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Handhelds Technology Hardware Science

Nokia Unveils Shape Changing Nano-phone Concept 89

Posted by samzenpus from the can-you-bend-it-now dept.
An anonymous reader writes "Morph, a joint nanotechnology concept developed by Nokia Research Center and the University of Cambridge, has gone on display as part of the "Design and the Elastic Mind" exhibition at The Museum of Modern Art in New York. The concept demonstrates how future mobile devices might be stretchable and flexible, allowing the user to transform the gadget into radically different shapes. Nokia said that elements of Morph might be integrated into handheld devices within seven years, though initially only at the high end."
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Nokia Unveils Shape Changing Nano-phone Concept More

Nokia Unveils Shape Changing Nano-phone Concept

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  • Ugh (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Brian Gordon ( 987471 ) on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @12:41PM (#22560724)
    What's with this constant focus on e-toys? This is news for nerds, stuff that matters, not what $800 gadget will make you look like a networked, tech-minded businessman.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by PrescriptionWarning ( 932687 )
      You mean like those blue-tooth headsets people insist on wearing all the time even when they're not talking on them? Ugggggh

      • Re:Ugh (Score:5, Insightful)

        by merreborn ( 853723 ) on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @12:57PM (#22560932) Journal

        You mean like those blue-tooth headsets people insist on wearing all the time even when they're not talking on them? Ugggggh
        It's not hands free if you have to dig into your pocket, find the thing, and shove it in your ear.

        If you have a reasonable expectation that you'll receive a call, say, during your drive home, then the safest thing you can do is leave the thing on, even if it makes you look like an extra from a bad sci fi movie.

        Now, if you're in a theater, your phone is off, and you're still wearing the earpiece, then yeah, you're a tool.

        • Re:Ugh (Score:5, Funny)

          by prog-guru ( 129751 ) on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @01:02PM (#22561008) Homepage

          Now, if you're in a theater, your phone is off, and you're still wearing the earpiece, then yeah, you're a tool.
          Especially if it has a blue LED. That blinks.

        • Re:Ugh (Score:5, Insightful)

          by antifoidulus ( 807088 ) on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @01:31PM (#22561424) Homepage Journal
          If you have a reasonable expectation that you'll receive a call, say, during your drive home, then the safest thing you can do is leave the thing on, even if it makes you look like an extra from a bad sci fi movie.

          No, the safest thing is to let it go to voicemail

          • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

            by amRadioHed ( 463061 )
            No, the safest thing is to sell your car.
          • >> No, the safest thing is to let it go to voicemail yeah since talking to a person IN the car while driving with both hands is safer than talking to a person NOT IN the car while driving with both hands. i mean with those kind of dangers lurking in the car you'd think that everyone would sell their cars and get Zorbs (zorb.co.nz) already! At least you and a friend could roll around in one of those while talking ... until you got an elbow in the teeth

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by thegnu ( 557446 )

          Now, if you're in a theater, your phone is off, and you're still wearing the earpiece, then yeah, you're a tool.

          I've seen people in a meeting with their handsfree device on. That's pretty damn bad. You COULD have it hanging around your neck if you're going to be interacting with people, so they don't think you're a total asshole/crazy.

        • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

          by mapkinase ( 958129 )
          "It's not hands free if you have to dig into your pocket, find the thing, and shove it in your ear."

          That does not make any sense unless you shower, sleep, etc. with that blue bug stuffed into your ear.

          Some people ware it even in the mosque, some people put it right before turning their ignition on and take it off right after turning the ignition off, or more generally, right before they need their hands to be constantly busy with something else.

          • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

            by Your.Master ( 1088569 )
            Makes perfect sense. You leave it on at those times when you feel you might take calls, and take it off when you have no intention of doing so. I don't keep a phone in my bedroom precisely because if it rings while I'm sleeping, I don't give a shit. Same as when I'm showering.

            When driving it's best not to talk on the phone at all, but failing that, far better they keep it in their ear than fumble around with a phone.
      • "You mean like those blue-tooth headsets people insist on wearing all the time even when they're not talking on them? Ugggggh"

        You'd rather they set their ringers to full power in case they can't hear their oh-so-important-call from their pocket? There are some benefits to the rest of us from those ear-pieces.

        • there are other benefits too (Score:5, Funny)

          by commodoresloat ( 172735 ) * on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @01:12PM (#22561126)
          For example, you can see that the person wearing it is a complete tool without having to wait for them to open their mouth and say something idiotic. These are really time-saving gadgets when you think about it.

          • Re: (Score:1, Redundant)

            by MobileTatsu-NJG ( 946591 )
            > For example, you can see that the person wearing it is a complete tool without having to wait for them to open their mouth and say something idiotic. These are really time-saving gadgets when you think about it.

            Anything to help you make harsh judgements at first sight, mmm?

            I cannot help but wonder if the average Slashdotter really wants to live in that world.
      • Wow, for a moment there I thought this was a geek site.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by hitmark ( 640295 )
          heh, i was wondering the same thing...

        • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

          by Simon Brooke ( 45012 )

          Wow, for a moment there I thought this was a geek site.

          Nonononononononono...

          This was a geek site. Like, ten years ago [archive.org], maybe eight, even [archive.org].

          Now it's a site for wannabes, soi disant k3wl kidz and Microsoft astroturfers.

          (Yes, I am getting old. So are you. So what?)

      • Re:Ugh (Score:5, Funny)

        by 2names ( 531755 ) on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @03:34PM (#22563516)
        You know those big red Xs that you sometimes see on trees when you walk through the woods? Those Xs tell the lumberjack that the trees bearing them need to be culled.

        The Bluetooth Headset is the human equivalent.
      • Most of the time when I see people wearing these in my area it is the lowlifes who think they are cool. They use their credit to get phones like the RAZR and those earpieces to try and make it look like they have some semblance of money. Basically I'm saying those closer to white trash in my small city love these techy little gadgets.

    • Re:Ugh (Score:5, Funny)

      by Mongoose Disciple ( 722373 ) on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @12:52PM (#22560864)
      I assume the Slashdot editors are just doing their part to remain vigilant against a resurgence of sidetalking [sidetalking.com].

      It's a serious matter and everyone must do their part!

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by gmuslera ( 3436 )
      The tree is not letting you to see the forest. Is not "just another cellphone", $800 or not. Is how that could turn mobile technology in the next few years, not just for phone calling, Could be a step forward in wearable computing, or at least having a not so tiny or bulky interface for whatever a cellphone provides. Something that could eventually change somewhat our culture probably fits under my "stuff that matters" area.

  • How about this? (Score:1, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    They spend that money on a cell phone where I can actually *hear* the person clearly on the other end?

    • Re: (Score:1, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward

      They spend that money on a cell phone where I can actually *hear* the person clearly on the other end?
      You must be american.

  • In unrelated news... (Score:5, Funny)

    by brennanw ( 5761 ) * on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @12:46PM (#22560774) Homepage Journal
    In unrelated news, the inventor of Silly Putty sued Nokia for violating it's patent "re-transmission of news and other media via the transfer of newsprint by chemically-induced process."

  • Better pictures (Score:5, Informative)

    by amyhughes ( 569088 ) on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @12:46PM (#22560786) Homepage
    Better pictures can be found here [news.com].

  • My Dream of a Shoe Phone May be Viable! (Score:4, Funny)

    by filesiteguy ( 695431 ) <perfectreign@gmail.com> on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @12:47PM (#22560788)
    I've always wanted to have a real-life shoe phone. I can just see the next staff meeting -

    <ring>
    "Kai, I think your phone is ringing."
    <ring>
    "Oh, sorry. I'll get it."

  • Next up... (Score:5, Funny)

    by San-LC ( 1104027 ) on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @12:49PM (#22560830)
    From Motorola, we have the MOTOHOLE, which is a miniscule phone that can be inserted up the rectum of the next weird-ass gadget lover. Comes standard with Bluetooth 2.2 (since most people using Bluetooth talk out of their ass anyway) and auto-answer with butt clenching.


    P.S. Don't ask about Caller ID or Voicemail. It's a prototype.

  • Is it a functioning "concept" (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Webcommando ( 755831 ) on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @12:49PM (#22560832) Homepage Journal
    Wasn't clear in the (brief) write-up whether this is a functioning concept.

    Cool design is...well cool.. but if this included flexible circuits, displays, etc. to make it function (even if fragile or only in the most basic way) I'd be very interested in reading more on the underlying tech.

    There's a long way between design concept and all the technical risks being retired.

    • It's just a 3D rendering of something that will most likely never happen. I really don't get how things like this get so much press on tech blogs. Anyone can create a CG image of something cool, come up with a hand-waving explanation of the underlying technology (nanotech!), and get it posted all over the place as if it's actually feasible.
  • ... is this really a good idea? Especially when you discover you accidentally rolled up your phone in and threw it away with your newspaper
  • Looks kinda cool. I would be quite happy with screens that aren't completely angular. Would be great for the next iteration of wearable computing.

  • I'd like to announce, (Score:5, Funny)

    by Nomen Publicus ( 1150725 ) on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @12:59PM (#22560954)
    my concept of "solid air". This is a new idea that will allow us to build houses and other building from room temperature solidified air. These houses will be eco-friendly and cheap.

    I expect the technology required to create "solid air" will be invented by someone, somewhere, by 2016, or perhaps later.

  • Damage Resistant? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by AbsoluteXyro ( 1048620 ) on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @12:59PM (#22560962)
    I don't really know how many people are going to want to play with their gadgets as though they were silly putty, but this strikes me as something that would greatly enhance a device's resistance to wear, tear, drops, and falls. I could see this having applications in particularly rough environments, if nothing else.

