Intel commissions U.K. 'Wi-Fi chairs'
By Colin Holland -- EE Times -- August 13, 2003 (10:43 a.m. EST)
London, UK — "Wi-Fi chairs," constructed using recycled computer cables, have been commissioned by Intel Corp. to underscore the growing wireless Internet revolution taking place in the U.K.
According to market researchers Gartner, the number wireless hot spot users in the U.K. will reach 456,000 in 2003, and the number of installed hot spots will climb to over 4,100. That total accounts for 27 percent of Europe's total number of hot spots, ahead of Germany's 23 percent.
Gartner also predicts that the number of frequent users of U.K. wireless hot spots will more than double by 2005 to reach over 1.5 million.
Intel's Wi-Fi chairs were created by a design team at the Design Laboratory, part of Central St Martins College. The chairs contain "fossilised" computer cables encased in clear resin to reflect the end of the cable era. The chairs are designed to be placed in select hot spot locations, like train stations and hotels, allowing hot spot users to access the Internet and e-mail.
Jill Fehrenbacher of the Design Laboratory, said, “The aim is to inspire people to explore the possibilities of wireless technology, and we are already in talks with manufacturers about making them available nationally to take this further."
commsdesign.com
See picture at link. A little more enticing than the Microsoft WiFi commode!
theregister.co.uk
-well for me anyway ;-) Rob |
