Will.i.am Introduces iPhone Camera Accessory with Slide-Out Keyboard

[Tom Sawyer]

I honestly thought this was a joke.

This may be the saddest accessory in the history of i-Products. Just...wow.

 

[SmileyBlast!]

This idea would barely have worked if the I.am addon was 2.5 milimeters thick, added 10 hours of battery life, the higher resolution camera, extra storage and minimal weight (say 50 grams).

The keyboard is un-necessary and looks like it makes the whole thing precarious to hold when typing. Its a high drop risk. It takes the portability of the phone and now necessitates a carrying case and a neck strap.
No one is going to buy this!

I feel bad for Will.I.am.

Crappy execution. No wonder they say that design is an exercise in trade offs.
What was he thinking?

 

[Nunyabinez]

A hidden feature on this camera is will's new "Auto-Image" software, which is the photographic equivalent of Auto-Tune for vocals. If you take a picture of an ugly girl, it automatically makes her hot. If you are at a boring party it automatically inserts super-models and a famous DJ. So, you don't have to have an actually good life to make it look like you do, just like you don't have to be able to actually sing to sound like you can.

 

[machestnut]

ughhhhh i just threw up.

 

[JayLenochiniMac]

Remember Steve Jobs was an egotistical nut job too!

At least he didn't make his products look like ghetto devices.

 

[ncaissie]

All the comments for this item are coming from one person.
Are you related to Will Psychj0e?

 

[nsayer]

Slide out keyboard add-ons for the iPhone just *scream* "we don't get it."

 

[12dylan34]

I think that this is perfect for people who don't know what they're buying and think that this is the best solution for getting great photos for this price.

 

[Tsuchiya]

It's a **** product. Just saying. A minor bump to the camera and a slide out keyboard? Seriously? Also at that price point? I'd be surprised if they were still being sold within a year.

On another note...

WTF? That you found any racist undertones is more telling.

Whatever, these replies were telling:

You know what other ghetto device has a slide out keyboard?

The sidekick.

What makes it "ghetto"?

I'm pretty sure every Lil Wayne listening hoodrat will sport one of these.... cuz you know, theres gold on it.

Oh where to start...

 

[DeeEss]

You've got to be JOKING. Ugly and useless being obsolete weeks before it saw the light.

 

[TsMkLg068426]

Is that suppose to be a grill from a rapper?

 

[dona83]

The modern one is not bad, if only it lost the slide out keyboard.

 

[tod]

Grotesque, expensive, and narcissistic! Is it no longer possible for a celebrity to create a product without putting his name on it? You know, a product that will sell on its merits?

 

[boshii]

If they made the "modern" one the main picture of the story this thread would be alot shorter and alot less racist.

 

[CreativeOutlaw]

Pat yourself on the back sir! I am clapping you for your achievement! You have managed to STEREOTYPE an ENTIRE board that you have also commented on. Well done!

Perhaps one day we can all celebrate when you take your head out of the gutter and stop presuming things all the time? Like what colour skin people you have NEVER met are or that they are all 'techies' which in itself is more stereotyping.

Well the white comment is certainly a bit of stereotyping, but I'd be very surprised to find if I was wrong in that statement. I'd also be happy to admit I was wrong if a poll was put up and it was proven.

As for "techie", the mere fact that we're all here to take a moment out of our day to comment on a blog who's entire focus is on Apple technology would appear to support that claim. I guess I'll have to wait for Merriam-Webster to add a full definition of said slang term to know know for sure if it's appropriate or not.

What you're missing is the main point of my post, which is that everyone was jumping on the bashing bandwagon without taking a moment to think about a product and who it was designed for. It was just a bit too reminiscent of the deluge of people ripping on the iPad when it was originally released with all the talk of it just being a large iPhone and teasing it's similarity in name to sanitary napkins. I'm not saying this is the next iPad in any way, but it helps to understand who it's designed for before you assume whether it'll be a commercial success or not. Will.i.am is from the Black Eyed peas, a musical group known for "designing" songs that will appeal to a certain demographic and sell... not the best, most heartfelt, or inspirational. Keep that in mind.

 

[apernett]

Awful.

 

[Mundty]

if these hipsters ruled the world we'd still be listening to music on vinyl records

Yea, because if there's one thing hipsters are known for, it's wanting everyone to copy what they do.

forget touch screen phones.

Head over to any cafe in Brooklyn and tell me what you see... iPads and iPhones. Yea, hipsters must really hate technology.

 

[Born Again]

Will.i'm not surprised.
Plastic and bling gold...

Wow way to be racist

 

[Builddesign]

will.is.not.cool.

 

[Prof.]

What... the ****...

 

[winston1236]

That is actually pretty sweet!

Yea! Its the phone liberachi would have wanted lol

 

[markcres]

It almost looks as pointless and vulgar as the talentless Mr William himself.

 

[kwikdeth]

for something this pricey its alarmingly lacking in specifications. is the keyboard bluetooth or wired? what about the optics on the 4 version? is it just cheap plastic or are we getting some quality glass a la Owle Bubo? at $299 for a slide-out keyboard and a lens adapter, yes, this is horribly overpriced. perhaps the version with their own sensor may be worth a look, but right now this is looking like quite the boondoggle. and i'm not even going to discuss the styling.

 

[jrswizzle]

There can't possibly be a market for this type of thing....right?

 

[KdParker]

wow...this is aweful

Let's see upgrade my iPhone4/4s or buy crappy add-on?

A little market research would have killed this idea before the first pitch.