    • Re:Damage Resistant? (Score:4, Interesting)

      by blindd0t ( 855876 ) on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @01:09PM (#22561094)

      I don't really know how many people are going to want to play with their gadgets as though they were silly putty

      Well, if they bend, stretch, and vibrate, I'd say a pretty good number of people will play with their gadgets (though not quite like silly putty). What really matters at that point is whether or not it's water proof. =P

      On a more serious note though, I can really appreciate the additional durability one would expect with this, as parent mentioned. I've actually broken a few phones just from leaving the phone on my pocket and rolling over the wrong way while working on my car. Though I've learned to take my phone out of my pocket before I start work like that, it'll be nice if that's one less worry. On that note, it'd also be nice if it was water proof (and possibly heat resistant) as well in case it gets left in the pant pockets and run through the washer and dryer.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by hitmark ( 640295 )
        and there is the reason for bluetooth handsfree. just leave the phone somewhere close by and if a call comes in you can talk while you work.

  • Big deal. (Score:5, Funny)

    by fahrbot-bot ( 874524 ) on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @01:02PM (#22560996)
    I've had a stretchable hand-held all my life. I'm sure it provides more enjoyment than a cell phone ever will. Now if I could just figure out how to set it on "vibrate"...
  • This looks like something from Star Trek!

    If only we could warp drive and the whole Utopian society thing working too.

  • Airport security headache (Score:3, Insightful)

    by Sciros ( 986030 ) on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @01:12PM (#22561124) Journal
    Soon you'll have to demonstrate that your phone can't be molded into a knife or shuriken before you're allowed through. Nor a nunchaku or brass knuckles, knowing airport security...

  • In seven years? (Score:5, Informative)

    by SmallFurryCreature ( 593017 ) on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @02:04PM (#22561976) Journal

    What we see on the photos is at best a mockup made out of plexiglas and at most likely a render.

    Lets see, a completly transparent screen. Because as well know nanotech makes things transparent. Apparently in a mere seven years we will have a material that looks a nice uniform light transparant green but can be used as pixels, wires, battery, antenna, electronics, it can be be reshaped at will without deforming at random.

    In seven years?

    Come on, this isn't a concept, it is just wishfull thinking with absolutly no bases in reality.

    If you can shape a screen, how do you stop it from deforming when you don't want it to? Do you enjoy reading leaflets outside where the wind flaps them about?

    I am just getting to old for this non-sense. I don't mind concept products where designers and engineers wonder "what if". But please at least use tech that MIGHT BE. After all if we are randomly speculating I can come up with far more intresting stuff. How about a mobile phone that sits on your eye like a contact lense and is controlled by thought? In seven years? I can even show you how one might look, someone got a place to host a picture of a contact lense?

    • Come on, this isn't a concept, it is just wishfull thinking with absolutly no bases in reality.

      My thought exactly, especially after having seen the concept video.
      Ok, so this incredible nano-tech does the following:

      • Bends, everything from screen to electronics.
      • Changes form to whatever it wants to be.
      • Cleans itself from dirt.
      • Acts as a solar panel.
      • Grows buttons out of nothin.

      Cmon, cant it do any of the standard features ... like raise the dead, take the dog for a walk, do my job for me etc..

  • Maybe it'll morph into something that can make a decent phone call!
  • The subminiature phones are good news for a certain category of users that have a special, warm place in their, err, body [independent.ie] for their small cell phone.
  • For what it's worth, I remember seeing a plastic mockup/concept, made by Nokia and exhibited at a Finnish science centre, of an internet tablet about a decade ago. It basically showed a web page, news headlines, was supposed to have a touch screen and wireless internet etc. This was in 1996 or 97, when mobile phones and dial-up internet connections were just breaking through into the mainstream, but Nokia basically followed it through to a hundred percent.

    Granted, this seems a fair bit more cutting edge,
  • Ohhh... shape CHANGING... heh heh... I read shape *charging*.

    Yes, that probably is better.
  • i'm suddenly remembering those slap bracelets [wikipedia.org] that went around in middle school. imagine your cell phone on your wrist, and then popping straight when you tug at it when it rings? =P

    heck, that sounds like an awfully good patent to troll! (where's my laywer?)

  • Youtube Video (Score:4, Informative)

    by prxp ( 1023979 ) on Tuesday February 26, 2008 @05:57PM (#22565738)
    The video is more enlightening:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX-gTobCJHs [youtube.com]
  • So, let me get this straight: I can wrap my phone around my wrist for easy transport, then the phone rings, I have to un-mold it from my wrist, figure out which end is up, then reshape it into a phone, then re-mold it back to my wrist?

    Seems like the general shape phones are in and have been for most of the last century has worked pretty well. Why reinvent the wheel?

  • Always when someone uses the "nanotech" buzzword, I'm reminded of a study (from Helsinki Univ of Tech) that nanotech isn't a field of technology [tuta.hut.fi]. It's just a marketing trick. When you actually dig up the patents, social networks and case studies from corporations, the conclusion emerges that "nanotech" is consists of four different fields of technology that don't "talk to each other". They are measurement instrumentation, materials, pharma/chemicals and semiconductors. For example, a pharmaceutical chemist

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