I call this the iWish because I wish Sony would get their act together and improve the PSP. So many people are doing such amazing and innovative things these days, and yet the only innovative thing to happen to the PSP since 2005 was that it got a little slimmer. Whoopedy-frikkin-doo-dah-day.
But I didn't make the iWish image to talk about that.
I made it so I could talk about THE FUTURE OF GADGETS!!! ...and, in particular, about two main trends taking place:
- All types of hand-held gadgets are being integrated into one- becoming a single do-all device.
- The need for a single User-Interface to link all the functions of this "do-all device" is beginning to emerge, but has yet to be created.
ALL GADGETS ARE BECOMING ONE
Eventually there'll be simply one gadget that does everything. Period. Or to be more specific- everything related to information. This uber-device won't blend your cocktail, trim your hedges, or replace your electric shaver, but it will do everything else besides. It's your phone/ internet/ GPS/ camera/ tv-tuner/ projector/ gamepad/ media-player/ umpc/ scanner/ RFID/ universal-remote-contol/ game controller/ flashlight/ laserpointer/ etc, etc... in one. I call this do-all device an Omni-Gadget (if only to put an air of godliness around the idea). The iWish is a whimsical glimpse of what an omni-gadget might look like.
If you're wanting to design a do-all-phone, then you only need to wait for the next iteration of the iPhone, as you won't get much better a design than that. But if you want to design an omni-gadget, a device that does everything, then you've got to make some design sacrifices- and here's why...
If an omni-gadget actually really genuinely does do "everything" then it should also play games. And properly. If it does, (and it should if it is to meet its own definition) then this automatically adds the need to hold it like a controller, not to mention adding about 12 points of input to go with it (buttons, triggers, sticks, etc). You'll never be able to play Grand Theft Auto on an iPhone. You will have to have a full amount of gamer user inputs in the final omni-gadget design regardless. This will inevitably make any design of an omni-gadget a clunky, unweildy, brick-like behemoth. If you didn't need to play games, then you could essentially do away with everything and simply have a touch screen and nothing more. ...However you would still need the screen to slide up to reveal a space for keyboard/trackpad functionality firstly because typing on a touch screen isn't very good, but also because the device will be used for so many different applications that it will require a trackpad/keyboard area. So that's another design hindrance. Then we run into the size of the screen itself. Since the omni-gadget will also act as a UMPC (ultra mobile personal computer) the screen must therefore be big enough to make this a happy experience. And if that isn't enough, the omni-gadget will also be your main photo-snapping and video camera as well, not a secondary one, so it needs to have an overall depth to the device large enough to house a decent photo-capturing mechanism inside it. This would include a zoom function of at least x3 capability. This, with the thickness of the sliding screen and keyboard, already makes it quite obese as far as gadgets go. Aesthetically, it needs to make an even further sacrifice by leaving a space large enough near the front panel for a web cam so it can make video calls. All these are restrictions to design.
An omni-gadget must include:
- the buttons of a full controller
- as big a touchscreen as possible
- a keyboard
- a decent sized camera and zoom
- a webcam right next to the screen
...and yet still be small enough to fit in your pocket. ...That's tough.
The best design solution I've seen that goes towards satisfying all these requirements and still manage to look pretty is the PSP (minus the camera and webcam of course). And, indeed, the PSP is a very sexy looking thing. When it first came out it was eye-poppingly beautiful. Well done to Sony. The PSP provides a good starting point to what an omni-gadget might look like, which is why I ripped it off with my iWish image. Ironically though, a PSP is not the ideal design for playing games. The ergonomics of holding it for long periods of time is less than ideal. From a purely ergonomic perspective, if you cut a gamecube controller in half and put a screen in the middle, that would be the template for the perfect ergonomic games-playing omni-gadget. The trouble is that this design would be as ugly as sin. There is actually a way to have proper controller ergonomics, still with the PSP design, but I wasn't able to show that here with the iWish, however I hope to do so with further iterations of the concept. So, using the PSP as a starting point, squeeze in all the extra functions, like: Camera, GPS, wi-fi, infra-red, keyboard, webcam, SSD (solid-state drive), phone connectivity, etc, and this would be... an omni-gadget. Huzzah!
