal for his Kickstarter fundraising, and he'll have to presell a lot of $30 AirDocks to reach it. The concept may end up being just a little bit too unusual for mainstream acceptance. Sure, it's cheaper than buying a new Honda with eyes-free Siri integration, but it's not as cheap as fumbling for your phone and pushing the button.
AirDock: Activate Siri with the power of air pressure
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AirDock: Activate Siri with the power of air pressure
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AirDock: Activate Siri with the power of air pressure
