F@N: Fan-like UMPC announced as finalist in design competition
One of the finalists in the Microsoft-sponsored Next-Gen PC Design Competition, which will announce its winners next month, is F@N, this multi-screened modular UMPC that utilizes touchscreen, keyboard, and voice input to fully realize the potential of multitasking on a small screen.
Looking very much like a Solio hybrid charger with an iPod controller, the partially solar-powered F@N concept measures 5.9" x 2.4" x 0.98" and relies on a high-speed wireless connection to keep the three screens connected to the mainframe. I don’t really understand what that last part means, but the designer says that separating the screens and handing them to friends would allow all of you to "play a game together in a wireless online system."
The online voting period for the $2500 Public’s Choice Award ended a few weeks ago, so we missed our chance to vote for this or any of the other 30 finalists. A panel of ISDA-member judges will select the $10K first-, $5K second-, and $2500 third-place Judge’s Award winners from the pool, and Bill Gates (and his advisory committee) will hand out another $10K as the Chairman’s Award.
F@N isn’t the only handheld-computer entry that attempts to "influence tomorrow’s digital lifestyle" and "change the way people pursue their passions" (look at this crazy thing) but it is the only one to use the UMPC moniker.
What do you think? Would F@N be the perfect UMPC for you?
[Trend Hunter]