(NOTE: You wouldn't put this thing to your ear when you get a call though, as my friend assumed, because that would look ridiculous. You'd either speak into the mic along the earbud's cord, or speak at the screen as you would a friend on skype infront of your PC. It's not a phone. Besides which, bringing an entire device near your head in order for you to operate it is probably a concept that won't be around for much longer, historically-speaking).
A lot of people will ridicule me about integrating a keyboard into the design and accuse me of out-dated thinking. Keyboards are old-tech, they'll say. Well, besides my practical qualms I have with touchscreen-only devices, the keyboard in the iWish image is meant to represent a keyboard that also doubles as a trackpad. (A touchpad-keyboard? A track-board? A keytrackpad?) Imagine a trackpad three or four times the size of the trackpad on your laptop. Now imagine this over-sized trackpad with keyboard buttons cut into it. If you press your finger on a key it will depress like a regular key on a keyboard- making a satisfying click! But if you run your finger across the keys without pressing any of them, then it acts as a trackpad. This allows for much more functionality and flexibility that was previously unachievable.* At the side of the keyed-trackpad you would have a dedicated toggle key to switch between this surface acting as a keyboard and acting as a trackpad. It is another example of gadgets becoming integrated into one another... and goes towards the argument of not relying on a touch screen as your only input device. (Besides, if a keyboard is as undesirable to look at as what Apple wants us to believe, nor used all the time, then making the screen slide over it is the perfect design solution. 'nuff said).
I may also get a lot of criticism talking about an omni-gadget with such a large part of its design being dedicated to games. As you can see from the extra icons around them, these gaming buttons are multi-functional depending on what the omni-gadget is doing. It means that you can not just:
- play games,
- but also have full functionality of a digital camera,
- and be able to interface with any games console (so you'd always have a spare controller when you go to a friend's house. (Only possible with two thumb sticks (A wasted opportunity from Sony)))
- and these extra game buttons also enable the device to act as a universal remote control converting the gaming buttons to volume, channel, play, pause, etc.
So these extra gaming buttons enable the device to be much more. The tragedy is that it makes the final design look comparitively ugly next to the iPhone. I struggled with the idea of not including gaming buttons until I realised that this is like comparing apples to oranges because an omni-gadget isn't a phone. Right now the iPhone can do a lot, and the new version (iPhone 2?) will do a whole lot more. But the iPhone is still, essentially, a phone that does a lot, but it isn't every gadget all in one. That's an omni-gadget. Different.
Think of a phone as something you would take with you most places that can do extra things adequately.
Think of an omni-gadget as something you'd take with you everywhere- trekking, on research assignments, lectures, work- and be able to do everything brilliantly without compromise.
Think of an omni-gadget as something you'd take with you everywhere- trekking, on research assignments, lectures, work- and be able to do everything brilliantly without compromise.
Using this comparison a phone and an omni-gadget seems to be a different product. In a lot of ways I see the omni-gadget as being a version of that utopian sci-fi vision of the future where everyone has a personal robot who does everything for them. It's their friend, their servant, their teacher, and their connection to the Global Brain that links all knowledge. (Which will most likely end up being called Google Brain).
Design-wise, some people will then ask: If there are so many gaming buttons around the screen, then why put 6 more buttons along the top? (A, B, C, 1, 2 and 3) Originally it was to fill up the dead space on either side of the iSight camera, but when it came time to thinking about ideas for the omni-UI (not shown) I felt that even with the best UI in the world... you would still need the reliability of a dedicated button for your favourite or most used functions. A lot of iPhone users won't be able to (or won't want to) understand this, but real buttons are essential, particularly when you need to get to a function without actually looking at what you're doing. I want to be able to not even look at the device and still be able to access its main functions. For example...
Let's say there's an event that needs a photo as quickly as possible. You're at an international press conference and take the wrong door. You enter and see George W Bush with his hand down Condi's pants! It's a photo for both the history books and the tabloids. They both look up as you grab your omni-gadget. The last thing you want to do is look at what screen you're in and find where the camera icon is. By that time George's hand is out and it's only you who knows the truth- not the world. So ideally, you want to hit a button dedicated to the camera as soon as you grabbed the device from your pocket, so that by the time the camera is pointing at them you are ready to take the shot (and let the World know what everyone has suspected all along).
