If only this was real. A wonderful video was created by The Syzygy Group. Imagine being able to interact with your TV as you watch anything from football games to the Grammys.
Here is what they had to say on their blog. Make sure you watch the video.........
"For a long time, watching television was a straightforward event. The couch in the living room was facing the TV and a certain number of channels played certain shows at a designated time. When someone said, “I’m going to watch TV,” it was clear what that meant.
Today, it’s not that simple. Watching TV can mean a lot of things: TV via Internet, web content via TV, video on demand, IPTV, cable, satellite, DVB-T, mobile television, etc. Let’s not forget that with broadband internet connections and the integration of Wi-Fi chips into television sets, the technical framework has changed fundamentally."
Ok, so its been a while since my last posting. Now that I have come out of hiding I would like to introduce a few concepts designed by the master students at Domus Academy in Milan. It concentrates on appliances that make your life easier.......
Courtesy of Electrlux Design Lab
"Electrolux challenged Masters students at the Domus Academy in Milan, to rethink kitchen appliances. Nine concepts, based on existing technology that consider sustainability and culture under the theme of ‘ReSource’, are presented here to coincide with 2011 Milan Design Week and just before entry to the annual Electrolux Design Lab contest closes (23:59 CET May 1st, 2011)."
The ReSource concepts include sustainable thinking and cultural reference points – both of which are increasingly important issues for product design as our planet’s resources disappear and our changing habits and lifestyles are fed by multi-cultural influences in our quest for novelty.
“This was a true collaboration, not just teaching,” says Lizotte who tutored the students, reviewing their work and giving them feedback. “The impressive response shows a dynamic way of looking at appliance design, offering novel solutions for the kitchen environment.”
1: KEWA (Kinetic Efficient Water Appliance) by Pietro Russomanno, Italy
KEWA is a an air pressure cleaner that saves water, time, and energy. Water is directed through kinetic jets to create a ‘water-blade’ capable of cleaning a single plate or pan in one sole stroke. There is also a hand-held cleaner to remove anything that may have been left on the plate or cooking vessel in advance.
2: Aeolus by Chi Rong Hsu, Taiwan
Extraction Meets Storage – AEOLUS is an extractor fan that efficiently removes odours from the entirety of a room. Chi Rong Hsu was specifically looking for a response to manage wok cooking within an enclosed space but this solution is applicable in many scenarios and maximises space by accommodating utensils and assorted tools that can be hung from the frame. Simple, smart and effective!
3: CLEAiR by Ariadna Tellez Rossell, Mexico
CLEAiR is an air purifier that provides automatic status updates about the condition of air in your home providing a cleaner and healthier place to live. The three separate table mounted cleaners (shown above) can also be used for general cleaning in a hand-held position.
4: Breathe by Beyza Dogan, Turkey
Breathe is a living kitchen appliance that literally ‘breathes in’ air pollutants through ionization. A clean kitchen environment is complemented by ambient light that follows the natural cycle of the day making the appliance visually appealing and providing a sense of harmony in the home.
5: Jumble by Zahira Ivelisse Crespo, Puerto Rico
Induction cooking with a twist – Jumble is a flexible set of induction cooking plates that allows easy transfer of cooking vessels to different temperate zones. A remote control operates the three cooking zones and frees up valuable counter space.
6: Wine by Jung Kun Choi, South Korea
‘Wine’ brings an aesthetic dimension to wine collection and storage. The wall mounted showcase displays the bottles whilst maintaining their optimal temperature. There is also a cabinet to chill and store suitable foods served as a part of the taste experience.
7: Celcius by Marcela Vanesa Céspedes, Argentina
Celcius – Recycling Kitchen Waste. Celcius is a kitchen waste disposal and recycling appliance. Enzymes break down organic waste creating energy that is sent to containers linked by conductive pipes that can be used to heat small appliances in the home.
8: Chefiamo by Jervis Chua, Hong Kong
'Chefiamo’ is a virtual cook book that assists, guides, inspires and maintains cooking traditions through the projection of recipes. A hologram, programmed to appear like a friend or relative is projected on to a counter top to help you through the cooking process, making it easier to recreate mum’s special recipes. An interactive glove measures progress e.g. weight of ingredients and facilitates updates.
9: Fulcrum by Surbhi Singhal, India
Fulcrum is a modular system of furniture and kitchen appliance. As it is fully adaptable to your space (it can be built up as necessary) it allows you to store, cook and eat no matter the size of your living space.
