LG OLED TV

This television will be out on the market in October 2012. 


With a whopping 55-inch screen which is just 4mm thick. Although TVs using organic LED technology have gone on sale before, they have all been puny in size and ridiculously expensive. However, this LG 55-inch OLED TV will be the first time the world has got the chance to appreciate just what OLED is truly capable of, rather than having to squint admiringly at 11-inch or 15-inch screens.


The screens contrast is quite astonishing, at one end of the light spectrum the screen presents black colours of a richness, intensity and purity that just hasn't been seen before on a flat-panel TV, and yet on the same there could be ultra-pure, perfectly defined whites and dizzying array of colour tones in between.

In colourful daylight footage, the screens remarkable colour response is even more spectacularly obvious, revealing outstanding subtlety and range as well as explosive vibrancy.

The HD footage on show actually looks more like 4k-resolution fare so pure its presentation, and free of the LCD's usual motion blur, and so incredibly rich are the sets of shadow detail levels.

Dark areas look completely consistent in tone top, with no backlight clouding, and the image holds up much better from a wide viewing angle than typical LCD TVs.

The main flaw with this 2D image is a faint horizontal 'seam' across the screen, although i would not think that this will be present on the final product available around October.

Brighter colors, better contrast and energy efficient, the LG 55-inch OLED is priced at around $10,000 when it launches in Australia this October. There is always people with money who will buy, and even people who will be actually saving to buy the LG OLED TV, truth is our race likes to have a good quality home entertainment and as you can see by the pictures the quality is just so immensely good, that it will sell. However, i do think it would be interesting for companies to make one slightly smaller, say 32-inch, which is the average home television size, which would then be cheaper and people might be more  inclined to buy. 

Either way this product has been voted number one at the Consumer Electronics Show an it will do well!

DSLR Camera Costume

A photographer by the name of Tyler Card from Grand Rapids in Michigan, has built a fully working DSLR camera costume for halloween.


The camera's body is mostly made of cardboard and held together with tape, designed to look like the Nikon D3, and has a painted scavenged plastic bucket serving as the lens. But Tyler went beyond the physical appearance of his halloween costume and inside the lens he put his actual Nikon DSLR, which is triggered by the costumes shutter button. The large flash which is located over his head contains a working wireless strobe, and it lights up the room with every shot. He has used an LCD display from an old Dell laptop and has mounted it to the back of the camera, which provides instant image previews of every photo which he takes.


This is a radical new costume out, which is extremely creative and innovative. It cost him near to nothing to make as he had most of the equipment he needed already. It looks great as well. Its a fun way of capturing your night out in my opinion!

Pioneer Dance Crew Boom Boxes

Pioneer's target market is the lucrative dance community, they have produced a trio of new boom boxes, that make it easier to put together a routine, or just bust out some moves on a street corner.


It is distinguished by the caliber of speakers in each unit, comes in 3 flavors: 

• The $299 Solo 
• The $349 Duo
• The $499 Crew

Each containing progressively higher quality and bigger speakers!

Put on sale November 2011.

Pioneers unique housings all give them a distinct personality as well, but otherwise the feature sets look pretty similar between them. Customers will have to be picky with their playlists since each unit's only got four gigs of storage on board, but dancers should appreciate the Steez's various playback modes they won't really find anywhere else.

The speed of the current song can be adjusted by tempo control, and is done without affecting its pitch, and customizable cue points make it easy to find a particular point in a given track. An 8-beat Skip allows the consumer to jump forward and back by eight counts, though it requires your playlist to be first analyzed by the included free PC software which denotes BPM and other info for each track. A feature which is extremely handy for dancers is the Auto DJ Mode which will automatically cue up similar songs by genre or speed, completed with transitions between tracks. Also the Auto Battle Mode letting users choose songs and compete against other dancers cued by an official countdown and voice prompts.


This something which i think will do well in the word of dance as it is affordable although pricey, its not overpriced so its something which dancers wont mind investing their money into. They look aesthetically attractive as well which is always of importance. 


And the features which they carry are cutting edge, and just what dancers or a dance crew would be interested in.

Electronic beer fridge!

This fridge only opens when all work is in.....


Filling out a time sheet is usually the last thing a person wants to do by the end of a long week, however something which is also very necessary.

The brazilian marketing agency, Casa, one of JWT's (J Walter Tompsons) digital hubs, decided to have a little fun and created a cutting edge solution to the time sheet dilema...... It was part social experiment and part incentive program. Casa created the Drink Time Sheet, a fridge that is full of beer for all employees to enjoy, but only after they have completed their timesheets....

