The difference between these renderings and every other iPhone 2.0 photochop is that these are based on a patent filled by Apple for a “dual sided trackpad.” What is a “dual sided trackpad” and why do some people think it might be included in the next (or some future) incarnation of the iPhone? Well, take a look at the actual patent:
So, in addition to a touch sensitive surface on the phone, the transparent clamshell flip-out screen is also a touch sensitive surface, on both sides. That gives the user three touchpads to play around with, depending on what the phone is being used for. The clamshell design allows the entire phone to be shrunk without sacrificing any functionality, although you will loose some screen space. Perfect for an iPhone Nano, perhaps? Your guess is as good as mine, but whatever this technology ends up it, it’s probably going to be something cool, and we may see it fairly soon, as the patent was filed in September of 2006, while the patent for the original iPhone was filed only four months earlier. ‘Course, that may not mean anything, but feel free to get excited anyway.
How many of you are married out there? How many of you proposed (or were proposed to) with a ring that could be plugged into your computer? I’m going to go out on a limb here and guess that none of you are raising your hands right now. I’ll also advise that any of you thinking about popping the question should seer away from this USB Engagement Ring.
My wife is a pretty geeky girl, however, I can guarantee she’d have laughed in my face if I’d brought this in a box. She loves her tech just as much as the next girl, but she says that this one crosses a line. Sure, it’s novel that these two rings (yes, there’s one for the guy) fit together and can transfer data, but I don’t anyone that would actually wear these as wedding rings.
These appear to only be concept pieces for an art show. Hopefully we won’t actually see these on the market anytime soon.
As cool as the Optimus keyboard is, it’s still just a keyboard, with fixed keys that sit there, looking pretty and waiting to be pressed. The Siftables prototype (not concept, prototype) takes all the best parts of the Optimus keyboard (namely, the programmable OLED keys) and frees them into their own individual units. Each Siftable unit also contains short range infrared communicators, a 3-axis accelerometer, Bluetooth radio, flash memory, an integrated processor, a lithium polymer battery, some haptic hardware, and what look to be USB expansion ports. All that stuff in each Siftable. As you can see from the video, such complexity (especially when it comes to motion sensing and proximity communication) enables all sorts of interactive options. The sky is pretty much the limit with these things, and designers David Merrill and Jeevan Kalanithi already have “a number of collaborations in progress with researchers in academia and industry.”
While this might look like a concept design for the next version of the Nintendo Wiimote, it’s actually a ’smart’ wand designed to replace the traditional long stick used by the visually impaired. Created by Jin Woo Han it uses a sensor on the front to detect nearby objects and provides feedback about how far away they are with varying levels of vibration.
And even though it’s not illustrated too well in the photos, the wand includes a tactile strip where you place your thumb that will actually indicate the position of objects around you. Both of these methods of feedback are considered much better than using audio cues which can be easily missed if the user happens to be walking where there’s too much background noise. Unfortunately the Tactile Wand is just a concept right now, and given the time needed to perfect the design and the thorough testing that will be required, we probably won’t see it hitting the market anytime soon.
The Optimus keyboard is pretty and all, but it’s awfully flat and keyboardy. The Zen Sandbox PC may be monochrome, but it uses some kind of conceptual “z-axis” electronic surface to create dynamically tactile 3D features that the user can manipulate.
The Zen is designed for the visually impaired, since it would be able to display braille, or a textured simulation of your computer desktop. You can also turn it into a piano, or a xylophone, or just about anything else you can imagine. At the moment, though, you’ll have to imagine the Zen too, because it and the technology that powers it are still just a concept.
If you didn’t know, Polaroid recently announced that they will no longer be producing the instant film that made the company a household name. However, someone has created a concept gadget that would keep it alive forever.
This may look like an unusually thick Polaroid, which is exactly how it is meant to look. However, it is a digital picture frame with a small whiteboard underneath. It would have a built-in stand in the back and a memory card reader in the bottom for loading pics. If this were priced reasonably enough, I think it could sell well, if only for nostalgic reasons.
This very cool bookshelf concept designed by Arianna Vivenzio is basically a large elastic bandage stretched around 2 metal posts that are permanently fixed to the wall. The tension from the elastic allows you to fit a variety of different sized objects inside like books, CDs, DVDs and even boxes full of smaller items. However I think the elastic material would have to be particularly strong to ensure the bookshelf wouldn’t just sag to the ground, which in turn means there’s going to be a lot of force on those 2 metal posts. On the plus side if this thing ever snapped you wouldn’t have to worry about it putting an eye out since it would probably take your head clean off.
If you’ve ever brushed up against a radiator, not realizing it was far too hot to touch, you’ll appreciate this concept design called Blush by Thorunn Arnadottir. First off, the complicated pattern of the pipes is designed to look like the veins and nerves running throughout the human body. Since the veins carry warm blood which regulates the temperature in your body, a similar design seemed only fitting for a radiator which instead regulates the temperature in your house.
The Blush is also painted with a special coating that changes color according to its temperature. When the radiator is cold it remains blue, but when its temperature rises above 30°C it ‘blushes’ red.
I wouldn’t call myself a master chef (not to be confused with Master Chief), though I can work wonders with a microwave and a pan of boiling water. Needless to say, I don’t have a cabinet full of spices. However, if I ever got ahold of this spice gun, I might just change my ways.
“Spice gun is different from the other casters, it has more fun! When you pull the trigger to compress the air in the air bag the handspike will push the bottom of the seasoning bottle to make the nozzle in the turntable to retract and spray the seasoning.”
After thinking about it, this probably wouldn’t be good in my house. I’d be blasting everything I made with random spices, and that wouldn’t’ turn out well. It’s only a concept for now so my food is safe, for a while at least.
If you just listen to music, an MP3 player provides a convenient way to carry thousands of songs at once. But what if you like playing music? Carrying around stacks and stacks of sheet music is not as convenient. So the E-Paper Music Score, or EMS for short, is a flexible screen that uses e-ink technology to display any piece of music you happen to have on file.
The flexible nature of the display allows it to be rolled up and easily carried, while a bluetooth connected foot pedal allows you to turn the page by just tapping your foot. No doubt a great convenience if you have something like a large cello or tuba in your lap.
Related Tags: Apple, Cellphones, Concepts
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By Andrew Liszewski
