Blog 5

First word: RADIO

Radio is an entertainment object. It has everything from music to talk show segments to information commercials. The radio has been around longer than the television and has lost its popularity due to TV and recently iPods. There was originally just the AM band, whose signal could reach stretches of geographical lands but the trade-off was sound quality. The FM band was later discovered and this band had a great increase in sound quality and here the trade-off was range. Until recently those were the only two bands available on radio. The introduction of the new satellite radio combined both sound quality and vast range. With satellite radio there is the drawback that one has to pay a fee in order to listen to the radio. FM and AM bands would receive their funds through advertisements; satellite radio had no advertisements but still needs to produce revenue, hence the subscription fee. There is also the introduction of HD Radio, which claims to have found a hidden band beyond FM and has no subscription fee.

As far as the product itself, it has come a long way since its earlier product design. Radios are both portable and fixed these days. They are also much more than just radios, they have CD slots and iPod docks for further music enjoyment. They also serve as alarm clocks to start your day off. They have increased their practicality and user-friendly options with programmable settings and volume control and volume boosting functions.

Second word: MIRROR

A mirror is a reflective object. It is usually placed in a restroom, bedroom, or living space. People use it for its grooming attributes. I have also seen mirrors that have a built in television monitor in them so that you can keep up with the game or what have you. Mirrors can be small or big as well as fixed or mobile. Mirrors are found on transportation vehicles for safety.

List:

1)      Mirror with a built in radio. The mirror would have a side panel where you have the same buttons on any other radio. The buttons would be touch sensitive and water resistant, with built in speakers on all four corners.

2)      Compact mirror that doubles as a radio with headphone jacks.

3)      A radio with a reflective side panel that serves as a solar powered energy source.

4)      A mirror shaped as a radio, etched with knobs and colored in.

5)      A stain glass designed radio (not really a mirror).

6)      A radio with digital clock display, whose numbers are mirror pieces.

7)      A radio with a mirrored touch screen panel.

8)      A radio with wireless speakers that have mirrored faces.

9)      A shower mirror with built in radio.

10)  A mirror with built in radio with decorative design on the mirror, more for a living space location.

One viable product is the mirror with a touch panel and built in speakers. There is a product like that already exists in fact. The compact mirror with a built in radio could exist it’s very possible. A radio with a reflective side that serves a solar power energy source could exist, although it would need an alternative energy source because what if through the night it fails and one misses the alarm. The decorative stain glass radio and radio etched with design and color could very well already exist. The radio whose digital clock is made of mirror pieces could exist but it might be break with the movement of the analogs, make them shatter resistant. A radio with a mirrored touch screen panel is a real option. A radio with wireless speakers that act as mirrors also could work, they need to be plugged in to an electrical outlet. The shower mirror already exists. A decorative mirror with a built in radio could be done.