At the end of the day I believe the omni-gadget of the future will look a lot like the iWish (except for the UI shown here), and that it will be a tussle between the iPhone clones and the omni-gadgets. This battle will take place on cafe tables and boardroom tables across the world. One person will put down their iClone, the other will put down their massive PSP-like omni-gadget, and it will be the scope of functionality that will decide the victor, not the design. You'll most likely get a version with gaming buttons, one without, and an accessory that everyone will despise that will try to solve the disparity.
ONE UI TO RULE THEM ALL
The UI aspect of an omni-gadget is what fascinates me the most- even though I haven't provided any images of the ideas I have for an omni-UI design in this post. The mock iPhone UI that I placed on the iWish was only meant to be funny, and a little provocative. I don't believe the iPhone UI, as pretty as it is, will be able to cope once more PC-like functionality becomes integrated into iPhones, however the slow crunching of gears when it tries will be interesting to watch. Most likely we'll see many companys' attempts end up as a collection of bits stuck together, rather than a seamless intuitive UI experience. The main reason why I believe this will occur is because of how we currently look at communication. Right now we differentiate between texts, chat messages and emails, and then create further divisions between their sources (Gchat, iChat, MSN messenger, Skype chat, etc). If the gadgets that provide the communication are becoming integrated, then why wouldn't the mediums of communication become integrated also? For example: If a friend wants to send me a written message, and I receive that message, what do I care if it's a Gchat or an iChat or a Yahoo Mail or a hotmail? They are words, and I receive them. That's all I care about. Period. The same goes for voice and video.
Essentially the omni-gadget UI will act as shell for all forms of communication to operate underneath- The user only being able to see the shell. I could have three different kinds of text communications sent to me in three different formats, but all I would see would be simply: 3 messages.
A txt can be as long as an email. An email as short as a txt. Formats defined by their size no longer matter. Nor should data attachments.
If I were to write a message on my omni-gadget and send it with a data package attached, the UI shell would be intelligently choosing the best way to send that information on my behalf- in whatever format- as I'm typing it.
With communication completely integrated by the omni-gadget's UI it means that my device will show me only four types of mediums:
- text
- sound
- video
- data (ie. programs)
Stripping down to just four formats will make organising files and information much easier than today's file sorting on PCs. And with future UIs being a mixture of a 2d and 3d interface, file sorting will be easier still. The desktop as we know it today may emerge into something quite different in the coming years- and following on from that, how we use them will change also.
An example of a completely integrated UI in action would be a white screen with a single cursor in the middle.
All input is case sensitive. As soon as I type in a word or a number I should be able to see icons appear that correspond to what I may need. Type in a number and calculator buttons and unit conversion buttons appear.
Type in a word and icons for search engines, or contact lists appear.
Let's say I type in: "Hey, what are you doing?". I touch my contact list icon, and a screen of faces appears. I touch the face I want, let's say Hayley's, and I get prompt: Send / Attach / Cancel. I touch Send and I've just sent this sentence (as a txt/email/whatever) to Hayley, and in just three taps. From this "Info" screen I can access many layers of functionality within the same device.
The understanding that there is so much the omni-gadget can do, yet it's the UI's responsibility to get you to every function as quickly and intuitively as you can means 2 things need to happen:
- Dedicated buttons/icons for favourite functions need to be one tap away.
- If there is no dedicated button/icon available to get you to a function then you need to be able to get to where you're going as simply as possible.
This last point requires an interface all unto itself, otherwise you'll get the iPhone screen with page after page of icons- which would look messy, and confusing. So without using the smörgåsbord option, yet still be able to get to everything, you would need a Hub screen. From here, in order to contain the omni-gadget's entire spectrum of functionality into one branching tree we would start with five pools of basic motivation:
- Camera (Take/Shoot/Record/Collect) Access to the cameras and mics on the device.
- Info (Search/Find) Access to the internet, calculator, unit-converter,etc, but with cross-over with other pools of functionality (like Contact Lists, etc).