The fridge is electronically locked, and tied to the offices time sheet system. When 100% of the offices time sheets are completed then the fridge opens, but only then! This entices employees to get their time sheets in early-and encorouges stragglers to complete theirs as early as possible as well. It is a big incentive for employees to not put anything off until next week.


Workers can see how they are doing, as time sheets are being completed a mouthwatering display showing a beer bottle slowly filling up as work is completed. When its beer o'clock theres a handy siren to make sure everybody knows its time to put work down and pick up a bottle.


It actually worked workers got their time sheets in on time or before time..... 

Video cameras equipped with WiFi

A new line of WiFi camcorders has been unveiled in march 2012 by JVC (Japanese Victor Company). The Everio GZ-EX250 is one of fours camcorder now equipped with WiFi connectivity.

This allows us to transfer photographs and video footage directly from the camera to our smartphone s for emailing and sharing without the need to connect the camcorder to a computer or laptop.

By combining the JVC Everio camcorder with a free app for either Android phones/tablets, iPhone, iPad or PC, it is providing users with a quick and easy way to wirelessly transfer video and still shots to our smart phone's. This application will then allow the user to email 15 second video clips (640 x 360 pixels) to be sent directly from the camcorder to up to eight email addresses.

There is a live monitoring feature which allows realtime monitoring on a smartphone or computer of images taken with the camcorder, and the auto photo email automatically emails stills taken using Everio's movement detection function to a computer or smartphone.

Other features:

• Full HD 1920 x 1080 Recording,
•  Super LoLux (superior sensitivity to low light. With a back-illuminated CMOS sensor, you can capture clear images with precise colors even in low light. No worry while indoors or in dark situations), 
• Advanced Image Stabilizer (You'll be able to enjoy stable results even if you're walking or jogging alongside your subject), 
• 40x Optical Zoom (You'll be able to zoom in on subjects that are far away without any picture degradation),
•  Zoom Microphone, 
• 16GB built-in memory, 
• HD/SD dual format, 
• Intelligent AUTO (Automatically selects the optimal settings wherever you point the camera. Get the best possible shot anytime)
•  3.5inch LCD touch panel

And many more cool features....

• You Pay:$379.00

This is a decent price, very affordable, and also totally worthy! This camera would make life much easier, and also save time for people. 

Haptic Shoe For The Blind

Outdoor navigation is the major hurdle that a visually impaired person must go through on a day to day basis.


Anirudh Sharma aged 24 is a young researcher at Hewlett-Packard Labs in Bangalore, who showed sensitivity towards the needs of the visually impaired, and he worked over several nights to design a shoe for the blind.


Arduino LilyPad is the main circuit board, which is kept at the back mid-sole region of the shoe. The mini-vibrational actuators are placed on all sides for the directional haptic feedback so that an approaching turn triggers the vibration. The system comprises of a mechanism that condenses complex geographical navigational information and lets the user feel the directional and proximity information through vibrations. 


The vibrators and proximity sensor put in one shoe of the pair enables the user to walk without any physical aid. All that the user requires is a Le Chal shoe and a mobile phone with global positioning system (GPS). Once the user sets a destination on the phone before starting the journey, the Bluetooth communication between the shoe and phone does the rest. 


The phone fetches turn-by-turn Google maps data in the background and keeps updating the user with haptic feedback about the direction the user needs to turn to. As soon as the user starts his or her journey, the GPS transmitter within the cellphone gets real-time location using Google Maps. The built-in compass in the GPS module calculates the direction user is walking in. When the turning point is approached a mild vibrational feedback activated in the shoe informs the user the direction he or she needs to turn to. The strength of the vibration depends upon the overall proximity from the destination, that is, vibration is weak in the beginning and is incrementally stronger at the end of the navigation task. The built-in proximity sensor of the shoe can detect up to 10 feet, informing the user of the surroundings and allowing him or her to make decisions and plan the next move.

It is unlike any other existing aids that are available in the market for visually impaired people, this haptic shoe is simple and unobtrusive in design, uses low-cost readily available components, and provides tactile feedback. 

This new cutting edge interactive clothing, is impressive, and i think it will become a popular item of clothing that a visually impaired person will have.

