To show that it is prepared for the new era of mobile communication Sony Ericsson developed a device that makes a tree tweet. And this is just the start.
It put the tree on show at the 2010 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, where staff hooked it up to an electromagnetic field sensor that enables it to detect motion.
"Arrived in Barcelona. The tension is building. #ectree", it tweeted, followed by: "Things are shaping up. I just wish someone could clean me up a bit before it's showtime. #ectree"
In comparison with others countries, the UK is generally ahead in terms of embracing social media. A quick view on Trendsmap quickly shows that Twitter is by far the most popular in the UK out of all the European countries, and the British are already used to twittering objects – for example, BigBen tweets "Bong", or the River Thames tells you about its tides.
Sony Ericcson believes that everything that can benefit from a connection should have one – even a tree, they say. And what does the tree respond?
Well, being hired by the company for a promotional gig it is obvious that it can't really express its opinion freely. "My leaves have been stroked by 52 friendly visitors. I'm starting to like MWC. #ectree", it says over and over again.
However, there are some signs of rebellion: "99 touches in an hour. Can an orange tree get swine flu? #ectree", or: "106 people have played with my leaves the last hour. Are there no phones to play with in this place? #ectree"
The tree is right. Dear Sony, there are more than 6.67 billion people on earth, and most of them already have nothing to say. Leave the twittering tree alone!
