Sep 07

The Best of IFA 2022: Technology for Better Living

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It’s that time of year again when big brands try to make a big splash in upgrading your home with the latest and greatest in consumer electronics and home appliances. The past two years were filled with devices that tried to fill the needs of the times, offering different ways to sanitize and protect your home against harmful microorganisms. Things have fortunately settled down, and industries have started to recover, putting their attention and resources into products that help make life less stressful and more enjoyable. There are plenty of such products up for show at IFA 2022 in Berlin, and so we distilled the lineup into our top picks for products to keep an eye on this year.

Zendure Superbase V Portable Home Battery

Thanks to natural calamities and resource shortages, power blackouts have become more common these past few years than ever before. Power banks might be enough for phones and even some laptops, but they are useless to power anything else, especially for extended periods of time. Gasoline-chugging generators do exist, of course, but the dangers they pose both to people and the environment make them inefficient and costly in the long run. Clean Energy Tech startup Zendure is putting its best foot forward this year with a new energy system that can power your house or even your car in a sustainable way.

Designer: Zendure

With a capacity that can reach up to 64kWh thanks to its expandable design, the Zendure Superbase V Portable Energy System has enough juice to give power to a house in an emergency. It even has a power outlet for charging EVs. Despite its large capacity and size, it can still be moved around like a cart on wheels. More importantly, the semi-solid state battery inside can be charged using solar power, offering a more sustainable solution to electricity problems. It’s a win-win solution for both humans and the planet.

Leica Cine 1 Projector

Along with cutting cables, some homeowners have also started getting rid of TVs that take up space even when not in use. While still waiting for the perfect rollable TV, home projectors have become more attractive and more practical solutions, especially when you want a bigger screen without losing wall space. Famed camera maker Leica is jumping into this market, and its first attempt is as classy as anything that bears its signature “Coke” logo.

Designer: Leica

The Leica Cine 1 short-throw projector utilizes triple RGB lasers to deliver picture-quality 4K images and videos on an area equivalent to a 100-inch TV. Despite all that power, the projector manages to keep a compact size that will fit in any room arrangement. Even better, it also bears Leica’s design language, with a sleek aluminum body with an automatic dust cover to protect the lens. Stylish and functional, this home projector promises to add life to a space, both through its design and through the videos it will play.

LG OLED Flex Bendable TV

TV innovation hasn’t been standing still, especially if you’ve been keeping track of recent buzzwords. While curved TVs haven’t exactly become the norm, they’ve become a force to reckon with in the market. Not everyone is convinced that they need a curved TV, though, or at least not all the time. LG’s latest trick is to give people the ability to choose between the two whenever they want.

Designer: LG

Utilizing its expertise in flexible OLED panels, the brand’s new 42-inch TV can lay flat or bend to a curve with a push of a button. Designed primarily with gaming in mind, the LG OLED Flex LX3 has plenty of features that benefit even non-interactive content like movies and TV shows. Now you no longer have to make an upfront decision to go flat or curved, freeing you to enjoy content in the best way possible.

LG MoodUp Color-Changing Fridge

Once upon a time, appliances were simply functional pieces of equipment and nothing more. These days, they have not only become smarter but have also become an expression of the owner’s personality and interests. Bespoke home appliances are becoming a little bit more common, but they can also be a little bit too specific to a certain style or theme. LG’s new fridge, however, tries to shake things up a bit by letting people choose the doors’ colors on a whim.

Designer: LG

The LG MoodUp refrigerator’s doors are covered with LED panels that can change their color depending on your, well, mood. You can select different colors for each door or you can set it to follow a motif based on seasons, locations, and moods. These panels can also serve as visual notifications, like when you left a door open. The refrigerator also has a built-in speaker that you can use to play music from your smartphone via Bluetooth. Of course, the colors of the doors can sync to that music as well, truly pushing the mood up on any occasion.

JBL Tour Pro 2 Earbuds

Truly Wireless Stereo or TWS earbuds have come a long way over the past years. Spurred by the retirement of the headphone jack on smartphones, these tiny audio devices have seen plenty of innovation in terms of features and designs. In contrast, the cases that hold these earbuds have remained practically the same, mostly changing only in shape. The JBL Tour Pro 2 tries to change that and make the earbuds case as smart as what it holds inside.

Designer: JBL

Portrait Of Young Caucasian Stylish Man On Sunny Day In The City.

The earbuds themselves are what you would expect from the brand, featuring features like adaptive noise canceling and spatial sound. What truly sets it apart is its smart charging case, which has its own 1.45-inch touch screen that lets you control the earbuds without having to take out your phone. It’s not an earth-shattering new feature, but it does level up the experience for the first time.

