Hasta La Gadget!

Kristian Ulrich Larsen’s “Flip” phone is deceptively named. With its three-sided construction it’s a shape-shifter for sure, but it’s definitely no Razr clamshell.

Gadget Lab favorites Yanko Design have brought us yet another piece of industrial design porn with Larsen’s tripartite concept smartphone, the Flip.

In its triangular position (seen above), the phone rests on flat surfaces elegantly, reminiscent of a bedside alarm clock at some futuristic Motel 6. But if you don’t have plans to dream of electric sheep any time soon, the Flip can shift into a slimmer version of itself, collapsing and tucking away one of its three super AMOLED screens between the outer two.

Each of the Flip’s three sides are connected by steel mesh links, so snapping it apart comes as no easy feat. And if you absentmindedly happen to sit on the phone, the Gorilla Glass screen covers can withstand a good ass whupping.

Aside from the novelty of your phone being able to double as a flower vase — seriously, watch the embedded video below — the Flip’s design addresses enough practical smartphone user issues to make it an intriguing product concept. For one thing, the Flip’s ability to morph from one shape to another could come in handy, say, when you feel like reading an e-book on an actual dual-sided, open-faced surface.

Or if you have the sudden desire to work on a teeny-looking laptop, you can flip one screen up to a 90 degree resting position and type away on the LED-backed keyboard. And with the front facing video camera, shifting the Flip back into the triangular shape means hands-free video chatting.

My favorite part? The Android OS the phone is running. Froyo, anyone?

Check out the video below to see more of the Flip in action.

What is being creative? from Kristian Larsen on Vimeo.

Photos: Yanko Design

See Also:

• Yanko Design
• Design Fiction: Mercedes-Benz Interior Sculpture Aesthetics …
• Why Wristwatches Are Still Worth Watching
• “No More, No Less” Faucet Precisely Pre-measures Water Output …
• Philips Food Creation concept as design fiction
• Energy

Look, let’s be real: our Palm tablet scoop today was awesome. For its part, though, HP wants to remind us all that it’s got other news in the pipe for its event early next month, going so far as to tease invitees that they haven’t seen the latest on Engadget.

Not to say that we won’t be trying very, very hard to ensure that our readers do see the latest right here… but point taken, HP. See you in a couple weeks.

HP calls us out, implies it’s got even better scoops at February webOS event originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 18 Jan 2011 18:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Acer’s just announced a couple of new Android smartphones that are heading to the other side of the pond. Pictured on the left is the Froyo-powered Liquid Mini which — as the name says for itself — sports a humble 3.2-inch 480 x 320 capacitive LCD touchscreen, along with a 600MHz Qualcomm 7227 chip, 512MB of RAM and ROM each, and a 5 megapixel camera that records 480p video on the back. On top of DLNA connectivity for your home entertainment setup, the usual wireless goodness like WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and FM radio are also present. Potential British buyers will be able to pick from one of the five color options — blue, white, pink, yellow, and black — when the Liquid Mini ships in April, with pricing to be announced.

The beTouch E210 on the right comes with a portrait keyboard plus trackpad, but users will have to make do with a less thrilling set of specs: you get a 2.6-inch 320 x 240 resistive touchscreen (oh dear), an underwhelming 416MHz ST Ericsson PNX6715 processor, 512MB ROM, 256MB RAM, and a 3.2 megapixel camera. But like the Liquid Mini, the Froyo-laden E210 also has WiFi, Bluetooth, GPS, and FM radio. Keep an eye out for it and its price come March in the UK..

Continue reading Acer announces Liquid Mini and beTouch E210 Android Froyo phones

Acer announces Liquid Mini and beTouch E210 Android Froyo phones originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 06 Jan 2011 20:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Pretty impressive, isn’t it? Meizu sure has made a wise decision to launch its M9 Android Froyo phone on the first day of 2011 which, like most other countries, happens to be a public holiday in China. According to some Meizu fans (aka “Mei-yo” or literally “friends of Meizu”) outside one of the two Shenzhen stores, there were already about 60 people lined up outside at around 6am. A few of them even braved the cold weather since 8pm last night, despite CEO Jack Wong actively discouraging such hustle on the forum for the sake of people’s health, promising “all the flagship stores will have sufficient stock” for all pre-orderers. Meizu wasn’t keen on giving us an official number, but the two Shenzhen stores alone could’ve easily served several thousand customers this morning. With no limit on how many units each person could pre-order (¥2,499 / $379 for 8GB, and ¥2,699 / $409 for 16GB), you can imagine Meizu’s assembly lines working long hours to supply its stores from 28 other provinces in China. Meanwhile, somewhere out there, Mr. Wong is happily checking his bank account. Video after the break.

Continue reading Meizu’s M9 launch amasses thousands of Jack Wong fans across China (video)

Meizu’s M9 launch amasses thousands of Jack Wong fans across China (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 01 Jan 2011 07:46:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Taking a smartphone out of the box for the first time can elicit a wide spectrum of emotions, starting with unadulterated excitement that can quickly devolve into panic, chaos, and confusion: what do you do now? How do you make it awesome? How do you emanate an air of “cool” on the subway by using apps specifically designed to make you look like a badass? Well, fear not, newly-minted Android smartphone owner: as always, we’ve got your back. Read on for all the apps, accessories, and tips you should be investigating right this very second.

Continue reading Just got an Android phone? The best apps, accessories, and tips

Just got an Android phone? The best apps, accessories, and tips originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 27 Dec 2010 17:20:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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