Gossip

Motion detection? Mobile convenience? What's in IT for the lav user?

Your gossip columnist simply doesn't believe that Expansys, long-time expert dealer in mobile computing, has never heard the expression "bowel motion." So ...

... why is it advertising a perfectly ordinary movement-activated light by suggesting you use it in the household lavatory as a "Motion Activated Toilet Night Light"? Could it really be a motion detector?

"Here's how it works: It's 3 A.M. You stumble into the dark bathroom and the His n' Her Toilet Light, using its hi-tech infrared motion sensor, sees you approaching in the dark and then instantly illuminates the toilet area with gentle colour-coded lighting."

It's even sex-detecting, so the claim that it's motion sensing is almost credible: "For him, if the seat is up, RED lighting turns on to provide the perfect guiding light for accurately conducting his business without turning on the blinding overhead lights. As an added bonus, the red light shines a bull's-eye in the water."

And if that isn't what you're looking for, you can have an Arkon LavNav Lavatory Navigation Nightlight - "Bathroom lights can be painfully bright in the middle of the night and can disturb you or your partner's sleep. Unfortunately, most nightlights waste electricity all night long, occupy valuable electrical sockets, and don't put light where you need it," they explain.

"The LavNav is a better solution. It turns on when you approach in the dark, and turns off after you leave, shining gentle yet sufficient light where you need it, when you need it. Better yet, the LavNav uses RED or GREEN light to cleverly show the position of the seat. It's smart, energy efficient lighting that makes the bathroom safe and easy to use at night.

As my friend the Codepope remarked, this sounds more useful than something which only comes on when it detects the splash ...

It's not really mobile computing, though, is it?