Philips Hue Lightguide Bulbs

Lighting can make or break the mood in a room, not to mention affect people’s productivity in that space. Since the smart home explosion a few years back, lighting was the first to be connected to the Internet, giving people better control over the hues in their homes or offices. As one of the pioneers of that smart lighting market, Philips Hue has to constantly innovate and mix things up to fend off the competition, and its new statement lighting collection tries to step up to that challenge.

Designer: Philips Hue

The new Philips Hue Lightguide Bulbs mix the old and the new with large glass bulbs in modern shapes like ellipses and triangles. Diffused light comes from an inner tube that you can, of course, control with your smartphone. Whether hanging from pendants or sticking up on stands, these bulbs give some character to a space, even when they’re turned off.

Electrolux AEG Kitchen Innovations

Electrolux is one of the most trusted names in the home appliance market, and it continues to push the envelope to meet the changing needs and trends of the times. Sometimes that means jumping on the smart home appliance bandwagon. Other times, it means making a commitment to sustainability and resource efficiency.

Designer: Electrolux

The AEG 7000 GreenZone refrigerator, for example, boasts using 70% recycled plastic for its inner liner walls, while the AEG 8000 series has new cooling technology that tries to preserve food longer so that they don’t go to waste. For those who love cooking at home, the AEG 800 Bridge/FlexiBridge with eXTractor sucks up vapor and recycles the air back into the kitchen, removing the stress of lingering odors while preparing your favorite meals.

Tineco Toasty One smart toaster

Everything’s becoming smarter these days, from the lights to washing machines to even toothbrushes. There’s always room to add a little intelligence to consumer electronics, especially when it means relieving our brains from having to fret over mundane stuff. It might sound excessive at first, but a smart bread toaster with a touch screen can be pretty convenient.

Designer: Tineco

The Tineco Toasty One can toast two slices of bread like other toasters, but it can have different settings for each of them. It can even detect the condition of the bread to automatically set the right heat for the desired crispiness. Of course, you can input your own preference, and it can remember different settings for up to eight people. OK, it might be overboard for some, but the toaster’s somewhat cute design definitely fits the kitchen of the future.

Bluetti Green Power Generators

Portable power generators that replace fuel generators are becoming more popular these days. Having emergency power that is clean, green, and safe is almost critical in this day and age, whether it’s for spending the weekend outdoors or living through a power outage. Bluetti is one of the most trusted brands in that growing market, and it’s showing off its latest solution to keep the lights on in the darkness.

Designer: Bluetti

The new Bluetti AC500 modular portable power generator steps up the game with a larger inverter that can dish out 5000W. When paired with B300 or B300S battery modules, it can provide an astounding 18,432Wh of power for the whole house. What makes it different from most battery-powred generators is that you can decide just how many modules you want to bring along, simplifying its portability. Plus, you can also charge it using solar power, creating a more sustainable solution to your electricity problems.

ASUS ZenBook 17 Fold OLED

Smartphones aren’t the only ones that are getting a foldable treatment. Although it’s happening more slowly, even tablets and laptops are getting foldable screens as well. There might still be some hesitation and doubt on whether it’s a fad or the next wave in computing, but devices that can change their forms will definitely become more common in the near future.

Designer: ASUS

The ASUS ZenBook 17 Fold OLED is one of the pioneers of this still nascent market. A 17.3-inch 2.5K screen that can fold into two 12.5-inch Full HD screens gives a whole new meaning to multitasking. Whether it will survive the test of time and hard work remains to be seen, but its launch marks the start of something new.

Lenovo Thinkpad X1 Fold (16-inch)

Credit where credit is due, Lenovo is actually one of the first to demonstrate that it really believed in the foldable laptop hype. The first Thinkpad X1 Fold, while functional, didn’t exactly meet the hype and imagination of the PC market. Its next-gen iteration, however, inches closer to that ideal.

Designer: Lenovo

The new 16-inch Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Fold refines the design of its predecessor, making the body thinner while also increasing the screen size. It also comes with a new cover stand and an improved Bluetooth keyboard that should make the device more usable. No longer will you feel like you’re carrying around a prototype device and are instead using the computer of the future.

Bang & Olufsen Beosound Theater Soundbar

As TVs become thinner, the need to relocate speakers has also become greater. You can, of course, cram smaller speakers inside those thin frames, but that often comes at the expense of sound quality. Soundbars have become one of the solutions to this problem, offering a way to have an elegant speaker near an equally elegant TV. And when it comes to elegance, there are few names you can trust more than Bang & Olufsen.