- Work (Sort/Organise/Create) Access to Hubbub- a file sorting and clean-up screen, iProject (more on this later), Office Apps including Photoshop, Data-backup, etc.
- Play (Entertain) Access to a Windows Media Center-style screen accessing all media, including games, podcasts, radio, tv, and iProject files.
- Contact (Share/Communicate) Access to the phone/vid-phone, Contact List, etc.
Items like the Diary, Time, and technical asides (like battery life and signal strength) are always easily accessible from almost every screen.
Two more ideas...
iProject - This is essentially a Flash-movie maker. With access to more information these days, and the ability to share and spread that information, I believe a public and global self-education system will emerge and this will take the form of micro-docos (small documentaries). These small edu-packs will be between 1 to 15 minutes long and use simple animations, graphs, videos, music and speech, etc, and be packaged as either youtube videos or sent as iProject files. These small education packs have so far been highly effective ways to expose ideas and inspire others. I personally recommend the video podcasts of TEDtalks. iProject would enable people to articulate and spread their ideas as efficiently and effectively as possible from their single do-all devices.
Handshake*- Instead of having a separate profile for Blogger, Facebook, Gmail, Xbox live, Sony Home, etc, why not have an Omni-profile. One profile that collects all your profiles together. You could then share your profile with others just as you would when swapping business cards (except this business card would also have your date of birth, a photo, plus a few other stats). When you meet someone new, who also has an omni-gadget (or a device with an Omni-UI) you could ask if they would like to 'handshake'. You would hit the shake icon, which would send out your signal, and they would do the same. You would then verify that you want to shake with this person. You now have added their photo and contact details directly into your Contact List, along with an annual birthday reminder added into your diary.
CONCLUSION
Originally I started thinking about an omni-gadget when I was sitting with a friend in a cafe in India. An old man came and asked if my friend had the latest Lonely Planet, which she did. As they pored over this heavily-bookmarked 2-inch thick tome, I started thinking about how that thick wad of tourist information could be easily condensed to a digital file and read on an e-reader of some description. Then... I thought about all Lonely Planets collected into one digital volume. Then... I thought about integrating that information database to a wikipedia database, then integrating that into google earth, and what kind of a device I'd use to look at that information on. Then I thought:
What would the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy look like if we were to attempt to make it today?
This thought propelled me on to the idea of a single and indispensable device that would do everything you would need it to, or want it to, if you were to travel the world. From the middle of the ocean, to the densest city, to the harshest desert, to the highest mountain. No matter what country, culture or language. A currency converter, a language converter, a dictionary, and knowledge database with or without an internet connection. From then on I've been engrossed with the idea and have yet to let it go.
I hope, at some point in the future, to make a working 3-d model of the omni-gadget incorporating everything I've talked about here and more. I'm particularly interested in exploring the ideas for the omni-UI.
Please feel free to share with me your ideas in the comments section.
Cheers,
Mat Brady
*This indicates an idea I haven't patented, nor ever will. Feel like using it? Go right ahead. And if, by chance, you have an opening for someone in product development, then by all means look me up. :)
48 comments:
i'm on board brother
1) I like your idea of the slideout keyboard. I now hope PSP2 uses that. It goes without saying the dual nubs is a good idea too.
2) I don't like that you moved the buttons to on top of the screen. The buttons were placed below the screen cause your thumbs could reach them.
3) I hate where you put start/select. What kind of monster hands do you have?
4) I hate all the extra icons you added. Very cluttered.
"Ironically though, a PSP is not the ideal design for playing games. The ergonomics of holding it for long periods of time is less than ideal. From a purely ergonomic perspective, if you cut a gamecube controller in half and put a screen in the middle, that would be the template for the perfect ergonomic games-playing omni-gadget"
1) I disagree completely. I own more than 35 PSP games, I love it, and never had a problem with it
2) I find it ironic you commented on ergonomics given my previous complaints (2 and 3) of your design
3) The Gamecube controller is horrible (dpad is too small, needed a Z-equivalent on the left side, the analog stick sucks completely as it needs to be clickable like dualshock/360s and smooth not rigid, the c-stick needed to not be a c-stick, the bean buttons were retarded and should have been a SNES-style diamond arrangement, give us back select, the only thing they got right were the L and R shoulder buttons which to this day are the best shoulder buttons), and definetly not suited for a portable meant to fit in pockets.
