The mobile device industry in evolving in leaps and bounds. We see mobile concepts being designed every day. The good thing is that we’re no longer in the 20th century, so we won’t have to grow old to see some of those designs attain fruition. Our mobile devices help us keep in touch and communicate our emotions to others, but the Blackberry Empathy concept takes it to a whole new level.
The project was sponsored by RIM Blackberry at the Art Center College of Design and design credit goes to designers Kiki and Daniel. The phone comes with a biometrics ring which is worn by the user, and in a similar vein to mood rings, communicates your emotional state to the phone which then transmits it to other users. So you’re automatically sharing your emotions with others. Nothing brings people closer than sharing a common emotion.
When it comes to aesthetics, the phone scores highly in our books with the jewel-like design, though we’re a little concerned about its intuitiveness. There’s a full touch interface on the front, while the back houses a physical keyboard. An odd choice of interface since these days people are quite content without a physical keyboard if the touchscreen keyboard functions efficiently. This is a Blackberry though, and one of the reasons Blackberry phones are so popular are due to their physical keyboards.
Otherwise the phone has quite a new-age look to it, with the abstract color visualizations and the rings and circles. Two rings around the contact signal their previous and current emotional state. There’s also the ability to view an “Emotional Health Chart”, which lets you monitor the emotional health of a contact over a period of time. Perfect for when someone you care for has been afflicted with a tragedy and you want to keep a close eye on them.
Check out some other ultra-futuristic phone concepts like the peculiarly-named Kambalaphone, dial pocket watch and a collection of 14 others.
Via: Yanko Design
