I have been considering the concept of digital views for some time now. Given the challenges of climate change, living where one of the best views is not only expensive, but because of sea level rise and the possibility of flooding, ocean views also come with unwanted risks. I once dreamed of living where I could see and hear the surf.
But what is the view worth? All other things being equal, a location with a view will cost significantly more than one without a view. But what if you could buy a view and place it in any home? This is a LiquidView offering. Depending on how big a view you want, for $25,000 to $100,000 you can buy a stunning digital view and place it in any home, regardless of location.
Let’s talk about that this week and finish with my product of the week, a new backpack from Dell’s Alienware division that could be the perfect solution for those traveling with a gaming laptop.
The promise of digital viewing
As a child, one of my favorite books was The Door to Summer by Robert A. Heinlein. The title comes from how the main character watches his cat in the winter as she tries to leave the house every door. Having discovered that it is cold outside, the cat continues to look for a door that opens in the summer, where going outside does not threaten its existence.
One of the larger budget apartments I lived in when I first moved out was great, but the views suck. It had space for a washer and dryer, a large kitchen, two large bedrooms, and a decent living room, but it overlooked a tiny fenced-in yard, and the back of the apartment was distinctly industrial and completely unappealing. Although it was convenient to my workplace and inexpensive.
I later moved to a much smaller studio apartment with a decent view because the view was important to my state of mind. This last apartment had two-story windows that overlooked an almost exclusive small pool and garden-like common area. It was one of my favorite places to stay even though it was quite small.
I have long been fascinated by the idea of being able to create a panoramic view in any home, so a few years ago I invested in Atmosphere Window 2 , a 27-inch display that can be hung on a wall and displays distant views — some broadcast in real time, others recorded on tape. I still use this window, which shows views from the International Space Station, views of famous landmarks, and even underwater scenes that would make James Bond’s Dr. Noh proud for a lot less than a million dollars.
But 27 inches is not a lot for a window. You can buy and link up to three of these displays to create a larger view, but even then each window is pretty small.
Atmoph Window 2 | Image credit: Atmoph
Around $350 per panel was affordable, but the result, while impressive, doesn’t really provide the virtual viewing I thought possible. Oh, and you have to pay a nominal monthly fee to access over 1,000 viewing options.
LiquidView
Recently I heard about LiquidView , which has a much larger 75-inch and much more expensive Sony commercial product, but the result is also much closer to the virtual viewing concept I was looking for. What makes this solution more expensive are the larger panels (again, up to three) with commercial quality displays. The difference between consumer and industrial displays is that consumer displays are not designed to run 24/7 because they wear out, while commercial displays can run all day if needed.
When framed on a wall, larger displays look more like windows and better give the illusion of a realistic look. Like the Atmoph product, they have different viewing options. After professional installation (to hide the power cord to hide the fact that it’s a display), you end up with something that looks like a real window and is big enough to look more like a real window.
LiquidView Windows | Image credit: LiquidView
With the advent of generative artificial intelligence, these windows can display both real and computer views. For example, how about a view to or from Hogwarts? Or the view from the window of the “Titanic” on Atlantis or on the fictional lunar colony in the style of steampunk?
Often when you walk into an office, the look determines how influential the person you meet is. Looks in offices are a status symbol. I once turned down a move from a large cubicle to an office because the view from the cubicle was incredible (it was an amusement park) and the office overlooked the rest of the office (no exterior windows).
When I worked at IBM, so people wouldn’t fight over cubicles and offices with views, they built a huge glass building with walls inside the glass, so no one had a view except those who walked on the walkways outside that solid wall. From the outside the house was stunning; inside it was like an oppressive tomb. It was a terrible place to work, which could be changed if the workers standing away from the windows could be given a digital image to choose from.
I can imagine a future where the real view is less valuable than the digital view, and some kids who grew up with a digital view are upset that they can’t change the view in the window of their next house.
However, the cost is not trivial. A single panel costs about $25,000, and a three-panel solution, where the technology really shines, costs about $100,000. Also, retrofitting can be a challenge if you can’t find an empty wall in which to use a window.
