Hasta La Ideas

These white hexagonal ceramic speakers by Finnish company Unmonday can connect to each other wirelessly by being rolled onto different sides.

The minimal casing of the Unmonday Model 4.3 is made from vitro ceramic and features a single power button, handmade grille and a charge point at the back.

By rotating the device, the user can toggle between different modes. When the power button is facing up, Mono mode is activated and the speaker plays normally.

If there is more than one speaker present, rotating the device will synchronise the set to play the same song. Up to five units can be combined to become an impromptu surround sound system when connected to a TV or computer.

To mute the speaker, simply tip it on its head and the sound will cut out.

“We wanted to create something truly wireless and flexible, but also something that did not compromise on sound quality or on good design sensibility,” said Jukka Nieminen from Unmonday.

“We also wanted to remove all the usual hassles associated with wireless speakers, from the set up process, to running wires, to pairing wireless equipment.”

The speaker can stream music from an iPhone, iPad or Mac computer using AirPlay, Apple’s native streaming technology. Alternatively, there is a 3.5-millimetre jack in the rear to allow connection with non-compatible devices.

Inside the casing is a single 10.3-inch driver capable of generating 20 watts of power along with a router, amplifier and a series of motion sensors that can detect the orientation of the speaker.

The battery can provide up to eight hours worth of wireless music or it can be connected to the mains.

The Model 4.3’s front grille is interchangeable and comes in a range of colours. There is also a bespoke leather carry case that the 4.3 snugly fits inside for transportation.

The project began as a Kickstarter campaign in 2012, and was launched in December 2013. The Model 4.3 is available to buy in Apple stores in Europe and Asia.

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orientation-sensitive controls appeared first on Dezeen.

News: tech giant Google and eyewear company Luxottica have announced a partnership to develop Google Glass wearable headsets into consumer-friendly products.

“We have come to a point where we now have both a technology push and a consumer pull for wearable technology products and applications,” said Luxottica CEO Andrea Guerra.

Google Glass lets users send and receive messages, take pictures and search the web hands-free – this collaboration will put this technology in the hands of designers at Luxottica, which produces eyewear for brands including Ray-Ban and Oakley.

“We live in a world where technological innovation has dramatically changed the way in which we communicate and interact in everything that we do,” said Guerra.

Recently a Google Glass user was attacked in a San Francisco bar for wearing the device.

Earlier this year the tech giant unveiled four designs for Google Glass frames to hold prescription lenses (main image).

The post Google and luxury eyewear brand
form wearable tech partnership appeared first on Dezeen.

Dezeen and MINI Frontiers: Dutch designer Daan Roosegaarde is exploring ways of using the bio-luminescent qualities of jellyfish and mushrooms to create glow-in-the-dark trees that could replace street lights.

In this movie filmed at SXSW in Austin, Roosegaarde explains how: “In the last year I really became fond of biomimicry.”

“What can we learn from nature and apply to the built environment, to roads, to public spaces, to our urban landscape?” asks Roosegaarde.

Biomimicry is the method of imitating models and systems found in nature to solve complex design issues. One of the biological phenomena that fascinated Roosegaarde was how animals like jellyfish and fireflies generate their own light.

“When a jellyfish is deep, deep underwater it creates its own light,” he says. “It does not have a battery or a solar panel or an energy bill. It does it completely autonomously. What can we learn from that?”

Roosegaarde’s interest in biomimicry led him to collaborate with the State University of New York  and Alexander Krichevsky, whose technology firm Bioglow unveiled genetically modified glow-in-the-dark plants earlier this year.

Krichevsky creates the glowing plants by splicing DNA from luminescent marine bacteria to the chloroplast genome of a common houseplant, so the stem and leaves emit a faint light similar to that produced by fireflies and jellyfish.

Roosegaarde is now working on a proposal to use a collection of these plants for a large-scale installation designed to look like a light-emitting tree.

He had just taken delivery of one of the small Bioglow houseplants when he met up with Dezeen in Austin.

“This one was shipped to my hotel room and I’m really excited to have it in my hand,” he says, holding the small plastic box that contains the plant. “This is a very small version that we have produced. Right now we are teaming up with [the University of New York and Krichevsky] to create a really big one of them like a tree instead of street lighting.”

“I mean, come on, it will be incredibly fascinating to have these energy-neutral but at the same time incredibly poetic landscapes.”

Strict regulations around the use of genetically modified plants within the EU mean that Roosegaarde cannot use this material in his Netherlands studio. He had to travel to the US to receive the plant.

Distinct from Studio Roosegaarde’s work with Krichevsky is a second project exploring bio-luminescence, called Glowing Nature, which does not use genetically-modified material. The aim was to find a means of giving mature trees light-emitting properties without harming them, building on research into the properties of bio-luminescent mushrooms.

The proposal is to use a very fine coating of “biological paint” that when applied to trees allows them to glow at night. The coating charges during the day and at night can glow for up to eight hours. Trials using the material will start at the end of this year.

The music featured in the movie is a track by Zequals. You can listen to his music on Dezeen Music Project.

Dezeen and MINI Frontiers is a year-long collaboration with MINI exploring how design and technology are coming together to shape the future.

The post Glowing trees could be used “instead of
street lighting” says Daan Roosegaarde appeared first on Dezeen.

Pour faire la promotion de Pepsi Max, l’agence AMV a décidé de piéger des londoniens qui attendent leur bus. Sur l’avenue New Oxford Street, une caméra a été placée dans un arrêt de bus pour filmer l’autre côté de la rue en temps réel. Un rendu possible grâce à l’utilisation de la réalité augmentée.

Voici un teaser tirées du tournage en drone de l’Opéra Garnier, proposé par Freeway Prod à l’occasion du film de Laurence Thiriat, dont la diffusion est prévue pour septembre 2014 sur Arte et coproduit par AnaProd. Des plans impressionnants, permettant un nouveau regard sur la beauté du Palais Garnier.