Apple Mac Folder

Is it next MacBook? no, but everyone likes to put their 2 cents in. It’s called the Mac Folder - not all that different from any other laptop but this could be the netbook everyone wants/expects Apple to make. The UI has been reworked to work more like the interfaces seen on the iPod Touch and iPhone and of course it has a multi-touch screen and OF COURSE it’s as thin as Kate Moss if not more. Want one?

Designer: Tryi Yeh

SpacePilot Pro 3D Mouse BREAKING!

A few weeks back 3Dconnexion gave me a sneak peak at the SpacePilot Pro 3D mouse. It addresses a number of issues I had with SpaceExplorer and ups the ante by adding a barrage of new technologies. It seems they really wanted to hear from users. Professionals spanning multiple mediums all gave their 2 cents and today the SpacePilot Pro makes its debut. Hit the jump for the official press release. We can’t wait to get our hands on one!

FREMONT, Calif. – April 16, 2009 – To meet the rigorous demands of design engineers working in powerful 3D applications, 3Dconnexion today announced the new SpacePilot™ PRO. The company’s flagship 3D mouse is designed to deliver advanced control of 3D models, easier access to the power of professional 3D applications, fewer interruptions in the design workflow, and superior comfort. Specifically, the SpacePilot PRO features a new color LCD Workflow Assistant, second-generation QuickView Navigation technology, Intelligent Function keys, and an improved design for enhanced comfort and control.

“3Dconnexion’s 3D mice have rewritten the rules on the way design engineers and professionals interact with 3D environments,” said Dieter Neujahr, president of 3Dconnexion. “Our new SpacePilot PRO builds on our market-leading industry experience, delivering the most powerful 3D mouse we’ve ever made. It enables increased performance that ultimately results in better designs, created in less time.”

The SpacePilot PRO 3D mouse provides the highest level of performance features ever available from 3Dconnexion, including:

LCD Workflow Assistant:
The color LCD lists function-key assignments and provides at-a-glance access to Microsoft® Outlook® e-mail, calendar and task lists, allowing professionals to access important information for a fully integrated design experience with fewer distractions. Through 3Dconnexion’s open software architecture, the workflow assistant can be further customized to meet the needs of individuals, companies and software vendors.

Advanced MCAD Navigation:
Five new dual-function QuickView Navigation keys improve error detection, design review, and design presentation by providing one-touch access to the following views: top and bottom, right and left, front and back, two isometric views, and 90-degree view rotation of any view either clockwise or counter-clockwise – for a total of 32 views. A short press activates a key’s primary view command, while pressing and holding a key activates a secondary view command. In addition, new Navigation Setting keys offer simplified and customizable control, allowing professionals to turn pan-and-zoom, rotation and one-axis control on or off, making it easier to define navigation settings for certain work modes.

Intelligent Function Keys:
Five new fully customizable, dual-function keys offer immediate, one-touch access to 10 frequently used commands within any supported 3D application. The SpacePilot PRO automatically detects the active application and assigns appropriate function keys – whether default or customized. The color LCD denotes the function key assignments and application mode so engineers can easily identify commands and design states.

Superior Comfort:
The SpacePilot PRO has a new sculpted, soft-coated wrist rest that positions the hand in relation to the controller cap to support a balanced workflow. The micro-precision six-degrees-of-freedom sensor allows for fingertip control with minimal effort from the arm, wrist and hand, while frequently used commands are conveniently positioned at your fingertips. The intuitive and symmetrical layout of the function keys makes the device usable with either hand.

Unlike traditional mice confined to motion on one flat plane, 3Dconnexion 3D mice enable design engineers to move in all three dimensions simultaneously, using six-degrees–of-freedom sensor technology. By gently lifting, pressing and turning the controller cap, design engineers can easily pan, zoom and rotate without stopping to select commands. Using a 3D mouse together with a traditional mouse engages both hands into a balanced and cooperative work style.

3Dconnexion provides advanced and affordable 3D mice that are supported by more than 130 of today’s leading and powerful 3D applications, including Autodesk InventorTM, SolidWorksTM, CATIATM, Pro/ENGINEERTM, NXTM and Solid EdgeTM. For a complete list of applications supported by 3Dconnexion, visit www.3dconnexion.com/solutions.
Compatibility, Pricing and Availability

The SpacePilot PRO is backed by a three-year warranty, and is currently available at a suggested retail price of $499. The SpacePilot PRO is supported by Windows XP, Windows Vista®, Sun Solaris 8 (SPARC), Sun Solaris 10 (x86), and Linux® (Redhat Enterprise Linux WS 4, SuSE 9.3 or later). Linux and Solaris support workflow assistant function key assignments only.

