28 February 2006

I want the Banjo version...


Found this article on the New Scientist website...

"Musicians could soon have a new instrument to play – their phone. Motorola is patenting a cellphone that displays the layout of a guitar neck on its screen, and allows its keypad to be "plucked" or "strummed" by a user. The resulting guitar sounds can be played through the phone's speaker or can be inflicted on a friend at the other end of the line.

The phone has the usual four rows of keys, but switching to music mode turns the keys into a set of virtual strings that respond to pressing. Turning a control knob shifts the scale of the selected chord up or down – like a guitar capo – or switches between different types of chord, like major and minor.

The guitar phone can be played live, to adoring fans, or a melody can be composed in private and stored in memory for use as a ring tone or meeting reminder. Motorola says the phone could even be converted into a banjo or violin at the flick of a switch, with strings automatically retuning. I fear duelling banjos in every pub…"

p.s. The picture is not of the above mentioned "guitar phone", but of a phone-shaped guitar. Thought I'd clear that up.

2 comments:

  1. Are these phones for sale yet?
    Do you know what company may be selling these?
    Thanks,
    Mary Z. Cox
    www.maryzcox.com

    ReplyDelete
  2. I have absolutely no idea. Motorola has something to do with it apparently.

    ReplyDelete