Laptops Arena

One of the design entries from the 2007-2008 NextGen PC Design Competition we wrote about on TechPin.com is very similar with the idea that stays at the base of another laptop concept that you love, called Vaio Zoom Holographic from Eno Setiawan. You can see some pictures in the Top 10 Coolest Laptop Concepts article.

The Eternal Life/Flex Life Laptop, as Cristina Chigusa Matsushita and João Diego Schimansky liked to call it, sports a glass monitor with transparent properties when the laptop is idle or turned Off, which comes to live at a touch of your finger.
Eternal Life/Flex Life Laptop has wireless module, touch-sensitive technology for both the screen and keyboard, and you’d be able to assign different functions to the keys, as well as change languages or eliminate some characters.

On the screen you’d see holographic images looking like real 3D objects, which would be helpful for creative professionals who work with graphic design software. There won’t be any computer mouse, as the laptop features motion sensor to detect the movement of your hand. Like this you’d control your own computer by waving your finger in the air.
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For the restructurability process the designers thought in using recyclable materials and a green battery to improve energy efficiency.

The slip notebook would measure 250 x 370 mm, providing hardware capable of fingerprint reading, as well as wireless connectivity with all the other electronic gadgets in your home.
You’d be able to match it with any room decor because of its neutral color and shape.



I personally see it as a stylish portable computing solution that even if it looks fragile, might be constructed from the most durable materials existent in the industry today. It would fit very well style-conscious people, those that stay up to date with the latest innovations in technology, as well as persons who prefer to have an easy-to-use lightweight computer.

At International Design Excellence Awards 2008, the already got introduced to the Spark laptop concept, one having a special place in the top of the most innovative design concepts.

It was created for Strategic News Service’s Project Inkwell including the K-12 learning platform, which provides new learning solutions for students from kindergarten through high school. Project Inkwell develops international standards for teaching and learning at the pre-university level, using the K-12 desktops.

IDEO partnered with Project Inkwell and revealed this innovative laptop prototype called Spark, which could be used as a free laptop for students, just like the XO laptop. It is a portable computer with multimedia support, educational software, wireless data transmission, networking and sharing capabilities.

It can be personalized with all the required components at lowest costs. The housing is made of a soft material and together with the keyboard part, can be replaced at any time. Inside it provides enough space for a Bluetooth wireless mouse and a hot-swappable battery.

The overall design created by Martin Bone, Paul Bradley, Michael Chung and Gregory Germe is rugged, lightweight, and small, making it easy to use and carry around, even by children.

Other features of this laptop include an LCD display, fast boot-up times, low power consumption and word processing. It is supposed to be available in the future at a price of around $300.

IDEA describes the Spark as “a laptop-style computing device that will change the way K-12 students learn, collaborate and work. The design contains a special set of physical characteristics that facilitate its use by children and that allow parents and schools systems to support the platform. It was designed to help kids learn in any environment in a manner not possible with other media.”
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The International Design Excellence Awards competition has been honoring best designs in products, ecodesign, interaction design, packaging, strategy, research and concepts, since 1980, with entries coming from students and companies worldwide.

This is another PC concept that was sent to the Next-Gen PC Design Competition 07-08 and comes from Qiong Huang.
Ider is meant to bring several display options so the user to have what to choose from, depending on the use.


There is a small folding screen, a sphere display, and a big model for professionals. To control this computer you’d have to touch its surface and its sensors will detect your finger movements.
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Ider measures 210 x 155 x 20 mm and it features a ring mouse of 20 mm in diameter, which is also used for the input, while the third input method is the gloves keyboard.

If you take a look at the pictures representing the ider PC concept maybe you’d see that it isn’t a realistic idea and having so many different components, it wouldn’t meet a single user’s requirements.
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On the other hand, it couldn’t be a good solution for small offices either as each display component is too different than the others, having no common aspect. What would you use a sphere display for?

This is a nice PC concept with a simple but useful design consisting of a main panel and interface modules, all connected wirelessly. Gavin Wolchina, its designer, considers it to be a great tool that could be used with your home entertainment system.

The information provided by the designer on the Next-Gen PC Design Competition’s website is too general, without containing enough information, but let’s see the basic characteristics!
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What we know is that the Personal Entertainment Module’s main component measures 350 x 250 x 30 mm at 6 Kg. The remote piece measures 60 x 180 x 25 mm at 250 grams. There is the display that measures 420 x 360 x 30 mm at 1.5Kg and an earpiece at 200 grams. This earpiece, according to Gavin Wolchina, integrates a small display at 40 x 60 mm.

The computer system features touch-sensitive display to replace the need for mouse and keyboard, and accepts voice commands.
One of the device’s uses would be the download of videos so you could watch them on the TV in the living room using the remote, with the connection made wirelessly.

With the headset you could chat on the phone while browsing the web on the touchscreen display panel.
All the secondary components would recharge when placed on the main module which integrates a battery.

NOMAD was designed by Wes Rhoad and seems to be the best travel companion especially for those that like to go on the top of mountains or underground caves.

It measures 150 x 84 x 14 mm and looks like a shell. You could wear it on the forearm or upper thigh, and it is capable to monitor your health condition during the trip so if something happens to you and NOMAD detects an anomaly in your system it immediately alerts the authorities. Using the GPS module it provides the right coordinates so you to reach your destination on the most secure way, as well as a digital compass featuring temperature and weather information. Another important characteristic is its ability to record your entire trip.



NOMAD sports a display that can be easily zoomed or panned at a touch of a finger and a secondary screen with scrolling for menus and for the digital compass.
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This PC concept integrates copper piping coupled with a low voltage single quite high speed fan for cooling, a bendable translucent OLED touch screen, flash drive storage, USB interface, GPS, Beacon locater, a magnesium outer shell for durability, hydrogen battery cell for power, and would be made with injection molding, die-casting, and electronic board manufacturing.



You may read more about the Next-Gen PC Design Competition entries on the official website.