By Eddie_Lopez.
Friday, 15. February 2008, 02:10:15
innovation, everyday things, phones, toys
...
http://www.engadget.com/2008/02/14/nerf-blaster-controller-for-the-wii-brings-it-all-full-circle/How many toy guns of all sorts of shapes, sizes, colors, uses are there? ..caps, water, nerf, dart, BB...
I'm surprised we haven't seen something like this come out sooner, Nerf modified their product to "dual-use" it for a Nintendo Wii controller holder! I've already got a handful of those laying around my house, if I got a Wii, I wouldn't hesitate to get one that could fit a controller that my kids could play with outside when they aren't inside playing.
I think that companies that find innovative ways to make their products fit with new ideas and keep themselves injected into evolving experiences shows that they have what it takes to recognize how what they make can fit into the user's lives to actually add value.
Garmin's super cool Nuvi phone is another prime example! Taking their expertise in GPS/UI and laying down on a super cool touch screen phone really adds a layer of convergence that I'd be more than happy to get my grubby hands on.
http://www8.garmin.com/nuvifone/
By Eddie_Lopez.
Friday, 15. February 2008, 01:56:58
concepts, mobile, UI, phones
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.
WIDGETIZE