Cybiko
Launched in the spring of 2000, the Cybiko was a youth oriented hand held computer and organizer hailed as a "Teen Dream Machine". It was not a cell phone, but rather a wireless two way radio device that incorporated text messaging capabilities. Marketed as a "PDA for kids", it was unique in the fact that its functionality was limited to a maximum range of 300 feet. After only two generations of the device, it was discontinued, but has had sporadic revival attempts made by the manufacturing company, Cybiko Wireless, Inc.
Contents
Origins
The Cybiko was conceptualized by an engineer named David Yang. Yang was born in 1968 to a Chinese mother and an Armenian father. He grew up in The Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, aka Armenia in the former Soviet Union. At age 17 he moved to Moscow and enrolled in the prestigious Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. Fresh out of his university training, in 1989 along with partner Alexander Moskalev, Yang created what would become the world renowned ABBYY Software Company. Originally known as BIT Software, Yang's first company was born out of the idea of creating a dictionary software. Today ABBYY has offices in 9 countries (Russia, Germany, the United States, Ukraine, the UK, Cyprus, Japan and Taiwan) and their products are sold in 130 countries. In addition to dictionary software, ABBYY made its name through innovation and achievement in document recognition, data capture, and other forms of linguistic software. The ABBYY FineReader program has won numerous awards from organizations like PC Magazine, PC World, KM World, and Business Solutions Magazine. This is a program that converts document images and PDF's into editable and searchable files. Through multiple versions in multiple years, FineReader remains ABBYY's best selling product.
Developement
In 1999, during a hospitalization, Yang's boredom was the source of the idea for the Cybiko. He wondered if there was an untapped 20 something market for electronics, but ultimately realized the sea of naive pre-teens was a more viable market for his wireless device. Yang then recruited Chicago business man Donald Wisniewski and the two formed Cybiko Wireless, Inc. In their partnership, Wisniewski would be the president of their company, and work out of Bloomingdale, Illinois, and Yang would be the CEO and he and his team of software engineers would operate out of Moscow. By the spring of 2000, the Cybiko was up and running and ready to be sold in the U.S.
Technical Specifications of the Cybiko
With the corporate team headquartered in Illinois in the U.S., the development and technology team based in Moscow, and the manufacturers located in Taiwan, the Cybiko was a global enterprise.
First generation product specifications:
Full qwerty keyboard (plus a stylus)
Screen: LCD
Processor: Hitachi H8S 11 MHz
Weight: 122g
Dimensions (L x W x H): 7.1 cm x 2.2 cm x 14.5 cm
All this and the Cybiko only retailed for a semi-affordable $99. The device had a transmitter similar to those used in cordless phones, and this is what allowed users to connect to each other wirelessly. Whether through text messages or gaming, a Cybiko owner could interact without anyone in their vicinity (a 300 ft. radius) that also had a Cybiko. When setting up a new Cybiko, the owner had the option of entering general profile information, things like age, city, sex. And the device was equipped with a setting that allowed users to be alerted when other Cybikoians that had similar profile information entered the viable range.
Design and Functions
Gaming, and Texting, and Organizing! Oh my!
address book, text editor, scientific calculator, multi-language translator, date book, a two-way radio, voice recorder and a pager-style keyboard.
Launched in 2000, the Cybiko was a youth oriented hand held computer and organizer. It was not a cell phone, but rather a two way radio device that incorporated text messaging capabilities. Marketed as a "PDA for kids", it was unique in the fact that its functionality was limited to a maximum range of .19 miles. After only two generations of the device, it was discontinued, but has had sporadic revival attempts made by the manufacturing company, Cybiko, Inc.
Marketing and Youth Appeal
The Cybiko in School
Reviews
"The Cybiko from Cybiko, Inc. is a crossbreed between a PDA, a Gameboy, a walkie-talkie and a mini keyboard. It looks like a little strange at the first encounter, but you’ll get used to the design pretty soon."
Generations: From Classic to Xtreme
Downfall and Discontinuation
By 2003, sales had slowed dramatically and the Cybiko, Inc. stopped manufacturing their teen dream machine. What was once perceived as one of the devices greatest's strengths undoubtedly had a hand in its downfall. The fact that the Cybiko was not a phone, in the year 2000 was appreciated. Cell phones had not yet become as common among the youth demographic, so the mobile capabilities that the Cybiko offered were unique. And since the device did not operate on a network like a cell phone would, there were no monthly bills or service charges. But soon the cell phone companies began dropping their prices lower and lower and implementing "family plans", so teens and pre teens became cell phone users along with the rest of the country. Now, if a teen had a cell phone, their Cybiko was close to obsolete. The phone had all the same capabilities, and could make phone calls and connect to the internet on the go. Not only that, but the aesthetics of the Cybiko were not sleek enough to compete with the new PDA and cell phone designs. Although they did make a color correction in the jump from Cybiko Classic to Cybiko Xtreme, the newer model still resembled a walkie talkie more than a phone or PDA and was too large and bulky to be carried easily in a pocket or small bag. If Cybiko, Inc. would have upgraded the device to include cellular capabilities, perhaps then it could have flowed with the cell phone craze instead of going against it, and ultimately becoming defunct.
Revival Attempts
Cybiko Today
David Yang
David Yang is still working full time with ABBYY, and is currently the Chairman for their Board of Directors. He and his former partner Alexander Moskalev have parted ways since their days together in Moscow. He
Donald Wisniewski
Bibliography
Gwin, Peter. "From Russia with Buzz." EUROPE Feb. 2001: n. pag. Web. 5 Nov 2010.
