Ambient Devices Umbrella - smart devices for forgetful folks...

Ambient Devices has been providing fuzzy, decorative information to savvy users for a few years with devices that indicate the status of weather, stock markets, etc, with non-quantitative colors. (Data is sent via the old pager wireless network; perfect, since it's low-bandwidth and those networks are hardly used at all these days.) However, it's been a small niche market so far, and the implementation of this ambient information has been mostly for novelty rather than for compelling new usage scenarios.

But this time, they may really have something! The Ambient Umbrella has a handle which lights up to indicate rain in the forecast - a reminder to bring an umbrella when and where a user really needs such a reminder. It's the "when and where" aspect of this information that finally makes it worthwhile. The product page also mentions "light patterns that intuitively indicate rain, drizzle, snow, or thunderstorms," which may be helpful or just muddle the message, depending on how intuitive they really are. In any case, pick the darn thing up if it's lit; that much is tough to mess up!

Starting from this notion of providing reminders when and where you need them, it's easy to envision a Smart Closet; knowing the weather and your schedule, it'd point out the recommended or necessary items to not forget. Cold? It can spotlight gloves and a hat. Got a tennis game later in the day? It can cue you to bring your racket and gym bag. If things get any smarter, we hapless users won't need to think for ourselves at all...