Smart launches car with inbuilt cinema projector
The revolution that the Apple brought about with the launch of the iPhone, and subsequently the iPad, has changed the way that content is consumed by society. This radical shift has caught out many industries, with publishers, high street retailers and other more traditional content or product providers having to adapt or die.
We now need to see how other technologies can advance in the same direction, by providing people what they want, when they want it and, increasingly, wherever they want it. Internet and social networks has brought about the end of boundaries for information, so it’s only natural that we should also continue to see the end to boundaries of how people can access their content.
A curious example of this type of thinking is the Smart Forstars concept car (video below), which was launched at the Paris Motor Show. Not content with updating their city car, Smart has wants to house a home cinema projector in the bonnet. By using an iPhone and connecting the device to the car’s multimedia projector via Bluetooth, you will be able to turn any large wall into your private drive-in (who misses these?).
With the incremental improvement in access to wireless networks, including faster broadband speeds and LTE networks, we will no doubt see many more technological products that transcend their original purpose and become integrated content providers to suit the consumer’s thirst for their favourite film, TV show or musical artist.
Like many other companies trying to garner interest from the urban consumer and creating a niche that might go mainstream, Smart is testing the water with this new approach to sharing audiovisual content. Only time will tell if this will indeed succeed in reaching production, or if it will go the course of many ideas that never get to a checkout basket or the shelves and showrooms of retailers.
digitalhelder 