LICHUANG

THE PHONE WITH A SOCIAL CRUSADE

Do you remember what life was like fifteen years ago without smartphones? Or even phones loaded with features? We would spend time with people, observe the world, live life outside the box that we are now trapped in, known as the phone.

The O Phone is for the people who realise how tempting it can be to constantly be attached to your smart device, and also how pitiful it can be to live your life away just staring at a screen (the irony of this is that I’m writing this article through my phone). Taking the phone back to the time when it was just a telephonic conversational device, the O phone isn’t necessarily retro, or old-world. Its design is pretty neat, and boasts of a 3D printable outer body. The magic however, lies in the UI. The O phone strips apart what isn’t necessary from the phone, even unnecessary text; making it a phone that is easy to use, but isn’t an addiction. It uses a symbol based UI that is intuitive and breaks language barriers. Most would say that the O phone just gets the job done, but I think the O phone is a solution to a problem we aren’t ready to admit.

Designer: Marko Lazic