Using symbiotic displays to view sensitive information in public.pdf

Using Symbiotic Displays to View Sensitive Information in Public Stefan Berger, Rick Kjeldsen, Chandra Narayanaswami, Claudio Pinhanez, Mark Podlaseck, Mandayam Raghunath IBM Research, T.J. Watson berger, fcmk, chandras, pinhanez, podlaseck, mtr@ Abstract Symbiotic displays are intelligent network devices that can be enlisted on demand by mobile devices, offering higher resolutions and larger viewing areas. Users of small mobile devices can consequently map various kinds of information to the displays that are most appropriate for comfortably viewing them. The availability of these displays in public areas, where passersby may glimpse anothers sensitive information, introduces a privacy issue. To address this, we suggest a technique that combines the blurring of sensitive words on the public symbiotic display with a user interface that allows these words to be read on the display of a personal mobile device. We describe three ways in which such interactions can be enabled and discuss the architectural trade-offs associated with these approaches. We also describe a prototype implementation of an email reading application utilizing an IBM WatchPad [10] and an Everywhere Display projector [12]. This prototype was demonstrated at PerCom04. 1. Introduction Personal mobile computing devices offer several useful features such as the ability to communicate with others while on the move, access information relevant to the task at hand, and help manage one’s time in a better fashion. This trend can be expected to continue due to increases in storage capacity, CPU speed and other technological advances. However, in another dimension that relates to people, we see a flat or even a falling trend with age in factors such as visual acuity, willingness to carry heavy and large devices, and ability to operate small devices. As a result, improving the user experience on small devices is central in making further progress in personal mobile