19 Apr 2007

HP'S VIEW OF TECH FIVE TO TEN YEARS OUT

A story of mine in the Herald about the design concepts coming out of HP Labs for the computers, tablets and personal devices of the future. Minimalism seems to be the design trend of the future for HP. Their mock-ups of future devices seem like scaled down, skimpy gadgets of the Apple variety. Everything is white or brushed metal and the HP-designed coffee table of the future resembles an iPod docking station.
Here are a few photos of concepts HP's band of Ph.Ds are working on:

The HP coffee tablet which has a display built into its surface and an inductive charging bay so you can simply pop your tablet into the tray to recharge it.

It doesn't get more minimalist than this. A light-based keyboard allows you to gently tap on the notebook's surface rather than punch the keys.
The HP media mat, which presumably one day with be flexible and foldable, so you can hold it on your knee like a page from a newspaper. It uses UWB communication to update the displayed information.The Watch that sits are the centre of the future HP digital environment. With UWB built-in, it communicates wirelessly with other devices in the home, acting as a control, communications device and personal media player.

No comments: