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This Phone Hovers in Space

Oh so you’re not satisfied with phones that connect at speeds almost as fast as you can click and hundreds of new applications that do everything under the sun each day? Well here’s something new for you then! It’s a concept design done by two industrious folks In-oh Yoo and Sun-woong Oh who want nothing more than to bring you a phone that spins in mid-air. This phone works in tangent with its charging cradle, its cradle, the phone and magnets creating a space where the phone spins while charging, creating a unique aesthetic experience.

First, the phone itself has a sleek candybar design you should all be relatively familiar with. The iPhone and a slew of Android-based phones look right along these lines, and this looks fabulous. Hollow parts at the top and bottom of the phone “ensure that it is being charged wirelessly” though how that’s accomplished appears to be a trade secret. The phone is thin, streamlined, and made to fit naturally in the palm of your hand.

Once the phone is placed in its cradle, the magnets inside begin to do their work. Once charging begins, the magnetic stick is puled away from the column and the phone floats. As the phone begins to float, the screen of the phone turns to a pre-selected screen of the users choice, one of several scenes: water gradually rising or falling or blue sand in an hourglass, for example. As most cellphones are charged at night, a dim light is emitted from the back of the charge unit for a unique atmosphere (and a simple way for you to be able to find the phone if you’ve got to get to it in the dark.)

When a call comes in, things get REAL interesting. Magnets on the bottom of the cradle activate, forcing the phone to rotate. Text and icon activation on the screen of the phone appear three-dimensional “due to an after-image effect.” This situation also occurs upon receiving a text message or your alarm clock rings. The designers of this project aim for this effect to convey vibrancy which cannot be experienced with a static screen, and vitality through animated graphics on the screen as the phone rotates as well.

What a wild and wacky and fantastical concept!

Designers: In-oh Yoo and Sun-woong Oh for Metatrend Institute