Out of the box

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It has been suggested that Out-Of-Box Experience and Out of Box Failure be merged into this article or section. (Discuss)

Items, functionalities, or features provided out of the box are those that do not require any additional installations, plug-ins, expansion packs, or products. In addition to being used for tangible products, the phrase is often used in a less literal sense for software, which may not be distributed in any box but offer certain functions "out of the box."

In the case of implementation of products that use another products, out of the box also has the connotation of using a system without customization, such that it is usable with a vanilla installation. An example is, "we implemented SMS out of the box while developing our business system."

Furthermore, the phrase can also be used in the longer phrase "to think out of the box" (Thinking outside the box), where it describes a particular way of approaching problems or puzzles.

out of the box also could mean "some innovative way or breakthrough"

[edit] See also

• Off the shelf