You've fleshed out the wet dream of every tech fan in the world but failed to consider all the companies and industries involved in gadgetry. What will happen to the companies who flagship products you'd like to condense into a multi tool? the digital camera companies, the phone companies, the video game companies, every single company who has a different email client or text message service, or video transmission service? There are way too many product and service providers that employ way too many people to condense all their offerings into a single device.
I'm not going to comment on the picture that you made, but more on the contents.
I follow you where you are saying that devices are moving to one ultimate do - it - all device, I just don't think it is a viable (business) strategy. Different markets have different needs, and by cramming everything in one device, you'll ultimately get a bloated device that can do everything, but doesn't do it well.
The particular example I thought of was games and well...everything else. The current games require quite a lot of power (a growing problem) and mostly need a specialized configuration. I don't think that is really needed, nor possible.
Since hardware will keep changing, I personally think that our best bet for a unified software platform is android(by google) or, dare I say, Windows mobile. If you haven't checked out, I'd advise you to.
www.code.google.com/android
or search the internets.
Bottom line: I think we should focus on a unified software structure first and find out how mobile applications can give additional business value before we start running ahead of our time :p.
Still thank you for your post. You've inspired me to maybe start up my own blog :p. I found it an entertaining read.
Great concept - and I love the use of Sony PDA past and present tech.
I still use my Clie NV70 religiously, and laugh at the PSP users that do not have that functionality.
It was Sony's love affair with Ericsson that stopped the Clie becoming the system you have mocked-up.
There is also a rumbling that with the new DS concept that a Clie/PSP hybrid could gain ground (we just need GPS and WiFi)!!
I think the idea is perfect. strictly because its an idea. ive thought of trying to build such a device myself and im only in the beginning phase. i didnt know that alot of people still wanted a do it all device.
I love all the ideas you have on the iWish. Damn you had all the stuff like the dual analogs all i really want is sum PRESSURE SENSATIVE BUTTONS!
other than that i think thats all ur missin
Hi
Congratulation for the design !
but I think you didn't go al the way
and I propose you that
http://picasaweb.google.com/nemodemo/ForeCasting/photo#5197515527331258082
cheers
jawn_with_a_w - Cheers :)
techni - I completely agree with you about your comments in regards to the buttons. I had actually removed the volume buttons altogether, and had extra (completely new buttons) along the top that could be customized for specific functions by the user. In the final design I would actually replace the volume buttons down the bottom. The start and select buttons will probably go down there as well. So, you got me on that one. You're absolutely right. Thanks for your input! :) As for the gamecube controller vs the PSP for ergonomics, I was more concerned with the shape of your hands when holding it. The fat pads that your hands surround are missing on the psp and after long periods will make your hands feel cramped. The small xbox controller and the PS controller are both preferable to holding a psp.
nelson - I think you'll find that the swallowing of smaller companies into larger companies will parallel what will happen wth the merging of gadgets into one gadget. You make a well-reasoned point, but I believe regardless of this, the merger will happen anyway. I see it as inevitable.
jens - I believe that we will be able to make a device that does everything well. Perhaps not today, but in a few years, very possibly. In ten years, most definitely. I agree with your comment about android. I originally dropped the iPhone UI in favour of the Android opening screen (black with the word "android"), but I felt the iPhone UI was funnier. In all honesty, I believe android will likely be the os of the omni-gadget, and will take many companies, and many individuals an enormous effort to get there, and an even greater effort to harmonize into a working unified UI. Please send me a link to your blog once it's up. :)
editor - Cheers. :) I wasn't aware of Clie NV70 before. I'll do a bit of research. Thanks!
playerent - I think a lot of people want a do all device, but just don't know it yet. I'm sure once the iPhone starts to become unsurprising in the mainstream we'll see this desire for a do-all device grow.
