Hasta La Ideas

Owning great audio gadgets is always essential, not only to blast out some groovy music at your parties but also for those days when you want to sing along to your favorite tunes at the top of your lungs, in the privacy of your room! Whatever may be the requirement, having a clear, distortion-free, handy, and interactive set of audio devices is necessary. There are a lot of innovative designs out there in the market, so picking the right one that meets all your needs can be a task, especially since we all tend to have different audio requirements. Hence, we’ve curated a collection of functional, creative, and exciting audio devices for you! From “invisible” headphones that beam sound directly into your ears, to a stereo system that looks like minimalist art – these modern audio devices are all you need for the ultimate immersive audio experience at home. Enjoy!

1. The N1

The N1 can project sound waves at a certain amplitude or loudness, but it can also decide how loud the audio remains over a certain distance. By doing this, it can make the sound waves traveling to your ear loud, but make them soft the minute they cross your ear. Mounted on the top of the N1 are two cameras that track your face, locating the placement of your ears. It doesn’t matter if you have long hair, a thick beard, glasses, or even a face mask… the device can beam audio to your ears in real-time. This is vastly different from a set of headphones, because you’re not really wearing any headphones on your head, and you can still hear the world around you…and it’s vastly different from a speaker because A. It provides a private audio experience and B. It still delivers stereo sound, ensuring the left and right audio channels reach your left and right ears.

2. The Trenbader Artlink

The Trenbader Artlink is a beautiful vintage-style wireless Bluetooth speaker that comes with a built-in radio too. On the inside, the Artlink sports a full-range transducer along with a high-quality passive subwoofer, all packaged in a wooden cabinet that provides rich, distortion-free audio with crisp highs and deep lows. Two knurled knobs on the top let you switch between modes (Bluetooth, Aux, AM, FM, Mic, and Off) and control the volume, while a third dial located on the left lets you set the frequency on the AM/FM radio. The speaker comes with Bluetooth 4.0 that allows for connections as far as 33 feet, and if you’re in the mood to go wired, there’s an Aux input too.

3. The NW-WM1ZM2

The NW-WM1ZM2 is Sony’s latest Walkman audio-playing device targeted towards high-definition music lovers. The tiny device comes with a design that mimics its 2016 predecessor (the WM1Z) and is coated in real gold, a material that doesn’t simply hint at luxury but also does a hat-tip to the use of gold-plating found in high-end audio hardware. The device sports a 5-inch touchscreen that runs Android 11, allowing you to stream music and podcasts from your favorite services, although where it truly shines is in lossless playback, brought about by transferring lossless music onto the device through your PC. Oh, and yes, it comes with an audio jack.

4. Bang & Olufsen subwoofer

The Bang & Olufsen Beolab 19 wireless subwoofer delivers and carries sound around rooms up to 60 meters square. The wireless subwoofer features Acoustic Placement and adds an additional layer of depth and height to the audio. No matter where the subwoofer is placed, it is balanced, irrespective of the vibrations of the two speaker drivers. It minimizes vibrations and elevates the sound quality produced. The subwoofer’s sleek futuristic form and intriguing geometric shape add an attractive and cool element to your home while providing you with the ultimate audio experience at home.

5. The Syng Cell Alpha triphonic speaker

The Syng Cell Alpha triphonic speaker features force-balanced subwoofers and triphonic audio to provide you with the highest quality of audio! It even boasts a three-horn system, that ensures the sound is projected with complete accuracy. The Syng Cell Alpha has an “object-based sonic architecture”, which allows you to see, hear and touch sounds. It has a round spherical form, which means it has no front, back, or sides, and it can fill up an entire room with pure unadulterated sound.

6. B&O Orchestra

B&O Orchestra has been designed to spread audio around the whole room. A surround-sound system is probably the easiest term to use but we prefer to say orchestra-like. The idea is for several speaker parts to be dispersed around a room. A user can be surrounded by premium audio—like a real orchestra. You will hear music from different directions as natural audio in the real world. The B&O Orchestra gives you a chance to be a composer by deciding where to place the speakers within an environment. The whole speaker system is comprised of smaller parts that are split and distributed. A room’s music layout can be customized as you place the speakers around.