Designer: Bang & Olufsen

The marque’s new Beosound Theater is unsurprisingly another proof of its expertise in blending audio quality and aesthetics. Whether standing alone or paired with a TV, the soundbar looks stylish and attractive, unlike common boxy soundbars. Inspired by sailboats, the Beosund Theather’s curved body looks like it’s floating on air, giving it a sense of grandeur and adventure that matches the heart-racing sounds that come from it.

Yaber Pico T1 portable projector

While short-throw home projectors are gaining popularity as alternatives to traditional TVs, another kind of projector is making its way into people’s travel bags or even pockets. Pico projectors offer the opportunity to enjoy videos or make presentations anywhere, as long as you have the right light conditions. Given how projectors work, it’s hard to find the right balance between portability and performance, something that Yaber gets mostly correct.

Designer: Yaber

The Yaber Pico T1 itself is like a shorter but thicker smartphone, and it can easily fit into your jeans’ pocket. It does output at a resolution of 960×540, but it can do so at a screen size of up to 100 inches. The downside is that it doesn’t have an internal battery, so you’ll have to connect it to a compatible power bank. That said, all its accessories still fit nicely in a pouch that you can conveniently carry around if you want a cinema on the go.

Huawei

In spite of and despite all odds, Huawei continues to bring quality products to meet the needs and demands of today’s consumers. From powerful smartphones to professional laptops, Huawei brings a plethora of choices across different markets and tiers. The Huawei nova 10 and nova 10 Pro, for example, bring a 60MP front-facing camera that’s sure to excite selfie lovers with limited budgets.

For those more focused on productivity, the Huawei MatePad Pro brings a tablet to rival the iPad Pro with a 120Hz OLED screen and a Huawei M Pencil stylus. The new MateBook X Pro, on the other hand, packs a 3.1K 14.2-inch screen into a Windows-powered laptop powered by the latest 12th-gen Intel Core processors. Whether it’s for lifestyle, entertainment, or productivity, Huawei has a product that has one of the best bang-for-buck offers in designs that make you feel you’re really getting more for less.

The post The Best of IFA 2022: Technology for Better Living first appeared on Yanko Design.

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Sep 07

The best smart weighing scale on a budget lets you calculate everything from your BMI to even your muscle mass

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I absolutely get the appeal of a weighing scale that’s actually designed to look sleek and weightless!

The Lepulse Lescale F4 isn’t your ordinary weighing scale. Although it looks deceptively like one, it uses 4 high-precision G-sensors to capture more than just your weight. The Lescale F4 also tells you your BMI, heart rate, body fat, body water, body age, fat-free body weight, protein, visceral fat, subcutaneous fat, muscle mass, heart index, skeletal muscle, bone mass, and BMR. Compile all this together and you get data that’s much more valuable than just your weight. These fifteen data points can help you upgrade your life by modifying your eating habits, altering and adjusting your workouts, and overall living a healthier life!

Designer: Lepulse Design

Click Here to Buy Now: $48.8 $61 $89.9 (46% off total with coupon code “YD20”). Hurry, deal ends Sept 9th.

The Lescale F4 comes with a sleek all-glass design with a large screen that displays your weight-related data. Unlike a weighing machine that just records the pressure you apply when you stand on it, the Lescale F4 comes with four discreet zones on its surface that come in contact with your feet when you stand on it. Small, harmless electrical currents from these zones pass through your body, and the Lescale F4 measures exactly how much resistance your body offers to the electricity. This is then used to calculate a variety of metrics, even your body’s bone and muscle mass. Meanwhile, sensors within the Lescale F4 also capture your weight and heart rate, giving you a treasure trove of health information that you can then use to actually track your health goals.

Deliver 15 measurements from BMI to heart rate, muscle mass, etc, giving a comprehensive understanding of your body.

Shows up to 8 essential metrics on the easy-to-read screen. No hassle to check on your phone again.

Equipped with 4 high-precision G-sensors to provide the most accurate measurements of your body composition with division down to 0.2 lbs (0.1 kg).

While the Lescale F4 displays all these data-points on the scale’s large LCD screen, it can also send the data to the Fitdays app on your phone, which keeps a log of all your readings over multiple days, weeks, and months. The Fitdays app can create up to 24 profiles for different family members, and data gets logged accordingly, with an algorithm crunching all those numbers and turning them into graphs that are easier for you to understand!

The Lescale F4 is available for a discounted price of $48.8, while the Fitdays app is free to install. Grab yours now and watch yourself automatically progress towards a data-driven healthier life!

Click Here to Buy Now: $48.8 $61 $89.9 (46% off total with coupon code “YD20”). Hurry, deal ends Sept 9th.