OK, OK, It has been a long time since my last post. That's only because I haven't found anything that I thought was interesting ................Until TODAY. This is truly the best "concept" I've seen.
I introduce to you, My tech Heaven..................
Every time I watch this video I turn into a little kid hoping that one day this will be an everyday thing.
This is very weird. I didn't really know how to title this entry so I just copied Simon's article from intomobile.com............
A project sponsored by BlackBerry-maker ResearchInMotion in the UK proposes a bold new use for your battery door. By using piezoelectric technology (which stiffens materials based on electrical current), SkinDisplay is a concept which lets you press your finger into raised text messages on the back of your phone, and read the impression. The idea here is that you could see what’s going on in a discreet way, without pulling out your phone. The actual implementation sounds mostly crazy, but the concept was introduced alongside some software, SmartCall, that actually sounds pretty good; using their app, you would be able to set your current status as busy or otherwise unavailable, as well as request calls back from others within varying time frames and levels of urgency.
The inspiration for both of these ideas is to enable more sensitive communicating over mobile, which is noble indeed given the bad rap BlackBerry gets for continually distracting users from the immediate world around them. BlackBerry in particular is so speedy with delivering text messages that it has set a new level of etiquette when it comes to the time it takes to respond; it’s not uncommon in some circles to be put off if a BBM message isn’t replied to within five minutes. With the right tools though, we might be able to relax a little bit, and put our phone away once in awhile without feeling utterly and completely disconnected. I’m not quite sure the answer is subtle skin-printing, or a biometric ring that senses my mood and shares it online, but they’re both directions to consider. The SmartCall software seems most viable at this point, but depends on everybody using the same app or service; maybe it’ll be a manufacturer’s job to start baking these kinds of etiquette options right into the native messaging and phone applications.
Anyway, here’s a video demonstrating how SkinDisplay could work. Wacky and far-fetched, maybe, but I wouldn’t have concept projects any other way. - link
Now this makes me feel as though I'm 10 again............. ($25)
If you’re missing that feeling playing on your iPad, ThinkGeek has a beautifully simple solution. The Joystick-It is a little aluminum joystick that pops right onto your iPad screen and lets you control your game just like in the arcade. http://gajitz.com/
There are no wires, no batteries and it’s removable with no damage to your expensive screen. You pop in on top of the on-screen directional pad controller to play any game with a D-pad, then just pull up on it to take it off.-G
When decorated soldier Captain Colter Stevens (Jake Gyllenhaal) wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he’s part of a mission to find the bomber of a Chicago commuter train. In an assignment unlike any he’s ever known, he learns he’s part of a government experiment called the “Source Code,” a program that enables him to cross over into another man's identity in the last 8 minutes of his life. With a second, much larger target threatening to kill millions in downtown Chicago, Colter re-lives the incident over and over again, gathering clues each time, until he can solve the mystery of who is behind the bombs and prevent the next attack.
Filled with mind-boggling twists and heart-pounding suspense, Source Code is a smart action-thriller directed by Duncan Jones (Moon) also starring Michelle Monaghan (Eagle Eye, Due Date), Vera Farmiga (Up in the Air, The Departed), and Jeffrey Wright (Quantum of Solace, Syriana) - Trailer addicts
Here is a pretty cool accessory design for the smartphone user who hates holding it up for long periods of time. The thing I love the most is how adaptable it is to fit your need at the time. Designed by Clint Spencer & Ryan Eder
Vyne is a hands-free viewing accessory for the smartphone. It is designed to be worn sitting down in a stationary position for viewing media content for an extended period of time. Constructed of a flexible elastomer neck and plastic clip, Vyne allows users to easily watch movies, slideshows, and video calls in a variety of configurations & locations with maximum comfort and minimum fatigue. -Vyne
Here is a very cool phone concept from Kristian Ulrich Larsen...........
Kristian Ulrich Larsen’s nifty Flip phone concept is a triple display handset running stock Android that pops out like a tent, collapses into a curved slate, and folds out like a little book. -link
IBM has released its annual "Next Five in Five" list predicting five innovations you can expect to see in the next five years. Expand photo at the bottom.
It's about time. Larry David is taking over New York with Season 8 of Curb you Enthusiasm. You don't get too much from the trailer from HBO other than pure joy from the knowing that Larry David will be wrecking havoc on his old stumping ground. A date has not been confirmed yet. -Link
I know it sounds like a joke, but just keep reading... Daizi Zheng’s green cellphone concept has a biobattery that uses enzymes from carbohydrates in drinks like Coke or Pepsi to generate electricity; it also has a biodegradable handset..........