7. The Bowers & Wilkins Formation Bar

The Bowers & Wilkins Formation Bar features 9 high-quality drivers and a 3-driver center channel which delivers excellent sound quality with precision. The elegant soundbar boasts 240 watts of power for an immersive audio experience. You can utilize the phone app to connect the speaker with your preferred streaming service. In fact, you can even sync the soundbar to other speakers in your home! The Formation Bar is perfect for those house parties you host, providing your guests with an amazing audio experience.

8. The Hover

The Hover audio recorder concept tries to solve such problems as a modern redesign of an old device that is rapidly being replaced by smartphones and other digital devices. It’s not just another sound recorder. It’s one that offers computational audio. Simply put, the device combines computer science with digital audio analysis. There’s a system inside that processes audio to come out better for any audience so you don’t have to do a lot of editing. The Hover can also produce RAW audio files if you don’t want the enhanced version of your file. The Hover may enhance parts of the audio not to your liking but you can always go back to the original record. Good old stereo recording can also be captured.

9. The Totem rr231

In its “dormant” state, the Totem rr231 deceptively looks like a simple white cube with seems that run across its width and down the middle. Those seams, however, give way to two speakers, each with a two-and-a-half-way system, that swing out like the wings of a futuristic machine. Those speakers can actually be separated from the main body and positioned in other parts of the room to fill it with your favorite tunes. The rest of the box houses the ProJect turntable and a set of buttons and dials that match the minimalist aesthetic of the Totem rr231. Unlike the original, this modern-day version naturally embraces current audio technologies, including Bluetooth connection for streaming from mobile devices.

10. The Harman Kardon Gramophone mini speaker

To evoke the spirit of the good old gramophone while infusing a modern design aesthetic without going overboard (something that crosses the feasible realms), the speaker concept envisioned here is high on minimalism. The portable and versatile wireless loudspeaker has a translucent body depicting the classic gramophone’s contours. The amplification of the speaker is right on point delivering encapsulating audio from the soundbox. The see-through form factor radiates the purity of audio delivered by this Harmon Kardon audio accessory. It’s like a modern work of art you’d want to display on your living room shelf.

The post Best gadgets for the ultimate + immersive home audio experience first appeared on Yanko Design.

Air purifier sales have definitely picked up the past couple of years. The pandemic has made people more conscious of hygiene, cleanliness, and organization. If you’re part of the group still not into the hype, it’s probably time to start now.

We’re not telling you to put air purifiers in every corner of your house. That is a great idea but know that not all purifiers are created equal. There are cheap ones that claim to clean the air. The mid-rangers do fine but they don’t really tell you how dirty the air is or their filter needs frequent changing. In contrast, there are more expensive ones that can detect air condition and do the work accordingly.

Designer: Jaejeong Ro

Blur is a Universal Air purifier that can tell you the condition of the surrounding air. It offers information visually. It also gives such information with a simple touch. With the translucent glass, you can see the accumulated dust. The concept is also designed with “touch”. With a sense of distance, one can identify the tactile phenomenon of dust.

Cleaner air should be the goal of everyone but we know it’s not an easy feat. Air pollution in some parts of the world is getting worse but there is already a move to go greener, cleaner, and smarter. With this Blur Air Purifier, current air condition can be provided on a scale of 1 to 100. The number will show up on the top display with LED lights. The up and down movement of the glass panel allows a sense of distance.

To turn on the air purifier, you need to press the glass panel. The purifier air goes out of the gap. The display can tell you the status of the filter. It means it’s very dirty when it’s translucent. You can also check dust accumulation by simply feeling and touching the space on the side. Dust stacks up so you will feel and know that there’s too much dust that gathered already.

The Korean concept designer used a simple shape for the Blur Air Purifier. You would think this is another smart speaker. It will remind you of the first-gen Google Home speaker. It doesn’t have any speaker function so don’t expect it to tell you to clean your surrounding.

The design of the air purifier fits most room aesthetics. But then we’re certain will mistake this for an audio device as it really looks like a smart speaker more than an air purifier. The holes you see are not speaker grills–they are where dirty air is sucked in so don’t attempt to put your face near lest you want to breathe in the polluted air.

