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Industrial Design
2007-10-10 12:03:00
I just received my first Apple Wireless Keyboard, and once again I am amazed at Apple's mastery of the art of industrial design. This little piece of anodized aluminum is a thing of beauty, from the clean one-piece design (extruded profile), to the machined stainless steel cap for the battery compartment, and to the microscopic laser-drilled holes that make a green LED appear out of nowhere when the device is turned on. Absolutely, positively amazing. [Continue...]
More About: Design , Industrial , Industrial Design

Dock Redux
2007-10-09 12:03:00
Now that we have dramatically simplified our design for the Redux Model 1 tablet, time has come to focus on its accessories. Developing the concept for a magnetic keyboard was fun, but it's not really practical, and there is no way we could bring that to market by September next year. Beside, we're not convinced that blending the dock and the keyboard into a single accessory is that good of an idea anyway. Instead, we have decided to take a modular approach, and to develop a standalone dock instead, complemented by off the shelf matching accessories, such as Apple's iPod Touch, Wireless Keyboard, and Bluetooth Headset. [Continue...]
More About: Dock

Dock Redux
2007-10-09 12:03:00
Now that we have dramatically simplified our design for the Redux Model 1 tablet, time has come to focus on its accessories. Developing the concept for a magnetic keyboard was fun, but it's not really practical, and there is no way we could bring that to market by September next year. Beside, we're not convinced that blending the dock and the keyboard into a single accessory is that good of an idea anyway. Instead, we have decided to take a modular approach, and to develop a standalone dock instead, complemented by off the shelf matching accessories, such as Apple's iPod Touch, Wireless Keyboard, and Bluetooth Headset. [Continue...]
More About: Dock

Revision Four
2007-10-08 12:03:00
Over the past two weeks, we added many features to our marketing requirements for the Redux Model 1. This gave us a sense for what could be done. Then, we ruthlessly trimmed the feature set down, which allowed us to discover what should be done. Following this process, we researched which alternative chipsets could best support our requirements, and stumbled upon Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon. From the very little information currently available, it looks like we found a perfect match, assuming that we could source the necessary components, and follow an extremely aggressive development schedule. [Continue...]
More About: Revision

Revision Four
2007-10-08 12:03:00
Over the past two weeks, we added many features to our marketing requirements for the Redux Model 1. This gave us a sense for what could be done. Then, we ruthlessly trimmed the feature set down, which allowed us to discover what should be done. Following this process, we researched which alternative chipsets could best support our requirements, and stumbled upon Qualcomm's upcoming Snapdragon. From the very little information currently available, it looks like we found a perfect match, assuming that we could source the necessary components, and follow an extremely aggressive development schedule. [Continue...]
More About: Revision

Who Needs Connectors?
2007-10-07 12:03:00
Now that we got rid of all buttons, we're taking a hard look at the connectors and slots offered by the Redux Model 1, trying to limit their number to the bare minimum, or to get rid of them altogether. This is a pretty radical approach, but our device is a pretty radical one anyway, so why not? [Continue...]

Who Needs Connectors?
2007-10-07 12:03:00
Now that we got rid of all buttons, we're taking a hard look at the connectors and slots offered by the Redux Model 1, trying to limit their number to the bare minimum, or to get rid of them altogether. This is a pretty radical approach, but our device is a pretty radical one anyway, so why not? [Continue...]
More About: Needs

Who Needs Buttons?
2007-10-06 12:03:00
Yesterday, we reviewed some questions regarding the design of the Redux Model 1, including how many buttons we wanted to offer. Compared to Apple's iPhone, we went from 4 to 2, then from 2 to 1. Today, we're questioning whether we need any buttons at all. In fact, we're convinced that we do not, and the Redux Model 1 might very well become the first personal computing device designed with no buttons. [Continue...]
More About: Needs , Buttons

Who Needs Buttons?
2007-10-06 12:03:00
Yesterday, we reviewed some questions regarding the design of the Redux Model 1, including how many buttons we wanted to offer. Compared to Apple's iPhone, we went from 4 to 2, then from 2 to 1. Today, we're questioning whether we need any buttons at all. In fact, we're convinced that we do not, and the Redux Model 1 might very well become the first personal computing device designed with no buttons. [Continue...]
More About: Buttons

Bill of Materials and Open Questions
2007-10-05 16:47:00
At Monolab, the company organizing the Office 2.0 Conference, we like to eat our own dog food and put our money where our mouth is. For this reason, the first two editions of the conference were organized using Office 2.0 tools only (more on our setup there). We will do the same for the third edition, but we would like to raise the bar a bit too. Quite a bit in fact, so much so that we have decided to build the Redux Model 1 using the very same tools. That should make for an interesting challenge and a good learning experience, which we will keep documenting on this blog. [Continue...]
More About: Questions , Open , Materials , Bill , Materia

Computer on Module
2007-10-04 12:03:00
The development of the Redux Model 1 is switching to overdrive. Yesterday, we found a partner for the industrial design and the multi-touch interface. Today, we identified one for the Computer on Module , which is the most complex part of the overall project. Here is what it will look like. [Continue...]

