The E-Ball PC: Radioactive pokeball thingymajig

PCs tend to be brick-shaped. Apple, NeXT and Cobalt made cubes. If I were Pharaoh, I would make a pyramid PC. Designer Apostol Tnokovski, however, likes balls.

Industrial Design [Apostol Tnokovski]
More info [Device Daily]

[#1 posted by aldenhg , July 23, 2008 12:23 PM]

Could there be a more pointless machine? It's as if it wants to be a laptop, but without all that easy portability. It's full of expensive (the projector) and hard-to-use (the laser keyboard) components all in a form factor that won't fit in whatever bag you use to carry stuff without smashing and loose paper that would just glide gently against the side of a laptop. Speaking of the projector, without using an absolute top-of-the-line model (further driving cost up) it would be completely useless for daylight. Coming up with new, interesting designs is a good thing, but when function follows form to this extent you have what I lovingly refer to as a piece of shit.

[#2 posted by w000t , July 23, 2008 1:56 PM]

"Designer Apostol Tnokovski, however, likes balls."

Not that there's anything wrong with that.

[#3 posted by colonel gentleman , July 23, 2008 2:08 PM]

Do not taunt Happy Fun Ball.

[#4 posted by dculberson , July 23, 2008 4:13 PM]

I think this machine has a perfectly acceptable point: to be cool. And it is.

[#5 posted by Downpressor , July 23, 2008 5:47 PM]

I've got a Cobalt Qube and a Mac G4 Cube, all I need is a complete NeXT cube to round out my collection.

[#6 posted by jimkirk , July 23, 2008 8:42 PM]

It reminds me of the "Smoking hairy golfball" prediction of computers back in the eighties.

CPU power consumption in the hundreds of watts makes it smoke. Surround it with a shell of RAM for fast access, and thousands of I/O wires make it hairy.

But yeah, not a practical design.

Now the shell of RAM reminds me of M&Ms. MMMmmm.

[#7 posted by pork musket , July 23, 2008 9:07 PM]

I really want to dropkick one.

[#8 posted by chef , July 24, 2008 12:23 AM]

Ahhhhhh ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

Check out the device daily link there - the concept images describe using a built-in projector on a "paper shit".

[#9 posted by chef , July 24, 2008 1:04 AM]

I also just noticed it says it's to use an HD-DVD recorder....hrm...time to update the design perhaps...

[#10 posted by things , July 24, 2008 1:33 AM]

you sure that's not the Okama Gamesphere?

[#11 posted by strider_mt2k , July 24, 2008 3:35 AM]

...he's holding a...THERMAL DETONATOR!

[#12 posted by raelnorth , July 24, 2008 5:02 AM]

I think I would get one just because I've always needed something to hold all the paper shit I have....

[#13 posted by scartol , July 24, 2008 5:06 AM]

It's the OoGhiJ MIQtxxXA! Hello? Oog crazy! Rip own head off!

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Super_Computer

[#14 posted by Anonymous , July 24, 2008 8:11 AM]

It's the "cool thing" from Megatokyo!

[#15 posted by openthreat , July 24, 2008 9:25 AM]

Just what the world was waiting for: a computer capable of rolling off the desk!

[#16 posted by Daemon , July 24, 2008 9:44 AM]

How very cyberpunk.

Love one of their pix though... check the caption: http://devicedaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/07/e-ball-06.jpg

[#17 posted by Halloween Jack , July 24, 2008 10:39 AM]

I can't hate a man for sketching out his dream portable computing gizmo, the sole purpose for which, when you get right down to it, is to make him the envy of all the other wannabe designers at the local Starbucks. I can sure feel sorry for him, though.

[#18 posted by Anonymous , July 24, 2008 7:32 PM]

More plausible uses:

Worshiping

Groveling

Guru meditation

[#19 posted by License Farm , July 24, 2008 8:32 PM]

I'm really the first one to be reminded of this? Awesome.