Digital paper coming to a newsstand near you…

The New York Times reports that Esquire magazine will use E Ink display on its front cover for its 75 year anniversary edition in September. The cover will flash “the 21st century starts now”.  Only 100,000  of the 720,000 edition will have a display. I guess it will be a collectors item before it hits the shelfs…

E Ink will most likely use a segmented display. The text will be hard-wired on a PCB that is than covered with a layer of E Ink material. This means that the text can not be changed or updated. It is merely flashing on and off.  This solution has been available for years and has been introduced in products ranging from watches to bill boards. However, integration with a magazine introduces different problems, notably the battery. It is reported that the publisher of Esquire (Hearst, which is also shareholder of E Ink Corp) had to invest a significant amount to develop a special battery. Also, the display will be assembled with the paper magazine by hand and transported in refrigurated trucks to save the battery from dying out too quickly.  After 90 days, the display will stop flashing, but I guess by that time you will have finished the magazine anyway…

Web Tablet For $200 (Crowdsourced)

Techcrunch is asking its readers to help building a Web Tablet For $200

It basically a web-computing device for on your couch. Something like an Iphone with a bigger screen. Or a tablet PC but than plain, simple and much cheaper.

There is a long history of attempts to make a web computing come true, starting in the 90s with Go Pen Computer, wireless monitors in 00’s or recent products by Nokia (N810) or Pepper. Wacom’s Cintiq12 could even be considered here, although it is targeted for design-related work.

So why has it been so difficult to build a device for which there seems significant demand (within days, Techcrunch received hundreds of responses of people that want to buy it now)?  One of the biggest factors is that technology has not been ready for an affordable price point (yet?). Display and battery are the biggest issues. On top comes the user interface (how to surf the web without keyboard, for instance), although with Iphone a pure touch interface might be more acceptable now than it was a few years ago.

Will Techcrunch community succeed where others failed? They will run into the same hardware issues (display and battery). Typically, a $200 device may have a bill-of-material of let’s say $65. That seems pretty aggressive considering the size of the display.  But maybe they could strech this budget by allowing for a higher device price (up to $400) and lower margings (community works for free)?

It will be interesting to see how they will organize such an initiative. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication for many people that will need to be coordinated. Also, how does decision making work in such a community? Does anybody have some examples or ideas of how this could work?

Future design workspace

 

I stumbled upon this video, which paints an interesting scenario of how a designer’s workspace could look in the future. Notice the phyisical objects on the surface that are being used  seemsly into the digital space (except for the cup of coffee, or could you spill virtual coffee on the canvas?). Key elements in this video such as the large interactive surface (in this case based on Anoto-pen) and the multi-touch whiteboard are not new, but what’s nice is that all is shown in a balanced way (without putting to much emphasis on cool technology).   

Could Bamboo become the ‘Wii’ for computer interaction?

At Wacom, I am currently working on expanding the user experience of the Bamboo pen tablet. With innovative user interfacing and software development I am trying to open up a whole new world of working with your computer (and go beyond offering a hardware ’accessory’). Today it struck me that the new direction for Bamboo is very much similar to what Nintendo did with their Wii… Here is why:

The Wii opens up a whole new audiencie to gaming. Now you do not have to be a fanatic gamer to have fun with friends and family. The way games are played relate to the physical world (you play tennis by moving your arms instead of pressing buttons). Also, you are not bothered by technology, it is just simple and works. And is it very social.  As a product, the Wii is basically an interface device (the controller is the key part). From branding point of view, Nintendo does not develop their own games (with exception of the first games), but they gain all the credit for the positive user experience (and not the gaimg companies).

With Bamboo, you do not have to be a graphic artist to express yourself in a playful and fun way. Drawing and writing with a pen is more intuitive than moving a mouse.  The missing piece of the puzzle (and that is what I am currently working on) is to transform software similar to what Wii has done with games. I feel that most software has become overly complex (you need a serious training before you can use Adobe Photoshop). By trying to bridge the virtual and physical world, I want to make the interaction much more simple. For instance, one of the applications that will come out is an online place that mimics your physical desktop and lets your organize your stuff just like moving papers around. Wacom does not have to become a software company but I think that the company should show the (software) industry that new innovative user interfaces could make your life much easier and interaction with a computer more fun (very similar to what Nintendo has shown to game developers).  