jose - Cheers. :)
richard - I like your idea of a second touchscreen. It means you'd be able have a Nintendo DS style usability and also have a completley adaptable touchscreen keyboard that could become anything else. I had thought of something similar to that in an earlier version, but I dissed it because of two reasons... 1. typing on a touchscreen isn't very good. 2. An actual keyboard allows for the double usability of a keyboard and trackpad. The fact that a keyboard is a completely different input medium to the touchscreen naturally warrants the slide-screen division. To me at least, it made design and functional sense. However, your image was quite inspiring and I think it's a clever idea. I'm sure we'll see something like that in the future. :)
i think you should leave the PSP interface (the XMB) .. and not the ipod touch/iphone interface!!
also i completely agree with techni on all 4 points..
superaktieboy - Clearly you only looked at the image and only read the comments. Admittedly, my blog post is a large read, but if you had read it you would have realised the iPhone UI was put in as a joke. I do, however, talk seriously about UI in a do-all gadget in the second half of the post.
Keyboard?!? Man, dont you have an iphone or itouch ?
Your "iWish" already exists really. It's the Nokia N95. And their new version soon to be released will be even better. It has most of what you want in your device.
Your comment about the looking at the (paper) Lonely Planet guide at a cafe in India brought to my mind the bane of all carry-anywhere devices: battery life. As the device does more things, the more it will be used and the faster the limited battery will run out. This line of thinking naturally leads me to the inclusion of another feature -- an integrated solar panel on the back of the device.
And you need add back a lanyard loop too :)
gonzalez- Cheers :)
jan c.beck- As mentioned in the blog that follows the image, the keyboard also acts as a trackpad. Since a trackpad requires space, why not incorporate the same space for a keyboard? This makes sense to me. Also, sometimes using a touchscreen is a less ideal method of typing a message (like, all the time). Use a keyboard for the standard keys, and for non-standard keys (which is Apple's argument for dissing the keyboard altogether) you can use the touchscreen.
bigdbag- I own an N95. And no, it doesn't do everything and I'll say what it does do... it doesn't do very well. Try typing an email and then send it on your N95 and you'll see what I mean. I'm also in NZ at the moment and the GPS maps they provide are abysmal. In fact, there is so much that needs the Apple finesse of simplicity that I think if the iPhone2 has a decent enought megapixel camera I'll get that and chuck out this Nokia brick- but for now it is my best option.
mark- Thanks for your terrific feedback, Mark. Yes, when the battery is dead... a book version looks pretty damn good. My final design of the iWish (which will be called the UniTrek) also includes a carry case/pouch (like the PSPs) except with fold-out solar panels (the thin nano ones) to provide the situation you're talking about. The power pack (which houses a universal plug) also has a detachable hand crank to be used on the UniTrek for those 'extreme' emergencies.
And on your last point, the case has the option of having a lanyard loop. Although, to be honest, I haven't given it much thought beyond that, but perhaps I could incorporate its use into some other function as well. Thanks for the inspiration. Cheers. :)
Hi =)
[Hopefully my english is good enough to use it in here^^]
As already mentioned, the six buttons located at the top of the screen could be positioned below the screen, it would be much more comfortable... The positions of START and SELECT are totally okay with me. I agree with all features you have presented, iWish ist just - more than awesome. Although I have no idea if Sony or any other Corporation will develop such a gadget, I would definitely be the first one who would buy this object - simple, innovative, universal. That is what I've been looking for so long.
I always carry PSP and iPod with me - PSP for documents, games or video, iPod for Music or data storage. You just can't transport all you music via PSP (the Memory Stick's capacities aren't good enough); video and games are mediums that - in my opinion - don't fit on the iPod anyhow (honestly, I'd rather listen music for 12 hours than watching videos for 2 hours).
Anyway, I support your idea as good as possible - this is the fucking best device I have ever seen =)
cya, m0n0c3r0s
where do i get 1 lol....
Wild Wacky & Wonderful
1) kinda like the keyboard, if they made more use of the wifi and gave it a decent online gaming platform I could see that coming in useful.
2) all the non gaming related stuff can go. Having a clock on it and some other bells and whistles is nice, but i'm first and foremost buying a gaming console.
