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Ericsson have been demonstrating their new computer concept design for the year 2020 at the Taiwan Broadband show.

It’s being called The Ericsson Spider PC concept for obvious reasons. The thing looks more like a spider on legs than anything you could call a computer.

Apparently the device, if it ever got off the ground, would have all the features of a modern day laptop including Wi-Fi. However, it looks nothing like anything you’ve seen before.

The computer on show made use of a pico-projected screen and a laser projected keyboard. So what we’d basically have is a virtual screen projected onto a wall and virtual keyboard projected on to a desk or table or any other hard surface.

I’ve got to say the idea of projecting a screen and a keyboard instead of having the hassle of solid items of equipment to carry around is an interesting and strangely appealing idea.

On saying that I can’t quite see how it would take off as a transportable computer device, I mean how are we going to project the screen onto a café wall and what would we do on the train or at the airport and portability is what it’s all about these days.

Apart from the lack of project-able walls when out on the move, even if you did find one in public, everyone else in the vicinity would be able to read your ramblings on screen.

That’s just one example, I’m sure we could all think of more. I suppose in the home it could be kinda cool though, certainly better than the bulky desktops.

The biggest problem I see is actually the timescale of 2020. We all know how quickly the world of technology can change. By the time 2012 comes along far less 2020, things are likely to be massively different than what they are now, with heaps of new technological inventions and gadgets on the go.

What Ericsson was demonstrating was a sort of working prototype but only to give you the general idea, the components required to fit into a fully functional working device are too big at the moment. It’s quite possible that the design will be obsolete before it even gets started.

Reminds me a bit of what futuristic predictions in the not so distant past were like. We would all be wearing metallic clothing by now if they had been right.

Still, the spider concept computer is a cool design.