MEX

MEX note: This Engadget article surfaces pictures of a possible Motorola sub-device, designed to be mounted like a watch on a wrist-strap. It would provide music and GPS fitness tracking, as well as pairing with the user’s phone and PC. Much of the discussion around multi-touchpoint user experiences has presumed the phone to be the smallest screen in the chain. However, our explorations of MEX Pathway #2 at the December 2010 and May 2011 MEX events took a different direction, looking at the emerging category of sub-devices such as wearable displays, digital wrist watches and phone 'companions'. Sony Ericsson's LiveView was among the first commercial offerings in this area, while a Kickstarter project to manufacture a wristband for the iPod Nano raised more than USD 1m from 13,500 backers in a month. Regardless of whether Motorola's product ever makes it beyond concept stage, I believe this overall product category will have a role in numerous multi-touchpoint usage scenarios.