3) I also always felt PSP should have had dual analog controls
hey i think the whole thing is pretty cool except that the screen slides up. i think it should flip up lke a sidekick or maybe a DS. i like the touch screen idea but the buttons on the top of the screen? how long are our fingers supposed to be to reach that? lol but besides that it is most definintley awesome. the psp could really use a good change. work well done!!!
well, theres just one wrong mistake with your second concept in wich the screen has slid down. The second concept where the keyboard is closed, you can see the "open" keyboard as the reflection on the bottom in other words the relfective floor. When in the actual concept the kyboard is closed but on the reflection the keyboard is opened.
i love it the buttons are on top bcuz its spposd to be like a sidekick so you can flip it out. duh Techni. make it!!!! lol
I WISH.. you give me permission to translate part of youur reasoning about the IWISH.... and have it on a new website named TodoEnCelulares.com... which translates AllInCelullars.com. That is in spanish.
If what I WISH could be feasable, I WISH I could include the image of the adapted PSP and maybe ask you a couple of questions for the site.
Do you mind if I do so? I love the way you describe the IWISH whys and whats... very intersting for industrial designers and aficionados.. being me one of the lattests....
m0n0c3r0s - Thanks! The buttons down the bottom (like volume, etc) will be "put back" in the final design (when I make it in 3d ...whenever that is). I enjoyed your praise of the iWish. Thanks! :)
TreeHuggaz – I had a very funny email conversation with a guy who thought it was real. I’ll post some of the emails in my next post. Cheers :)
RyanMeehan –
1. I agree.
2. And good for you, but to be a true omni-gadget it has to please everyone’s needs (or at least get very close). It’s gotta have everything!
3. It seems everyone does except for Sony. I was genuinely surprised when I saw the updated model still with only one analog stick. Dumb. It annoyed a lot of people.
njkrystal201 – I chose the screen sliding up because it is stronger (and makes the iWish more sturdy) as opposed to an opening out (clamshell) design. Most importantly though it makes it thinner this way. The buttons up the top are meant for functions like Camera, or Handshake* or GPS. Big features that you don’t want to fiddle through menus to get to. It’s not meant as volume control or in-game pressing- which you really would need stupidly long fingers to reach. The idea is that you would stop what you were doing to use these buttons along the top, not as a continuation of what you were doing. Thanks for your comments though. Cheers :)
adriana – Thank you so much! This error was mentioned on other forums as well, but at that time I was too lazy to change it. It has now been fixed, and I thank you for reminding me. Good eyesight. Thanks for your other comments as well. :)
CONEXION BOGOTA- You have my complete permission to use whatever images, translations of text, etc you want from my iWish blog. I’d be delighted. I would also love to answer any questions you have. Cheers :)
I'd like to add an idea - what about if - right from the start -this device would be able to be used as a wifi controller, e.g. for computers and consoles, such as ps3...
i mean from the start like:
- connect the iWish to a wlan spot
- establish a direct connection from iWish to a pc or laptop - if possible without any extra software, at least XP or Vista should be able to see that the iWish is like a game controller...
this direct connection could be solved as well if there would be a universal usb stick that could be connected to any device with an usb bosport.
would that be an idea which wolud be okay with the given concept? ;)
furthermore i'd like to ask if i could translate this into german and publish it via my website (with credits to this original post...)
m0n0c3r0s- Most Definitely. Not just a wifi controller for your computer, but most definitely as an extra controller for whatever console you're running. That's actually why I needed so many buttons in the design, otherwise one button (or analog stick short) and the iWish would have fallen short of being able to be used as an all-purpose wifi controller (for pc/console/and even as a universal remote control for your tv/dvd/stereo/etc). This is precisely why 1. the second analog stick is included (so it can be a fully functional ps3 controller) and why 2. I am still amazed that Sony didn't include the second analog stick for that very purpose! Incredible.
The general design approach for the iWish is that it is supposed to do everything you could possibly want a gadget to do... and _then_ move backwards from that point, as opposed to the current industry approach of moving in small increments from what they have now.
m0n0c3r0s, feel free to translate any of this blog to German for your website. You are also welcome to use any of the images as well. :)
And thanks for your excellent suggestions!
As promised, here is an email conversation I had recently...
Person: how much is the iwish
Me: It's two thousand dream dollars.
