Trend: Sense and Simplicity

Written By Florian Peter on Sunday, November 6, 2005 at 4:17 AM | In Technology Trends, Lifestyle Trends, USA

“Sense and Simplicity”: What sounds like a movie title is the slogan of a company-promise for a new product-era. The products are supposed to be life enhancing and react and respond sensitive to the consumer’s lifestyle, habits, needs and, well senses. They are also exemplary easy to use for everybody, no matter which generation.

Finally a company started thinking – and the results of “Philips” new concept products of “simplicity-led design” are exiting and smart enough to be featured on our blog:

Momento is a small glass ball which plays back videos clips as soon as somebody approaches the device. To change to another clip the consumer just has to shake the ball and the new video will magically appear. There are no buttons or controllers. Momento even receives movie clips wirelessly from any ‘Bluetooth’ enabled phone.

Look Look makes it even for small children possible to capture and share images spontaneously. You just have to extend the eyepiece of the telescope like device and the images are ready to be projected with the built-in projector or can be sent to a picture-phone or another smart Philips device, the In Touch.

In Touch is a mirror that transforms into a touch screen message center. A sleek alternative to all that notes sticking on the fridge. Messages can be left in text or video format. It can also send SMS and MMS. When illuminated the screen shows portraits of all the “family” members in the network, which can be used as a method of sending messages.

Another focus is the illumination of the consumer’s environment. Mainly based on LED technology the new products can change color and lighting intensity in an instant.

Chameleon for example is a lamp shade that changes to match any color you show it. The consumer simply has to hold an object to the sensor on the lamp stand which transfers the information to the LED ring which switches colors.

Light Chimes matches the invisible elements of space, wind and temperature and turns it into light. The set up is simply a hollow pole with integrated circular LED lights, which translate the strength of the wind, the temperature and other weather conditions into color.

The Sense and Simplicity motto is not only used to cater to the style conscious consumer, but also to the health care market. One example is the “Ambient Experience radiology suite” in use at Advocate Lutheran General Children’s Hospital near Chicago. Philips’ lighting and consumer electronics are supposed to create a more emotional and patient-friendly environment for the patients, especially children.