TELUS and the Ontario College of Art and Design have announced a Handset Project, intended to “teach students how to design handsets for wireless phones that will meet the future needs of Canadian mobile users.”
The project announcement says that the most innovative and functional design will be considered by TELUS for further development and possible commercialization. Also key will be the identification of behavioural and usage trends.
Perhaps the device to emerge in 2009 will provide a way for the carriers to differentiate in an otherwise “me-too” handset market. How about comments to help include your favourite capabilities? Can we get it to include a remote starter for a car? Maybe a TV remote control?
Earlier this year, TELUS developed a phone in conjunction with Chinese manufacturer ZTE, so this would not be the carrier’s first foray into the customer handset business. OCAD has been creatively collaborating on projects that one might not normally associate with the school, including getting involved in process engineering for hospital patient flow in conjunction with the Rotman School of Business at University of Toronto.