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Do you see red? I certainly do. And it’s all over this rather extroverted but nice-to-drive Audi RS Q3 Sportback. Depending on your sensitivities, the generous servings of red body paint, bright red brake calipers, red engine cover, soft red alcantara patches on the dashboard, seats and doors, and red stitching on the seats, gear shifter and steering wheel, as well as the red stripe on the seatbelts can be interpreted as either luxurious or a touch gaudy.

To be honest, I feel designers have pushed the envelope of what’s possible in terms of colored highlights on and in this car. Bluntly speaking, the amount of red is almost overwhelming. Choose blue body paint, and the car can be matched with blue alcantara and stitching in the cabin, while several other color variations are also available. Your engine cover and brake calipers will still be red though.

But it’s not only the full-on color assault that titillates the senses. To cater to the huge, ever-growing market for sporty performance SUVs, Audi created a two-pronged RS Q3 range — the standard RS Q3, and then added the racier, sleeker-looking RS Q3 Sportback to the lineup. In trying to find the right body shape for the Sportback, Audi experimented with a couple of silhouettes before arriving at this body profile. And yes, it certainly does look sportier than the stock RS Q3. Strangely, however, I can’t help but feel a little sympathy for this model, which doesn’t quite seem to know what it is.

A minor identity crisis?

First, Audi designers took an RS3 hot hatch, elevated its height to insert the car into the highly popular SUV genre, and then they thought, wait a minute, it doesn’t look sporty enough. So to justify the sportiness in its ‘sportback’ naming, stylists squashed the roof down to give it a sharp sloping coupe-like rear window. The result? In taking styling inspiration from the Lamborghini Urus, the RS Q3 SB appears to be suffering from a slight identity crisis. To get over this part-SUV, part-hot hatch, part-coupe styling dilemma, the RS Q3 might even have to reluctantly go see a therapist to confirm its real identity!

Jokes aside, the RS Q3s are an integral part of the Audi Sport lineup — the firm’s motorsport and customizing arm responsible for RS models such as the RS3, RS6, and R8 in addition to Audi’s Formula E, DTM, and GT3 racing programs — which plans to double the sales of its road cars by 2023. The RS Q3 just happens to be one of the fastest small SUVs you can buy thanks to its 400-hp engine and 174-mph top speed. Its rivals include the BMW X2 M35i, Porsche Macan Turbo, and the Mercedes-AMG GLB35 but the demand for such cars means that competition for the RS Q3 will only intensify over the next few years.

Yes, the Sportback does come across as a mini Urus. And it can’t help that fact given Lamborghini is owned by the Volkswagen Group through its subsidiary with Audi. The SUV boasts a no-nonsense sporty exterior with lots of sharp edges, aggressive bulges and surfaces, and large 21-inch wheels. Updated from the outgoing model, the new RS Q3 Sportback gets a slightly larger octagonal grille with a sportier piano black mesh design and a bolder four-ring Audi logo. Speaking of that mesh design, styling students may have noticed the three different styles of grille Audi has employed here. First impressions suggest that up to four different designers had a say in what happened at the front end of this car. Check it out.

As if penned by a confident, extroverted designer, firstly you have the bold open honeycomb mesh design inside the main grille. Then, look closely and you will see a significantly smaller, much more subtle grille design inside the Audi logo that appears to have been drawn by an introverted individual who isn’t quite sure of their talent. It’s almost a case of “Hey, mom I shrunk the grille.” Then, glance at either side of the main grille, and you will see a downsized version of the main mesh grille design that graces the larger brake ducts, which have grown in height and width to deliver more air to cool the brakes. And finally, you have the long narrow pseudo grille located between the hood and main grille that is actually a fake grille and is just there for show.

At the back, the sloping roof and heavily slanted rear window give the RS Q3 SB its signature sports SUV look. Below the rear bumper, you’ll find a fake diffuser that’s merely there for design nuance, while the twin sports exhaust pipes generate an acceptably sporty soundtrack. However, if you really want an exhaust to enhance the sound of that 5-cylinder engine and make the neighbors pay even more attention, then spend the extra $1,500 and upgrade to a high-performance sports exhaust system.

