One of my close friend and a well known tech journalist Rahul Gupta was recently seen on Tv with Rajiv Makhni (Gadget Guru) in his show called The Contrarian. In this specific episode, Rahul and Rajiv were debating about something rather unusual. Unusual because, usually what we see on tech shows are review, event coverage and discussions about existing products in the tech space. While what they were talking about was Concept Phones, something that hasn’t been made yet but has been recreated by 3d rendering or visualization. You can watch the NDTV Prime, The Contrarian episode here: http://gadgets.ndtv.com/prime/the-contrarian
So here is how it happened: 91mobiles.com, India’s largest gadget research website for mobile phones and personal technology has come up with the Google Nexus 360 concept phone, a creative visualisation that offers a glimpse into the future of smartphones, imagining how these devices will evolve in the coming years. The idea is to showcase a concept that pushes the envelope when it comes to what is possible, but is still rooted in reality, & can become commercially viable in just 3-4 years from now.
Some of the key issues at hand
With the flood of mobile computing devices, users now prefer carrying a single device that can take on multiple roles and adapt as per needs. Next, wearable technology is evolving rapidly, but the approach is still very fragmented since most existing products can’t be used standalone. Device security and multiple notifications are two other areas that are often pain-points for consumers.
The approach
The idea then, was to come up with a concept of a single device that can tackle all these issues in one shot. For this purpose, the 91mobiles.com team factored in user suggestions, studied various prototypes and innovative technologies (from the likes of Molex, Dai Nippon Printing, Solicore and LG), to come up with an ideal yet achievable concept. This design is an amalgamation of several successful smartphones and technologies that exist today and takes their use to the next level.
Key features – a conventional smartphone that transforms into a wearable
Google Nexus 360 YouTube video: http://youtu.be/EMhTJOdDs6s
- A phone that converts into a watch: use it as a conventional phone, or wear it as a wristband… with the full range of features available in both modes (flexible yet scratch resistant materials are currently available in prototype phase form Dai-Nippon printing, and utilize flexible circuitry that has been around for years thanks to brands like Molex who specialise in creating flexible circuits for devices we use today)
- Flexible polymer OLED display: offers great usability and vibrant visuals. (earlier seen on the LG G-Flex smartphone; is being mass produced by LG Electronics for global consumption)
- Embedded Bluetooth headset: can be docked on the side of the device, and draws power from it for charging. (Indian mobile device maker Micromax first came up with the idea of an embedded Bluetooth headset and offered it with the Van Gough feature phone)
- An integrated fingerprint scanner and heart rate monitor: take care of security, health monitoring and sleep tracking. Integrated sensors and apps capture related data
- A tube camera that’s on your wrist: makes shooting easy, and allows snapping pics from different angles. The same high-resolution camera doubles up as primary camera, along with shooting selfies
- Always-on e-ink display on the side: makes sure users don’t miss out on notifications (A feature adopted by Notion Ink for their Adam tablet)
- Designed for all-weather use: IP67-certified for resistance to the elements.
Why Google?
91mobiles.com chose the Google brand for this concept since the search titan has always been at the forefront of innovation, and has the flexibility to partner with a specific hardware manufacturer that can build to its spec.
