WPI West Profile of Philip Baker
WPI Alumni of Note
The WPI Alumni Association

Simple Approach to Technology Guides Phil Baker and Think Outside

Philip G. Baker '65 says he has a simple approach to developing new products: concentrate on what people need, and not just on what technology can do. "There are too many products created just because the technology exists to do it," he says, "and not because anyone really wants it. We want products that do not force people to adopt or change habits. It seems like such a simple approach, yet it is often ignored."

That philosophy led to the Stowaway line of keyboards, the premier product of Think Outside Inc. in Carlsbad, Calif., which Baker serves as president. The first full-size, no-compromise keyboard that folds to pocket size, the Stowaway is distributed and sold worldwide by Palm Inc. for all models of Palm organizers, and by Targus Group International Inc. for the Handspring Visor and Hewlett-Packard, Compaq and Sony Pocket PCs.

The ingenious device recently received one of the top honors in the computer industry, PC Magazine's Technical Excellence Award for Design, beating out the Compaq iPAQ H3600 Pocket PC and the Apple PowerMac G4 Cube. "No bigger than a Palm device, the 8-ounce Stowaway unfolds into a full-size keyboard that rivals those found on the best portable computers," the magazine reported. "The engineering wizardry behind it makes the Stowaway a marvel of design."

"We're mostly technical people at Think Outside," Baker says, "but I know from my WPI education how important it is for an engineer to understand the world of business beyond just engineering. In most cases the engineering component is critical and a necessity, but it's often just 20 percent of the reason for the product's success--with the rest being the people, the market, the environment, the execution and a lot of luck."

Baker, who holds 36 patents, worked in senior product development and product management at Polaroid, Proxima, Apple, Polycom and Seiko Instruments before co-founding Think Outside a few years ago.

One of the best measures of a university's success are the accomplishments of its graduates. Baker's success story and the many thousands like it among WPI's alumni body are powerful proof of the effectiveness of our educational programs.

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