Inside, its kind of like Gucci meets Versace

As mentioned briefly above, the interior is a shock for the senses with its bright red alcantara highlights on the doors, seats, and dashboard. That combined with soft leather, aluminum accents, and carbon fiber-like surfaces give the car a luxurious ambiance, if not a touch eccentric. It’s kind of like Gucci met Versace and they had a baby. If you’ve ever been into one of their high-end stores, you’ll know what I mean. Whereas some Audi sports models use swathes of subtle dark grey or black Nappa leather in the cabin, there is very little subtlety in this red RS Q3 SB. If you don’t like red, downgrade your interior decorating before you buy the car because those sizable red patches will be present and in your face every time you board the car.

Interestingly, the only indication of the Sportback’s lower roofline is the more compact rear windscreen. If you’re looking for maximum headroom in the back—enough for six feet plus passengers then we’d recommend the standard RS Q3 which gets nearly two extra inches of headroom. But if you are smitten with a sportier, more stylish profile, then the Sportback is for you. Either way, the car has the same tech-heavy interior as the regular RS Q3, with an easy-to-operate 10.1-inch touchscreen infotainment display and a 12.2-inch digital cockpit instrument cluster.

Drivers should like the thick, flat-bottomed, leather-bound steering wheel that feels good to grip when cornering hard and feel suitable supported seated in the bespoke RS-specced sports seats with honeycomb stitching. What they may be disappointed with though are the paddle shifters that appear to be made out of aluminum back are actually covered on the back with cheap plastic. Come on Audi, it won’t break the bank to give this hot SUV some shiny solid aluminum paddles. Surely.

In the back, you’ll find the same issue normally associated with Audi’s rear seats in their small to medium-sized SUVs and hatches—the upright seat position. While the rear seats do offer some sliding and reclining functions, the seatback does not recline enough, meaning that rear headroom is restrictive for taller passengers while the upright nature of the seat can cause fatigue over long distances. The rear luggage space however is competitive, offering 530 liters of capacity, which incidentally mirrors the figure for the standard RS Q3.

Gutsy 2.5-liter 5-cylinder turbo packs a punch

Even though the sporty red exterior, outgoing red and black interior, and tech-laden infotainment system might temporarily distract a new Audi driver, the RS Q3 SB’s main selling point is undoubtedly its engine. Powered by a turbocharged 2.5-liter, 5-cylinder unit that pumps out 400-hp and 354 lb-ft of torque, it’s mated to a quick-changing 7-speed dual-clutch transmission. This SUV will sprint from zero to 60 mph in just 4.5 seconds, and if you speak to Audi nicely they will derestrict your car from its 155-mph speed governor to the maximum 174-mph spec. While the standard exhaust note delivers an acceptable turbo sound, you can also pay an extra $1500 to get a sports exhaust to give the 2.5-liter a throatier burble.

On the road, this turbo engine is as pleasingly potent as you’d expect of any model wearing an RS badge, with the five-cylinder engine responding at lower revs and effortlessly rising to a 7000 rpm redline. Keep the engine spinning above 3500 rpm and you will have instant turbo response with even the slightest extension of your right boot. Let those revs fall below 3500 however and you will notice some slight turbo lag. Thanks to the strong mid to upper ranges, even small gaps in traffic will offer passing potential, while the off-the-line acceleration is fierce thanks to the superb traction of the all-wheel-drive system. The exhaust sounds the part as well, and while the need to comply with new emissions rules has all but done away with the signature pops and bangs that characterized this powerplant, the distinctive roar is still more emotional than a four-cylinder.

On the whole, the 7-speed dual-clutch gearbox in automatic mode shifts quickly when called upon but can also sometimes show sluggish tendencies at low revs. It works smoothly at inner-city speeds, but ask for more and it can take a little longer than expected to drop a gear and quicken the pace. Engage sport mode however and things get snappier in the throttle department, although to get the most out of your 400-hp engine, it’s best to take charge yourself using the wheel-mounted paddles for the sharpest response.

