hmd global | GIZMODO.cz

Brands have very peculiar ways of promoting their products, for instance, years back Burger King ran a promotion asking people to unfriend 10 Facebook friends for a free Woopper. Now, HMD is taking a different but weird route with the head-turning accessories to celebrate the sales kick-off of its first smartphone, the HMD Pulse Pro.

Introducing the HMD’s Phonecore range, which is a destined conversation starter no matter the gathering you are heading into. This range of smartphone-inspired accessories includes a pair of Pulse Pro-inspired sunglasses that look like an impressive pair of smart glasses, a smartphone backpack, and a belt that’s made to hold your phone like a policeman’s walkie-talkie in the belt.

Designer: HMD

The striking smart glasses and other accessories in glacier green color are made by HMD in partnership with fashion designer Sinead Gorey. Made during the London Fashion Week, the eyewear is a little like a functional pair of smart glasses we have seen over the years; it’s a statement-making device with elongated rectangular black lenses and an oversized frame that mimics the screen of the new phone.

Besides the glasses, the Phonecore range in itself is intended to accentuate the HMD Pulse Pro unlike anything gimmicky seen before. The range of accessories has the industry talking about its oversized design and bold outlook, which ‘won’t make you smart but would definitely make the HMD smartphone, smarter.’

Along with the oversized glasses, as mentioned above, the Phonecore range includes a mobile backpack. This is a 3D-printed backpack which is big enough to only carry a smartphone. It is complemented by a toolkit-style belt with a pouch, designed again to carry nothing but your phone. Interestingly, none of these accessories are usable in real-life scenarios, it’s only to satiate your style quotient.

HMD Pulse Pro is a discussion-worthy debut smartphone under their own brand. It comes with interesting new features, which are unique to the sub $200 range, like affordable spare parts for at-home reparability, over three years of updates, and fast storage. But the aspect that kills it really is its 50-megapixel front camera with gesture-activated selfie features. The phone bleeds tech and its supporting accessories catapult that richness to new style heights. The complementing Phonecore collection will be available in limited quantities for style seekers.

The post HMD complements its smartphone with phone-shaped sunglasses, backpack and belt for phone first appeared on Yanko Design.

Smartphone usage has become a nemesis for people of all generations, and this addiction isn’t going to die anytime soon. Some try to get out of the clutches with strong willpower, others try to restrict themselves with minimalist phones, and most of us simply give in to the temptation of using the smart device. Eventually, those who can’t limit their screen time succumb to the overhyped online world and damage their mental well-being.

The idea here is to get super bored with your phone, so that you barely find it interesting, to concentrate on more fruitful activities. That’s what HMD Global wants to achieve with a translucent flip phone developed in collaboration with Heineken and Boston-based creative streetwear firm, Bodega. The flip device carries a retro vibe and lets you connect with friends and family via phone calls or SMS. Yes, no social media or other time churning apps on this one folks. Not even the freedom to connect at 5G speeds. Can you take that challenge up when everything around you seems ultra boring, and you have nothing to fall back on?

Designer: HMD, Heineken and Bodega

Those who have seen or owned the Nokia 2660 Flip will instantly be hit by nostalgia, as this tech-handicapped device is based on the retro flip phone. The transparent casing paired with the monochrome theme makes the Boring phone interesting, at least looks-wise. There’s holographic Bodega and Heineken branding all over the device’s rear to pep up its desirability quotient. Functionally the device is super boring but looks steal the limelight here.

The barebones specifications will not interest nerds we are sure, as it comes with a 2.8-inch QVGA (240x320px) primary display and a 1.77-inch cover screen. On the rear, there’s a 0.3MP camera with an LED flash, but don’t bank on this to take normal photos you are used to even in broad daylight. To kill your time, there a snake game, FM radio (goodbye Spotify and Deezer), and a headphone jack to listen to your collection of songs.

128GB of storage should be more than enough to host your collection and if that isn’t enough you can expand it via a microSD card slot. The 1,450mAh battery lasts at least a week on standby and 20 hours on calls. HMD has fitted dual SIM slots and 4G connectivity, thank god for that if you ultimately buy this phone and decide to go on an adventure spree!

The Boring Phone is limited to just 5,000 units worldwide and it won’t be available to buy, spoiler alert. HMD will hand out the transparent flip phone to users via giveaways, competitions and consumer engagement events. This will start at the Milan Design Week on 18 April, and if you want to reclaim your offline social life, find a way to acquire one!