Revision Three
2007-10-03 12:03:00
The original idea for the Redux Model 1 Mobile Internet Device (MID) was announced less than a month ago. The first week was spent working on the overall form factor. The second week brought a first design candidate based on the OpenMoko platform. The third week lead to a second design architected around the OLPC XO. For the fourth week of work, we have a third revision ready, and this one looks very much like a winner. Not only did we identify most components for the main logic board, but we also found a suitable reference industrial design to house them. Best of all, we might even have a way to improve upon the iPhone's already amazing design, by bringing the first Multi-Touch/Dual-Force device to market. Not bad, not bad at all... [Continue...]
More About: Revision

Software and Services
2007-10-02 12:03:00
What can be learned from Apple's iPhone is that what makes a device successful is not just the quality of its hardware, but the integration of hardware, software, and online services into an extraordinary user experience. The iPhone's Visual Voicemail is a perfect example for such an integration. The same thinking process should be applied to the Redux Model 1's design. Here are some ideas along these lines. [Continue...]
More About: Software , Services

Magnetic Keyboard
2007-10-01 12:03:00
Now that the high-level design for the Redux Model 1 is nearing completion, we should focus our attention on the optional keyboard, or set of optional keyboards should I say, for we might build two of them, as indicated in this past article. [Continue...]
More About: Keyboard , Magnetic

Give 1 Get 1
2007-09-30 12:03:00
When I first suggested the idea for the Redux Model 1, several people recommended that I start from an existing platform, instead of building the device from scratch. Among the suggested candidates, the OLPC XO came highly praised, especially from my friend Darius Clarke. Unfortunately, it was not distributed to the general public, therefore could not be used as sacrificial starting point. With the recent announcement of the Give 1 Get 1 program whereby you can buy two XO laptops for $399 and have one donated to a child, this situation has changed, and we are seriously considering using Negroponte's marvelous little machine for our Mini Tablet. [Continue...]

User Replaceable Battery
2007-09-29 12:03:00
When working on a mobile device's industrial design, one of the most critical decisions one has to make is how to package the battery. Do you make it user-replaceable or not? Do you encase the battery's cells into a rigid plastic package? Do you require the use of a screw driver to replace the battery? These are the types of questions that have to be answered, and here is our take on it for the Redux Model 1. [Continue...]
More About: Battery , User

Storage Requirements
2007-09-28 12:03:00
Out of the box, the Redux Model 1 will offer limited built-in solid state storage, possibly no more than 1GB. This will be plenty enough to store the operating system and a fairly decent set of applications, but content will be stored on removable SD Card media. There is a simple reason for this: plummeting prices for NAND memory. [Continue...]
More About: Storage

Usage Scenarios
2007-09-28 00:07:00
One of the challenges in creating a new form factor for a mobile device is identifying usage scenarios that can best take advantage of the device's size, weight, controls, and user interface. There is more art than science in conducting such an exercise, and gadgets often end up being used in ways that had never been anticipated by their designers. Nevertheless, guessing such usage scenarios is always fun, and here is my first crack at it for the upcoming Redux Model 1. [Continue...]
More About: Usage , Cena

Think Not So Different
2007-09-26 22:12:00
If we are to believe Apple Insider, Apple might be working on a device strikingly similar to what we are up to with the Redux Model 1. If that were to be true, it would be a fantastic validation for the form factor we are proposing. Borrowing from some original artwork designed by audiopollution (I hope they don't mind), here is a first artist rendition of what the Redux Model 1 might look like. [Continue...]
More About: Diff

Web Conferencing Camera
2007-09-25 12:03:00
Originally, we did not want to include a camera in the Redux Model 1, mainly because most of its target users already own a camera phone. But after some discussions, we got convinced that integrating a low-resolution camera next to the tablet's screen for web conferencing would not be a bad idea. If there is a way to do it without requiring dramatic changes to the Neo 1973's PCB design, we might as well go for it. [Continue...]
More About: Camera , Web Conferencing