The Driving Experience

The Sportback delivers the kind of sporty handling we associate with the RS range, letting you make rapid point-to-point progress while remaining predictable at all times, albeit with a little understeer when pushed hard. Make no mistake though—this SUV can get round a twisty road very quickly and efficiently and you will have loads of fun doing it. The progressive steering rack, while entertaining, can be prompted to give a little more sense of what the front tires are doing in the corners if you switch to the ‘dynamic’ settings on the drive select mode.

The RS Q3 gets upgraded sport suspension over the standard Q3, stiffer springs and dampers, and a ride height that’s nearly 4 inches lower than the standard car for a lower center of gravity and improved cornering. Given its sporty theme, the RS Q3 does deliver a slightly harsher ride at low speeds, so we’d recommend cruising in ‘comfort’ mode for the best inner-city results.

The ‘Audi drive select’ system gives you two new configurable settings, namely ‘RS1’ and ‘RS2.’ You can set them up to your liking by adjusting the drive system for quicker shifts, the steering for more responsive cornering, the engine sound and the ‘Quattro’ 4WD setup between ‘comfortable ‘normal’ and ‘dynamic.’ And to make things even easier for drivers to locate those modes in the heat of sporty driving, designers have fitted a special ‘RS mode’ button on the steering wheel that merely requires one quick tap to engage the mode you need. Brakes are substantial too, as you’d expect. The 375 mm drilled rotors on the front and 6-piston calipers pull the car up quickly and safely. But if you feel you want even more stopping power, you can upgrade your brakes to carbon ceramic but that will set you back over $5,000.

Price and Options

While the RS Q3 Sportback may not be available in the U.S. at the moment, it is for sale in many global markets for prices ranging from £52,000 in the U.K. to $92,900 in Australia to 8.9 million yen in Japan. Depending on the market, you can spend an estimated £1,000 for the upgraded suspension, another £1,000 to get the upgraded sports exhaust system, and around £5,000 extra for the carbon-ceramic brake package.

When put back to back with rivals like the BMW X2 M35i, Porsche Macan Turbo, and the Mercedes-AMG GLB35, the RS Q3 SB holds its own in the performance and handling departments. In fact, it excels! But in terms of comfort, especially in the back, the seat design does let the Audi down, and headroom is limited when compared to competitors.

Should I buy one?

The RS Q3 Sportback certainly looks cool and is loads of fun to drive with its gutsy 400-hp engine and sports suspension. It’s just that we didn’t find it as much fun on the road as a normal hot hatch, nor did we find it as practical as a standard performance SUV with a higher roof, indeed like its RS Q3 brother. If you prioritize styling, performance, and handling over practicality, then this Sportback might be for you. Otherwise, we’d lean towards the standard RS Q3 or perhaps even the Porsche Macan Turbo for the best combination of practicality, performance, and handling, not to mention the all-important street cred factor. As for those flamboyant red accents, well you can turn the level up to 11, as you see with this car, or you can dial it down to a less flashy 3 boasting subtle red stitching combined with black and carbon fiber accents. I think I’d opt for the latter.

The post AUDI RS Q3 Sportback Review first appeared on Yanko Design.

iPhone 14 is the next possible iteration of the Apple iPhone that we’d be expecting this year. The upcoming iPhone is likely to land without a notch and an updated body design. Moreover, Touch ID may make a comeback and the camera bump could be evened out. But even months before the iPhone 14 goes official, we are already hearing rumors about the iPhone 15. In fact, designers have taken cues from these leaks and envisioned their idea for the iPhone to appear in 2023.

As Apple gears up for a fruitful new year, iPhone 13 is blowing sales figures for the Cupertino tech giant. Over 40 million units of the iPhone 13 have sold during the holiday season. These sales numbers are elating for Apple since the company continues to struggle with supply chain issues. iPhone 13 wasn’t a radical shift from the redesigned iPhone 12; for the iPhone15 the designers think there is a possibility of the iPhone going portless and may include a magic wheel controller alongside the cameras.

Designer: Antonio ADR De Rosa

Whenever a new iPhone is on the horizon, the design world cannot help but believe that Apple would deliver something groundbreaking to shock us. This is a sentiment devised on the previous experiences where Apple has gone against the tide not only to stay afloat but even swim all clear. iPhone 14 concepts are dime a dozen on the internet, and steadily the hypothetical takes on the iPhone 15, like this one with a strange scroll wheel on the side, are keeping us enthralled.

