BERG today released details of their concept “printer”, one that together with the “Berg Cloud” service behaves like a physical hub to your digital content. They describe it as:

BERG Cloud is our technology to move the smarts of products onto the internet. We think of it as the nervous system for connected products. Built to run at scale, BERG Cloud could as easily operate the Web-enabled signage of a city block, as the playful home electronics of the future. Little Printer is the first of our family of connected products for the home.

..and in particular the “Little Printer”:

Little Printer holds a compact, inkless, thermal printer. Its zero-configuration wireless connection to the Web (via the Bridge unit, included) lets you place it wherever you have a power outlet. Little Printer is constructed in high-gloss injected moulded plastic and the brushed steel faceplate holds the paper, framing each delivery as it prints. Little Printer lives in your home, bringing you news, puzzles and gossip from friends. Use your smartphone to set up subscriptions and Little Printer will gather them together to create a timely, beautiful mini-newspaper. 

See video below.

Continue reading.... Little Printer [Objects]

Few months ago Berg posted concept material for Suwappu, their toy design project with Dentsu. The project is based around woodland creatures that talk to one-another when you watch them through your phone camera, a form of AR. Whilst still only a concept at that time, Matt Webb has posted latest details on Berg’s blog including the iPhone app internal beta, where you can see Deer and Badger talk as you play with them. The app was developed by Zappar, whose AR technology brought Suwappu to life. Interesting feature but not new to CAN readers is camera recognition of objects without QR codes using only the faces design of objects the camera is looking at.

The real jewels of the Suwappu project are the stories that happen between these toys inside this new environment, one that moves around and behind the toy as you pan around the characters. As Matt describes:

Seeing the two characters chatting, and referencing a just-out-of-camera event, is so provocative. It makes me wonder what could be done with this story-telling. Could there be a new story every week, some kind of drama occurring between the toys? Or maybe Badger gets to know you, and you interact on Facebook too. How about one day Deer mentions a new character, and a couple of weeks later you see it pop up on TV or in the shops.

Continue reading.... Suwappu Prototype [iPhone]

Continue reading.... Hi by Multitouch-Barcelona [News]