Social climbing

13 january 2013

C OME here and I will show you some magic,” urged Ronan O’Malley, founder and chief executive of Galway-based Fixational, brandishing an iPad. “You can change the page by winking your eye.”

He flips a page of an electronic document with a furious wink. “It could be useful for people with disabilities. Or say you are cooking and don’t want to get food on the screen. Or you are reading to your children and you have your arms around them . . .”

This bit of magic is a prototype, but Fixational’s first product, a wink-controlled iPhone app called Wink Camera, reached the top 10 paid photo apps in eight countries including China, India and Indonesia after its launch six weeks ago. The web world is aflutter about Google Goggles, a prototype internet device worn on the face, so their timing looks good.