IT|Redux

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Articles: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7

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...]
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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...]
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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...]
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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...]
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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...]
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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...]
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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...]
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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...]
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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...]
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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...]
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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...]
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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...]
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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...]
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The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
2007-09-11 04:06:00
The second Office 2.0 Conference is just over, and it's time for a debrief. Overall, it was a success, and we received some amazing feedback about it. Attendees had a blast, sponsors got lots of traffic, and the press covered it extensively. Awesome! Now let's review what worked, what could have been improved, and what failed miserably, in order to make next year's show even better. [Continue...]
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A PC as Good as a Mac
2007-08-31 02:52:00
Among all the devices a gadget lover can crave for, the OQO has been way up there on my list for a long time. Unfortunately, it was not distributed by any major retail chain when it was first release, which made it difficult to get a sense for its fairly unique form factor. Last year, I got to play with the model 01 and was quite impressed. But this year, we signed OQO as sponsor for the Office 2.0 Conference, and we got sample units of the model 02 to showcase on the Mobility Area. Here are my first impressions about the device. [Continue...]
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Office 2.0 Unconference
2007-08-30 20:42:00
The Office 2.0 Conference will be preceded by an Unconference (aka Open Space) kindly organized by Kaliya Hamlin, Identity Woman, and Ross Mayfied, Socialtext CEO. The unconference is open to all conference attendees, as well as the general public. It will take place on September 5th, 2007, from 9:00AM to 5:00PM in the Impressionist room at the St. Regis Hotel, San Francisco, CA. Registration is now open. [Continue...]
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iPhones Shipping
2007-08-28 07:31:00
Organizing a conference is a little bit like staging fireworks: it's a lot of tedious work for a short yet memorable experience, all the more so as you get to share it with a lot of people. The Office 2.0 Conference is not different, but some people get to do most of the tedious work, without enjoying much of the spectacle in the end. So is the case for my better half May, and I thought that she deserved a little bit of credit. Here is what she is working on in the background. [Continue...]
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Got WiFi
2007-08-17 07:38:00
The one thing that people did not like about last year's Office 2.0 Conference was the poor quality of the network. At the time, the St. Regis Hotel had a 3Mbps connection to the Internet, with a third allocated to hotel rooms, a third to meeting rooms, and a third to public areas. With about 450 attendees, that sure was not sufficient. When we talked to their IT folks earlier this year, they proudly told us that they had doubled their capacity, bringing it to 6Mbps. Needless to say, we were not that impressed, and went looking for a better solution. What we found is almost akin to science fiction, and here is the story of how we got there. [Continue...]
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PlayStation 3 for Office 2.0 in the Living Room
2007-08-08 21:01:00
So you've decided to attend the Office 2.0 Conference, but you already own an iPhone, and you would not have much use for another one. Well, you're not the only one in this position, and we have been working hard to find a suitable alternative gift that could be used with Office 2.0 applications. If you already own an iPhone, it's likely that you do not need any other mobile device, therefore we looked for a static one, and our choice went to the Sony PlayStation 3. [Continue...]
More About: Living , Playstation , Living Room , Playstation 3

The Most Beautiful Demo Pod Ever
2007-08-07 22:06:00
Last year's demo pods where cool, but this year's will set a new standard, thanks to Apple's release of brand new iMac computers. With their black and silver cases, they will perfectly match the Dell SE198WFP screens we will use to display the logos of our sponsors for the conference. And much like last year, all these sleek iMacs will be on sale immediately after the conference for a cool 17% off retail price. [Continue...]
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Name Tags and Signage
2007-07-30 08:24:00
Our quest for a paperless conference is coming to an end. The weekend was quite productive, and we found solutions for badges and signage, for both demo pods and meeting rooms. We are now ready to order 60 iMac computers and 60 flat panel displays. We will keep the displays for future events, but the iMacs will go on sale immediately after the conference. If you want to get one (or more) for 15% off retail, please feel free drop us a line. [Continue...]
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The Quest for a Paperless Conference
2007-07-28 18:16:00
One of our goals for this year's Office 2.0 Conference is to go completely paperless. From a back-office standpoint, we're pretty much done, and our setup is doing wonders. So the real challenge is to get rid of any printed materials during the conference itself. Our two biggest problems are sponsor logos on demo pods, and name tags worn by attendees. Here is how we are trying to solve them. [Continue...]
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The Need for Speed
2007-07-28 03:44:00
For me, producing the Office 2.0 Conference is nothing more than a hobby, and the reason why we organize everything in the last two months that precede the event is just so that we do not get distracted by it during the rest of the year. This also contributes to create a sense of urgency, which from the outside looks like momentum, and momentum is a critical success factor for any conference business, or any business for that matter. In other words, we've got a perfect example of self-fulfilling prophecy at play. Unfortunately, this also creates a situation where a lot of things have to be done in a record time, and the need for speed is never felt so acutely than during these two Summer months. Here come EchoSign and the iPhone, two perfect examples of Office 2.0 productivity tools that will help you get things done, faster than you ever thought was possible. [Continue...]
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OpenSAM is Promising
2007-07-27 01:58:00
The Office 2.0 Bug Tracker created more than a year ago is not evolving much these days, and there is a very simple reason for that: most of the bugs that have been identified early on, such as the lack of a proper infrastructure for single sign-on across applications, or the inability to copy-and-paste data from one to another, have yet to be fixed. Nevertheless, some dedicated folks are working hard to fix them, and among them my friends Eric Hoffert and Tom Snyder, founders of ShareMethods and iNetOffice respectively. Together with other Office 2.0 companies, they have created the OpenSAM consortium, which aims at developing the standards that will fix these bugs once and for all. What follows is an article contributed by Eric. [Continue...]

iPhone Experiment
2007-07-25 06:12:00
When Steve Jobs first unveiled the iPhone back in February, I was immediately convinced that this device would turn into a great tool for Office 2.0. This belief got reinforced when Apple decided to use the built-in web browser as main development platform, thereby adopting a pure Office 2.0 approach for all application developments. My first impressions after using the device for a couple of days exceeded my original expectations, and when time came to select a device that could be given to every attendee of the Office 2.0 Conference, our first choice naturally went for Apple's latest creation. There were a couple of problems though: First, could we buy that many devices, knowing that we are expecting anywhere between 500 and 750 participants this year? Second, could we get the devices activated before people show up for the conference? Today, I am pleased to report that both problems have been solved, and that every participant to the Office 2.0 Conference will receive a shiny ne...
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vator.tv Competition
2007-07-24 06:12:00
The Office 2.0 Database was created in March of last year, and references over 650 applications today. This means that we have been adding an average of about 1.4 applications every day. With such a deluge of options, identifying the most promising applications is becoming quite a challenge, and we need a better way for vendors to pitch their wares. Here comes vator.tv, an online pitching service recently created by a friend of mine. Vator.tv lets you upload your video pitch for an idea -- any idea -- and join competitions that receive the participation of industry analysts, press people, and venture capitalists. In a nutshell, it's YouTube for pitches. [Continue...]
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Office 2.0 Conference Website Now Live
2007-07-18 06:26:00
The website for the upcoming Office 2.0 Conference is now live at the o2con.com url, short enough to be typed from a mobile device. We opened attendee registration, press registration, and hotel reservation. We also issued a first call for speakers and started a conference blog. [Continue...]
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