While it sounds like nothing more than a glorified air freshener, Olly by Mint Digital and Foundry is actually pretty cool. The idea behind it is simple: Every time there you get a notification or update from a website, Olly will release a nice smell to let you know. Inside the white cube is a tray that you fill with a fragrance of your choosing.
On the outside, Olly’s “dot form” (where the smell is emitted) can be customised to any pattern you desire. Other than the smell tray, the gadget contains just a fan and chip board.
The little box doesn’t just do social network sites, either–it can be used to inform you a train is running late, a new item in your RSS feed, and more. The best part? Olly allows notifications to be absolutely anything because it is open source, allowing developers add functionality, be it to add support for a new website or make it do something else around the house.
Doesn’t sound quite so crazy now, right? The downside is that Olly isn’t ready to buy just yet. In fact, Foundry are still building him up, so you’ll have to register your interest. Also, Olly needs to be connected to your computer in order to work. Chances are, you might beat the smell to your notifications if you are sat in front of a computer. Fortunately, since it’s open-source, there is a possibility someone will remedy that possible issue.
You can check out all the thinking (and prototypes) behind the gadget on Mint Digital’s blog.
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