Hasta La Ideas

With the barrage of stylus options on the market and new ones cropping up every day, it can sometimes feel like wading through a sea of similarity when choosing the right tool for your needs. The Jot by Adonit is the most recent capacitative touch stylus to enter the fray, but with one incredibly important difference: the inclusion of a patented “precision disk.”

This clear plastic disk sits on a ballpoint tip, giving touchscreen users the feeling of writing with a classic rollerball pen. Where the precision disk lacks in elegance of form it makes up in performance—reviews across the board mention that the Jot is the most precise stylus on the market.

The Jot comes in rainbow-colored aluminum options with the Jot+ including a rubber grip upgrade and magnetic cling to attach to your tablet without a bulky pen clip. The screw cap protects the precision disk when not in use and screws safely on top of the stylus while you’re “writing.” And by all accounts, it does feel like you’re writing. The Jot was recently recognized as a finalist in the 2012 iF Product Design awards. See it in action with photographer Erin Kornfeld and menswear designer Ren Jett after the jump!

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Yorkshire-based design consultancy is pleased to present their latest product design, “Peel,” a sleek coffee machine. The ultramodern countertop device is characterized by its “elegantly crafted surfaces that peel away to reveal an eye-catching waterfall of rich coffee.”

Inspired by the drip of flowing coffee, the stimulating rippled stainless steel base plate helps the user locate their coffee mug for brewing. Both the top and bottom plates are crafted from pressed stainless steel, with their edges falling away into a sea of soft blue light surrounding them. The stainless steel hot plates are encircled by glowing LED bands of soft blue light to indicate when the machine is brewing.

Brewing coffee on dark mornings is made easier by soft glowing LED bands and a simplified user interface that light up the room with colour.

Well, I don’t know about that last bit, but the luminescent elements certainly attract the eye. Similarly, it’s not clear as to whether the oversized, highly-stylized base actually houses essential components or if it is purely aesthetic.

Intricate 3D lines seamlessly link the upper and low halves of the machine through an unbroken jet black polished band that contrasts with the satin matte body construction.

The perpendicular surfaces and sharp rear corner sit impeccably within the kitchen environment, disguising the internal piping structure which transports the boiled water from the base.

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It seems that we’ve been seeing a glut of consumer audio solutions lately, collectively comprising a veritable addendum to our Ultimate Gift Guide (in which David Auerbach of Dijital Fix has you—specifically, your ears—covered).

Of course, there still seems to be room to grow in the headphone/speaker category, at least to the extent that crappy earbuds remain the de facto stock accessory for audio players (read: iPods). While Dr. Dre continues to build his electronics empire, Utah-based designers Jeremy Saxton and Jacob Hall have taken a more forward-looking approach to headphone design. Taking a cue from Scott Wilson of the wildly successful TikTok & Lunatik, the designers have cleverly combined the iPod Shuffle with the one accessory that its function is contingent upon: an output device.

The ODDIO1 represents the logical extension, in a manner of speaking, of cord reduction in the interest of streamlining the on-the-go listening experience—specifically for exercise and outdoor activities. By integrating an mp3 player into the headphones themselves, the ODDIO1 effectively cuts out the middleman of excess cabling, something like building a speaker around the iPod Shuffle, and the square-ish form factor of the cans is likely a reference to the iPod Shuffle itself.

Just as armband-based sports mp3 players existed prior to the TikTok & Lunatik, all-in-one headphone+mp3 players are nothing new. Thus, like Wilson, Saxton and Hall hope to extend the value—and design—of the iPod as opposed to competing directly with either mp3 players or headphones.

Check out the pitch after the jump:

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We’ve all seen different ways to jimmy amplification for a mobile phone—just this past weekend my outdoor flea market barista had her phone blasting inside a paper coffee cup. Announcing the SPAR Zephyr, “the first ever portable speaker/speakerphone/recharger combination.” Unlike our most recent favorite in the portable speaker market, the Jawbone JAMBOX, the Zephyr acts like an extended battery and can actually recharge your phone.

Entering the market with three models ranging from the pocket-sized 300 to the anodized aluminum 550 model, the Zephyr promises to make a splash as a holiday stocking stuffer with a price point at $100-$160. We’re interested in the actual sound quality; although the promo video after the jump is quite convincing, we’re pretty sure the real innovation is in the mobile charge functionality.

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Tear resistant, water resistant and flame retardant paper? Vienna-based collective, Papernomad creates bags and covers for mobile electronic devices for this generation of urban nomads. Made of 100% organic materials, the company grew out of a quest to identify industrial niches where traditional materials could be replaced by paper.

The company considers their paper products, “the perfect analog counterbalance to the metal and glass digital world that surrounds us.” With a sheep’s wool lining and a magnetic hemp closure, their products are designed with a C2C lifecycle in mind. And the best of all…you can sketch directly on the covers!

Identity, Sustainability and Sanity encompass our values in a world of constant change. Papernomads are sleeves and covers which capture our experiences as quick scribbles, coffee stains, finger prints, telephone numbers or the occasional lipstick impression. Not unlike a diary, they document our experiences and create reference points in time for us to remember.

Check out their great introductory video after the jump.

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