Tame cube concept dishes out your availability status

Granted, it's becoming increasingly simple to just Twitter your day away with the smorgasbord of connectivity options out there today, but if you're just too productive to bother with that, the Tame concept is likely to become your next best friend. The cube shown above can be equipped with customized statuses that will inform anyone trying to contact you (via Facebook, text, cellphone, IM, fax, telegraph, can-and-string, etc.) exactly why you aren't responding. For convenience, each panel is assigned a color depending on the severity of your away-ness (i.e. red for "I'm on a 14-hour flight to Fiji with no BlackBerry service."), which can easily be glanced by the owner if dashing off in a hurry. Of course, this thing would be entirely more appealing if it included a robotic secretary that actually screened your calls and passed along those that were important, but hey, you've got to start somewhere.

[Idlemind @ Apr 10th 2008 4:55PM]

novel idea....

Ugly design.. especially for a car

[Seth @ Apr 10th 2008 5:58PM]

I think it's brilliant. The concept is amazing, but what else do you want the actual product to look like?

I can see new versions of this becoming popular.

[Lowest Ranked @ Apr 10th 2008 4:56PM]

No, I'm not going to say anything about the rounded rectangle on the right-hand side of the picture or anything pertaining to a certain character in a Portalicious video game.



There.

[STIEN @ Apr 10th 2008 5:21PM]

sorry but i dont get it. now everyone is gunna low mark my comment. but i have to know

and does it have a screen or something to change the responses?

[Lowest Ranked @ Apr 10th 2008 5:23PM]

I don't get it either, just sounded funny at the time.

[Matt @ Apr 10th 2008 11:19PM]

Just the mention of 'tame cube' made me think of said unsaid Cube.
At least it's in a better place now. Cake for everyone.

[Aguiluz @ Apr 10th 2008 4:56PM]

*Rolls dice*

"Call you back Later. I'm driving."

*rolls dice again*

"Running late, be there shortly."

*rolls dice again*

"Working offsite. I'll contact you when I return"

Aguiluz: Cool! A random excuse generator!

[chris @ Apr 10th 2008 5:01PM]

*rolls dice again*

"my cat just died"

mom: "hey we don't have a cat!!"

me: "oh shit =/"

[o_O @ Apr 10th 2008 5:13PM]

ha ha

[Mark @ Apr 10th 2008 5:10PM]

*rolls dice*

critical hit!!!! double damage!

[benjasmine @ Apr 12th 2008 12:29PM]

what if the dice rolled accidentally...maybe you had a sudden stop or a sharp turn while you are driving...

or something worse...

*Boom...You hit a car or a car hit you...
*Dice rolled: "I will be there shortly..."

[Lowest Ranked @ Apr 10th 2008 4:57PM]

I have a feeling, you may see a pair of these hanging from the rearview mirror.

[o29 @ Apr 10th 2008 5:34PM]

I have a feeling that you spend way too much time on Engadget.

[Lowest Ranked @ Apr 10th 2008 6:05PM]

I have a feeling you are not alone.


I need something to keep me occupied at work. There hasn't been a jam in the copier all day!

[Raheem @ Apr 10th 2008 5:00PM]

An uneccessary product.

[Raheem @ Apr 10th 2008 5:01PM]

An unnecessary typo.

[Lowest Ranked @ Apr 10th 2008 5:19PM]

An unnecessary comment.

[andres @ Apr 10th 2008 6:54PM]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eBGIQ7ZuuiU
an unnecessary rick roll

[Raheem @ Apr 10th 2008 7:44PM]

It wasn't an unnecessary comment, really. That's what I thought about the product and this is where I'm supposed to write what I think about the product.

[o29 @ Apr 10th 2008 8:36PM]

I'm pretty sure 99% of gadgets posted on Engadget are unnecessary.

[Dave @ Apr 10th 2008 5:00PM]

This would have been better if it was a TimeCube

[rockintom @ Apr 11th 2008 2:16PM]

EARTH HAS 4 CORNER
SIMULTANEOUS 4-DAY
TIME CUBE!

[Derek @ Apr 10th 2008 5:02PM]

I really like this, especially the "I'm driving" option. I don't like to talk on the phone, and especially not text, while driving.

[Lowest Ranked @ Apr 10th 2008 5:06PM]

RTFA:

It says they are custom messages, you can make it say whatever you want.

[Derek @ Apr 10th 2008 6:03PM]

I did read the article, and I just liked the example that they used.

[classicX @ Apr 10th 2008 5:12PM]

It would be great if you can "pair" it with more than one device, say, a work phone and a personal phone.

I don't see it being a must-have item, but for some, it may be indispensable.

[Lowest Ranked @ Apr 10th 2008 5:16PM]

Hmm, pairing the tame cube, a work phone, and your cell phone.

Thats like 1.5. pairs!

[Locke @ Apr 10th 2008 5:20PM]

Not exactly portable now is it? Put this in your pocket and you'll be "Driving", "Attending an important business meeting", and "Flying to Fiji" all while you walk down the street.

Why not just release the product as software that runs on your smartphone?

[Lowest Ranked @ Apr 10th 2008 5:24PM]

What kind of pockets do you have?!

[Jon Doe. @ Apr 10th 2008 8:25PM]

Because then you have to dick with the device to set the away message and it defeaters the purpse of the thing. With the cube you turn it to the side you want and set it down and part of the reason its so big, IMHO, is probably because of what is in it and you don't want it tipping to one side and changing the message.

[Luiz @ Apr 10th 2008 5:43PM]

Need more sides.

[classicX @ Apr 10th 2008 5:58PM]

A dodecahedron, perhaps?

[STNC @ Apr 10th 2008 5:53PM]

This is pretty cool, I would use it

[HMoth84 @ Apr 10th 2008 6:18PM]

I'd use it...if you could program convenient "alibis" ...

[Steve @ Apr 10th 2008 6:51PM]

Hmmmm, no icosahedron or zocchihedron? No thankee.


This is actually a great idea and hopefully it will make it into the general populous.

[Will Kinsey @ Apr 10th 2008 7:19PM]

Finally a companion cube for my car!

[ED @ Apr 10th 2008 7:32PM]

Is it weighted?

[Andrew @ Apr 10th 2008 9:12PM]

*must not develop attachment to sexiness in a cube, must not develop attachment to sexiness in a cube*

I'd use it.

You know what I mean..

muHA!

[John Stracke @ Apr 10th 2008 9:22PM]

"Of course, this thing would be entirely more appealing if it included a robotic secretary that actually screened your calls" -- Better yet, a robotic squirrel:

http://www.engadget.com/2005/07/15/the-cellular-squirrel-screens-your-calls-yes-we-said/

[|Geektorious Maximus| @ Apr 10th 2008 11:42PM]

Theoretically, what happens if one of your practical joker buddies gets ahold of this things and types in "I'm Screwing My Wife's Best Girlfriend" wouldn't be so useful when your wife wants to contact you then, huh?

[Generic @ Apr 11th 2008 4:38AM]

...no boss I was working but my son was playing with the cube at home...

[whoelse @ Apr 11th 2008 7:36PM]

I like it. So it looks like you just turn the cube around so your status is on the top. That's cool. I love!