Modular Phone UI
By Eddie_Lopez. Friday, 15. February 2008, 01:56:58
http://crave.cnet.co.uk/mobiles/0,39029453,49295452,00.htm
Here's the Modu phone concept. It's an interesting idea of having a core unit that might plug into other UIs that share some core functions and information (like an address book). The article shows a music player, phone and car stereo "plug-ins"
Of course, this is nothing new- we're already pretty darn close to this already. My iPod- I dock it at my computer at home, I (essentially) dock it into my auto's stereo system, I set it up with portable speakers, and dock it at work. It's already a device that works in harmony (sometimes) with all these other devices and interfaces, but with the added bonus of being it's own self contained UI. It's making these modules more meaningful such that the user experience is married to design of the devices that's missing- that's what this concept is looking to address.
I'd like something in the middle- ideally, I'd like an...well, let's say iPhone... that I could slide into a small lightweight keyboard, I want to be able to dock it *into* my computer at home, have it marry up into my car stereo; in which case I'd like to be able to just slide it in like an old cassette tape.
Here's the Modu phone concept. It's an interesting idea of having a core unit that might plug into other UIs that share some core functions and information (like an address book). The article shows a music player, phone and car stereo "plug-ins"
Of course, this is nothing new- we're already pretty darn close to this already. My iPod- I dock it at my computer at home, I (essentially) dock it into my auto's stereo system, I set it up with portable speakers, and dock it at work. It's already a device that works in harmony (sometimes) with all these other devices and interfaces, but with the added bonus of being it's own self contained UI. It's making these modules more meaningful such that the user experience is married to design of the devices that's missing- that's what this concept is looking to address.
I'd like something in the middle- ideally, I'd like an...well, let's say iPhone... that I could slide into a small lightweight keyboard, I want to be able to dock it *into* my computer at home, have it marry up into my car stereo; in which case I'd like to be able to just slide it in like an old cassette tape.
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