The post The best smart weighing scale on a budget lets you calculate everything from your BMI to even your muscle mass first appeared on Yanko Design.

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Sep 07

Reader Submitted: The Upcycled Jars Collection

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The Upcycled Jars Collection allows people to reduce their glass waste while using as little material as possible. It brings aesthetic and functional objects into everyone’s daily life, simply screwing the tops onto standard jars people already have at home. We created these objects using 3D-printers and recycled bioplastic packaging waste.

For each product, several prototypes were modeled and printed to ensure solidity and good ergonomics.

The Upcycled Jars Collection

Jars
The majority of jars can be used for this collection

The Coffee Knockbox

The Self-watering pot

The piggy bank

The incense holder

The paintbrush holder

The pencil pot

View the full project here

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Sep 07

Project Flock Brings a Little Humanity Back to Urban Cycling

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Project Flock

Cycling in a major city can feel like taking your life into your own hands. There’s congested traffic, brutal road conditions, and the often casually-cruel way drivers treat bicyclists. According to a 2019 Australian study, over 50% of motorists see cyclists as “less than human.” This is particularly true during night driving when bikers are often just a tiny red LED dot on the road. But Project Flock hopes to change this dynamic with the new Flock Light, which utilizes Biomotion—the movement of living organisms and how evolution has wired our brains to react to them—to transform cyclists from road obstacles back into human beings. 

Available on Kickstarter until September 15, the Flock Light works by signaling organic movement to the human brain by shining a beam directly onto the cyclist’s legs in a “halo” formation, projecting onto the road surrounding the rider. The light beam then enables cyclists to be spotted up to 5.5x faster than the traditional rear or front-facing lights. Meanwhile, the built-in Flight Time Gauge empowers riders to monitor energy stores and prevent unexpected low-battery emergencies. Designed to perceive ambient light changes, becoming brighter during darker hours, the Flock Light focuses on showcasing cyclists rather than blinding drivers with LED power, taking “visibility to the next level.”

Project Flock

“What we’re trying to do is prevent crashes and injury from occurring to people who ride bikes,” states Industrial Design Tim Ottoway, co-founder of Project Flock, who runs the start-up with his partner in life and business, Marie Penny, an architect. “Her background as a project architect and her passion for impact-driven design meant that Project Flock could start to get more focused, not just as a product company, but a purpose-driven company,” says Ottoway, who first developed Flock Light’s design while completing his final honors year of Industrial Design at RMIT in Melbourne.

The pair credited LaunchHUB and the RMIT Activator with helping them turn “what was essentially an academic design research project” into a customer-focused product business complete with a launch strategy. But what truly drove Flock Light was the duo’s passion for the road. “We both enjoy cycling for different reasons,” explains Penny. “Tim got into road racing when he was younger, and what drew him to it was the sense of community, the freedom, and the challenge of competing and pushing himself,” she says, noting that her interest lies more in cycling as a fun and sustainable way to get around. “Both of us believe that if more people rode bikes, our cities would be happier and healthier overall.”

Project Flock

Soft-launched in 2020 through R&D on hundreds of real-world cyclists, the pair created the Flock Pilot Program to put their innovation through rigorous training, generating 14 “Flock Pilots” and accumulating over 350 hours of testing. “It showed a strong link between how road users saw each other and how they treated each other,” the creators explain on their Kickstarter page. “It proved that safety was about much more than just visibility; it was about building empathy and awareness on our roads.”

“A big part of why Project Flock exists is that we’re trying to raise the profile of people who ride and champion more sustainable modes of transport,” explains Ottoway. “The name Project Flock means an ongoing body of work. A commitment to helping everyone on the road work together to get home safely.” As the inventor of the Flock Light, Tim was awarded student runner-up in the Sports and Recreation Category of the Core 77 Design Award, the Australian James Dyson Award, and in late 2020 was awarded silver at DRIVENxDESIGN London’s design awards. “For both of us, it’s always been about getting a tool into the hands of people who ride that [lets them] be more visible and feel safer,” says Ottoway, who notes that he chose to go the crowdfunding route as a way of expanding community and staying true to the company’s ethos. “Kickstarter is famous for being a platform for early adopters, so we’ve chosen to launch our product here—it’s an opportunity for us to work with passionate early adopters who can help us create a fantastic product.”

Project Flock

Once Flock Light funds and ships, the team is gearing up, pun intended, to create more products and systems that build onto their mission to humanize cyclists and make cycling safer overall. “Anyone who’s ridden a bike is aware that there tends to be an ‘us vs. them’ mentality between people who ride and people who drive,” says Ottoway. “This plays a big part in how safe cyclists feel.” By creating a product that helps cyclists to be seen sooner and humanizes them, they ultimately hope to build lasting empathy between road users. “The one thing we can all agree on is that we all want to get home safely. This is why Project Flock exists—we want to create products which encourage positive behavioral change on roads around the world.”

