In our age of rapid development of technologies, jokes that in the next smartphone, in addition to a better screen, camera and everything else, there should be a function of a razor, a vacuum cleaner and so on, have already begun to lose their relevance due to the frequency of use. On the other hand, the rapid development of mobile operating systems (especially Android) and, most importantly, the emergence of the smartphone to the fore as a personal device for users around the world, have done their job. Today, a smartphone works not only in conjunction with a wireless headset or a hands-free kit, like five or six years ago, but with many different electronic devices, including household ones. Refrigerators have learned to send shopping lists to smartphones and information about which products will be stored until what time, washing machines – about the washing process and its completion, cars are equipped with systems with which some functions can be transferred to your smartphone, and so on. There are a lot of examples of such ambiguous, but, nevertheless, useful solutions. But there is another example – when something completely useless and incomprehensible is created and promoted as a new and fresh idea. Take Monohm's round Runcible smartphone, for example. They have already managed to come up with the definition of “anti-smartphone”, although in fact it is just an incomprehensible device.
The Monohm Runcible is a medium-sized round case that fits in an open palm. Part of the case is made of wood and, as the creators of the device promise, there will be panels made of different types of wood and, possibly, other materials. Also, the socket can be replaced with an analogue with an e-ink screen on the back, for example. The front part is a protective glass and a round screen under it, the main board and all the 'iron' are attached to this whole structure from the back side.
It is not yet known what characteristics Runcible has, because, judging by the interviews, the developers themselves have not finally decided. But it is known that the device is running Firefox OS. According to the creators, the choice is due to the fact that only the 'fox' allows you to display the interface in a real circle, and not in a round area of a square (which is better, unfortunately, Monohm does not say).
Runcible's main problem is that none of the creators of this device seems to know what it might be needed for. At the Firefox booth in Barcelona, at MWC 2015, there were representatives from Monohm, they showed one working sample of a device with a clock on the screen and blanks with different panels, but they could not clearly tell who this 'smartphone' was addressed to. Everything that is said about it is round and it comes down to this: Runcible allows you to communicate. Talking, going online, but at the same time does not bother with calls and vibration, and in general is a kind of middle between smartphones wearable electronics. But why buy a round palm-sized smartphone based on Firefox OS, which will be slightly cheaper than top-end devices from well-known manufacturers? You can always buy a regular smartphone and turn on silent mode on it, right?
What do you think – is there any point in devices like Runcible?
