There’s a ton of innovation going on at the moment, most of it tied in to the collaboration of the hardware, software and Internet industries. We’re really enjoying watching it all grow up, and especially when the ideas work together seamlessly.
The Nimbus personal dashboard is one example of the kind of thing that can be done, and although it’s not exactly new (anyone remember the ill-fated Chumby?) it’s still pretty cool. The idea is you set the thing up to connect with your phone, and it delivers a dashboard of data relevant to your life in a simple to read way.
This can include anything from number of emails in your in-box, to how long your commute is going to take today. The apps are generally tied in to Google services, which is understandable because Google is probably the most Internet aware company out there, but there obviously other services like weather which come from disparate sources.
But what’s really interesting about the Nimbus product is the fact that it’s part of the tech incubator and distributor Quirky’s plan to provide a general platform for new ideas along with new partner General Electric. Yes that GE. The new Inspiration Platform aims to make patented technology freely available to innovators without all the hassles of lawyers and expensive legal fees.
We’re not exactly sure how this is supposed to work in detail, the explanatory video is rather light on details and heavy on inspirational fluff, but it’s an interesting idea nonetheless, and one we’d like to see more IP holders consider. Patent’s are being abused all the time nowadays in the cause of more profits, things need to change. Oh and the Nimbus retails for $99.99.
https://youtu.be/NsQFOsOdXs4
Don’t count the chumby out just yet, it’s supported by an enthusiastic user base, and more importantly, the backend support service has entered beta testing on it’s revival, thanks to an equally enthusiastic new owner.
Oh excellent, glad to hear it. It was a bit sad that the project had to shut down.