Gadgetory

welcome to the post smartphone era this is the device that wants to kick it off i'm michael fisher with pocket now and this is the runcible an intelligent object from mano when i first laid hands on the runcible my first question was what exactly are we dealing with here mano mullet among other things an electronic heirloom and when you think about what the company is trying to do civilize our relationship with electronics that label makes sense also it seems too large to be a wearable and yet too small to be a smartphone but to be clear this is a smartphone of a sort it offers 3G 4G and Wi-Fi connectivity it's got a camera and it supports voice calls via bluetooth it runs on the Firefox OS which mono Mo's because of its customized ability the samples we saw only ran demo loops but they helped to visualize the possibilities antique watch faces sure but also a fun new take on navigation a rotary dial er for the phone app and a camera that lets you focus by twisting the device in midair and it produces circular photos too if you wanted to notifications will be unconventional with the runcible it won't constantly ping you with beeps because it's meant to minimize alert overload you'll be able to get calls and messages from important people you designate but less critical pings like social alerts will get a broader treatment like these blobs color coded for Facebook Twitter and Instagram the software also leverages the unique form factor the digitizer extends all the way across the bezel and even the housing responds to touch so you can scroll and swipe without your fingers blocking the screen the runcible feels very comfortable in the hand the polished Riverstone analogy has been overused for a while now but here it really applies even without the wooden backs it's obvious it was designed to evoke natural objects you might find on a walk through the woods and mono is planning a line of accessories to protect and accentuate the runcible from covers to chains all using the single expansion port charging is Wireless with available chargers in cradle and cable formats using magnetic attachments this is a very early prototype runcible will be available later this year for about the same price as a high-end smartphone and much about it remains to be seen for now it serves as a reminder that between the steadily stagnating handheld category and the still uncertain world of wearables there's still innovation at this Expo of the future driven in part by visions of the past for much more from MWC subscribe to pocket now here on YouTube and also be sure to visit us at pocketnow.com till next time this has been michael fisher captain two phones on twitter with Jaime Rivera on the camera from Barcelona thanks for watching stay tuned for more