Obviously Wacom is not alone to recognize this paradigm shift (Apple is the poster child in simple and fun computer interaction). However, as a relative outsider it is much more easy to create something new and bold (compare what Apple did with iPhone vs Mac). The company should probably be more vocal about our ambition and claim its fair share (anybody knows that multi-pen interaction was developed by Wacom when Jeff Han was still at college?). It will be interesting to see how this continues!

Comments, thoughts, I would be interested in your feedback…!

 

Blist

Today I tried out an online spreadsheet/database tool called Blist. I was actually looking for a tool that let’s me manage my collection of art (not that I have such large collection that I need a database, but excel is such a boring tool and I can’t add images that easy). I have a very positive first impression of Blist (which was launched this year). After watching one or two tutorials you are good to go. Interface works pretty intuitive and performance seems fast enough for a web app (it is build using Flex I believe). What puts me off however is that every ‘blist’ (their name for ’sheet’) automatically shows up on their community page. If you indicate that your data is private, this will not show, but still your username and blist title will be there. Why do I want to bother total strangers with lists of my stuff? Social spreadsheets… as we say in Dutch: “het moet niet gekker worden”. Anyway, this an application to watch.

The new pen or mouse?

At Cebit, I saw a New Zealand based company called Simtrix. They have designed this new input device (Triped) that seems to be a crossing between a mouse and a pen. It is basically a redesign of a Wacom pen (the kind that is used for Tablet PCs), using the exact same technology (one of the three ‘peds’ contains the pen sensor).

You can hold the ‘triped’ in two positions:

• The three points of the Triped flat on the surface (see image 1) for mouse mode
• Holding the triped as a pen (see image 2) for writing or drawing mode

One of the main advantages compared to a pen is that the Triped can stay in position on a tablet or display and therefore it is easier to grab it. This can be very efficient if you are frequently typing on a keyboard and need to navigate in between. Also, the Triped can detect if you are holding it as a pen and automically switch from navigation into drawing mode (no need to change modes by manually selecting a pen icon).

Other potential features are possible when the remaining two ’peds’ are also equiped with pen sensors or when the Triped is used onto a touch sensor. Changing the holding position of the Triped might give you access short cut keys or work as scrolling and zooming functions. This kind of behavior is compareble to gestures and flicks that are detected with a multi-touch sensor (such as on the Iphone). 

I had a short try of it and was surprised with the ease of use. I can imagine that novice users find this Triped easier to learn that working with a pen tablet. To be continued…  

  

Rethinking the Cell Phone

Some ideas keep coming back… In Technology Review: Rethinking the Cell Phone, a Israeli start-up proposes to make a modular cell phone, in which display and interface is seperated from the communication technology. The assumption is that sometimes you might want a phone that is as small as possible and in other cases you would like to have something with a big screen to do emails on the go. Instead of buying seperate phones, why not have multiple accessory displays… In the future, parts of the cell phone could even be integrated into your jacket or belt.

In 1999, a Silicon Valley start-up IXI had the similar vision, but could never materilize it. Partly because the perceived ‘cost saving’ is not large enough, partly because most people would rather not have too many accessories that they can forget or loose… As Moore’s law continues and phones become smaller and more powerful, it difficult to see that the time has come for the IXI’s of this world.

Please comment if you share or reject my view. Thanks.

Living in a Device-Centric World

Accenture published an article on Living in a Device-Centric World, a strategic view of an evolving market for digital devices:

“The current market focus on the “three screens” of the consumer—a television in your family room, a PC on your desk and a mobile phone in your pocket—is a new, device-centric way of seeing the digital services ecosystem. It’s a view with the potential to dramatically change the way in which people work, seek out entertainment and interact with one another.

