When I’m put in charge of gadgets I think I’ll draw up a “Golden Rules of Ergonomics” that all manufacturers must adhere to. Number one on that list would be “don’t make your tech look like poop”, closely followed by number two, “if you’re going to have a keyboard, I don’t want my thumbs to ache after using it two minutes”. Sadly MIU’s M*free ’Hybrid Dual Portable Computer’ would fall foul of both of these rules, and probably a few as-yet-unwritten more – while the idea of a multi-function VOIP/wireless-IP handheld is great, their industrial design appears to be “make a shoebox out of plastic, and then put all the gubbins in”.

Perhaps I’m being unduly harsh. I mean, there are very few dual-OS VOIP handsets with fold-out screens, interchangeable function cartridges and full QWERTY keyboards out there, so MIU have been forced to innovate on their own as opposed to just tweak someone else’s design. But really, who thought it was a great idea to sink a keyboard deep inside a hard-edged plastic gully, where your poor thumbs will jam up against the sides?
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