Concept 3

The chairs located in the waiting room all represent the teeth in a persons mouth, there is pressure sensors on the cushion, when the person sits down a funny tooth animated drawing appears on the television screen, also on the chair is a keypad where the person enters his/her name the animated tooth now has the persons name, and on either chair arm there are heart rate monitors (like found on the running machine in the gym). The faster the persons heartrate the animated tooth on the television will begin to decay, so the person is required to try and control there heartrate and calm it down to a normal pace, once this is achieved the animated tooth on the television looks at its best, the aim is to keep the tooth at its best once this is reached a timer starts and records the length of time you can keep your heart rate relaxed. Your time goes onto a score board and at the end of every month, the person with the best time get a free clean from the dental hygienist, or if they prefer a nice electric toothbrush. This is aiming to distract the person with a possible reward, and is fun in an engaging sort of way. Also, watching other people in the waiting room trying to do it would be entertaining as well, so even if a person doesnt want to do it, they can get pleasure out of people who are.

Concept 2

DoodleMe – Inside of the waiting room, the walls would be covered with interactive white boards, and pens. The person waiting to see the dentist has the option to doodle on the boards, draw amazing artwork, play naughts and crosses with someone else waiting or even hangman. Often when people are worried about something or nervous, it helps to just doodle. Also, playing a doodle game with someone like hangman, creates social interaction and it can be quite amusing if someone draws a naughty or funny picture, giggles may occur. 

Concept 1

Inside of the waiting room, located on the wall would be a large interactive wordsearch on the wall, with 2 large pens attached to it (to prevent them from going missing), also a second interacive board showing the words that must be found. People in the waiting room can have a go at looking for the words, this would help to distract from worries and nerves and would be something subtly fun to do, and stimulating as well. One the wordsearch is complete a new fresh one would then show up. It is proven that wordsearches calm people, make them feel relaxed, so although this is not something hilariously fun, it is a nice stimulating experience.

Nerves?

http://www.jobs.co.za/job-seekers/career-advice/article/27/calming-your-job-interview-nerves

Anxiety
Nervousness
Fear

Jobseekers are all afraid of being rejected by a potential employer.

We all want to succeed. And we all yearn for acceptance.

Nerves can be displayed in various forms:

• Sweaty Palms
• Heart Palpitations
• Dry Mouth
• Some have panic attacks

Happy Job Interview Thoughts

We all desire for job interview acceptance. 

The fear of rejection can make a person sabotage their chances of employment before they have even entered the interview room.

'Stinking Thinking' leads to further stress, feeling of inadequacy and poor job interview confidence.

The power of positive thought - think positive about the interview and holding these encouraging 'happy' thoughts with you as approaching interview = will help to lessen the intensity of anxiety.

http://www.selfgrowth.com/articles/Beat_Those_Nerves.html

http://www.yourjobinterview.com/Beat_Job_Interview_Nerves.html

The next computer touchscreen - skinput

The latest in futuristic computing, is skinput, this would mean that we would not have to carry a computer around with us, but, instead, roll up our sleeve and there it is our new touchscreen computer.

Researchers at Microsoft and Carnegie Mellon University are developing a device that will project a touchscreen onto the human body, the hand or forearm mostly.

Chris Harrison is one of the lead researchers, making his living turning everyday objects into touch screens. Currently available platforms allow users to project screens onto tables and other flat surfaces.

Harrison points out that you can never find a table when you need one the most, so he is investigating using something which we always have on us..... THE BODY! 

Skinput uses a armband that projects a touchscreen onto the forearm and hand. Large tabs or push buttons flicker across your flesh. This system will work on acoustics, so this means when you tap your forearm, acoustic signals are produced as your flesh ripples and your bones vibrate. Each strike makes a distinct acoustic impression, owing to the bone density, the size and mass of your arm and the dampening effect of the muscle tissue. Skinput's software 'listens' to each tap, and then assigns it to a location on the screen. 

95 per cent accuracy using five key points on the arm and hand can be achieved, according to the confident researchers. For people who struggle, one-handed with a smart phone, it sounds like a pretty decent rate. According to Harrison, one of the advantages of this system is its intuitiveness. Everyone, he points out, can touch their thumb to their wrist or snap their fingers without looking down.

Developers are not yet suggesting that skinput will replace a full keyboard – their most ambitious trial yet involves 10 strike points on the arm – but they do see it as a near-term replacement for iPods and smart phones that use dial pads and scrolling menus.

This is a cutting edge technology, and i think in the next five years we will all begin to see such interfaces emerge into society.