The idea is that each of our screens would have full access to all our digital assets—files, content, applications and so forth. We could view the same content from any screen or, even better, we could use whatever screen was appropriate for the content and for our needs, based on where we were and what we wanted to do. Unless we were cast away on a desert island, we would probably not read a novel on a wristwatch-sized screen—but the idea is that we could if we wanted to.

A device-centric world presents both challenges and opportunities to the industry players involved. Some analysts have predicted that services that cross the three screens of the consumer—at work, on the road and in the digital home—will soon be a multitrillion-dollar business. However, the technology architecture that brings the three screens to life is complex. It’s important to understand both the technological and business changes occurring today if a company is to take advantage of device-centric opportunities to achieve and sustain high performance.

Big Change: Trivergence and Tridgets
The communications, high-tech and media industries are currently struggling to get out in front of a wave of change that may be unprecedented. Competition has always been fierce, but at least the marketplace boundaries were clear. No more. Today, software companies are creating development platforms for wireless communications services. We can buy a phone from a company better known for its airline service. Content companies look like high-tech companies, which look like phone companies. It’s not a marketplace; it’s a rugby scrum.

As the various players try to move the ball forward, all are looking for surer footing. One place to begin is with a better understanding of the device architecture that will make three-screen services possible. Accenture calls this emerging architecture “trivergence,” because its distinctive character is in using the network to separate (1) the physical device from (2) its data and (3) its controls.

To appreciate the importance of the trivergence architecture, compare a portable CD music player with an Apple iPod. The CD player has mechanisms inside that access the data, translate it into sound and send that to your headphones. On the unit itself are various controls that let you choose music tracks, adjust the volume and so forth. Everything is contained within the device.

The iPod, on the other hand, is dependent on the network for its data and controls. You download data—your media files—through a network, and then you control and manipulate those files using a Web-based, soft-panel application. Without the network, the iPod is just an expensive paperweight. Accenture refers to these trivergent devices as “tridgets,” and more of them are entering the marketplace almost every day. Apple has very successfully demonstrated that devices, data and controls—when fully networked—can work together to produce a compelling user experience. “

Basically they point out that you need a combination of ‘hardware, software and services’ to create compelling products.  Nothing new here, I would say… In the remaining part of the article they talk about the opportunities and challanges for the communications industry. For instance, network service providers could leverage their capabilities in end-user billing and customer service (something that companies such as Google and Microsoft can not offer so easily).

After reading the article again, I am thinking to call myself consultant and sell my ’strategic views’ to large companies sleeping at the wheel (and make lots of money with it). Thanks Stefan for commenting. 

 

Nabaztag – ambient and emotional design

I am a firm believer that all the great things on the web will be made available to us in new ways, in a more natural (or ‘ambient’) way. For instance, I would love to get my news updates or messages while having breakfast without the need to start my computer. Here is a device that claims to do so: The first smart rabbit – Nabaztag. This wifi-enabled ‘rabbit’ can send and receive MP3s and messages that are read out loud as well as perform the following services (by either speaking the information out loud or using indicative lights): weather forecast, stock market report, news headlines, alarm clock, e-mail alerts, and others. It is basically an evolution of the famous Tamagotchi and shares the same phylosophy as MIT spin-off Ambient Devices.

It also reminds me of a (research) project at Philips called Smart Companion. The device combines computer vision, speech and robotics to interact with users in a natural way, by understanding spoken requests, giving replies, recognizing faces and using body language such as facial expressions, head nodding and shaking or colored light. It even recognizes individual users and can turn its head to follow users as they move around in the room. I have not heart from it since 2005, so I guess this project ended like many Philips iniatives… no where. The irony is that Philips’s vision behind Smart Companion is very good, but the focus is too much on technological advanced solutions rather than developing a product that is ‘usable’ and ‘affordable’ (with current available technology). The approach from Violet with their ‘rabbit’ is much more practically and therefore has more chance of survival.  

P-ink

One of the holly grales of the display industry is to make a reflective display with high brightness, full color and video speeds. Electronic ink currently is black/white only with relative low speed (refresh rate).  This article (source: Economist) reveals developments from a Candanian start up that is developing ‘P-Ink’, based on photonic crystals.