Haphone, LLC

Mopad Introduction

Mopad Overview

Shown to the right is Mopad in a string-tie configuration. Here the guts of the phone are in the crosspiece of the string tie. The earphones are connected to the crosspiece through a wire that is integrated into the "string" of the string tie. (Although the earphones are simply draped down, they could instead be spooled at the back of the neck to make them less obtrusive.) There is no display nor controls on the core of the phone, so instead wireless remote controls are used. Here, a call is being screened through a wristwatch remote.

The advantages of this configuration are: very fast control access (through the wrist remote), very fast audio access (through earphones conveniently placed at the neck), stereo audio support, and of course, hands free operation as the normal mode.

What's not apparent in the picture above is that the guts of the phone (radio receiver, CPU, memory, etc.) are not built directly into the string-tie. Instead, they are built into a core module (the audiocore), which is plugged into a receptacle in the string-tie and covered with the stylized faceplate that you see.

Because the audiocore is not integrated into the string tie, it can be moved to other mounts -- a necktie mount (for non-Texans!), a necklace mount, an armband mount for runners (or a sportsbra mount for women runners), etc. Worn mounts can be given a techno styling -- as with this armband mount -- or can be made to appear as jewelry or accessories -- as with the string tie mount. Such mounts are expected to be manufactured by accessory/jewelry companies (Swatch, Rolex, etc.).

Importantly, the mount does not have to be wearable. A handset mount (speaker, microphone, display and controls, but no built-in core components) can be used by users who don't always want to use a wearable mount. And a deskphone mount can be used at the office or at home. This mount is particularly useful by the side of the bed, where it gives the user a conveniently larger phone to fumble for in the middle of the night! Moreover, the deskphone mount can be connected to other phones in the house through the wall wiring system.

Like mounts, remote controls can take a number of forms. A wristwatch remote provides very quick access at the cost of a smaller display and controls. A slightly larger, handheld remote can provide better display and control, but is not as easy to access as the wrist remote. Other devices, such as PDAs, and laptop and desktop computers can also be used as remote controls.

The user can carry different remotes at different times and can carry more than one remote at a time. E.g., while running, the user might carry/wear just a wrist remote, but during the business day they might also carry a PDA remote -- or they might use their laptop computer as a remote.

Because remotes can be carried or left behind, they act like layers of clothing -- the user adds or leaves behind what is appropriate for the occasion. However, the user always retains the telephonic audiocore. So, a pocket remote with a built in camera might be taken to a party, but left behind when heading to a building or campus that does not allow camera phones.

Mopad Advantages

Safety: Hands-free operation is often desired for safety reasons. Mopad meets this need better than any current hands-free solution because it provides hands-free operation as the normal mode.

Talk: Mopad reduces or removes several major usability "costs" of current mobile phones.

Hand-use Cost: Probably the largest usability cost of mobile phones is the hand-use cost. Current hands-free solutions reduce this cost, but introduce other inconveniences. As a result, current hands-free solutions are used for only a small percentage of the total calls made. In contrast, Mopad makes hands-free operation a very convenient, normal mode of operation. Thus with Mopad, almost all calls will made hands-free.
Access Cost: Another substantial cost of mobile phones is the time it takes to initiate, accept or reject a phone call. Mopad reduces this cost by putting the display and controls at hand (in the wrist remote), and the audio IO at the neck. This allows a call initiation/acceptance/rejection time of 1-2 seconds -- compared to 10-20 seconds for a conventional handset.
Carriage Cost: Despite current miniaturization, mobile phones can still be a hassle to carry. Mopad makes mobile phones easier to carry in several ways:
- Hands-free Carriage: Even a small voice-only handset will often be left behind because the user's hands will be busy with some task, or because they don't have a good pocket or holster to carry the phone. Our wearable configurations (e.g., necklace + wrist remote) provide convenient, hands-free carriage.
- Right-sizing: Larger phones, while providing more power for info-warriors, are also more likely to be left behind. Mopad resolves this by allowing the user to right-size their phone by selecting the remote controls to use with it -- just a wristwatch for running or relaxing, or wristwatch + PDA for info battle.
- Styling: Wristwatches are items of style and status. Mobile phones have started to head in this direction but have not reached it yet -- style is still trumped by function. As a result, there are occasions in which the user will not carry a phone because it is insufficiently (or inappropriately) stylish. Mopad's separation of form (mount) and function (audiocore) allows the form to be matched to the occasion. (E.g., for women, a mount might be a casual necklace for a day at the beach, or an expensive piece of jewelry for a ball gown event.)
Off-person Cost: The very factors that make mobile phones easy to use on-person, make them harder to use while off-person. When the phone rings in the middle of the night, or while the user is in another room, its smallness and portability make it hard to locate and use. Mopad removes these off-person costs through its deskphone configuration. The deskphone mount simultaneously provides: recharging, speakerphone functionality, large form factor for easy use, fixed position for easy location, and extension to other phones through the house (through standard phone wall-wiring).

Data: Mopad improves mobile phones as data platforms in several ways:

Right sizing is described above, and is most useful for strongly visual applications (email, web surfing, games). These applications require larger screens, which increase the bulk of the device, and thus increase the carriage cost. By moving these applications to a PDA or game remote, Mopad allows the user to configure their system to the balance of power vs. bulk that's best for the moment.
Constant core availability means that the user always has some basic level of computing and communication power with them. With this available, the mobile phone becomes the natural platform for a number of applications: address books, calendars, electronic payment, identification, health monitoring. While these applications can be run on smart phones, the bulkiness of smart phones means that they're often not carried. But Mopad's audiocore provides a basic level of computing plus local and wide-range communication -- all of which are nearly always available thanks to Mopad's hands-free carriage configurations.