Instant Environments™

Reduced to practice Fall, 2004

Instant Environments are USB keys molded into creative forms that evoke an emotional and tactile connection with their owner. Just pop the key into any computer at work, at home or one the road and the entire desktop environment transforms into a focused user experience. Examples? Pop in a key to see how safe a computer is to use whether the computer has antivirus software or not. Or give your kids a Jack Sparrow USB key that they can pop into your work laptop and play – without any risk of damaging your programs or files.

Turn any computer into whatever you love

The original idea for Instant Environments™ (née OS2Go™) was inspired by Fred Seibert, founder of Frederator Studios. We first met Fred when he was leading MTV Online, having joined MTV as one of the very first employees and the fledgling network's first creative director.

One of Fred's many claims to fame (outside his phenomenal animated creations) is the notion that television networks can be branded. In the pre-cable network television model, daytime soaps ran during the day – with network news at 6pm and prime time entertainment at 8pm. MTV broke the mold by being all music, all the time; and later spawned other Viacom success stories like VH-1 and Nickelodeon – both networks centered on a single content type (music and animation/kids' shows, respectively.) Spike TV, one of Fred's later creations, is more loosely centered around "men's interest."

"This EarthLink2Go concept is awesome! I could just carry this little USB key instead of my whole laptop and plug it in at the business center to get a killer inbox, chat, and surfing no matter what browser or operating system the hotel has."

Focus Participant, EarthLink User

We think the same ability to focus and tune out noise might create a powerful user experience on PC's. Our original vision was that USB keys with identifiable shapes closely tied to their content could pop into any work, home or travel PC and instantly take over the full screen to deliver a unified environment. You can see flavors of this dream on the toy aisle in any store, where any number of collectible USB devices automatically launch an immersive interactive environment for kids.

The Instant Environments concept has gotten some substantial interest over the years. We went into full focus group with EarthLink for a USB security key, shown on this page in a co-branded Geek Squad flavor. Disney Consumer Products issued a purchase order for 5,000 units of the Jack Sparrow key described in the right column. (We passed on the deal because of proposed payment terms and support requirements we would have had.) Right now, Instant Environments are largely on the shelf, as we brainstorm immersive experiences delivered through location-aware mobile devices.

Instant Environments™: Geek Squad Security Key (spec)

The ipi.net team created an Instant Environments™ USB key designed to "take the temperature" of any PC. If the key finds open ports or signs of a virus/spyware, it pops up a warning about using the PC. For a fee, the user can have a live Geek Squad agent take over the virus removal process remotely or download do-it-yourself software.