Flock Light is live now on Kickstarter until September 15.

— Laura Feinstein

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Sep 06

Facing blackouts during the summer heatwave? This portable power station has you covered

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You’ve got a power bank for your phone… why not have one for everything else? The LIPOWER MARS-1000 PRO is exactly that. Designed to be a portable device that you can carry around with you, the LIPOWER MARS-1000 PRO is a power station capable of powering most of the stuff you own, from your laptop to your fridge, television, lawn mower, or even your power tools. Whether you use it to juice you devices while in the great outdoors, or to keep things running at home during a power outage, the LIPOWER MARS-1000 PRO is a tiny yet capable appliance that’s soon becoming a must-have for most homes and families.

Designer: LIPOWER

Click Here to Buy Now: MARS-1000 Pro for $849 $999 (15% off) or MARS-1000 Pro with Solar Panels for $1149 $1399 ($250 off).

Designed as a smaller sibling to the LIPOWER MARS-2000 which we wrote about just last month, the LIPOWER MARS-1000 PRO has a 1200W output and a 1120Wh capacity. Perfectly built to give you energy independence, the LIPOWER MARS-1000 PRO is just about the same size as your average beer cooler, give or take a couple of inches, and has 10 outputs to choose from across AC and DC types, covering a wide range of needs. With a peak surge output of 2000W, the LIPOWER MARS-1000 PRO lets you run pretty much any of your household appliances or outdoor gadgets, while even supporting power tools. Heck, it can even charge your EV! Sounds pretty handy, doesn’t it?

On the inside, the LIPOWER MARS-1000 PRO comes equipped with EV-grade LiFePO4 batteries that offer more than 3500 charge cycles, allowing the power station to comfortably last for over a decade with no discernable drop in performance. LIPOWER’s patented cooling system keeps the batteries and accompanying tech cool and breezy even when you’re pushing the power station to its limits, and its fans never cross more than 35 decibels of noise, making the LIPOWER MARS-1000 PRO quieter than most conventional generators. It’s also built with multiple safeguards against short circuiting, overcharging, overheating, etc., making it safer than other alternatives.

The LIPOWER MARS-1000 PRO weighs a paltry 29.3 lbs (13.3 kg) and comes with built-in handles that you can use to carry it around. The 1120Wh device offers 10 different ports to charge/power a whole slew of devices, including 3 110V AC ports, 3 12V DC ports (including one car outlet), 3 USB-A ports (including one USB3.0 port for fast charging), and one USB-C port that outputs 60W, making it perfect for phones, tablets, and even laptops.

LIPOWER offers four modes of charging the LIPOWER MARS-1000 PRO, including even via solar panels. Pair it with as many as 2 solar panels and the LIPOWER MARS-1000 PRO charges in just 5-6 hours, while simultaneously giving you unlimited grid-free electrical energy. Moreover, the LIPOWER MARS-1000 Pro also supports dual-charging, which means it can be plugged into a wall socket as well as provide 60W PD charging for your smartphone, tablet, or other devices (when plugged into a wall, the MARS-1000 PRO charges in under 4 hours). An LCD panel on the front lets you track your battery levels and power consumption metrics while the LIPOWER MARS-1000 PRO is in use, and although this is an incredibly understated fact, it’s worth appreciating that the LIPOWER MARS-1000 PRO comes with a flat top that allows you to place gadgets and other items on top of it. I’d keep the water bottles and soda/beer cans away, though.

The LIPOWER MARS-1000 Pro is currently available at a discounted price of $849, or about $0.75 USD per Wh, which is incredibly reasonable even by today’s standards. Plug a set of solar panels in and you effectively turn your electricity bills to zero! I’d call that a good deal.

Click Here to Buy Now: MARS-1000 Pro for $849 $999 (15% off) or MARS-1000 Pro with Solar Panels for $1149 $1399 ($250 off).

The post Facing blackouts during the summer heatwave? This portable power station has you covered first appeared on Yanko Design.

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Sep 06

Everything we know about the upcoming Apple iPhone 14 keynote event on September 7th

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Will the iPhone 14 still have the lightning port? What about the notch? Will it connect to satellites? Let’s look at all the credible rumors, days before Tim Cook steps on stage to give us the iPhone 14!

