The design clock Qlocktwo tells the time in plain words: “It is twenty past four” or “It is a quarter to ten” – the same way as people speak to each other. When turned off, the square clock looks like a word puzzle, but when turned on, its automatically adjusting to ambient light display illuminates some of the letters to show the current time. The clock displays the time in five minute intervals, but if you need to know a more exact time, there is a way to find it out: at the corners of the clock there are four little dots, which fill the gaps between the shown time values.
What’s interesting about it?
It shows the possibilities of language based interfaces as it speaks in a human manner. By using words like “quarter” and “half” the clock tells the time the same way as a person would do.
Its focuses on the relevant information. In most cases we don’t want to know the exact time. The approximate time, rounded to the nearest 5 minute division, is mostly enough information. So the clock doesn’t overflow us with unneeded information and still shows details in case you really need them.
Finally Qlocktwo is a good example that “hacking” existing concepts can lead to innovative and new solutions.
Nice.
I have a similar project at http://www.nicholaswallen.com/tick-talk.
Different aesthetic, but same idea.
@Nicholas: Great project. Like the paper aesthetic and the more random approach.
i don’t quite get the principle of the 4 dots?
other than that i saw the german version of this clock in red in a store. it’s a real eye-catcher!
Hi Orhan,
the words display the time in 5 minutes divisions: twenty past one (1:20), twentyfive past one (1:25) etc. The dots show more exact times like 1:21 (one dot) and 1:22 (two dots).
I haven’t seen the clock in the shop yet, but I like it on the images very much:)