Dell’s wireless webcam prototype adheres to a screen with magnets
A few concept products have been unveiled by the company ahead of CES 2022.
Dell is preparing for CES 2022 by showcasing a number of concept products, as it does every year at this time. There was a Switch-like PC gaming system, as well as a pair of folding laptops from the company. Concept Flow, Concept Stanza, and Concept Pari are Dell’s new “seamless work experiences” prototypes. They shocked me at a recent demo in New York City (despite adhering to COVID-19 protocols) with their level of refinement.
Pari is my favorite of the three. Prototypes of a wireless camera that can be attached to a compatible screen so that you may keep it at eye level while zooming in on your coworkers. Aside from the obvious benefit of allowing you to retain your notes or script behind the camera in a type of teleprompter setup, this also helps you maintain a more natural gaze as you speak. If you want to use the magnets, though, you’ll need a monitor with built-in magnets as well.
I like Dell’s approach since it’s simple and effective. When you desire a different perspective, you just remove the webcam from its cradle on top of the monitor. There is supposed to be a light to signify that it’s charging while the webcam is docked, but this didn’t happen during our demo. Alternatively, you can turn the camera around to face the back of the dock so that if someone is spying on you, they’ll only see the black cover.
I was able to quickly and simply attach the webcam to the monitor while using the prototype. Magnets strong enough to hold the camera in place but not so powerful that I had to struggle to remove it were used. For top-down photos, Dell developed an overhead camera setup for Pari that I really liked. Using the magnetic disc on the stand, which appeared to be a thin and modern light, was a convenient way to remove the camera from the screen. At our demo, I tried out the prototype and found it to be a little flimsy and lacking in flexibility, but since this is just an idea, I’m going to keep my gripes to myself for now.
Although Pari is still a prototype, Dell has provided some information about its specifications. This variant contains an inbuilt microphone that weights around an ounce (30 grams). A light above the lens on the front of the camera indicates when the camera is level, making it easier for you to guarantee that your scene is straight. For charging, the cradle employs USB-C as well. Battery life and a probable pricing are unknown at this time because the product isn’t yet ready for sale.
Multi-device environments were the focus of Dell’s two additional concepts that were presented. If your home office includes a monitor, keyboard, mouse, and charger, you may use Flow’s dock to connect all of these devices to each other. Then, it allows you to connect to them wirelessly and charge your laptop at the same time. You can’t use the external monitor until you return your laptop to the range of the Bluetooth dongle. This is the consequence of the integration of “devices, industry standard wireless charging technology, sophisticated software applications and Wi-Fi 6E docking technology,” Dell says.
In the end, Stanza is based on an 11-inch “companion device” that’s essentially a tiny and light tablet with no external connectors. For a distraction-free environment, Dell stated that it had “deliberately chosen not to integrate cameras or speakers.” You may use a stylus to write on it and then double touch to turn your handwriting into digital text. Draw a line around words to remove them like many other note-taking tools. Dell’s algorithm can even transform your flawed circles with squiggly lines into faultless spheres if you’re drafting a Venn diagram. You can extend or mirror the contents of your laptop’s screen to the tablet’s screen.
Dell doesn’t have pricing or availability information for these concepts, but it’s possible we’ll see some of these designs in the future. Luna, a new concept unveiled by the business yesterday, aims to make PCs more environmentally friendly by making it easier to repair their components. For example, Dell appears to be experimenting with how to produce goods that line with industry trends (such as hybrid workforces and sustainability) and we hope to see these benefits in its actual products soon.