From Vision to Execution
2007-09-25 04:16:00
Eight years ago, I moved to the United States with one goal in mind: building the first open source transactional workflow platform. I had drawn its architecture on a napkin ? literally, and found some people on Google who could help me put it together. Today, Intalio released Intalio|BPMS 5.0, or what I really consider to be the first working implementation of the original vision. While I will keep the full story of this incredible journey for future articles ? or a book maybe ? I would like to share some of its highlights with you tonight. [Continue...]
More About: Vision , Execution

What?s In The Box
2007-09-20 12:03:00
As the specifications for the Redux Model 1 are converging toward something realistic, we are now thinking about the whole product, including documentation, packaging, software, and web services. Here is an introduction to packaging, and an overview of what you should find in the box when you receive your device. [Continue...]

iPhone Redux
2007-09-19 12:03:00
When the iPhone was unveiled back in February, Steve Jobs claimed that it was years ahead of the competition. Most agreed, and many started thinking about what could make the iPhone even better. How could we out-do Steve and his team? The answer came two weeks ago, in the form of the iPod Touch. [Continue...]
More About: Iphone

Form Factor Evolution
2007-09-18 12:03:00
Now that we have a suitable candidate platform for the hardware side of the story, we're allowing ourselves to become a little bit more creative with the form factor for the Redux Model 1. We're testing our ideas with different users, showing them sample devices like the HTC Advantage or the Sony Reader, and gathering invaluable feedback along the way. Here is what we're learning. [Continue...]
More About: Evolution , Form , Factor , Actor

OpenMoko
2007-09-17 12:03:00
Looking for a way to build the Redux Model 1 around the iPhone or iPod Touch allowed us to appreciate the benefits of leveraging an existing platform instead of starting from scratch. Nevertheless, this can only work if the platform is open enough, which the iPhone or iPod Touch are not, making it very difficult to build what we really want. An alternative approach would be to start from an open platform, and the best we could find so far is OpenMoko , and the Neo 1973. [Continue...]

Breakthrough and Setback
2007-09-16 18:08:00
No matter how hard I tried, I could not convince myself that yesterday's concept for the Redux Reverso would fly. Whatever we end up doing, we need a multi-touch screen on the front of the Redux Model 1, which means that we need a way to propagate user inputs back to the built-in hand-held, be it an iPhone or iPod Touch. With that in mind, I kept looking for a solution, and got a breakthrough earlier today while taking a shower. Watch out, this is getting pretty wild! [Continue...]
More About: Brea

Redux Reverso
2007-09-15 19:44:00
The idea of designing the Redux Model 1 as a mere shell wrapped around an iPhone or iPod Touch is getting me more and more excited, and I had a hard time finding my sleep yesterday night. What was keeping me awake was the fear that we could not propagate user inputs back to the hand-held. If so, the design would fail. When something gets in the way, don't fight it, just go around it. Could we apply such thinking to the problem at hand? If getting user inputs back to the hand-held is not possible, could we do without user inputs altogether? This is where I got another epiphany, and finally fell asleep. Sweet dreams... [Continue...]
More About: Reverso , Verso

Bring Your Own iPhone
2007-09-15 02:22:00
Following yesterday's article, my friend Darren suggested that it would be great if our Mini Tablet could run the Mac OS X operating system. I could not agree more, and this got me thinking. The only way one can legally build a computer around Apple's proprietary operating system is by building the computer around an Apple Computer, like Axiotron did with the ModBook. So what if we built the Redux Model 1 around an iPhone or iPod Touch? [Continue...]
More About: Iphone

Form Factor
2007-09-13 12:03:00
Following our suggestion to develop our own device for next year's conference, we have been receiving quite a bit of feedback. Most people who know a thing or two about hardware design are essentially telling us that we are a bit crazy, and should modify an existing design, instead of trying to build one from scratch. But some folks who understand what we are trying to achieve and have done it before have already started to work on possible scenarios. There is not much we can share at this point, but things are encouraging enough to keep the dream alive. In the meantime, we're trying to refine our thinking about the device's overall form factor. [Continue...]
More About: Form , Factor , Actor

Redux Model 1
2007-09-11 12:03:00
For the first Office 2.0 Conference, every attendee, including the press, was given an iPod nano. For the second, everyone got an iPhone, at the exception of the media. For the third one, we will attempt something that has a very low likelihood of success: building our very own device. [Continue...]
More About: Model