UbiDuo 1 grows up, into UbiDuo 2

sComm has come a very long way since that life changing day with my dad.  It started out as my father trying to communicate better with me as his son, and has now evolved into a company whose mission is empowering those that are deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing.  You can watch the video of my father, David Curry, sComm co-founder and original inventor, tell how the UbiDuo came into being at https://www.scomm.com/news/david-curry-ubiduo-2-launch. UbiDuo 1 grows up, into UbiDuo 2After 1.5 years of engineering development beginning in August of 2005, the UbiDuo 1 went to market on January 27, 2007.  It was funded by an SBIR grant with the US National Institute of Health.  During the research we performed, as part of our 2005 NIH grant, we used several focus groups to test the impacts of different keyboards, displays, and caches would have on face-to-face interaction. We concluded that in order to have meaningful, non-superficial face-to-face conversations, the original UbiDuo was the beginning of the answer.After six exciting and life changing years with the UbiDuo 1 on the market, we grew with thousands of UbiDuo customers across the world.  In March of this year, we finally launched the next generation UbiDuo 2.  The feedback we received from original UbiDuo 1 customers was critical in helping the sComm team design the next generation UbiDuo 2.There have been countless individuals who have helped push us forward to the UbiDuo 2 – those who love the UbiDuo 1, those who haven’t tried the UbiDuo 2 yet but know how powerful it is, and even naysayers who can’t imagine how the UbiDuo could benefit anyone. Already, the UbiDuo 2 has already convinced some earlier naysayers to try it out for face-to-face communication; and, yes, they have fallen in love with it. External Differences Our team worked extremely hard (physically, mentally, and emotionally) on this 1.5 year, next-generation UbiDuo 2 engineering project.  Size-wise, the UbiDuo 2 have shrunk dramatically.  Its case dimensions are only 9 15/16’ x 12 3/8’ x 1 ½’ (25.2 x 31.4 x 3.8 cm) thick; and it weighs only 4 lbs. compared to 6.2 lbs. on the UbiDuo 1. sComm also boasts that the UbiDuo 2 is 20% thinner and 20% lighter than its predecessor.  In fact, the UbiDuo 2 is so light you could take it anywhere right now and converse with a person face-to-face for hours.  Because of that, the UbiDuo 2 gives the users so much more freedom and exctiement – face-to-face communication is almost effortless. The UbiDuo 2  has an awesome rubberized housing with “diamond cut” chamfered rubberized around the sides and a total back covered rubberized matte black finish and corresponding glossy black fronts. We also upgraded the UbiDuo 2 screen to 7” widescreen color touch display, compared to the earlier 5.7” diagonal monochrome screen of the UbiDuo 1. The UbiDuo 2 has a recessed rubberized covered panel on the right side with 3 different ports on the case – a micro USB for power, a standard USB for transferred conversations via USB flash drive, and a HDMI port for projector or TV use for group meetings.  The design of the port plate on the right side of the UbiDuo 2 makes it much more convenient for the UbiDuo user. Hinge Mechanism Differences The biggest difference is the folding method: side to side versus front to front (face-to-face).  Due to folding at the front, the space to either side of the display is utilized instead of having to add material to the sides, resulting in an overall smaller case.  Also, the hinges must be shorter than the original due to the amount of room at the top of case.  A smaller J-hook and less material used on the sides to support the folding method results in a lighter, more compact design.  This revolutionary patented hinge design on the UbiDuo 2 allows for an exciting face-to-face folding experience. Identity Differences We were proud of the navy blue plastic case of the original UbiDuo 1 initially, as it made the tool easy to spot.  The UbiDuo 2’s design is also unique.  Designed with a matte black, rubberized finished, we wanted it to be crystal clear what it symbolizes – effective, comfortable, direct face-to-face communication.  We wanted to make sure that the identity of the UbiDuo 2 was symbolic and powerful. We also wanted users to be able to clearly differentiate between the UbiDuo 1 and the UbiDuo 2 by the case design and by model number.  Configuration differences between the UbiDuo 1 and the UbiDuo 2 represent the purpose of easier mobility for face-to-face interaction – anywhere, anytime, and for anyone. Wireless Connectivity Differences The wireless connectivity is totally different between the UbiDuo 1 and the UbiDuo 2.  The original UbiDuo 1 requires the user to manually connect the two units – a step-by-step process which takes approximately 10 to 12 seconds from turning on the pair and getting to the split screen. The next generation UbiDuo 2 only takes 3 seconds to set up – simply turn it on, and the split screen appears automatically.   The built in wireless network inside the UbiDuo 2 runs on a 2.4. GHz Zigbee wireless transceiver with a 300 feet wireless line of sight distance.  It doesn’t depend on cellular towers, WiFi, or other “fee for service” wireless services. Battery Life Differences The original UbiDuo 1 had an expected battery life of 4-8 hours, depending on face-to-face usage.  sComm made a significant investment to improve the battery life of the next generation UbiDuo 2, increasing the battery life to 10-15 hours.  Early reports from some new UbiDuo 2 users said that they were able to use the UbiDuo 2 for about 20 hours – without having to charge the battery.  For the UbiDuo 2, sComm estimates 10 hours of face-to-face communication and continues to improve on its already efficient power management. Internal Differences The engineers designed the very first operating system for the UbiDuo 2 called the UbiOS.  The UbiOS packs a twice as fast 208Mhz NXP ARM 9 processor CPU processor as well as 64MB of DDR memory along with 128 MB of NAND flash used for the UbiOS and user data UbiOS & Software Differences The new UbiOS only runs only on the UbiDuo 2, and brings with it brand new features that are not available on the UbiDuo 1 original operating system.  The UbiOS has numerous new features that were developed to maximize face-to-face interaction. Only through the UbiOS, the UbiDuo 2 allows the user various split screen options like horizontal or vertical split mode. You customize the split screen by choosing the top or bottom or left or right split to type and read on.  You even have the capability to run the UbiOS on a projector with an HDMI connection, allowing you to participate in a group meeting where everyone can read and see what everyone is saying simultaneously.  You can customize the font and split with different colors, font sizes, or font style for low vision users.  The UbiOS allows the user to configure the UbiDuo 2 as a  wired connection and disable the wireless for security reasons.  You can learn more about how the UbiOS operates at www.sComm.com/UbiOS. Comparison Chart These contrasting differences — display, materials, connectivity, identity, battery life, processor, storage, and UbiOS — are summarized below for your convenience: