Monohm Starts Pre-Orders For Runcible, The World's First Anti-Smartphone

BERKELEY, Calif., June 15, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Monohm Inc. announced today that it is taking pre-orders for Runcible, the world's first anti-smartphone. This model is a fully open platform which includes specifications and direct access to the electronics which will enable developers, makers and early technology adopters to co-create Runcible's possibilities as part of an open, sustained, collaborative community. The deadline for pre-orders will close on June 30, 2016 with the device scheduled for delivery in September.

Runcible, announced one year ago at Mobile World Congress, is modeled on the pocket watch and features a high resolution, fully round screen. The device includes wi-fi connectivity, a camera with unique workflows based on the round screen, and features designed to refocus users' attention on real people and the real world.

"Runcible is a totally new kind of device whose purpose and philosophy is antithetical to today's commodified smartphone. It's only natural that we drive a different and more open approach to co-creating its possibilities with our early adopters," said Aubrey Anderson, CEO and co-founder, Monohm Inc. "We wanted to provide an open reference device to unleash this creativity and co-discovery, versus taking a conventional approach where we launch a product that consumers are simply told to buy, consume, and replace."

Features and Benefits

• High resolution, 640x640 fully round screen and palm-sized form factor modeled on devices that humans have always carried with them: the pocket watch, the compass, the magical stone that fits the palm of our hand.
• Open Source, top to bottom: Runcible's operating system is based on Open Web Standards and the Android Open Source Project. You can build the entire operating system yourself and change it as you see fit.
• Discovery-centric: Runcible features simple interfaces which focus on clean summaries of our digital lives, and a curated maps program that differs from others in finding the most interesting route to a destination versus the fastest, along with other elements.
• Planned non-obsolescence: Unlike today's smartphones which become outdated or obsolete within two or three years, Runcible's parts can be replaced, repaired, augmented and upgraded, enabling the device to be kept for decades.
• No interruptions: Runcible will never beep, alert or otherwise interrupt us, enabling us to keep our attention where it has always meant to be: the real world.

A Community Approach to Innovation
The initial version of Runcible is intended to be a device which provokes delight, while serving as a platform for people to explore their ideas. Unlike today's smartphone, Runcible owners will not be locked out of the software and the hardware. Instead, Monohm actively encourages them to add to, expand, and experiment with the entirety of Runcible's capabilities, akin to the concept of a high design Raspberry Pi.

"We think some of the best experiences on the Runcible platform will come from the community, and when we begin shipping Runcible to a larger audience, everyone will benefit from this model of continued involvement and innovation," said Jason Proctor, co-founder and CTO, Monohm Inc. "We will also be able to directly support innovators with wholesale units which can be used to power their projects at scale."

The base pre-order model is available at $399 plus tax. To be among the first to experience Runcible, go to http://mono.hm to pre-order today. The full commercial model is expected to ship later this year.

About Monohm
Monohm creates innovative third wave electronics. Its mission is to enable people to elegantly and simply control versus be controlled by their digital lives, while allowing a sense of wonder in the real world. The company is headquartered in Berkeley, California. For more information please visit http://mono.hm.

Photo - http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160614/379408

SOURCE Monohm Inc.

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