I hope this solution is best if it is designed into a house, condo or apartment, instead of having to retrofit, because $100,000 added to the value of a house that would otherwise not look like it should increase the property value to offset the Cost . But removing existing windows to install a digital window in a home that wasn’t designed for it can be difficult.
Additional benefits
The cost of the technology falls over time. If the price of this screening solution were closer to the cost of a glass double or triple window and were widely used in homes, you would get some secondary benefits.
One is that windows are very permeable to heat, so losing them should save you a significant amount of cooling and heating costs and reduce the load on your heater and air conditioner. In areas with high winds, hurricanes, tornadoes, etc., a house explosion is often caused by a broken window, which causes excess pressure in the house. If you don’t have windows, your home is much more likely to survive high winds.
After all, burglars use windows to protect the home and break into the home if the front door is secure. Losing the windows will make the house more physically secure. Also, as we move more and more into homes, printed on 3D printing not having to solve the structural problems of installing windows will reduce the cost of construction and significantly increase the speed of construction.
However, you should consider the limited ability to leave your home in the event of a fire. This issue should be taken into account when designing a house with digital viewing.
Summing up
The metaverse is talked about a lot—more so this month, given that Microsoft just exited the segment. But what if you had digital windows and a view of this recreated world, so you could create any scene you wanted, and the only limit was your imagination?
Imagine a plant manager working remotely, looking from home at digital twins that represent the inside of the plant they manage. Or a port manager can remotely see the port he manages from his home office as if he were in a place with a large window. Plus, they can have a view of their home, pets or children while in the office for peace of mind.
Or you can have your living room view automatically switch to your home security cameras if motion is detected.
My home office has a large window, but the view of the river that flows behind my house is on the opposite side of the house from my office. With a digital window, I could move this view to see the river instead of my driveway, which I see now.
My hope is that virtual landscapes are our future, and companies like Atmoph and LiquidView are creating that future for us today.
Alienware Horizon 18 Travel Backpack
Gaming on the road is potentially awesome. With increased bandwidth on airplanes and Wi-Fi available in airports and hotels, being able to kill time while gaming should be one way to beat boredom and homesickness and avoid the hassles of travel.
However, there are a few problems. There’s still not much room for a gaming laptop and mouse on an airplane, and gaming laptops tend to be big and heavy, making them difficult to carry around.
I once carried a large Gateway gaming laptop that was so heavy that when I pulled the backpack out of the car and slung it over my shoulder, the zipper popped and the computer floated across the parking lot (which didn’t end well). laptop). I recently traveled with Alienware’s latest 17-inch laptop. After I put it together with the power supply, I didn’t have enough room for a lot of other things, so I had to shoehorn the laptop into the bag.
Alienware Horizon Travel Backpack 18 which costs $149, is the closest thing to a perfect gaming backpack I’ve found.
Alienware Horizon 18 | Travel Backpack Image credit: Dell
It has strong zippers that shouldn’t pop, is big enough to carry a gaming laptop and power supply while leaving room for clothes and travel essentials, and features an attractive Alienware logo — but not so over-the-top that you’re embarrassed. if your boss or co-workers saw you with it.
This backpack also has an RFID-safe pocket where you can place your credit cards to protect them from remote scanning.
Image credit: Dell
It’s weather-resistant (water and laptops don’t mix), shock-resistant, has a great shoulder pad, is TSA-friendly, and has a scratch-resistant interior coating. backpack. TSA convenience means you can open your backpack without removing your laptop to go through TSA screening, which is much less of a hassle when going through the TSA scanning process.
The Alienware Horizon Travel Backpack 18 has a nice design and meets the needs of mobile gamers, and it’s my product of the week.
Rob Enderle has been a columnist for ECT News Network since 2003. His areas of interest include artificial intelligence, autonomous driving, drones, personal technology, emerging technologies, regulation, litigation, M&E and technology in policy. He has an MBA degree in human resources, marketing and informatics. He is also a certified management accountant. Enderle is now president and chief analyst Enderle Group , a consulting company serving the technology industry. He previously worked as a senior researcher at Giga Information Group and Forrester.
