A R C H I T E C TM E D I AE V E N TTarkkula Center, Varen Livet, Valkea A large crowd of journalists, investors, and tech enthusiasts had gathered at the Architect event, packing themselves inside the same auditorium that the company had used for occasions like this every year. There were also some privileged fanboys who were lucky to be invited to the event. One could make a hunch that most of them were running online blogs that had varying degrees of positive bias towards Architect and their products—something Architect would probably make the most of. There were high expectations for the presentation this year, especially among those who believe that something big was going to be revealed at the event. Nothing major has been revealed yet, since the presentation had only started several minutes ago with the typical company reports and new product iterations.
The keynote speaker? It was none other than the company's CEO, Kasperri Laitinen. He was now an old man, having joined Architect when it was first starting out as a computer manufacturer. But even though his age was beginning to show, he still mustered up the energy to deliver his speech with gusto as if he was still young. For this presentation he wore a more casual suit and tie, which was a bit of a departure from his usual attire.
"Now," Kasperri stopped for a moment and lifted his finger as the screen behind him faded into black. He clasped his hands together as his face was bathed in the spotlight. "We're finally past the boring part," he quipped, and everyone laughed. A graphic of minimalistic-looking electronic devices appeared on the screen. As he stared at the canvas, he began to pace back and forth once more. "Today we live in a time where we use separate devices for separate tasks, such as a phone, a tablet, or a computer. But we also live in a time where those devices are becoming more similar to each other than ever before."
He seemed to have the audience's full attention, for they wanted to know what did he exactly mean by that. The slide changed again. "Smartphones and tablets now have nearly the same processing power and capabilities as traditional computers, while laptops and desktops are becoming smaller, thinner, and more power efficient as their mobile counterparts. Simply put, these devices have become more consistent with each other in performance, energy efficiency, and software. Yet while they are similar on the inside, they are very much different on the outside. This is because of their form factor and input methods, which allow each of our smart devices to do certain tasks most effectively. For example, a computer is better at productivity, file creation, and storage, while a phone is better for taking photos, texting your friends, and other things you can do on the go. This may not sound like much, but it becomes important when it comes to using these devices together.
"In our modern technology-driven world," he directed the crowd's attention to a graphic of several devices connected by a convoluted series of lines, "we would like to have access to our files, applications, and other software anytime and anywhere. Some of us start working on one type of device and finish on another, for example a project. But our current methods of implementing a way to use our files, apps, and settings together are lacking. File sharing services, cloud storage, and even physical storage can be clumsy and inconvenient for synchronizing our devices. And so we at Architect have asked ourselves," he paused dramatically. "Is there a better way to implement this?"
Kasperri strode to the middle of the stage, his eyes glistening with pride. "Today, I would like to answer that question," he smiled, "with one device that can be all of your devices." And so he pruodly proclaimed before hundreds of people, "Ladies and gentlemen, say hello to the Architect Soma."
The lights around everyone began fading, leaving the giant canvas illuminated. A video played on the screen showing off the device. This was not a Rosetta, observed some members of the crowd. This thing was a thick and clunky phone compared to the Rosetta, as "thick and clunky" these days was defined as being a couple of millimeters thicker on the side. It lacked the sleek and mesmerizing curves of Architect's flagship phone, as well as its curved display—instead opting for a more industrial look and feel. It had a screen that stretched to the edges of the screen, as well as two rails at the top and bottom edges of the phone. What could this be?
The video continued, this time presenting the features of the device, especially as it was placed into various docking stations with different forms, such as a tablet dock, a laptop dock, a desktop dock, and a TV dock. Every time the Soma was placed into a dock, its screen faded out and the dock's screen lit up with the same image. Many people in the audience were most fascinated at the part where the phone was docked to the laptop dock and used as an instant trackpad. The organizers of the event believed that they've won them over with this concept, but time will tell if indeed they were right.
Applause erupted from the crowd as the video ended. "Once again, the Soma." Kasperri raised his hand and showed the device for all to see, earning another round of applause. The audience had never seen something like this come out of Architect before—many thought that this would come out of a creative project that some guy in a garage would come up with. Who knew that they still had that spark of innovation? As Kasperri lowered his arm he continued, "The Soma is a hybrid device that can be all of your devices. It uses docks to change its shape and user interface so that you can transform Soma into a tablet, a laptop, a desktop, and even your TV streaming box. It's easy to use: just slide your phone into the dock of your choice, and you're all set." A short video appeared, showing the Soma gently slide into its laptop dock. The phone's display turned off as it slid into the dock, and the laptop's display lit up with the same image.
"How does it accomplish this?" he asked the audience before giving the answer. "It features two rails on the top and bottom edges that can be slid into a compartment in a dock, holding the phone in place. There are also spring-loaded pins on the side of the phone that allow it to communicate with the dock, allowing for the transfer of data to and from the dock, as well as charging the battery. This method does away with delicate connectors that may easily bend or break.
He added, "The phone does all the work for you, while the docks simply change the form factor and user interface. To facilitate the kinds of tasks that the Soma will be handling, we've developed the most powerful mobile chip that we've ever put in a mobile device. This is the Furia S1 chip, and it can deliver similar performance to PCs right from your phone." The next slide appeared, this time showing one of the docks cut out to show its internals. "The docks also have some tricks of their own. When you dock your Soma to the tablet dock, the laptop dock, or the desktop dock, its performance is boosted by supplemental computing devices found inside each of these docks. These provide additional performance to the Soma so that it can do more complex and demanding tasks such as 3D rendering or gaming.
"There are many benefits that the Soma delivers," he glanced at the list of bullets that was shown on the screen. "Everything on the Soma is synchronized on your phone so you can use the same apps, files, and settings on all your devices. You also can use a single data plan for your devices, take your files with you wherever you go, and save money, time, and energy." His tone became more impassioned. "The Soma isn't just a new product, it is a vision. A vision where all your apps, files, and settings can be taken with you wherever you go. A vision where people are no longer limited to different devices for different tasks, nor do they have to create and keep files over separate devices. With Soma, they're all in one convenient place.
"We have another announcement to make," he spoke. "To power this groundbreaking vision, we have developed an operating system that can adapt to any form factor you choose, as well as run your files and applications across all your devices." The screen lit up with the Petal logo as Kasperri announced, "Introducing, Petal 10." There was less applause from the crowd than last time. The CEO went on to explain the Petal 10's new features, many of which were created to take advantage of the Soma's own features. The biggest feature was its transformative nature—the OS's appearance, input method, and functions change depending on its form factor. Aesthetically, the new OS seemed like an evolution of Petal 9 Mobile, but it seemed that Architect was going to tout this as a successor to the mobile OS and Petal 9—something that was still a primitive concept in the minds of software developers. While some were optimistic of this endeavor, others were skeptical. Just how were developers going to pull this off? After all, aren't the architectures of mobile devices and PCs different? If anything, Kasperri was gambling the future of his company on a concept that was probably too ahead of its time.
Once he finished, he was then set to make the big announcement that everyone expected him to make. He stopped pacing and said, "Soma will be available in stores starting in late 2018, with the suggested price of $899." And the audience applauded. "Any announcements for individual dock prices as well as bundles will be revealed at a later date. Petal 10 will also be available in 2018 as an optional update for those who already have Petal 9 or Petal 9 Mobile."