To get a clear picture of what the speculations are and how they could look on the iPhone 15, this design is a fine example, except for the camera bump, which is likely to be done away within the iPhone 14, so there is a little chance it will appear back in the iPhone slated for 2023. Other than that, the concept is pretty much in line with the rumors currently. Two variants of the iPhone 15 appear in 6.1 and 6.7-inch displays touting an impressive 144Hz screen refresh rate. The phones appear portless on the bottom, which has been Apple’s intention; it has been mulling the possibility of offering iPhones without a port in the future.

The iPhone 15 concept depicts a triple camera module that has a slight bump from the body and comprises a telephoto, wide-angle and a twin periscope camera. The design still uses a very familiar iPhone frame with the classic power button and volume rocker on the left side. The most intriguing feature is the scroll wheel on the right side – the specific purpose of which is anyone guess at the moment – but most likely, given its placement, it has something to do with toggling the periscope lens. But is that sort of hardware something Apple will ever want? We are sure it doesn’t!

The post iPhone 15 concept includes a scroll wheel alongside the periscope lens and we’re wondering why first appeared on Yanko Design.

Outdoor enthusiasts wanting a sustainable adventure partner for riding on land and water with equal convenience, would fall for the Z-Triton 2.0 instantly. This amphibious mobile home is a combination of a tricycle, boat, and a camper in one, that can accommodate a couple on an uninterrupted journey across continents or on short weekend romantic trips too.

The brainchild of designer and adventure cyclist Aigars Lauris of Latvia, the Z-Triton 2.0 is a refined, production-ready version of the Z-Triton prototype released in 2020. Despite being fully functional, the prototype required improvements in design and construction to make it the revolutionary ride that people could take on their travel to explore the outdoors. Finally, after one-and-a-half years of R&D and development, the market-ready Z-Triton 2.0 is revealed. It has been successfully tested in the Swiss Alps, Paris, Lake Geneva, Amsterdam, and Berlin. According to Lauris, everyone who has tried or tested the Z-Triton has really been awed by the convenience, technology, and utility of this trike, boat and camper combo.

Designer: Aigars Lauris

Click Here to Buy Now!

Z-Triton 2.0 is now more spacious (in comparison to the prototype) with the use of fiberglass body and steel frames holding the entire contraption together. The striking blue trike-camper has parts 3D Printed from bioplastic and uses polyester made from recycled plastic bottles. The eco-friendliness of the Z-Triton 2.0 is not limited to its construction. In fact, it is powered by an electric battery and has solar panels on its roof to take care of the power needs. There is no definite word on the capacity of the battery, but it’s confirmed that it would prove 31 miles (50km) range in bike mode and 12 miles (20km) on water.

Weighing over 200kg, the Z-Triton 2.0 has been slightly redesigned from the prototype to provide an adjustable seat, which is unusually high. Even though the seven-gear ride is more comfortable for two with rear suspensions, hydraulic disk brakes, and electric bike motor for assistance. The spacious interiors of the camper – that works both on land and water – attached to the trike, allows a couple to sit or sleep comfortably. Shifting from land to water mode is quick and easy, it takes under five minutes to convert by folding the bike wheels, adding stability floats, and lowering the electric boat motor from the cabin. In no time the Z-Triton 2.0 is ready for the waves. Like a regular boat, there are controls onboard, so you’re in complete control of your vehicle. In case it runs out of power, the boat is attached with oars to manually paddle your way to safety.

Equipped with everything you’ll need on your journey over land and water, the Z-Triton 2.0 comes with storage for luggage, has USB charging ports, a Bluetooth radio, and of course a GPS onboard. For the convenience of the travelers, the Z-Triton 2.0 also features a folding table (for dining and working) and a planter you can maybe carry your favorite plant in for adventures where you go. The Z-Triton 2.0 is now available for preorder and is likely to be available in the US in 2023. Europe deliveries are expected to begin toward the end of 2022 starting at €14,500 ($16,300).

The post This 3-in-1 tiny camper, trike, and boat combo is actually an electric home on land and water first appeared on Yanko Design.