Palm® Turns To Inventables for Help with Palm Treo Pro™ Cradle
When the Palm Treo Pro cradle launched in the fall of 2008, it received rave reviews for its elegant design and superior functionality. The sleek, simple dock allows Palm Treo Pro smartphone users to easily charge their phones and transfer data to their computers. But much more went into the design and features of the cradle than initially meets the eye!
Peter Skillman, Vice President of Design for Palm Inc., led the design process for the Treo Pro cradle. The entire process – from inspiration to general availability — lasted approximately nine months. Peter works with a team, including product marketers, designers, and engineers, responsible for creating the strategic road map for Palm’s new products and technologies. With more than a decade of award-winning design experience, he has strong opinions on creativity and innovation. He is an ardent supporter of Chicago-based Inventables and has subscribed to its innovative and inspiring service for several years.
Palm, like many of the world’s leading consumer product companies, utilizes Inventables to help their product developers create differentiated products. Through Inventables’ online database and on-site Innovation Center, Skillman’s product designers and engineers can organize materials and technologies around their projects, share knowledge with co-workers, and discover detailed information about each technology, including sourcing, pricing, technical information, and an explanation of current and potential applications.
“Part of the process of creativity is taking disparate ideas and known things and putting them together in new combinations. Inventables’ Innovation Center and Web site contain many materials our designers may be aware of, but they don’t necessarily experience or think about them regularly. When you combine uncommon materials with fresh ideas, you can make breakthrough products,” explains Skillman.
“The Innovation Center is great because you can see different materials all the time. The items have to be out there in order for them to truly work and spark innovative thinking. Our Innovation Center lives in our common area, where everyone can see it and use it,” Skillman continues.
As they brainstormed and discussed the design specifics of the Treo Pro cradle, Skillman’s team knew they wanted a way to prevent the cradle’s base from slipping. They explored their Innovation Center and found Micro-Suction® Surface tape, which bonds to smooth, flat, clean surfaces through thousands of microscopic suction cups. “We saw it on the Innovation Center rack and tried it. It works incredibly well in so many ways — it prevents the base from slipping and the material is so light it helped with our shipping costs. The cradle feels heavy but is actually light,” notes Skillman.
Media and product reviewers noticed the non-slip base and commented favorably on it. “I’ll take a heavier cradle that doesn’t slide around my desk any day!” exclaimed one online guide.
Further along in the Treo Pro cradle’s product development, Inventables also played an instrumental role in negotiations between Palm and Henkel Japan Ltd., the manufacturer of the Micro-Suction Surface material. “We weren’t getting the pricing we needed and so Inventables stepped in and made an introduction for our manufacturer to the supplier in Asia, which saved the project,” says Skillman.
The Future is Bright for Palm & Inventables
What new products can we expect next from Palm? Skillman is optimistic, saying, “The Innovation Center is full of cool stuff that we’re constantly evaluating. We’re definitely interested in recyclable packaging and reducing our environmental impact in future products, so we’re looking to Inventables for inspiration.”
About Micro-Suction Surface Tape
This tape bonds to smooth, flat, clean surfaces just like a suction cup. The surface of the tape has thousands of microscopic craters that work by creating many partial vacuums between the tape and the target surface. The tape is not pressure sensitive, can be used repeatedly, and leaves no residue on the target surface. To remove you simply pull the tape off or twist it to break the bond. Washing the tape with water or cleaning with regular tape to remove debris from the craters rejuvenates the suction properties. Once in place, a 4″x1″ piece of the tape is strong enough to hold a 1-pound flat piece of steel.