The amazing music making phone you'll never own

Bend the Ondo to twist your sounds.
Bend the Ondo to twist your sounds.

Concept products are always a double-edged sword. On the one hand, they're deliciously exciting, but on the other, they frequently represent just a tantalising glimpse of what will never be.

We fear that Pilotfish's Ondo's music-making phone could be a case in point: it doesn't half look cool, but the chances of it going into production seem next to zero.

Made from "form-sensitive, flexible materials", the Ondo can be twisted in order to tweak sounds. The developer compares the way this works to a guitarist using their whammy bar.

Then there are the three removable display 'sticks': when locked onto the phone, these create a touch-sensitive display, but they can also be clipped onto people or instruments to capture audio (each contains a mic, we assume).

Pilotfish ondo

Pilotfish ondo

Almost inevitably, recordings made with these sticks can be beamed around the world via Multimedia Messaging, enabling global jamming.

Finally, there's a mixing mode: the Ondo is designed to be used as a touch-sensitive DJing device.

Pilotfish ondo

Pilotfish ondo

Although Pilotfish says that it would be prepared to push the device into production with interested partners, we have to reiterate that the Ondo almost certainly won't end up in your pocket (not in its current form, anyway).

It sure is nice to look at, though.

(Via Engadget)

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.