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The Future PC as a Set of Pens?

Posted by michael on from the pocket-protectors-back-in-style dept.

Strudelkugel writes "The Wave Report covers a concept PC that NEC is working on, called P-ISM. (Maybe the name doesn't work, but it looks cool.) The design concept uses five different pens to make a computer. One pen is a CPU, another a camera, one creates a virtual keyboard, another projects the visual output and thus the display and another a communicator (a phone). All five pens can rest in a holding block which recharges the batteries and holds the mass storage. Each pen communicates wirelessly with the others."

20 of 327 comments (clear)

  1. Power Rangers Bastardization by DarkHelmet · · Score: 5, Funny
    Five pens put together.. Do they do ninja moves Power Rangers style?
    Just imagine, one pen a different color (Red, Blue, Black, Yellow and Pink).

    Camera!
    Virtual Keyboard
    Output!
    Phone!
    CPU!

    I can imagine there would also be Green, Purple and White pens. These would be evil addon pens.

    I can't imagine what they'd fight against. It would be the lamest thing since Gumby.

    --
    /^[A-Z0-9._%+-]+@[A-Z0-9.-]+\.[A-Z]{2,4}$/i
    1. Re:Power Rangers Bastardization by thestarz · · Score: 5, Funny

      I can't imagine what they'd fight against.

      Pencils?

      --

      c++; /* this makes c bigger but returns the old value */
    2. Re:Power Rangers Bastardization by physicsboy500 · · Score: 5, Funny

      No, no you,ve got it all wrong It's: with their powers combined they become: CAPTAIN PLANET


      the first pens that are capable of hugging trees on their own, and you thought your show was lame!

      --
      The original generic sig.
  2. Chew, chew, chew by Reinout · · Score: 5, Funny

    Cool, finally a computer I can chew on!

    Reinout

    --
    Reinout van Rees
    1. Re:Chew, chew, chew by Snart+Barfunz · · Score: 5, Funny

      To make up for the lack of front-panel mounted drinks holder, you can stir your coffe with your CPU. And if your hard drive sticks, you can stick it in your ear and lubricate it with some wax. Bad news when you lose the SQL server down the back of the couch though.

      --
      --- Yx3 = Delilah ---
  3. Hey! That's My pen!!! by Sir.Cracked · · Score: 5, Funny

    And you think you get pissed off now when someone walks off with one of your pens....

    I'm reminded of the old Kids in the Hall sketch. "Hey, That's my pen!!!"

    --
    Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?
  4. Looks neat, but by lavalyn · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I can't see the keyboard taking off. I don't know about you, but I like feeling the keys putting up resistance and knowing that I pressed the keys correctly. Well, that's what they've said so far about the infrared projector keyboard, and I certainly don't see anybody using those.

    That projector pen would definitely be nice though, I hope they make it project far and wide (and sharp).

    --
    Doing the Right Thing should not be preempted by making a buck.
    1. Re:Looks neat, but by Bushcat · · Score: 5, Interesting
      You don't have to use the keyboard exclusively. It just has to be one of the options available to you at any given moment.

      Secondly, there are a lot of "keyboards" out there that don't have any tactile feedback yet sell well enough: think of touchscreen ticket machines, for example (ooh er, perhaps there aren't any in the US since there's precious little public transport).

      Also, consider decoupling the projector mechanism from the detector: the projected keyboard is simply a guide for the operator. The detector is a robust, solid-state item that can be made extremely rugged. The "keyboard" could be etched on steel for vandal-proof phones with internet access keyboards, for example. Or keypads in extreme temperature/chemical environments. They don't have to be one of NEC's never-see-the-light-of-day toys.

      Finally, the sensor doesn't have to be configured as a keyboard at all. It could be a mousepad area, where you don't need a mouse: any object would do.

  5. We've come full circle... by chinton · · Score: 5, Funny

    You will once again be able to identify a geek by his pocket protector.

    1. Re:We've come full circle... by elwell642 · · Score: 5, Funny

      Perhaps... but the scarier thing will be that you *won't* be able to identify the undercover geeks.

      Meet Jim, your average cubicle-dweller. But this is a very different type of cubicle... there's no computer! But wait! What's this? Jim seems to be powering up his pen collection! And his necktie is a printer!

      --

      <insert witty linux comment here>

  6. Re:first by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    Doh off by a minute!

    =P

    Anyway, at the rate people lose their pens, this is probably not too great...

    Needless to say: NO, you CANNOT borrow my pen!

  7. Just what we need by SFEley · · Score: 5, Insightful

    As often as I lose pens...

    --
    ESCAPE POD - The Science Fiction Podcast Magazine
  8. voice recognition by fgb · · Score: 5, Interesting

    If they develop good speech recognition then they wont need a keyboard pen, the pen would then just need to be a microphone.

  9. The problem with that by Threni · · Score: 5, Interesting

    is that `virtual keyboards` are horrible. The idea just doesn't work. I have a friend who plays the piano and you should hear the BS that people with cheap, shitty keyboards come up with when they try and get him to play the piano on their horrible $200 midi keyboards.

  10. What is the benefit of the CPU in a pen? by oneiros27 · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I can see the need to put the other components into a container that can be easily moved and repositioned -- but the CPU?

    Unless they're planning on making a 9 slot base, so I can have the 4 I/O pens, and 5 CPU pens, I don't see a real benefit. And I'm guessing I'd see more benefit out of having the storage be more expandable than the CPU power. [I could always replace the CPU item, but having the storage segregated makes more sense to me, so I have my work documents on one, personal stuff on another, music on a third, etc.]

    --
    Build it, and they will come^Hplain.
  11. Personally... by Metal_Demon · · Score: 5, Funny

    I'm waiting for the one marker to rule them all!

    --
    Trust Your Technolust
  12. Chorded keyboard instead of projection? by Reinout · · Score: 5, Informative

    Not that those things have taken off, but this might be an possibility for chorded keyboards. Typing on a projected keyboard on your desk surface won't be so much fun either...

    (A chorded keyboard is something you hold in one hand. You have to press a few keys at the same time (just like a piano chord) to get a character. With just a couple of keys you can apparently type pretty well. Perhaps you could fit this in an overlarge pen...)

    Reinout

    --
    Reinout van Rees
  13. I just hapPENed to wonder.... by hardcode57 · · Score: 5, Funny

    ... if configured as servers, will they be mightier than the blade?

  14. Alternate site for P-ISM information by nutznboltz · · Score: 5, Informative

    since we're all slashdotted and stuff...

    http://www.nec-design.co.jp/showcase/

  15. New Computer, New Name by Simonetta · · Score: 5, Funny

    We should call these 'interactive pens' or 'pen-i'.

    That way we can truthfully say:

    "I do all my productive work now with my pen-is!"