The iPhone launch this year around is a rather special one. In three full years (ever since the iPhone 11), it’s the first time Apple has invited fans, journalists, and experts back to the Steve Jobs Auditorium for a keynote event. A lot has happened in those three years too – Apple’s filed patents for solar connectivity, they’ve patented various folding displays, and speculators have even mentioned that 4 years in, the company is prepared to transition away from the notch. Moreover, we’re also dealing with EU legislation that will make USB-C mandatory for all phones sold in the region. So with just 40-something hours till the new iPhone drops, let’s do a quick recap on everything we know, everything we think we know, and everything we wish we knew more about!

4 new iPhone models, but with a twist

Perhaps the one thing we can say with a degree of certainty is that Apple won’t be launching more than 4 variants of their latest flagship model. In the past two years, Apple has unveiled two regular and two Pro variants of the iPhone, with the iPhone Mini being a surprisingly new experiment on the company’s part. Following what seems like lackluster sales, it’s rumored that Apple will kill their Mini project and stick to a regular and a Max size structure for both the iPhone 14 and the iPhone 14 Pro. Moreover, this is the one rumor we’re all fairly confident about because Apple sends out dummy units to third parties to design cases for the new iPhone as soon as it drops. These mockups have leaked online, confirming the rumors, and sadly, the demise of the Mini.

Goodbye Notch, Hello Pill

Although this might be the most noticeable and awaited upgrade on the iPhone, it’s yet another example of Apple being one of the last few to jump on a trend. while Apple surely set the trend with the notched display, they held onto it for a staggering 4 years. As the world trudged through a pandemic with face masks becoming the de facto norm, Apple stuck firmly to their FaceID guns, offering not so much as even an in-screen fingerprint reader. The notch prevailed for nearly 1500 days, but it seems like Apple’s keen on looking forward.

The iPhone 14 Pro is rumored to switch to a ‘pill-shaped’ cutout that will house the camera, the receiver, indicator buttons for an active camera or microphone, and perhaps a sensor or two for FaceID, if Apple still plans on sticking to that technology. There hasn’t been any word on in-screen fingerprint readers yet, so it’ll be interesting to see what tech Apple unveils with the iPhone 14 Pro as far as security systems go. Sadly though, the new pill design won’t carry forward to the regular iPhone 14, which will still sport the infamous notch, according to many speculators and experts. The regular iPhone 14 will even continue to use the A15 Bionic chip (albeit with a few performance bumps), since even the world’s most valuable company can’t shake off the effects of a global chip shortage.

The cryptic starry Apple logo on the invitation

Apple is known to hide crucial clues in their invitation, playing along with the hype and rumor train just to keep people on edge. This year, the company revealed their invites featuring an Apple logo made out of stars. The internet was instantly divided into two parties – a group of people who believe this to be an announcement that the iPhone camera will now boast of an ‘astronomy mode’, while the others used this as confirmation of the fact that Apple would announce the iPhone’s ability to connect to Low Earth Orbit satellites for better connectivity. This particular rumor has me absolutely divided too, because I think an ‘Astronomy Mode’ is a cool feature, but the satellite connectivity may end up being much more practical as a solution. The satellite connectivity may affect the iPhone’s sales in different countries, however.

The iOS 16 lock screen is a BIG clue

With widgets coming to the lock screen, it was just a matter of time before people began digging around to find out why Apple decided to have a massive change of heart. The company isn’t known to make such odd changes to formats that work – it’s why menu widgets came to iOS and iPadOS home screens years after Android implemented it. The lock screen customization options, however, indicate a new ability in upcoming iPhones – an always-on display. Apple’s managed to successfully pull this off in their Watches, and it seems like that proof of concept is ready to be carried onto Apple’s most popular product ever. The smartphone screen is valuable real estate, and it seems like the Apple design team has only just begun embracing the fact. How an always-on screen would affect the phone’s battery, however, is something we’ll have to wait and watch out for.

Time to bid AdiEU to the Lightning Port?”

This might just be the most controversial rumor yet, because even though Apple’s been a long-time supporter of the USB-C protocol (the Mac, Mac Mini, iMac, MacBook, and iPad all have it), however Apple’s weird pearl-clutching with the lightning port on the iPhone has been absolutely baffling… and the EU isn’t having it. European Union lawmakers passed strict legislation that will force all smartphones sold in the region to adopt a single global standard, USB-C, which disproportionately affects Apple the most because every other smartphone launched in the past 2 years has already moved to USB-C. It isn’t entirely clear whether Apple plans on being bullish on the Lightning port, much to the chagrin of EU lawmakers, or whether Apple plans to cave to their demands. The EU accounts for a massive share of all iPhones sold globally (in 2021, Apple sold 241 million iPhones globally, of which about 56 million were sold in Europe), so Apple’s pride and profits are at absolute odds here. It’s unclear whether Apple plans on cutting the EU out of the iPhone 14 rollout or launching custom USB-C iPhones just in the EU, but either way, it isn’t looking pretty for the Cupertino giant. After all, isn’t Apple invested in saving the environment by allowing everyone to use existing cables across all devices??

