Concept = exciting new idea or concept = free PR?

Many's the time recently that I've written about some fabulous product, only to have to finish it off with "sadly it's currently just a concept at the moment...". And it's no coincidence that the same 'dead spot' of product launches between February and April heralds a festival of concept products. These same manufacturers who haven't quite finished the next product love nothing better than tempting us with some hastily scribbled pen and ink drawings, or better yet, something made of fibreglass, to fill our pages.

Orange are a serial offender in this area.

Each year we're told to get terribly offended in preparation of the next way that they're planning on revolutionising the Glastonbury experience. And each year, we oblige. We were excited about the 'Text Me Home Dome' which was a tent which lit up when you got lost. We were excited about the Pic Stick, which you could place your phone on top of to take photos over crowds. We were even excited about the solar powered tents, although we were sceptical about the amount of solar up for grabs...

These things were all in concept although 'likely to go into production after they were tested at Glastonbury'. Will we be seeing them available for the masses this year? We will not. They were apparently "not a terribly good idea when you actually sat down and thought about them" - Orange PR.

They're hopeful that their Wind powered mobile charger will make it though. Apparently the response has been good, although as always "they'll be testing its feasibility at Glastonbury". Hmm - anyone spot a loop hole?

In all honesty, it's often exciting for us to see the way in which technology is developing and its potential uses in the future. But when you see a company producing concept after concept, without a hint of a real life, on the shelf product, you've got to wonder if it's a great big PR machine at work, rather than an over-excited group of R & D monkeys locked in a room.

But what do you think? Do you like seeing concept products, or do you get sick and tired of seeing stuff you can't actually get your hands on. Let us know, it's your site. Well, actually, no, it's our site. But you read it. So you count. Just let us know. Ok? Ok.

Susi Weaser is the editor of Shiny Shiny, and she really wanted a Text Me Home Dome...