Wireless News
12-24-2013, 10:30 PM
Each week Ross Rubin (http://twitter.com/rossrubin) contributes Switched On (http://www.engadget.com/tag/switchedon?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&ncid=rss_semi&utm_campaign=Engadget), a column about consumer technology.
http://hss-prod.hss.aol.com/hss/storage/adam/874c67fcd8cff9eda195bd6c4c4bcf70/solead.jpg (http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/24/the-desktop-dashboard-take-two/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&ncid=rss_semi&utm_campaign=Engadget)The last Switched On (http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/19/switched-on-whats-become-of-the-100-laptop/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&ncid=rss_semi&utm_campaign=Engadget) discussed the contrast between the $100 laptop concept of 2006 and the $100 tablet reality of 2013. In that case, an idea that didn't bear fruit was succeeded years later by a different approach. However, what's even more rare is to see a failed idea by one small company tried many years later by another small company.
This recently occurred with the introduction of the Quirky Nimbus, a physical desktop dashboard that offers four customizable displays that keep track of your digital information, like the weather, commuter traffic, email and calendar updates. The product concept is very similar to the Ambient Executive Dashboard that a yearling Switched On addressed way back in 2005 with two columns focusing on the device (http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/13/switched-on-the-ambient-dashboard-moves-the-needles/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&ncid=rss_semi&utm_campaign=Engadget) and its content (http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/20/switched-on-sweet-dash-eats-cash-meets-crash/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&ncid=rss_semi&utm_campaign=Engadget). Contrasting that product to the Nimbus reveals that much has changed about technology in the past eight years, but there are still a few things that plague this particular niche product.
Filed under: Desktops (http://www.engadget.com/category/desktops/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget), Displays (http://www.engadget.com/category/displays/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget), Internet (http://www.engadget.com/category/internet/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget)
Comments (http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/24/the-desktop-dashboard-take-two/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&ncid=rss_semi&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments)
More... (http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/24/the-desktop-dashboard-take-two/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi)
http://hss-prod.hss.aol.com/hss/storage/adam/874c67fcd8cff9eda195bd6c4c4bcf70/solead.jpg (http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/24/the-desktop-dashboard-take-two/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&ncid=rss_semi&utm_campaign=Engadget)The last Switched On (http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/19/switched-on-whats-become-of-the-100-laptop/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&ncid=rss_semi&utm_campaign=Engadget) discussed the contrast between the $100 laptop concept of 2006 and the $100 tablet reality of 2013. In that case, an idea that didn't bear fruit was succeeded years later by a different approach. However, what's even more rare is to see a failed idea by one small company tried many years later by another small company.
This recently occurred with the introduction of the Quirky Nimbus, a physical desktop dashboard that offers four customizable displays that keep track of your digital information, like the weather, commuter traffic, email and calendar updates. The product concept is very similar to the Ambient Executive Dashboard that a yearling Switched On addressed way back in 2005 with two columns focusing on the device (http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/13/switched-on-the-ambient-dashboard-moves-the-needles/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&ncid=rss_semi&utm_campaign=Engadget) and its content (http://www.engadget.com/2005/04/20/switched-on-sweet-dash-eats-cash-meets-crash/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&ncid=rss_semi&utm_campaign=Engadget). Contrasting that product to the Nimbus reveals that much has changed about technology in the past eight years, but there are still a few things that plague this particular niche product.
Filed under: Desktops (http://www.engadget.com/category/desktops/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget), Displays (http://www.engadget.com/category/displays/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget), Internet (http://www.engadget.com/category/internet/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget)
Comments (http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/24/the-desktop-dashboard-take-two/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&ncid=rss_semi&utm_campaign=Engadget#comments)
More... (http://www.engadget.com/2013/12/24/the-desktop-dashboard-take-two/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi)