Right, I’ve not done a bit about fan-made concepts on here for a while, so it’s high time I rectified that. Today’s concept comes courtesy of NAK Design, and it could either be genius or pointless, depending on your viewpoint. One thing’s for sure, though, it’s got a name you won’t forget, since it’s called the WOOGA. Whilst that sounds like the name of an Australian town (or possibly a Star Wars character George Lucas created on an off-day, much like Jar Jar Binks), what it actually stands for is WOrk Or GAmes. And while it may have a silly name (and oh blimey, it really, really does), this is actually a pretty cool bit of kit.
Because what it does is turn your phone into a smartbook and a games console, all in one…
What it is, basically, is an accessory that your smartphone slots into, which links it up with the phone, and you can then use it more like you would a netbook (with the lid open) or a PSP-type games console thing (with the lid swivelled round then closed again. It looks to have movable clippy things, as well, so that it’ll fit a number of different smartphones, although until they’re all built using one standard connector, I have no idea how you’d connect them up. Although the phone in the concept piccies looks a bit like an HTC HD2, and that uses microUSB, so what the hell, I’m going to say microUSB.
So, yes. Clever idea…
(You can just sense there’s a ‘but’ coming here, can’t you?)
…but, I’m failing to see, really, the point of it. Yes, I know that many people complain about having to lug two separate devices round with them, like a phone and a netbook for example, but really, is the WOOGA going to let you replace a real computer with your phone? No. You’re still using the phone’s OS, after all, and not all smartphones will do the same things that laptops will. Plus, you’re still going to be carrying two separate hunks of plastic round with you, since the phone sticks out from the body of the WOOGA when it’s attached, so you can’t actually close the lid with the phone inside.
In summary, then, cool idea, but completely pointless…
And yes, in case you were wondering, there really is a Wooga in Australia. It’s in Melbourne, apparently.
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