Sony May Never Charge Again
by Matthew Sparkes, London, UK on 06. 5.07
Sony has unveiled a brave collection of concept devices that never need recharging. The 'Odo' concepts are as good-looking as they are exciting, which is important if they are to ever be produced, and sell well. Although we have seen wind-up torches and radios before, there have not been any aesthetically pleasing, practical concepts for more advanced devices. That's what makes this announcement so ambitious; the devices include digital cameras and an image/movie viewer, things that drain a lot of power in comparison to an analogue radio.
The Spin 'N' Snap camera, shown above, is particularly interesting. You put a finger through each hole, and spin the whole device around its centre. This turns a dynamo and creates the power to take the next photo. It's an odd echo from old, film cameras, which I only just remember, where you had to manually wind-on the film. I can really see this being enormously popular amongst a certain demographic, and the ability to have a camera on you that is always good to go, and never runs out of power, will be appealing to many.
Another device in the range is the Push POWER Play device, which is either an image or movie viewer (I can't be sure because the Google-translated site is almost unreadable). What is clear is that there is a roller on the bottom, which generates power as you drag it across the table. There is also a solar panel in the range, which could presumably power the devices if there is ample sunlight.
The release also claims that the devices are all made of recycled plastic, so their construction, as well as operation, will be as environmentally friendly as possible. I'm not sure where exactly this falls on the scale from inevitable product to wild concept, but a digital camera without a screen, and with a minimum of advanced processing functions, could run from a hand-crank. You may have to wind it before every picture, but we had to do that 20 years ago, so it won't kill you. If Sony can make these, then they definitely should, because it's a damn good idea and they would sell like hotcakes. :: Impress :: Engadget
Great concept, I love the clever metaphors. When can I get one for my kids!?
Somehow I believe 99.8% of people would still rather use batteries than do any kind of work themselves
Interesting stuff, do you think they they are aimed at children though? The poster says "ODO is family of sustainable products inspired by children's imagination, energy & curiosity designed to provide new experiences, social awareness and inspiration for the future" The aesthetics look bold and simple, maybe in a kids style.
Actually this link seems to show this:
http://www.watch.impress.co.jp/av/docs/20070605/sony4.htm
Maybe they think kids are the only ones with the enthusiasm and excess energy to accept hand powered devices ;)
In my opinion, all portable devices should be in one way or other self-powering. The concept of plugging in your thing, whatever it may be, to recharge it is as antiquated as fixed phones with their short cords. Society has move aggressively into wireless communications; it is overdue that society moves to wireless energy.
I think this would have a huge effect if they could be manufactured for the developing world. Something along the lines of the computer MIT is developing to be sold for $100 around the world.
It would even be great just to market these for people who are traveling to areas off the grid!
I've seen some recent concepts for wireless energy - it would be convenient but the best efficiencies seem to be 80%, not as good as plugging in a wire (oh the inconvenience)
I have a wind up Philips radio that is still going strong, apart from the awful ergonomics (the handle is fine, they just forgot to make something hand shaped for the other bit you hold :))
If I listen to MW, it's great, I can get a decent amount of time off a little winding. Listen to FM though, and it wears out 3-4 times quicker, so you start using stratagies like having the volume down, or standing closer to the radio, or only listening to MW! What worries me is the upcoming change to DAB, which aparently is 2-3 times more power hungry than FM. That might me make switch back to batteries...
WIth self powered gadgets you notice stuff like this a LOT more. I can see a market, but I imagine solar stuff being a lot more popular because as Ivan says, people would rather not do any work if they can help it, me included!
While I don't think a pared down version that would run easier with human energy would be popular in the regular market, I agree that it stands a very good chance in the developing market. Just yesterday I saw a link to an article on Nokia that they passed 200 million units on a single phone model that was a super basic model, but sold incredibly well because of its durability and features that made it popular in developing areas.
I wonder if Spielberg´s Minority Report action scenes inspired this idea.
In thet movie the weapons were powered this way, the CIA agents chasing Tom Cruise had to "spin" the gun before making a shot.
Cool Idea!!
When the first mobile phones came out, if my memory serves me right, most predicted that they would be limited in adoption and use and would never threaten fixed line phones. This was for many reasons. A good one being that they were the size of a very large brick or a small briefcase or limited to in car use. Of course, looking back it is obvious that with improvements, everyone would end up using them. Looking forward, it is obvious to me that with improvements, which are completely possible and will constantly happen, everyone will end up opting for portable devices that do not require batteries that need to be replaced or wall-socket recharged. The more we push for them, the faster they will come to be dominant.
Someone is finally getting it. I hope this is the start of the Sony we used to know!