Results for How people feel waiting in a Dentist?

On Friday 16th March i spent 1 hour in a dentist waiting room, my sister had an appointment and i went with her and i handed out a sheet with this question on it......

Give 3 words that sum up how you are feeling now whilst waiting for the dentist..... And why (optional).....

Person 1) Relaxed, Slightly Nervous

(i know i have to be here, i am not waisting my time and i don't have the feeling that i have to be somewhere else) ---- This person gave only 2 words

Person 2) Worried, Anxious, Tired

(how many fillings am i going to have to get this time?)

Person 3) Nervous, Scared, Worried

(Round two of my root canal this is going to hurt!)

Person 4 - my sister) Worried, Annoyed, Anxious

(How much is this going to cost me? And why are my teeth so weak? i have never been a big sweet eater and rarely drink fizzy drinks, can't wait til this is over with!)

Person 5) Fine -- this is all the person said

Person 6) Terrified, Scared, Upset

So in the space of time i was there, there was only 6 people so these are the results from them.

I am quite happy with the results i got as a lot of the words, reflect how i feel in the same environment so i can completely empathize with these people.

The feelings which i have chosen to work with are;

• Nervous
• Worried

as i think that they are common amongst a lot of people waiting in a dentistry.

What we must have done!!!......

• presentation - clear idea on issue + initial sketches of idea
• design criteria - i am going to be creating something that creates this what sort of experience ur going to facilitate for the user
• what sort of artifact
• sketches for the proposed artifact
• no requirement to implement this project but must understand these technologies - engage in practical experiments 
• week 12 - submit fun theory - 5 good quality images/visualizations of your project + a video/animation piece on my project (mock up using props)
• week 13 - presentation for avant garde

Results for How people feel whilst waiting in an office waiting room for a job interview?

On Monday 12th March i had an interview for a job, recently quite a few of my peers have also had job interviews, i want to find out how other people feel when waiting in a office waiting room so i got some people to answer this....

Give 3 words that sum up how you are feeling whilst in an office waiting room, waiting for an interview..... And why (optional).....




Person 1 - ME) Nervous, Excited, Blank


(I am nervous that i will look stupid and go blank and forget everything that i want to talk about and things i know. But i am quite excited as i would love this job and i know i would be good at it.)




Person 2) Anxious, Sick, Unready 


(I have done nothing to prepare for this interview, so i will definitely not get the job!)




Person 3) Nervous


(Wonder what they are going to ask me?)




Person 4) Tense, Nervous, Butterflies




Person 5) Positive, Anxious, 


(Feel quite good about this, i have done a good bit of research on the position and i know the vibe i want to give off, i am looking forward for it to be over though)




Person 6) Sick, Nervous, Worried


(Do i look ok? I feel sick)




Person 7) Calm, Focused, Small bit Nervous


(I am ready for this interview, and i know my stuff, hope it goes well)




Person 8) Terrified, Scared, Sick


(I am definitely going to look stupid and they will probably laugh at me, i am F****D!)




Person 9) Nervous, Worried, 




I want to help peoples nerves before an interview, and make them feel calm and collected, instead of jittery and scared.

Funky Forest

Theodore Watson worked with Emily Gobeille and created this interactive installation which was shown at the 2007 Cinekid festival in the Netherlands.

'Funky Forest' is an ecosystem that children can interact with and create trees with their body and then divert the water flowing from the waterfall to the trees to keep them alive. The health of the trees contributes to the overall health of the forest and also the various types of creatures that inhibit it.

The ultimate goal of this immersive, interactive ecosystem was to create an open system that would allow children to play and see how their actions affect the ecosystem. This goal was achieved the children loved it! Especially when they realized that the creatures would fly away when they got too close and they spent hours trying to trap them. 

Children to learn by doing is they best way to learn, putting them in control of the ecosystem teaches them an important lesson which would hopefully stick with them for life. This project is also very fun for the children to take part in which also aids the learning process.

This is a radical method to teach, which is very clever and i think more of these kind of projects should be done.

The Fun Theory Project Brief Update

• Issue - address the issue
• Take a creative/design approach (encourage a change in behavior)
• Dont solve but address
• Set up an experience i want the user to have
• Doesn't have a water tight problem
• Original issue may not be solved but if you have a different point then that is fine too
• Dont have to approach an enormous issue/problem
• You can take elements of the issue and then work of them
• Break down the experience of a office waiting room into experiences

Types of FUN?

