Well Configured Life

Steve Jobs once said that people don’t know what they until you show it to them. This is probably why we have independent gadgets now vying for integration with features of mainstream products. Can your tablet take good pictures; is your cellphone smart like a computer; can your MP3 player shoot videos? Not only are we duplicating applications, we are also diluting the individuality of a device. I’m not going to judge on the technology wastage here, instead I’ll update you on concepts like the Lifebook. An idea that integrates a tablet, camera, phone and music player to collectively form the hardware for a laptop! They all work independently to support their unique identity and yet unify to create a magical device.

The proposed Lifebook is a laptop computer concept based on the principle of “shared hardware”. Currently a lot of hardware is wasted when we use separate devices, as there is often a lot of “repeat” of data stored and features. For example if I have my songs on my music player, why do I have to block the same amount of storage on my laptop? Similarly, if I have a processor sitting in my tablet, why can it not also run/assist my laptop? If I have a fully functional camera with its own memory and image processing power, why do I need to have it repeated in my laptop?

Designer: Prashant Chandra

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Radhika Seth
Radhika Seth is a design and technology writer with over 18 years of experience covering products, innovation, and the ideas shaping design. She serves on the jury of international design competitions, including the iF Design Award, and hosts Yanko Design’s Design Mindset podcast. A former Ogilvy advertising professional, she has also taught Communication and Design Journalism, bringing together her experience across design, storytelling, brands, and media.