12:35 PM – Friday, December 17 2004 ~Mobile PC
For our January issue, Mobile PC featured seven designers and their visions of the future of computing. No drab, text-based prognostication, our feature, “The Wonders That Will Be,” covers the products with huge, luscious images and an in-depth discussion of features, costs, and challenges of bringing the products to market. Here is a scaled-down discussion of one of the products: MicroMedia Paper. For the rest of the feature, pick up a newsstand copy of Mobile PC.
MicroMedia Paper
This snapshot-sized display can play music, movies, and more
Price: $50 for a 10-pack
Designer: Lunar Design
Executive Summary: Wafer-thin display and storage finally brings digital media to the familiar format of paper
Tech Barriers: Flexible, disposable displays; radical new GUI; millimeter-thick batteries
Target Market: Photo-sharing families, 35 and up, plus execs wanting fancy business cards
Projected release: 2015
Here’s how it works:
The best features of MicroMedia Paper:
- Ultra-thin power generation technology allows the battery to be contained in a replaceable Power Sticker
- Touch-sensitive controls on the front of the Paper allow the user to play, pause, and scroll through media
- A graphic equalizer allows adjustment to the sound to match the space and source material
- A piezo vibrator provides good sound quality without adding bulk to the unit
- All data transfers take place on over a built-in high-speed wireless connection
Designer Bio: Lunar Design is a creative force in the practice of design and product development in the United States. Lunar’s designers, engineers, and support staff are passionate about integrating art, culture, creativity and personality into their work. Its clients include Hewlett-Packard, Palm, Apple Computer, Microsoft, Philips, Silicon Graphics, Oral-B, Cisco Systems, Acuson, Motorola, and Sony.