10 concept phones that ' are best;
We look at 10 mobile phone concepts from the past decade, which were either too adventurous, too futuristic, or so bizarre that they couldn't possibly ever catch on
Published on Mar 10, 2010
Read on for our guide to the 10 most "out-there" concepts phones of the last decade.
The Motorola 2033 Concept Series
Motorola may have created the Droid, but it’s also responsible for one of the most far- fetched mobile phone concepts ever devised. The idea, known as the Motorola 2033 Concept Series, was based around what mobile phones might look like in the year 2033.
The 2033 concept would allow for the device to capture memories directly from the user’s brain, through a process Motorola calls "organic memory capture". And if that wasn't enough, the 2033 concept would also allow users' to completely augment their eyesight through a process called Second Sight.
Whether or not this concept will ever actually be realised is anyone's guess, but we have to give props to Motorola for creating a concept so far fetched, it'd probably look out of place in a Phillip K. Dick novel.
The Nokia Communicator 888 series
Nokia was the first to jump on the nanotechnology bandwagon with the Communicator 888 series, which had a liquid battery that allowed the device to change shape, and even be worn around your wrist like some kind of stylish nano-powered watch-phone. And to be fair, that part isn’t so far fetched – it’s the nanotechnology part that makes it all possible, which is.
Nanotechnology, as a physical science, is still in something of a theoretical phase, which means it doesn't really exist as a tangible technology as current miniaturisation technology has hit a brick wall, which technically means: they can't get any smaller. That said, Intel is reported to be making some serious headway within the field.
Secondly, the costs associated with developing nanotechnology are so astronomical that the likelihood of it being used in technologies like mobile phones is frankly zero – at least for the time being anyway.
Weather Cell concept phone
Seunghan Song has decided to take weather applications a step further by creating a concept phone that changes with the weather. For example, if it’s raining, water will appear all over the chassis, which is composed of a single, very stylish, piece of glass. And on the other hand, if it’s foggy the glass will steam over – again, you get the idea.
Another cool, but utterly bizarre aspect of the weather cell phone is the writing function: Simply breathe on the front, as you would do to steam up a window, and this will activate the touch screen mode so you can dial numbers, email friends, and send texts.
All in all, this is a cool phone but we have one question: what’s it powered by? And where’s the battery?
Mobiles made out of grass
The environment, global warming and inconvenient truths seem to be the only thing politicians talk about these days – well, that and the recession. Fortunately, it seems like designer Je-Hyn Kim has taken note and created a mobile phone that biodegrades itself once it has reached the end of its life, which is great news for the environment – and bad news for anyone that likes stylish smartphones.
Spin N’ Charge mobile
Everybody knows what it’s like when you’re out and about and your battery dies – it’s usually at two in the morning or just before an emergency. Needless to say, it is a very annoying occurrence and one that has a habit of happening at the worst possible times.
However, imagine if you could simply stick your finger through a hole in your mobile, give it a twirl around your finger and bring it back to life…
Well, you can with Mikhail Stawsky’s Mechanical Mobile, which is inspired by piano keys and, as an added bonus, is completely environmentally friendly.
Kambala
In short, the Kambala is a mobile that you can clip into your ear or, alternatively, just use as a normal phone. As a concept, it clearly has portability in mind – although, there’s also quite a bit of advanced technology thrown in for good measure too.
The proposed phone would be composed of multilayered polymer, which would host all the electronic components and ensure it remains ultra-lightweight.
However, as an added bonus, you can also attach it directly to your ear and use it as a headset – and if that wasn’t enough, it also changes colour to match your skin tone, just don’t ask us how!The Soft Phone
The Soft Phone is all about tactility, apparently, and for this reason it is made out of cloth.
The basic idea behind the concept is this: mobiles take a fair few knocks throughout their lifetimes, so why not make it out of something more durable, like fabric?
In short, the Soft Phone is a pretty loose concept as it doesn’t feature much technology apart from what you’d expect to see on a 1999 handset. Sure, it may be able to handle a beating or two, but nobody wants a phone that’s made out of the same material as a teddy bear.
Again, this idea represents the more silly end of the concept spectrum.
Nokia Scentsory
Nokia have been known to produce some very impressive concept devices in its time, such as the Communicator 888 series devices. Unfortunately, the Scentsory isn’t one these “impressive” concepts – it’s just plain bizarre.
As the name suggests, it’s about smells, and the unique thing with the Nokia Scentsory is that you can assign certain smells, or scents, to your contacts – although, what these pre-set smells would be is anyone’s guess.
That said, one cool aspect of this concept is the deign of the phone itself, which is inspired by paper aeroplanes - so it’s very thin and inherently futuristic looking.
The Handphone
The hand gesture for “call me” is universal. And for this reason, some designers have decided to build on this trend by incorporating a mobile device into it.
The actual device is strapped to the back of the users’ hand and when they receive a call they simply make the well known hand gesture, which acts as the answering function and they can begin a conversation.
Again, this is another good example of a mobile phone that will never, ever, see the light of day.
A Finger Touching idea by Sunman Kwon
A Finger Touching Idea by Sunman kwon looks like a “futuristic” mobile device from a really bad 1980s Sci-Fi film.
That said, it does have some amazing features, such as the ability to turn the palm of your hand into a touch-sensitive interface. Again, how this would actually work in reality is anyone’s guess, but it certainly looks cool and sometimes, that’s all that matters.
Another cool feature is the circular viewing window on which you can presumably make video calls and watch films. In addition to this, the phone also features a built in camera, speakers and a microphone.
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