Hasta La Ideas

“Bigger than a smart phone, smaller than a notebook and different than a netbook.” Technology companies Freescale and Qualcomm are working on a new category of mobile computing devices called smartbooks, with the former having tapped industrial design students at the Savannah College of Art & Design to mock up some concepts now on display at Taipei’s Computex show.

“As the smartbook market emerges, new form factors and product categories will evolve to support and better align with user needs, and our engagement with SCAD demonstrates Freescale’s intention to lead this evolution,” said Glen Burchers, Consumer Segment marketing director for Freescale. “This initiative has given Freescale valuable insight into how end-users prefer to interact with smartbooks….”

Tasked with creating new models and paradigms that improve on the designs and user interfaces common to most first-generation netbook products, the participants developed a range of highly innovative, yet practical, designs optimal for leveraging the small, fanless dimensions and low-power operation of Freescale’s i.MX515 processor.

Adds SCAD professor David Malouf:

I wanted to point anyone interested in the full story of this work to check out the student process book, final presentation to Freescale and concept videos all posted here.

Feel free to tell the students what you think.

And be aware that the students were tasked with a lot more than coming up with “mock ups”. The work is based on substantial contextual design research and the output of design work included total eco-system design including 2 new visions for market specific operating system UIs.

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