The fingertip-sized UbiChip that forms the guts of the device can be put into pretty much anything provided it's in contact with your skin and it can detect the shock so you could turn on a Bluetooth headset by tapping your earlobe rather than fumbling for a button, or tweak the volume of your cellphone by tapping your face.

ENGADGET: A fingertap away

In the Xbox 360 dashboard you'll get a simple interface that works like a touchpad, with areas for tapping on the four controller face buttons. (It looks a lot like BlackBerry Remote.) This is the same interface for operating Internet Explorer, which, as we pointed out earlier is actually made possible by this interface.

ENGADGET: A conversation with Microsoft's Marc Whitten on SmartGlass and the quest for a better living room

Or is it, as many argue, an inability to tap into the political zeitgeist and face up to the reality that building powerful local leaders and tapping into regional issues are key to its national electoral fortunes?

BBC: Is Rahul Gandhi reluctant to become PM?