A lot of these rumors need to be taken with a massive grain of salt. It’s easy to speculate based on rumors and patent leaks, but whether they’re going to be implemented in a certain year, or even at all, is something only Apple insiders know. However, we’ve got just 40 hours left for Tim Cook to step on stage and kill the suspense!

The post Everything we know about the upcoming Apple iPhone 14 keynote event on September 7th first appeared on Yanko Design.

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Sep 06

Professional photography filter kit to elevate iPhone 13 vlogging to god level

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The iPhone 13 series is already a stellar photography-capable device, but we all keep longing for more. People who feel the need to explore more of their Apple smartphone for taking breath-taking shots, have one more reason to shell out money on third-party accessories.

NiSi has announced a kit targeted at smartphone photography and videography fanatics. Not only the iPhone 13 series, but the kit is also compatible with 12 and 11-series phones. iPhone X, SE, 8, 7 and 6 are also compatible with the latest kit that promises an enhanced level of photography for demanding users.

Designer: NiSi

Click Here to Buy Now!

The resourceful accessories dubbed NiSi IP-A Filter System for iPhone comprise of a Landscape Kit, Filmmaker Kit and Cinema Kit. Just for the records, NiSi has made the filters on this pro kit the same as the ones used on the regular DSLR cameras. Now that’s going to be a big advantage for content creators who don’t like the hassles of carrying a DSLR but want the same refined output from their iPhone 13 Pro. Especially ones who don’t miss the opportunity to shoot a viral video on the go.

The pivotal element of the whole kit is the NiSi IP-A holder that hooks onto your smartphone, even with the cover case on. It encapsulates the camera module securely and then the respective circular filters can be slotted in. With the P2 holder, one can also use rectangular filters. Thankfully, the holder doesn’t scratch the screen like other lens filter holders, since it has a soft clamp side built. Depending on the chosen kit the bundled set of accessories will also differ a bit. One thing is common though – they all come with a carrying pouch.

The Landscape Kit will have the P2 holder, medium graduated ND, 6-stop infrared blocking ND filter and polarizing filter. The Filmmaker Kit has round filters, a ¼ Black Mist filter, and a True Color ND-Vario 1-5 stop filter for controlling the aperture in bright lighting. Lastly, the Cinema Kit is similar to the Filmmaker Kit but comes with the additional Allure-Streak Blue and Allure-Streak Orange filters. These filters help creatives produce the result achieved with anamorphic lenses, like the cool-colored lens flares.

For now, the NiSi IP-A Filter System is only available for backorder from the official website and is also up for pre-order on the Amazon Germany portal. The NiSi Landscape, Filmmaker and Cinema kits are each available for €69.90, €149 and €199 respectively right now.

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Sep 06

3D-printed living soil walls by University of Virginia can grow plants

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A research team from the University of Virginia has invented an innovative and sustainable technique of 3D printing structures created from soil implanted with seeds. This can be used to create walls and roofs that are blooming with plants! Ji Ma, an assistant professor of materials science and engineering at UVA’s School of Engineering and Applied Science, David Carr, a research professor in the university’s Department of Environmental Sciences, Ehsan Baharlou, an assistant professor in the UVA School of Architecture; and recent UVA graduate Spencer Barnes, who earned his Bachelor of Science in aerospace engineering created prototypes that initially look like plain jane soil structures, but within a few days begin to get completely covered by plant life! They said you can compare them to “oversized Chia Pets”.

Designer: Ji Ma, David Carr, Ehsan Baharlou, and Spencer Barnes

UVA says that building green walls and roofs using this technique is actually extremely beneficial. They can fulfill a variety of functions such as -natural insulation, flood prevention, and green spaces for people, pollinators, and other animals. Through this technique, they aimed to build complex green structures that are made from natural materials themselves. This could enable green spaces to be integrated into the very essence or fabric of architectural structures, rather than just adding them on top. The process also eliminates a lot of unnecessary materials which have large emissions, and a larger carbon footprint, and discards the circular approach to construction and design.

“We are working with local soils and plants mixed with water. The only electricity we need is to move the material and run a pump during printing. If we don’t need a printed piece or if it isn’t the right quality, we can recycle and reuse the material in the next batch of inks,” said Ehsan Baharlou.