Daizi Zheng’s green cellphone concept has a biobattery that uses enzymes from carbohydrates in drinks like Coke or Pepsi to generate electricity; it also has a biodegradable handset.
This is a client project aimed at designing an eco-friendly phone for Nokia. As a result of my research, I discovered that conventional phone batteries are: expensive, harmful to the environment and difficult to dispose of. In addition, the conventional battery manufacturing process consumes many valuable resources. The concept is based on the idea to create a pollution free environment by using bio-batteries as an alternative to conventional batteries. A bio-battery is an ecologically friendly, energy supply system which uses enzymes as a catalyst to generate electricity from carbohydrates (currently sugar). In order to use the bio-battery as a power source for the phone all that is required is a small supply of a sugary drink. Once the battery dies only oxygen and water remains. Bio-batteries are fully biodegradable and have, on a single charge, a potential life-span three to four times longer than conventional lithium batteries. Meanwhile, bio-batteries are a whole new way of looking at batteries and afternoon tea. -Link
Its been a pretty slow Friday so I decided to post something from the CES 2011..............(courtesy of intomobile.com)
Making its debut at the 2011 Consumer Electronics Show this past week was the iCADE miniature arcade game controller for iPad. Check it out. The old-school joystick, large buttons and arcade cabinet make this a must-have iPad accessory for the retro-gamer. The cabinet opens from the top, allowing you to slide your iPad into it in portrait or landscape. All controls connect via Bluetooth, and yes, while this is surely a novelty, it’s one I could see tucked-away in my office for use from time to time.
The folks at ION Audio have outdone themselves on this one, as it fits the iPad beautifully, and works pretty darn well to boot. To check it out in action, hit play on the video above.
Look for the iCADE to become available at some point this spring for $99.
Could it get any weirder. Sega wants men to have fun when they are urinating in public. Is it just me or is it an attempt to catch your attention while you pee. Are we that ADD that we can't concentrate long enough to use the restroom. Here is some info.....................
Sega is venturing into the urinals of Japan with their new bathroom-based gaming consoles called Toylets. The consoles, which will be free to play, will feature a variety of games which range from the benign to the truly weird. The controller in all of the games is the user’s stream of urine.
A pressure-sensitive plate is embedded in each urinal to detect the length and strength of each player’s pee supply. The stream becomes an integral part of the game: in one, the on-screen play simply measures the player’s output. In another, the stream acts as a pressure washer to scrub graffiti from walls. A game called The North Wind and Her is a little more misogynistic, using a strong stream of urine as the north wind which is trying its best to blow a girl’s skirt up. Milk From Nose compares the strength of a user’s urine stream with the previous player’s: two sumo wrestlers try to push each other out of the ring using milk they blow out of their noses. The stronger you can pee, the stronger the milk stream from your character’s nose will be.
Players who earn particularly boast-worthy scores can insert a USB stick into the console to download the data and later show off to friends. The game screen can also be used to display advertisements either before or after the game. While we’re highly disturbed by the prospect of a touch screen anything in a bathroom, we’re guessing that giving men something to aim for in the urinals will result in much, much cleaner public toilets. Gajitz
Here are a few games.................
Manneken Pis, in which the pressure of the stream is directly translated to how much liquid was urinated.
Graffiti Eraser, where graffiti on a wall is removed with a hose. The stronger the pressure of your urine, the faster the wall becomes pristine.
The North Wind and Her, in which a horny north wind tries to blow a dress off a girl. The stronger the pressure of your urine, the harder it blows.
Milk from Nose, a faux-sumo game in which two characters blow milk out of their noses to push the other out of the ring. The stronger pressure between you and the person that used that urinal before you wins. Yes, it’s a multiplayer game – albeit non-realtime.
On Feb. 3, existing Verizon customers can preorder the iPhone 4 ahead of general availability. Everyone will be able to buy the phone on Feb. 10.
The price is $199.99 for 16 gigabytes of storage, $299.99 for 32 gigabytes -- the same as on AT&T... but plus 99 cents?
HotSync is included, which means that up to five Wi-Fi devices can tether to the phone and use its data connection. - NYT
Carbon Designs’ playful concept involves three over-sized ceramic dominoes – one for the hour, two for the minutes – with the dots changing from black to white to tell the time. More info
Here is what they had to say on their blog. Make sure you watch the video.........
