Top 14 Mobile Phones you can’t Buy!

I came across a few weird and wonderful concept phones and thought they would make a great subject for a blog post. So here you are 14 concept phones you can’t buy.

Sony Ericsson Concept – Is this fake?

Some say Sony Ericsson will release this phone in Feb 2007 but I seriously doubt it. Others say it’s a fake and has nothing to do with SE. The creator claims it will have 2GB storage, a 3.2 megapixel camera, an FM radio and a whole bunch of other features. One thing that is for sure is that it is one good looking phone!

Oynx by Synaptics and Pilotfish

The Onyx is a prototype handset that uses Synaptics’ new ClearPad touch screen. The aim of the concept is to act “as a remote for your life”, and, so say the designers, “because life is activity based, not application based, the concept illustrates how applications such as phone, GPS, music, teleconference and calendar events can work simultaneously.” Sounds pretty cool and looks good too, so it’s a shame it will never go into production.

Nokia Phone Bracelet Concept

This has got to be the craziest mobile phone design ever! It was designed by Jack Godfrey Wood, a student at St Martin’s College of Art and Design, on behalf of Nokia. The idea behind the “allmyfriends” bead bracelet design is that you create your own little personalised beads (in an “allmyfriends” booth) that you can hand out freely to all your friends. Once added to your bracelet you make a call by squeezing the relevant avatar-esque bead. When the call comes in, the bead on your bracelet will light up, and you can take the call using the accompanying ring, which includes a mic and also acts as a receiver, sending sounds up your cupped hand to your ear.

Nokia 111 Concept

This is the second design from a student at Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design. This phone won the competition organised by Nokia, and included designs from 25 Industrial Design MA. I’m not sure why this won; its main feature is that it “can be swivelled round so you can sit it on a table”. WOW, that’s just so innovative!

Three eco-friendly, hand powered mobiles from Modelabs

The France-based ModeLabs, has developed three phone concepts which are energy and environmentally friendly. First is the aptly named “YoYo”, which is designed to be worn around the neck and draws power from a combination of solar cells and the movement of the user. Second is the “U-Turn” which you charge by repeatedly opening and closing it. Finally, the “Runaway” is based on the same principle as an automatic watch, i.e. that the movement of the person wearing it is converted into electricity, which is then used to recharge the battery. Not sure about the look of the phones, but any device that uses renewable energy is a good thing in my eyes.

Nokia 888 Communicator

You don’t have to pocket this phone, you can wear it anywhere you like! You can roll it, bend it, wear it around your wrist or put on your clothes like a clip. It can also change its form for different applications; for example, when you want to talk on the phone, the body morphs into the shape of a good old telephone. You can then personalise these forms and record them. The bendy shape has been made possible by NEC who have developed a flexible battery just 0.3mm thick!

NEC Tag “Soft-shell mobile phone”

The NEC Tag is malleable mobile not unlike the Nokia 888 above. It is intended to hang from a belt or to be wrapped around the user’s arm. Shape-memorizing material and multiple pressure sensors allow the phone to change its shape according to the mode.

IStyle – concept

This curvaceous phone is unlike any other around. All the buttons are located around a central LED display, and the plan is that it will utilise a Windows based operating system and will come complete with MP3, FM radio, a digital camera, and Bluetooth.

Snaked-Seductive Extravagance

A design group call Product Visionaries, working with Siemens, have developed a phone intended to be worn “snaking” around the wrist. It’s a very similar concept to the Nokia 888 and NEC Tag, seen above.

The Origami Mobile Phone

This solved the problem of how to fit a large screen into a small mobile phone. The concept is made possible by the development of folding electronic paper thttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Electronic_paper. The design of the fold-out screen is based on pop-out maps, which use origami paper folding technique to expand and collapse automatically as they are opened and closed.

VOLS Concept Phone by Kddi

This is an interesting concept by Kddi, called the “Vols”. Like a flip phone this will offered protection for the screen from scratching and general wear and tear. However, since the screen is hidden it renders the phone pretty much useless until it’s opened.

Aeon by Nokia

Nokia’s research and development team have developed a concept phone called the “Aeon”. The Aeon features a full touchscreen surface that does away with the standard keypad, giving you an extremely sleek and sexy look that is guaranteed to turn heads each time you answer a call.