13 May 2007

New generation of mobile phones on display in Dundee

The next generation of mobile 'phones' which offer an array of sensory delights will be on display tonight (MONDAY) in Dundee.

Students from the College of Art, Science and Engineering’s Interactive Media Design and Innovative Product Design courses have dispelled noisy ringtones, annoying text message alerts and ugly handsets and created six new mobiles. The new generation of phones aims to support intimacy and sensuality instead of voice calls and texts.

They include the 'Aware', contained in a necklace which sends a tingle down your back if a friend is in the vicinity; the 'M:ssage' lets the user send another m:ssage owner a massage instead of a text; the 'Hive' uses tiny LED lights to let its owner know when there are other ‘Hives’ in the room and the 'Boom Tube' lets people make music over the network, allowing people to ‘jam’ together remotely.

The phones have been developed by second year Interactive Media Design and Innovative Product Design students and will be available to view on the website www.idl.dundee.ac.uk/phonenotphone

Graham Pullin, Co-Founder with Jon Rogers of Phone | Not Phone says, "Our founding principle is to offer our customers expressive new interactions, rather than be driven by technological innovation for its own sake or by maximising our revenue streams."

"Our Spring 2007 collection features six radical products developed by a new wave of interaction designers."

Sarah McMichael, one of the students who designed The Aware, said, "This exhibition has a phone for everyone. Our aim was to get away from the unsocial mobile phones that todays world is being taken over by, to learn to communicate and interact with each other on a new level. The exhibition contains 6 new innovative designs that will interest everyone."

The exhibition is at the User Centre, Queen Mother Building, University of Dundee from 7pm - 9pm, tonight only. You can see the phones online at www.idl.dundee.ac.uk/phonenotphone

For media enquiries contact:
Anna Day
Press Office
University of Dundee
Nethergate Dundee, DD1 4HN
TEL: 01382 384768
E-MAIL: a.c.day@dundee.ac.uk