The perfect marriage between design and technology has been attracting attention in Las Vegas, in CES 2019. Its about Mui, which, to the distracted eye, is just an unattractive block of wood. But don't be fooled by appearances. This simple wooden block is more, much more. It is nothing more than a central control with access to the Wi-Fi that might as well feature in a luxury hotel. But truth be told, it's the kind of item you'd love to have in your home. u6x1a
The Mui has been a pale figure at CES since 2017, when the first prototype was unveiled. Today, it is a smart display that aims to have a decorative look and not just as an apparatus like the Amazon Echo Show or Google Home Hub.
Mui: practicality and innovation 46582u
Its minimalist design boils down to an interface limited to five very well defined icons on the main screen. Each of these functions is aimed at consulting the time, temperature control, brightness adjustment, access to Spotify and smart padlock service, which allows you to lock and unlock doors in the connected environment. It even uses the IFTTT system to other smart devices like Sonos, Nest and Philips Hue.
There is also a button on the display dedicated to Google Assistant which you must manually press before placing an order by voice. Unfortunately the voice: “Okay, Google!” used to trigger the functions do not work.
All functions require a direct touch on the LCD display, which performs cannot perform the functions simultaneously. Patience is needed. That's because, in the name of practicality, Mui gave up microphones. It is the amount paid at the cost of beauty and practicality.
The Japanese company successfully raised more than U$ 110 thousand dollars for your prototype in December, and has been collecting small victories since its launch on Indiegogo InDemand this week, which allows small companies to continue entrepreneurship.
It is rare and revitalizing to see a project succeed from its early stages. This was the case of Mui at CES, which this year managed to end its cycle at the fair by receiving the CES Innovation Awards.
To those interested, the device is available for the price of U$ 549 dollars on Indiegogo, but due to its success, the display is expected to hit stores for U$ 999 dollars. There is no forecast when Mui arrives in Brazil.
