Jul 22
virtual laser keyboard
Posted in: Uncategorized 
Amazingly cool! A pocket-sized laser device that emits a full-size functional QWERTY keyboard – that will work on any flat surface. Created by i.Tech, it’s available for wireless or cable.
Jul 21
Physical interface design: CMU’s inflatable buttons will be a game-changer
Posted in: Uncategorized
When it comes to designing a physical interface, you’ve got a big choice to make: Go the Blackberry route and spec out proper buttons, which offer tactility but are fixed, or go the iPhone route and opt for a touchscreen, which can display an infinite amount of menus but offer zero tactility.
That choice may soon become moot, thanks to researchers at Carnegie Mellon University and the novel screen they have produced. Made from latex, portions of the screen can be “pumped up” or “sucked in” using an air pump to create physical buttons. It has to be seen to be believed:
How rad is that? And if they are able to get the buttons smaller, it should be a relatively easy matter to write software that will translate visual text into Braille, opening up touchscreens for use by the visually impaired.
Jul 21
Behavioral clutter: Texting while driving
Posted in: Uncategorized
Last fall, I was run off the road by some lunatic who was speeding in a Jaguar with his windows down, listening to a blaring radio, and texting on his BlackBerry. I was lucky that the road we were traveling on had a grassy median for me to drive onto instead of directly into a lane of on-coming traffic.
My honking and screeching brakes didn’t phase him as he swerved directly into me and ran me off the road. Afterward, another driver pulled onto the median behind me to check if I was okay, and the lunatic in the Jaguar just kept barreling down the road, totally clueless.
I have seen some truly horrible forms of clutter — time, physical, mental, behavioral — and texting while driving is the second worst type of clutter I can name in the behavioral clutter category (drunk driving is definitely the worst).
If you’re someone who thinks that it’s completely safe to text while driving, I’d like to suggest you play an eye-opening game in the Technology section of this weekend’s online New York Times.
Gauging Your Distraction
New studies show that drivers overestimate their ability to multitask behind the wheel. This game measures how your reaction time is affected by external distractions. Regardless of your results, experts say, you should not attempt to text when driving.
How did you perform? As expected, I was dismal. I didn’t even see the people on the road.
Jul 21
AR Business Card
Posted in: UncategorizedDans la continuité des sélections de cartes de visite, voici le concept de cette carte utilisant le principe de la réalité augmentée. Une excellente idée mise en œuvre par James Alliban, développeur flash au studio Skive. Autre exemple réalisé par Jonas dans la suite.
Augmented Business Card by Jonas
Jul 20
Stylehive’s Stylescopes Help You Face The Music This Week!
Posted in: Uncategorized  | One thing that can often be taken for granted is music. Even if your own musical talent only extends to playing “Hot Cross Buns” on the recorder, music is still bound to be a big part of your life. What would you do on your morning commute without a handful of stations to flip through? How would you ever get through your daily workout without your trusty iPod (aside from watching reruns of The Hills on the gym TV sets, of course)? Summer’s the time to kick back, relax, and show your appreciation for some sweet tunes on the road, at the beach, or… on your earlobes? Aries girls will channel their inner acoustic rock goddess with guitar pick earrings from Fred Flare and Scorpios can DJ on the go (or at least attempt to) with a portable USB turntable! Check the slideshow for your sign’s pick of music-inspired clothes, jewelry, and accessories! |
Jul 17
The Future of Le Livre?
Posted in: Uncategorized
Leave it to the French to give us such a civilized vision of how the physical book and electronic book might someday coexist. While today we are being asked to choose between e-books we download online and physical books we might buy after a delightful conversation with our local bookseller, perhaps the future will marry the two experiences, n’est-ce pas?
via Maud Newton and Design Observer
Jul 17
Hot In The Hive: Retro-Style Internet Phone
Posted in: Uncategorized  | Do you have a gift for gab and talk on the phone almost constantly? Do you have a special place in your heart for all things obsolete and/or retro? Do you have a laptop that’s almost as old as you are? If you answered “yes” to any or all of these questions, I may have the perfect vintage gadget for you! Urban Outfitters’ Internet Phone (no, not that kind of iPhone) is about as unnecessary as laptop accessories get… that is, unless your computer doesn’t have a built-in mic and speakers like most are made with nowadays. In that case, it’s totally useful for finally carrying out successful Skype conversations and iChat video discussions (that’s only assuming you’ve equipped your ancient computer with an external webcam) via a plug-in phone receiver made just for your computer. Otherwise, the retro-looking cyber accessory is still pretty covetable, for the sake of cuteness alone… and I guess it could also help keep the receiving end of your e-conversations on the down-low from snooping roommates. So in conclusion, it may not be the most mandatory addition to your shopping list, but the fun things never are, are they? Price: $15 |
Jul 16
BMW Concept Car
Posted in: UncategorizedUn superbe travail du studio allemand Gate11 avec la production de ce spot à propos du dernier concept-car Gina, et de son design révolutionnaire et esthétique. Un projet commisionné par Bmw Group. A découvrir dans la suite.
Projeté à l’occasion de la réouverture du musée BMW à Munich.
Jul 15
Canon pushes Augmented Reality tech to smoothen the product design process
Posted in: UncategorizedThe new AR, or Augmented Reality technology doesn’t look terribly different from the Virtual Reality tech that fizzed out in the ’90s, but developer Canon is touting it to be useful in the realm of product design.
Their bulky, spatially-aware AR headset–more like a fascia, really, that requires both hands–can overlay complicated 3D models on the user’s field of vision. The obvious application is for interior and environments design walkthroughs, but the demo Canon runs in this video has the wearer observing a primitive automotive suspension as it navigates a series of bumps. Their PR guy discusses how it will enable mechanical, electrical and software designers and engineers to share information in a way that will smoothen the design process, but exactly how this would happen is not made overt.
AR’s design-process benefits will probably take a little more dot-connecting to come together, but we’ll keep our eyes peeled for developments.
via dig info tv
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