Hooked up via a national wireless network, Beacons get their data from a server at the Boston-based company, then translate the information into colors. Research labs have been tinkering with the concept for years, but Ambient commercialized it last year when it introduced its Orb. The default setting on these glowing globes tracks the Dow: when it climbs, the Orb turns green; yellow means it’s holding steady, and red signifies a drop. Users can have the company program Orbs to track things like pollen counts, too. There are apparently a lot of people with allergy problems, because more than 8,000 Orbs have been sold. “People are sick of the everyday overload of information. This is much less intrusive,” says Pritesh Gandhi, vice president of operations.
Shelling out for a forecaster that won’t always be right may sound ridiculous, but the Beacon’s not only a soothsayer. It’s soothing: made of handblown glass, it emits a soft glow that can be dimmed when touched. So it’ll look nice–even if the skies don’t.
