Out of the box – book from Vitamins on Vimeo.

Vitamins, a design studio based in London, envisioned a concept packaging that would make learning the features of a phone easy no matter what level your technical aptitude is.

The inspiration stemmed from creating a device that anyone could use. The team at Vitamins realised that instead of developing a basic phone, the solution to developing a phone that everyone could use lie in the product packaging itself. The design team thought that perhaps existing phones don’t need to be changed but rather the way we learn how to use the phones needed a rethink. Based on that idea, Vitamins created this concept product packaging.

The concept product packaging is definitely a refreshing shift from the mundane boxes we get when we purchase smartphones nowadays but we can’t imagine how much such wonderfully designed packaging would add to the cost of the device. Also, consider the amount of material used to make the packaging. It surely is not going to win an eco awards with the amount of paper used.

Still, the design is innovative and actually the problems of costs and material efficiency can be overcome with some clever ingenuity. Such a packaging design is certainly not impossible.

[source]

	Cool stuff, Mobile Devices, Video
	cool, design, design concept, out of the box, product packaging, product packaging concept, unboxed, Unboxing, Video, Vitamins design studio

Telcos especially 3G players often cringe with the thought of offering unlimited downloads. However in Russia, things are very different over there. Putting the 140% and “In Russia” jokes aside, one 3G telco by the name of Megafon had defied convention by encouraging its subscribers to push the limits of “Unlimited Downloads” with a contest from November 2011 till January 2012. As a reward, they are giving out 1 million rubles (about RM100,000) worth of prizes.

One subscriber managed to clocked 419GB downloads in a week and was rewarded an overseas trip worth 150,000 rubles (RM15,000). That’s almost 60GB a day or 2.5GB per hour which calculates an average of 5-6Mbps. The contest was also a publicity stunt by the telco to prove that it is capable of delivering high speed and unlimited usage nationwide. The 2nd and 3rd place winners came from small towns which proved its wide coverage into rural areas.

All this sounds too good to be true but a quick check on Megafon’s site reveals that the Unlimited Package isn’t without limitations. They have 3 plans on offer at 1Mbps (approx. RM35), 2Mbps (approx. RM55) and Uncapped speed (approx. RM75) options but there’s a certain limit of quota before it gets throttled to 64kbps.

For the highest unlimited plan, the allowed FUP quota increases depending on duration. The first month you’ll get 8GB before throttle and this will be increased gradually each month – 10GB, 12GB and 14GB (maximum). So the “all you can eat offer” was just a time limited promo. Nevertheless, it was a good way to promote its nationwide high speed 3G capabilities.

[ SOURCE, Photo Credit ]

	Cool stuff, Others
	3G, 3g broadband, Megafon, Russia, Unlimited Downloads

Single-core, dual-core, quad-core, AMOLED, Super AMOLED, Retina Display, NFC, blah blah blah…sometimes all these fancy tech make life complicated. For those who yearn for a much simpler time when a phone was a phone and a tablet was a stone, this device could be just what the doctor ordered.

Say hello once again to John’s Phone. We posted about John’s Phone a couple of years back. It’s an interesting concept. John Doe Amsterdam, the dude that created the phone, claims that the device is the world’s simplest mobile phone. If by simple he means bare-bones, then yea, this sits right up there on the list of simple mobile phones.

John’s Phone does only two things. Make and receive calls. Actually, technically, that’s only one thing. With John’s Phone you don’t get a camera, there’s no OS, no fancy touchscreen and no contact organiser, you can’t even text with the device.

With John’s Phone you get a simple LCD which shows incoming and outgoing numbers and battery status. The phone has a special compartment that stores a specially designed pen and phone book for you to jot down phone numbers. There’s also a speed dial function for 10 of your frequently called numbers.

The John’s Phone is a quirk in today’s world of high-tech smartphones but it’s a quirk that has charm because sometimes all you need is just a phone. School kids (the really young ones) and some adults (the really old ones) might find John’s Phone to be exactly what they’re looking for.

In any case, if you’re keen, John’s Phone is on pre-order now at this local online store called GeekZen. The device retails for RM350 (excluding delivery charges) with three colours to choose from. Head over here to pre-order.

Update: Commenter Ajay says that you can get a decent feature phone for much less, about RM250 less and he has a point. In fact, if you add RM200 or so more and you’re in entry-level Android territory. John’s Phone might be the simplest phone in the world but it’s certainly not the cheapest out there. It’s a quirk and definitely not for everyone.

	Cool stuff, Mobile Devices
	basic phone, GeekZen, GeekZen.com, John's Phone, John's Phone Malaysia, no frills

Gentlemen, this is the Casio G-Shock Phone, possibly the toughest civilian-grade smartphone in the world. Yes, it may look like a mutha but this concept Android smartphone that’s reportedly very close to production is as tough as nails with bags and bags of ruggedness. Just look at it, the Motorola Defy II and Sony Ericsson Xperia active look like Hello Kitty phones in comparison.

