+Flo
Mobile Device

designed by kim jiyoun

+flo / Pantech / 2008

Mobile devices have experienced tremendous improvements due to much technological advancement. A notable driver behind such improvements is the introduction of touch screens. Touch screens allowed mobile devices to have larger screens and effective, flexible GUI (Graphic-user interface), but also required developers to experiment with various input methods. Qwerty keypad is one of the effective input methods, but Flo is a more advanced and sophisticated modality, designed as pop-up Qwerty keypads. Flo supports basic functions, such as MP3, DMB, and wireless internet connection, of typical mobile devices. The keypad design is simple, straight-forward, and it resembles a chessboard. A plus-minus key to control directions is located in the middle. Flo’s structure is similar to that of a drawer. When Qwerty keypad is pushed out, the magnet under the keypad is also moved up, allowing the keypad to “pop-up”. Such design makes the hand grip thicker and more comfortable, and also creates fun effects.