“This method hypothesizes to create an active ecological system that might store emitted carbon in 3D-printed soil structures through the process of photosynthesis,” Baharlou continued.

They believe this 3D printing process could play a major role in making buildings more carbon neutral. They initially started printing cylindrical prototypes, and then went on to more complex structures such as domes. They’ve even gone on to create low walls which are about a meter in height. Their next goal is to print structures with multiple sides.

The seeds used to implant the soil are ‘stonecrop’, which is a succulent plant that barely needs any water to survive. However, they are looking to further experiment with their ‘soil ink’ formula. We can’t wait to see what more they have in store for us!

The post 3D-printed living soil walls by University of Virginia can grow plants first appeared on Yanko Design.

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Sep 05

This ‘50s microphone-inspired portable lighting speaker is fabulous interplay of light and sound

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There have been many stylish lamp and Bluetooth speaker combos designed with fashion and function on top of the mind. These options have either been spherical or bulky. To offer a device – inspired by the shape of a 1950’s microphone – designer Alessandro Pennese has come up with Mik – Lighting Speaker, which interplays with light and sound: elements that enliven the environment!

Mik is modeled after the microphones from the ‘50s but it changes the function. The Lighting Speaker is a light source in one half and a smart Bluetooth speaker in the other with a handle that offers it that microphone appearance. Capable of being used as a pendant lamp, travel lamp or table lamp – the speaker lamp supports voice control and manages impactful audio (however, the exact sound output possible is not specified). A smart candlelight speaker for modern dwellers, the Mik’s sleek profile renders it lightweight for effortless transition between hanging light and portable speaker for campsites.

Designer: Alessandro Pennese

A solution offering versatility in use, while saving space, the Mik – Lighting Speaker comes in two parts. Tapered in the middle, the upper part comprises a smart speaker and the lower section is an LED lamp that has a nice, mood-enhancing ambiance. The speaker shell is made from polypropylene, the lighting diffuser has a translucent polycarbonate casing and the lantern-style handle is made from steel. All the mentioned materials are made using injection molding for uniformity in the finish.

For precise control when in portable mode, the Mik features dedicated buttons for power, Bluetooth, and light intensity adjustment on the top of the speaker section. The two parts of the Lighting Speaker are assembled by mechanical interlocks. This allows the light and speaker to be connected or disconnected by simple rotation, making the device easier to service and repair. The music playing light source is certainly a concept begging to see the light of day.

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Sep 05

Mujjo is releasing these eco-friendly + luxurious iPhone 14 cases on the same day as the Apple event

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On September 7th, 2022, there’s going to be an Apple event, and it’s a really exciting one since they’re launching the iPhone 14! We’re expecting to see a 6.1-inch iPhone 14, a 6.1-inch iPhone 14 Pro, a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 (Max or Plus), and a 6.7-inch iPhone 14 Pro Max. And in anticipation of the much-awaited release, Mujjo has already created a collection of luxurious cases for the iPhone 14! The cases are supposed to be the company’s most eco-friendly ones to date. And guess what? They’re set to be released on September 7th as well!

Designer: Mujjo

The cases are created from Ecco Leather, which is now Gold Rated by the Leather Working Group. The beautiful vegetable-tanned leather is produced in the Netherlands and provides a durable finish that will develop a patina over time, making each individual case unique. The interior of the case is lined with the finest Japanese microfibre – which is slim, lightweight, and yet extremely strong. It has a stunning satin-like finish which gives the case a really elegant and luxurious feel.

Based on customer feedback over the years, quite a few updates were made to the design as well. A raised bump around the rear camera provides great protection to the protruding lenses. The base of the iPhone is covered and protected, without obstructing the speakers or the charging port. The leather subtly rises 1mm above the edge of the glass, creating a raised bezel, which ensures abrasive surfaces are kept away from the screen.

The leather cases also feature MagSafe and are compatible with all MagSafe accessories. The side buttons have also been redesigned to encourage increased responsiveness. The range of iPhone 14 cases will be compatible with the iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Max, and iPhone 14 Pro Max. It will be available in three stunning color options – Tan, Black, and Monaco Blue. The Tan is a vivid caramel, that perfectly integrates both elegance and playfulness, while the Black makes a solid and powerful statement. The Monaco Blue is a riveting shade of blue with undertones of purple and green.

Mujjo’s range of sustainable and stylish cases has got us even more geared up for the launch of the iPhone 14 family! Oh, and did we mention, that you can add an optional wallet pocket that can hold up to 3 cards?!

The post Mujjo is releasing these eco-friendly + luxurious iPhone 14 cases on the same day as the Apple event first appeared on Yanko Design.

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