Person: when does it come out and will the price go lower.
Me: It comes out today, actually. Close your eyes and you'll see it.
I'm not sure when the price will come down, but you must understand that this is cutting edge wish technology. Even so two thousand dream dollars is a lot. Check your dream wallet again and see how much is in there. I think you might be able to trade in 3 hopes and a prayer for it in some participating stores.
Person: did u make it your self. 2 thousand dollars will take me probably 2 years 2 get that.
U CAN JUST SEND ME ONE FREE
Me: It's not two thousand dollars.
It's two thousand 'dream' dollars.
It's a joke...
The iWish isn't real.
The iWish is an image only.
It was created out of 5 images. A psp. An iPhone. A vaio keyboard. Etc. Etc...
That's why I called it an iWish. As in... "I wish this were real".
Maybe re-read my emails before this and you'll be able to get the joke. And maybe, just maybe, give the article itself a read.
It's been fun teasing you, but I'm going to have to stop now. :)
Cheers,
M
...
(I'm sure I'll be nicer next time)
I think you should patent all the things you've mentioned here. It will help everyone and yourself. This is a very nice idea and I look forward to seeing an actual omni-gadget/do-all device.
do you mind if you contact me [click my screen name] when you've finished your 3D finalized picture? it's because I'm really interested in this.
Yanyan Gray - I can't really afford to go through an expensive patent process with my ideas right now, so, after thoughtful consideration, I felt it was better to simply release the ideas to the world as they are- raw, naked and vulnerable. If they are taken up and made into something great, then brilliant! If not, then no matter.
Thanks for your interest in my 3d prototype. I will more likely do animated versions of it's 2d user interface (in 3d) before I get to doing the 3d model of the device itself. But I won't be doing any of that just yet as I'm half way through designing the GUI for a file manager program. (Yet another project of mine). But, yes, I'll definitely let you know when I'm done. Again, thanks for your interest, and feel free to share any thoughts or opinions you have of this yourself. :)
Cheers,
M
to Mat Brady:
OK. I'll just keep on checking this site :D
what if it was waterproof and shockproof and etc.?
you should send it to sony.
I love the camera can you do skype ?????
Very good :D
nice.
is iWish a trademark name? dude i need it for a website i just came up with. Let me know. thnx!
hi im spanish. iWish is the best, you are the best
Yanyan Gray- Ideally it would be both waterproof and shockproof. Waterproofing the sliding track may be a bit tricky though. It may have to be two separate waterproof pieces (screen and base) that communicate wirelessly in order to achieve a proper waterproof design.
Jack- I haven't actually sent it to Sony. I just automatically assumed they'd know about it (it did get a lot of press on PSP fan sites around the world). And, yes, the camera would be able to skype- easy.
BasManyaq- Thanks! :)
engulfer- I have no trademark on the name iWish.
Sequidor de KIRA- No, you are the best. :)
Hi your iWish console is very inspiring to me. I have a few ideas of my own to design a handheld console however ive come across a few problems that you may know the answer
firstly
1.Where do you find parts, key part instructions and codes for construction?
2.What program do you recommend for 3d CAD?
3.I could probly get funding for a basic handheld console, do you have any other personal tips for me?
Cheers
Most Definitely. Not just a wifi controller for your computer, but most definitely as an extra controller for whatever console you're running. That's actually why I needed so many buttons in the design, otherwise one button (or analog stick short) and the iWish would have fallen short of being able to be used as an all-purpose wifi controller (for pc/console/and even as a universal remote control for your tv/dvd stereo/etc).
I think that you have to sende TO SONY
is a great great great great great IDEA in FUTURE
sende to sony is a great great idea
I'm actually thinking just get rid of the gaming controller and just focus on all the other things. An omnigadget will make gaming close to impossible, or just make the experience horrible. Since u shouldn't be gaming everywhere anyways, like outside and stuff, just connect a bluetooth controller and play from the controller.
I'm actually thinking just get rid of the gaming controller and just focus on all the other things. An omnigadget will make gaming close to impossible, or just make the experience horrible. Since u shouldn't be gaming everywhere anyways, like outside and stuff, just connect a bluetooth controller and play from the controller.
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