http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/ Engadget Comments for Microsoft announces Next-Gen PC Design Competition winners http://www.engadget.com/media/feedlogo.gif http://www.engadget.com en-us Copyright 2012 Weblogs, Inc. The contents of this feed are available for non-commercial use only. Blogsmith http://www.blogsmith.com/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/May 16th 2007 1:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/photos/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/244099/]]>May 16th 2007 2:08PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/
]]>May 16th 2007 3:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/
This if proof why MS should never consider manufacturing computers.]]>May 16th 2007 3:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/Check out Gizmodo/Jalopnik's galleries. I stopped going there because of their crosslinking with their adult interest site. (Huh, maybe that's why their galleries are better). Anyway, I flipped through this gallery with a sigh. Is it that hard to be user friendly?]]>May 16th 2007 4:00PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/May 16th 2007 4:26PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/May 16th 2007 4:56PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/
What's the point of having these contest and trumpeting the winners if there isn't the slimmest chance in Hades these things will actually work. Anybody can come up with a catchy design (well, anyboday except current PC makers ;) but if it's not at least possible, why bother?]]>May 16th 2007 5:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/
And the four bullet points on the bee hive design don't even make sense. They don't even read correctly. Did somebody just string together an assortment of random buzzwords?]]>May 16th 2007 6:04PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/May 16th 2007 7:31PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/

great, just great]]>May 16th 2007 7:42PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/May 16th 2007 7:41PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/May 16th 2007 11:54PMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/May 17th 2007 8:47AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/May 17th 2007 4:36AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/1) "MADE in China"
Where are the insides? It's thinner than a laptop, so I'm sure the noise of the fan required to keep it cool will completely ruin the sushi tray motif.
2) "Zeed+"
This one makes me gag at how completely insane it is to expect technology to squeeze down into a tiny leaf thing for the sake of looking pretty. I know it's artsy, but artsy costs an arm and a leg to reproduce in the tech world.
3) "blok"
Again, where are the insides? I know designers these days love thin, but the real world needs innards. That "U" shape is also asking to get broken easily, especially around kids.
4) "BulbPC"
The only design here that is actually achievable and fills a real niche, although I'd expect to see a VGA or even composite video output there instead of DVI. The faceplate needs to be flattened if you want to actually plug things into it, as randy pointed out.
5) "Light up your Life"
The picture tells me nothing, which is a shame. It looks rather heavy for a portable device, keep the original idea and completely remake the case. A lot of the listed features are lightweight and are already appearing in current UMPCs.

I'm a design student, so I fully realize that designers are told not to limit your ideas, but these ones are just ridiculous.]]>May 17th 2007 8:37AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/May 17th 2007 9:52AMhttp://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/http://www.engadget.com/2007/05/16/microsoft-announces-next-gen-pc-design-competition-winners/
I think the problem with these designs is that nothing about the form is impossible to produce today (look at all the thin smart phones and the iPhone that are tiny, but have real computers inside them!), but there's also nothing about the designs that seems futuristic to me (except for the idea that your computer might eventually be just a socket in the wall or ceiling with the Bulb one). They could have come up with some interesting port designs (cause we know they're not going to stop coming out with a different one every year) or some kind of wireless monitor setup. What about a computer completely inside your mouse?]]>May 22nd 2007 8:57AM