Hasta La Gadget!

In December 1968, Douglas C. Engelbart introduced the world to two brand-new computer peripherals of his own invention.The first was his invention, the computer mouse — which, as you’re well aware, revolutionized user input two decades later. The second, the chorded keyboard, still has yet to take off outside the Braille community. But after forty years, Doug Engelbart hasn’t given up on the latter device; he recently commissioned an industrial designer, Erik Campbell, to modernize the antiquated keyset into this lovely jellyfish-inspired, five-fingered keyboard replacement. Made of silicon rubber and recycled plastics, the concept peripheral uses pressure-sensitive pads at each fingertip to detect key-presses, turns combinations of presses (the “chords”) into letters and words, and sends them over wireless USB to the host computer. Sure, chorded computing isn’t for everyone (else we’d all be sporting iFrogs and typing gloves), but if this concept ever comes to fruition, we just might be tempted to learn.

Update: Though Doug Engelbart brought us the computer mouse, he did not invent the chorded keyboard, merely demonstrated it at the same 1968 event. Thanks, MAS!

[Thanks, Semfifty]

Engelbart’s chorded keyboard reborn as stunning red jellyfish originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 29 Mar 2010 06:05:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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We’ll confess — the Segway did a lot of damage to urban mobility as a whole, but General Motors (of all companies) might have just mended a wound we thought un-mendable. Unveiling today in Shanghai, the two-seater EN-V concept is a play on last year’s altogether riveting (albeit forgotten) P.U.M.A., and yes, it seems as if some of those design cues have worked their way into this one as well. The Electric Networked-Vehicle was engineered to “alleviate concerns surrounding traffic congestion, parking availability, air quality and affordability for tomorrow’s cities,” and they’re also fully capable of transforming this place we call Earth into a next-generation Epcot. A trio of designs made their debut — Jiao (Pride), Miao (Magic) and Xiao (Laugh) — and we’re told that twin electric motors and “dynamic stabilization technology” allow ’em to turn on a dime and operate autonomously (!) using integrated GPS. The Li-ion batteries can be juiced from a conventional wall outlet, and the expected range is around 40 kilometers on a single charge. Best of all? There’s built in wireless of some sort, enabling your fellow EN-V owner-friends to keep track of your late-night escapades if you so allow. We know — you’d buy one of each if these were available today, but mum’s the word on when (or if) they’ll ever hit the production line; meanwhile, expect something called a “Malibu” to remain in the product pipeline for the better part of next decade.

GM’s two-seater EN-V concept makes ‘urban mobility’ hip again originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 24 Mar 2010 11:43:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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In a classic case of “why didn’t we think of this first,” Chinese design student Gonglue Jiang has shown us a new way for overcoming the limitations imposed by the scarcity of USB ports on some computers. Instead of forcing you to constantly hot swap devices into that one port, Gonglue’s Infinite USB plugs keep all your cables connected, thereby facilitating those smartphone syncs, spy camera recharges, and — for the ultimate irony — maybe even a USB hub. If you’re thinking this would be brought down by a bout of bandwidth starvation once you start some USB multitasking, you’re probably right, but power shortages shouldn’t be an issue as the author has also come up with an external power connector that joins into his Infinite chain of connectivity. If only this wasn’t just a concept.

Infinite USB plug is a big idea for small conveniences originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 22 Mar 2010 04:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Nokia’s community blog has opened up the crowdsourcing floodgates, at least in theory. For “Design by Community,” users will be able to vote on smartphone features via a series of sliders, although within an arbitrary point allotment system. A new poll opens next week for size and shape, followed by materials, operating system (Symbian or MeeGo being the only choices, unsurprisingly), and so on in the weeks that follow, with the last poll starting April 26th. After that, a concept sketch will be voted on and later rendered — but no plans to ever have it made into an actual retail product (boo). We can’t exactly say we understand all the selections here: why is a touchscreen keyboard less ambitious than T9 text entry? Does saying capacitive is more ambitious than resistive serve as a subtle hint of trends to come? What in the world is the difference between hot key and one touch? It’s interesting to see how X6, N900, N97 all come out as a Perfect Mixes, while last year’s E75 and the more recent C5 all straddle the “less than ambitious” line. Oh, and just so we’re clear… a 5-inch, 21:9 ratio display without touchscreen but with a touchscreen keyboard is a perfect mix. Go figure.

[Thanks, Pratik V]

Nokia’s Design by Community makes smartphone concepting a multiplayer game, with limits originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 18 Mar 2010 19:49:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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It’s far and away one of the most genius concepts we’ve seen in the past year, and we couldn’t possibly be happier for one Min-Kyu Choi. Said designer, who recently graduated from the Royal College of Art, was recently showered with laud after the above-pictured Folding Plug nabbed the gold in the Brit Insurance Design contest. Unfortunately, we’re still no closer to understanding when some moneyed manufacturer will pick this up and start producing it, but hopefully this prize will reinforce its awesomeness and catch someone’s eye. In related news, we’re also seeing for the first time a Folding Plug version with USB ports on the exterior, which would be just about perfect for UK-based gadget junkies. Here’s hoping this dream doesn’t die just before reaching the conveyor belt, yeah?

UK Folding Plug takes home design award, emerges in USB-infused flavor originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 17 Mar 2010 17:31:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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