The question is what is Fun?......

1. Amusement
2. Clowning
3. Delightful
4. Enchanting
5. Engaging
6. Enjoyment
7. Entertaining
8. Gay
9. Glee
10. Happy
11. Interesting
12. Joking
13. Laughing
14. Merry
15. Playful
16. Pleasant
17. Pleasing
18. Pleasure
19. Recreation
20. Relaxation
21. Silly
22. Sport
23. Witty

Waiting Rooms

So there are lots of different types of waiting rooms;

• Doctors (people could be getting told bad news so i am going to stay away from this waiting room as it is hard to judge the variety of feelings which are in a doctors)
• Dentists (i am going to look further into this type of waiting room)
• Office - Waiting for a job interview (i am going to look further into this type of waiting room also)
• Train Station
• Bus Station

So the 2 types of waiting rooms that i will be doing further research on are, Dentist and Office - waiting for job interview. I will look into how people feel in these spaces, also what they stereotypically look like and finally into how i could make these rooms FUN!

LED Galaxy Dress

The worlds largest wearable LED display!


This Avant Garde item of clothing was made in 2009 by CuteCircuit, is the center piece of the "Fast Forward: Inventing the Future" exhibit at the museum of science and industry in Chicago.

The Galaxy dress is embroidered with 24000 full color LEDs, and it is the largest wearable display in the world.

It uses the smallest full-color LEDs, the circuits are extra-thin, flexible, and hand embroidered on a layer of silk in a way that gives it stretch, this is so that the LED fabric can move like normal fabric with lightness. 

It works using a number of iPOD batteries so that the wearer can walk around and they last about 30 minutes. It does not overheat and consumes small amounts of electricity. The Galaxy dress is light, apart from the 40 layer pleated sill organza crinoline that makes the skirt wide. When the lights are turned off the dress still looks amazing as the areas without LEDs are decorated with over 4000 swarovski crystals.

In my opinion this is beautiful item of e-coutoure, mesmerizing to watch (to say at the least!), and incredibly impressive as well. I don't think the average person in the public will be wearing this in the future, but, i would love to see someone like Lady Ga Ga wear it now even. Extremely expensive to buy, i would love to one day visit the Museum to see it in Chicago.

PaperPhone

This phone has a flexible display which makes it more portable than any current mobile computer.

In the phone industry its the unbreakable and smallest which are the best, the worlds first interactive paper computer looks set to dominate for years to come.

It is extremely lightweight and made out of a thin-film, the prototype device can do everything a smartphone currently does.

It is extremely light weight, made out of a thin-film and can do everything a smartphone currently does.


Stores books, plays music, send texts and make phone calls and when no one is interacting with it, it uses no power.


This feels and operates like a small sheet of interactive paper, which means when the users are reading they don't feel like they are holding a sheet of glass or metal. And you can interact with it by bending it into a cell phone, flipping the corner to turn pages or write on it with a pen.


The flexible form of the display makes it much more portable than any current mobile computer, it will shape with you pocket.


In my opinion i am not sure whether they will take over the smart phone as i think it is not the most aesthetically appealing device, and in this day and age society generally go for a nice design as well as functionality, there will be people who will find this device handy though and prefer it over the typical mobile phone. Also, having to bend it to navigate would seem to me to be a lot more annoying/complicated then using a touch screen.

Moritz Waldemeyer - Snow Flake Sculpture - Time Square Seoul, Korea

The image above is what the installation appears to look like from most vantage points in the atrium, it appears abstract.


Snow covered landscape is definitely one of the most magical things that never fails to enchant people.
This was a winter installation found in the Time Square shopping center, that they wanted for their large atrium space. Inspiration for this piece came from the infinite varieties of crystal shapes that create this natural miracle.

On first glance this complex 3D constellation appears to be a clean abstract sculpture, perfectly in tune with its surrounding architecture. In my opinion it has a hint of manga-esque SciFi, like a beautiful frozen comet moving at a galactic speed.

The image shown directly above is moving towards the magic spot the crystal geometry is slowly taking shape.


There is a secret hidden within the 3D composition: which is the galleries and floors of the shopping center allow for many different viewing angles and vantage points, and hidden and yet in plain view there is one magic spot that unlocks the secret of the snow flake.

The image above shows the snow flake installation as seen from the magic vantage point


The installation is illuminated by a large cinema projector and as a festive message it plays video footage from london, that was treated by a specifically designed kaleidoscope filter, to match the hexagonal symmetry of the snow crystal.

