A magical object
The sensory properties of technical products also have an influence on their quality. The design of Teno leaves familiar form factors behind and redefines a speaker as an interactive object that users can “get in touch with”. This small, portable speaker takes the form of a bowl that can be operated entirely by intuitive touch. Its design is inspired by the Japanese tradition of kintsugi, an artistic method for mending broken ceramics instead of throwing them away. An irregular fracture line in the centre of Teno’s sculptural form references this source of inspiration. Other than that, the speaker and its functions are completely concealed when it is closed. Teno comes with a Bluetooth 5.0 chip and a 20-watt class D amplifier and offers up to eight hours playback time. It only reveals its capabilities when it is “broken”, so to speak. When one pulls the two halves apart, a light illuminates it. To activate the Bluetooth speaker, both halves have to be separated completely. Operation is self-explanatory with intuitive gestures, for example by sliding the fingers along the curve of the bowl to regulate the volume. Tapping the top surface initiates or ends a call. This allows users to experience the technology with their senses and emotions in an impressive way.
Statement by the Jury
The portable Teno speaker is an object whose appealing haptics are captivating. Its unusual design heralds a novel approach to orchestrating technology. The speaker resembles a stone and is yet comfortable to hold. The unusual, sensory functionality of Teno is manifest among other aspects in its volume control, which can be operated by sliding the fingers along the curved surface of the bowl.