Inspired by the Casio G-Shock line of rugged watches, the G-Shock Phone features a metal case back and a plastic/resin construction to give it toughness that are unheard of for consumer phones. It’s:

Shock resistant from drops up of 10 feet
Water resistant up to a depth of 10m
Pressure resistant up to 1.0 bar
Can apparently hold up 1 tonne

The G-Shock Phone made its debut at CES a couple of weeks ago. Detailed specs are not available at the moment but expect the device to have a full gamut of outdoorsy sensors as well like an altimeter and barometer.

The G-Shock Phone may not win any design awards but that testosterone-laden look is an attraction all of its own.

A couple more pictures of the Casio G-Shock Phone after the jump.

Read the rest of this entry »

	Android, Cool stuff, Mobile Devices, Mobile OS
	Android, Casio, Casio G-Shock, Casio G-Shock phone, G-Shock, G-Shock phone

All this might be cute and funny to watch now but this is a global trend that’s not going to end well.

	Cool stuff, Mobile Devices, Others, Video
	animal, animals, cat, dog, iPad, iPhone, pet, pets, Video

Alright Android fans, check out these limited edition Asia exclusive release Android collectibles designed in conjunction with the upcoming Chinese New Year. The three figurines represent Blessing (福), Fortune(祿) and Longevity(壽) and are available from the Taken Shop for RM118.80 excluding delivery if your interested in adding a geeky touch to your Chinese New Year celebrations this time around. For more details, head on over to the Taken Shop.

	Android, Cool stuff, Mobile OS, Others
	Android, Android collectibles, Android dolls, Android figurines, Android fiugres, Android Merchandise, Android mini collectibles, Android mini Toy Soldier, Androski, Chinese New year, collectibles, diy, Dyzplastic, Figurine, limited edition, Lunar New Year, TakenShop, The Taken Shop, Toys

If you have the time, you should really check out this interactive video the people at DiGi have put up on YouTube. If you don’t have the time, drop whatever you’re doing and make time. It’s really worth a look.

In the video, you follow the story of J.P who has a spooky encounter with the supernatural kind, as you go through the video, you’re presented A or B choice to help J.P survive his gila scary night (Note to mobile viewers, the options will not be available on YouTube mobile. Doesn’t work on iPad as well. So you’ll need to watch the video on your computer if you want to watch the video all the way to the end).

The video is of course promoting DiGi’s Gila Internet sale but instead of the run-of-the-mill humdrum ad, DiGi opted for this really creative approach to get us to watch the video.

It’s genuinely scary, it’s funny and at the end of the video the message comes across loud and clear, as an added bonus, because the video is so entertaining some of you would want to share it with your friends, can’t ask for more from an ad really.

Thanks @841001 for the tip.

	Ad-nalysis, Cool stuff, DiGi, Players on the Field, TVC, Video
	DiGi, DiGi Gila Internet Sale, viral video

Over 2 million views on YouTube and counting, the ultra-slim TV was in full view throughout the video as well. Amazing! Nice one LG.

	Ad-nalysis, Cool stuff, LG, Others, TVC, Video
	LG, viral video, World's Slimmest TV

…use your iPad like this in the LRT? We got to admit, it’s pretty smart but the case leaves the iPad prone to snatch theft if you’re not careful.

[via]

	Cool stuff, iPad, Mobile Accessories, Mobile Devices
	apple, cool iPad 2 accessory, cool iPad 2 case, cool iPad 2 cover, iPad, iPad 2, iPad 2 Accessories, iPad 2 case, iPad 2 cover

We’ve featured the Sith Lord on SoyaCincau.com a couple of times and he’s appeared in a few other ads promoting a plethora of other products. Has commercialisation of movie characters gone beyond reason that it affects your relationship with the iconic character?

Actor endorsements, cross-promotion and product placement are almost as old as the medium of film itself and as a society we’ve come to accept it. However, it seems a little repugnant to use a fictional cinematic character to endorse products, and raises new issues for me, especially when it’s a character as iconic as Darth Vader. First and foremost it feels like a collision between art and commercialism. With an actor, you’re conscious that it is within their job description to play a part, and to a small degree, there is a bond of trust and honesty. However, when it’s a fictional character, it can be manipulated to espouse the benefits of anything the client wishes, reducing it from the result of a creative process to a mere corporate mouthpiece. Essentially, the character is torn from the fantasy realm, and thrust in to the real world, now just a commodity like those it is trying to sell.

Read more about it here.

	Cool stuff, Others, Video
	advertisements, commercials, Darth Vader, Video