This project by Waldemeyer is screaming Avant Garde, he has done something cutting edge and radical  which works to capture the theme he was given. I love the fact that footage from london gets used in the project so this is a well thought out and designed data visualization piece.

Waiting Room.....

So there a variety of things and aspects of a waiting room which can be improved through FUN here are some:

• Magazines
• Television
• Radio
• Lighting/Lights
• Plants
• Chairs
• The Que
• Notice Boards
• Artwork
• Childrens Toys
• Information Pamphlets
• Sound

Waiting Rooms - Empathy

Waiting rooms can be found in doctors, dentists and offices, it is a place that is in all areas of the globe. And at some point everyone will have the opportunity to be in a waiting room. This is a place which i find can be extremely awkward and also intensely boring (in my local doctors if you make an appointment for 10.00 am there has been times when i have been waiting till 12 NOON!!!) So i can completely empathize with my audience, here are a few opinions and feeling below from others.


http://www.dailystrength.org/groups/social-anxiety/discussions/messages/12928135

The URL above contains a discussion on how people feel in waiting rooms. This is a brief view of their feelings/opinions:

• Looking at other people that sit across from you can be awkward.
• Getting stared at is also awkward.
• Magazines can be old and boring, hard to read when uncomfortable.
• Feeling of being analyzed.
• Feeling that you are being judged.
• Bored.

http://davidmaister.com/articles/5/52/

The URL above is an article on the Psychology of Waiting Lines.

• Its frustrating
• Demoralizing
• Agonizing 
• Aggravating
• Annoying 
• Time Consuming
• The waiting room experience in a service facility affects our overall perceptions of the quality of service provided.

I am going to do further research on how people feel and carry out a survey/questionnaire to gather some opinions on the matter.

Diesel Show: Underwater Magic

In 2008 Diesel did a cutting edge catwalk show which incorporated digital art, staged at the Pitti Immagine Uomo Fair in Florence, it was nothing short of amazing. Regular models paced the runway alongside animated holograms that interacted them within an underwater landscape.

Diesels creative team (under the direction of Wilbert Dals) based the show on an aquatic theme and worked alongside the Barcelona animation studio 'Dvein' (did the work on the CGI visual effects and 3D animations) and with Danish multi-media production agancy 'Vizoo' (providing the innovative technology).

A series of 'foils' projected the visuals into mid air as you see above in the image. And the models were able to interact with them and walk through them. It had a real catwalk feel allowing you to see it from both sides: you can see the models, the holograms and the public from both sides. This technology has never been used before in this way and is usually used in the corporate world, for sales presentations, and the visuals have always been viewed from one side, this was achieved by setting up two rigs instead.


Animations were done with standard CGI animation software but were made for a 15m by 2.5m screen. And it is all rendered in HD which would be quite demanding as its 30 frames per second. However it took just two and a half months. 


In my opinion by Diesel bringing together 'Dvein' and 'Vizoo' it gave the catwalk a uniqueness which is Avant Guarde and also created a truly holographic, 3D motion graphic experience. 


Something truly magical, i would imagine it would be to see this show.

Radical New Camera - The Lytro

This is the only camera that captures life on living pictures, the Lytro lets the user take pictures like never before. It is unlike the conventional camera that captures a single plane of light, this camera captures the entire light field, this means it captures all the light traveling in every direction in every point in space.

Since the user will capture the colour, intensity, and the direction of all the light, this means the user can experience the first major light field capability which is focusing after the fact. Focus and re-focus, anywhere in the entire picture and the user can refocus their pictures at anytime, after the fact. A example of this is shown in the two images below with two different focus fields.

Focusing after the fact means, no auto focus motor which then in turn means no shutter delay...... This allows the user to capture the moment they meant to capture, not the one a shutter-delayed camera captured for them.

Opinion

One challenge which i think the company will face will be convincing people that they want this interactivity. 

The fiddling with photos can be a drawback as well as an asset - focusing 50 holiday snapshots may get tedious for the photographer, not to mention for a more casual viewer flipping though views of the event. Some may enjoy exploring the new aesthetic domain of shiftable focus, but alot of people taking snapshots just want it in focus in the first place.

Convincing people to buy something so different online could be a challenge on its own, people like to handle cameras, and, although they can try out the re-focusing effect on the Lytro website, they wont actually be able to get a feel for the camera itself.