Device Arena

Here is a concept design by Nils Siegel, an unique clamshell phone that let you design the phone case pattern by little metals and gems. The PIN Phone has a grid lattice structure outside, you can then insert the clip pins to your own design.

SlashPhone

With Bluetooth headsets gaining in popularity everyday, cellphone vendors are trying to think of new ways to make them even more comfortable to use. We’ve seen one such interesting attempt from Samsung – with removable Bluetooth headset attached to the phone.

Now it’s LG’s turn to reveal something cool in headsets. And they have come up with removable acoustic transducers.

The basic idea is that these detachable acoustic transducers are configured to perform different functions in different modes.

When attached to the phone, they act as traditional speakers and microphone. Their batteries are charged there as well.

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There have been pen phone concepts before, even a few working products, but none as slim and small as this one sent us by an anonymous tipster. He told us this “design A” is not a finished product yet, and added that the undisclosed company he’s working for wants to gauge interest in such a device. While most users will connect the phone to Bluetooth earpieces, those two target-shaped areas on the top and bottom are earpiece and receiver. So far, so good. What do you think, readers?

GIZMODO

Do you have a grandmother, who can’t be bothered with typing in a 9 digit number? In fact she usually asks someone else to dial the number if it’s not already on speed dial. Unfortunately even speed dial isn’t enough for grammy. She wants it easier. The T-Phone is perfect for her.

So you have a phone with a standard numeric keypad and one large call button underneath. You get a bunch of RFID tagged badges to program someone’s number and even insert their picture. When grammy wants to call someone, all she has to do is place the badge on the call button and press it. The phone reads the RFID information in the badge and dials the number.

It’s just a concept for now so until then, grammy will have to live with T-Mobile’s Fav 5. That’s as easy as it gets.

Yanko Design

Jut in time to my previous column if the Windows Mobile touchscreen interface is ready for single-hand use, the United States Patent and Trademark Office yesterday unveiled a patent which was given to Microsoft (Application Number: 11/765,684). Title of the patent: “Extensible Filtered Lists for Mobile Device User Interface” which is about systems and methods for providing an improved user interface for mobile devices (smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and the like are explicitly stated in the patent specification). Access to data and services from multiple software applications can be provided through a group or list of items. Each group or list can include multiple items, which can be associated with data or tasks from multiple applications.

The set of groups of items can be both customizable and extensible to allow users to locate and utilize data and tasks relevant to the particular user. The set of item groups can provide users with a filtered view of content available through the mobile device, enhancing access to subset of data and tasks available on the mobile device:

Briefly described, the provided subject matter concerns an improved user interface for mobile devices such as smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs) and the like. Selected data and services provided by multiple software applications can be accessed through a group or list of items. Each group or list can include multiple items that provide access to data or tasks from multiple applications. For example, a list centered around a user’s current day can include items corresponding to meetings scheduled for that day using a calendar application, E-Mail received on that day through an E-Mail application, and a weather forecast for the day provided by a weather service application.

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