Future of Personal Computing : Amazing Concepts from Japan

"QUANTUM SHOT" #19 Future of Personal Computing - a Pen with a Paper all over again... NEC Design, Ltd. in Tokyo offers a smorgasbord of new ideas, some of which will likely blow your mind. I am pretty certain that some have the potential to change the face of personal computing in the foreseeable future. Pen-style Personal Computer You might've got one of these "hard-to-believe" emails and wondered if this is true or is this a myth: Look closely and guess what they could be... Are they pens with cameras? No, much better than that: Can anyone say, "Good-bye laptops?" A possible next step in personal computer technology, this is an experimental product called the P-ISM, described by NEC designers as a "Pen-style Personal Networking Gadget Package." (By the way, "pismo" means a written letter in Russian... are these Japanese scientists secretly studying Russian language?) A prototype of the system, which cost a reported $30,000 to build, was unveiled at ITU Telecom World in 2003. The concept is outlined as follows on the NEC Design Web site: "P-ISM is a "pen-computer" package including five functions: a pen-style cellular phone with a handwriting data input, virtual keyboard, a very small projector, camera scanner, and personal ID key with cashless pass function. P-ISMs are connected with one another through short-range wireless technology. The whole set is also connected to the Internet through the cellular phone function. This personal gadget in a minimalist pen style enables the ultimate ubiquitous computing." Personally I think that the old laptop "screen and keyboard" technology will persist for a while (the way books have a staying power over the computer monitors). But then you have to admit, the pen and paper are the ultimate writing/reading symbols that we naturally accept. It's only a matter of time until someone develops a marketable and useful product... masquerading as "smart" pen and "smart" paper. Let's see some other cool ideas from "NEC Design": "Tag" - flexible wrist-band communicator It has a soft and flexible shell - so, for example, it can be hung from a belt or wrapped around the user’s arm. Shape-memorizing material and multiple pressure sensors allow the phone to change its shape according to the mode. The user can also alternate the mode by changing the shape. "Flacon" - a virtual storage bottle. We already have the means to store a massive amount of images in our various devices, so many that we cannot possibly see them all in a lifetime. "Flacon" offers the ways to casually enjoy such a volume of visuals. The images emerge on an inorganic electroluminescent display. Among them, images selected according to anniversaries and the user’s emotions are projected outward through a projector. "Gummi" - Ubiquitous (and eatable!) candy / media chip In this service proposal, RFID chips hold the usage rights to images and music available on the network. The chips are covered in a gummy capsule, and are edible after use. When the play unit is connected to the container, the basic unit, it can be used as an audio player. By setting it in the cradle connected to the display through wireless LAN, users can also enjoy visual content. The chips are sold in packages just like candies. Blank chips on which users can allocate data will also be available. So on that note of eatable, drinkable, flexible and completely ephemeral computers... are we going to go to sleep one day wondering if our dreams will be a "natural" and non-digital product, or some brand-name media, pre-packaged and uploaded into our "mood environment" by a pillow-like Wal-Mart device? Source: NEC Design Permanent Link... Category: Technology,Computers Related Posts: Wooden Laptop Designs Dark Roasted Blend's Photography Gear Picks: