Every year, Dell previews a set of concept products around this time, and this year is no exception. The company teased us with a Switch-like PC gaming console and a pair of dual-screen and foldable computers. Dell is showing off a few prototypes of "seamless work experiences" called Concept Flow, Concept Stanza and Concept Pari. I was surprised by how refined they are, after checking them out at a recent demo in New York.
My favorite is Pari. It's a wireless camera prototype that can be attached to a compatible screen so you can place it at eye level. This helps keep a more natural gaze as you're talking, and it also allows you to keep your notes behind the camera in a sort of teleprompter setup. You need a monitor with magnets built in to use the magnets.
Dell's approach is elegant. When you want a different angle, you can remove the webcam from the cradle that sits atop the monitor. The light is supposed to glow when the webcam is docked, but it wasn't happening during our demo. If anyone spies on you, they'll only see the black cover, so you can flip the camera around to face the back of the dock.
During my time with the prototype, I was able to attach the webcam to the monitor. The magnets were strong enough to keep the camera in place, but not so strong that I had to struggle to take it off. The stand that Dell made for Pari is an overhead camera that can be used for top-down shots. The magnetic disc on the stand looked like a thin, modern light and it was convenient to remove the camera from the screen and stick it to it. The version that I checked out at our demo felt flimsy and I wish the disc would have moved on a hinge to offer more flexibility in angles, but given this is just a concept, I will not complain.
Dell has some specifications for the prototype. The device is about an ounce and has a microphone on it. It has a light above the lens that indicates when the camera is level, so you can make sure your scene is straight. The cradle has a charging port. Since this isn't something the company is ready to sell, it doesn't have any information on battery life or a price.
Dell's other concepts were more about multi-device environments. Flow uses a dock to link all the devices at your home office. It allows your laptop to be charged while also connecting to them. When you return with your computer, the external monitor will lock and will not connect if you bring the laptop out of the range. Dell says that Flow is the result of bringing together "devices, industry standard wireless charging technology, intelligent software applications and wi-fi 6E docking technology to create a singular, seamless experience."
Stanza focuses on an 11-inch "companion device" that's basically a thin and light tablet without ports. Dell chose not to include cameras or speakers for a distraction-free experience. You can write on it with a stylus and double tap to convert it to text. You can draw a line through words to remove them from the app. Dell's system can convert imperfect circles into flawless spheres if you're drawing a venn diagram. You can extend or mirror whatever is on your laptop screen with the help of the tablet.
Dell doesn't have pricing or availability info for these designs, but it's possible we'll see some of them in the future products. The company showed off another concept called Luna, which is a way to make PCs more sustainable by making their parts easier to replace. We'll hopefully see some of the benefits of Dell's research into how to make products that align with industry trends, like hybrid workforce, soon.