Company: 3Dconnexion

Simply Connected, Peek Review

It’s an email device. That’s it. That’s all it does and like the tagline “simply connected,” it don’t get much simpler than this. Meet Peek. I’ve spent the past month using it as my exclusive go-to email device. Tho I have an iPhone, did the Peek meet my standards? Hit the jump to read my review

If you couldn’t tell from the pictures, it’s thin - very thin. The build is surprisingly sturdy and the rubberized face lends a sense of robustness in hand. The 2.5? screen isn’t the brightest or color dense but it gets the job done. The UI is pretty straight forward all controlled by the jog dial and back button on the side. If you’re familiar with Blackberries, you’ll feel right at home. The keys are raised and rubberized too. They’re clicky which is good but require a bit too much pressure to depress for my liking. The battery is removable but all you need is the supplied mini-USB a/c adapter to charge it.

You can only set up one email account, in my case I used GMAIL which sync’d beautifully. It can read attachments but beware, you’ll have to tag specific messages to save, otherwise old messages get deleted to make room for new ones. Receiving email was instantaneous and this is where this thing SHINES…

Wireless service comes with the Peek. You read right. No contracts, no limits, or caps. Just $19/month and your ready to go. Awesome right?

What we liked:

* Slim, consumer friendly looking device
* Easy to use
* Built-in themes
* Affordable monthly service
* 3 colors to choose from
* Only $49.95

What could be improved:

* Interface is slow at times
* Scrolling with the jog wheel isn’t accurate
* Battery life is short, lasts about a day and a half
* No email sorting, no junk filtering
* Screen color should be more dense for photo attachments
* 8MB memory too small

The Peek isn’t for everyone, especially if you already have a smartphone, but I don’t think pros are the Peek’s target market. This is for that friend or family member who wants their email on the go without all the complexities of a smartphone, contracts, and UI quirks. At $49, it’s a steal. Simply Connected, simply Peek. It’s email done right in one beautiful package.

3,500 Bacteria Per Square Inch

Holy crap that’s how much there is on the average elevator button according to designer Skeet Wang. Skeet Wang, yes, Skeet Wang, has taken the idea of the touchless button and applied it to elevators. Which is a good idea if the other fact Skeet Wang says is true: that the 3,500 is 17 times greater than the average toilet seat.

Contagion! That’s what comes from elevator buttons. Instead of the black death, try this non-contact button method. The system uses “micro sensors mounted inside the hollow of each button, which will activate the order when people put fingertips through.”

And say what? “The UV rays shedding from the buttons will sterilize our fingertips when pressing the button in the meantime.”

Designer: Skeet Wang

Photog Hounds Like The Leica S5

The Leica S5 concept is a technical and stylish evolution to its predecessor the S2. A reduced form factor accentuates the optical connection between body and lens. The objective was to design a body which emits harmony - underlining the technological advances of the S- System.

The specs are pretty high-up but a little wishful thinking doesn’t hurt. The Leica S5 carries a GPS and image stabilizer onboard, which make the camera suitable for sport- action photo sessions. An integrated WLAN connection makes computer tethering less of a headache. An additional feature is the ability to make HD- short movies, one we see many of the top-tier digital SLRs are throwing in.

Technical specifications:

Effective pixels 50 Megapixels
Sensitivity ISO 100- 3200
Storage media SD, Compact Flash
Monitor 3-inch, 950 000 pixels
Flash shoe-mount flash
Image stabilizer yes
Live-View yes
GPS receiver yes
Interface USB 2.0, HDMI, WLAN

Designer: Stefan Radev

Clover Never Gets Over

Redundant is one word that Clover does not comprehend. You can customize this “eco-sensitive” mobile phone with four different module interfaces that keeps it upgraded with the latest in technology. The modules being vision, location, sound and sensor, cater to your needs and can be added to the phone by developers or independently. The eco-friendly stamp of approval comes from the recycled materials that it is made of. It’s been designed in collaboration with Samsung Corp Milano.

The back of the phone hosts a PLCD which transforms from opaque to transparent depending upon the intensity of the juice levels. A graphical interface pops up to give you some quick stats on various things like the music you’re listening to or your location.

To enhance the performance of the phone, it can take on two more add-ons. The LCD add-on can be combined with each module and can work independent from the phone. The second add-on is an electronic sensor that helps you monitor your energy consumption.

Designers: Jin Woo Han, Arim Kim & Faten B.

The HARVESTER

Truth be told if I saw this thing barreling thru a forest, I’d probably wet my pants but wait! The Harvester is Forests’ best friend. The Designers wanted to create a machine that could sustainably deal with the forest and its natural resources without damaging our very limited supply. It optimizes the entire process and analyzes the work flow so future improvements can be made to guarantee the proper usage and protection of our forest grounds. I adore the little wheel plates that spread its surface area while lifting a heavy tree.

Designers: Niko Kugler & Georg Heitzmann

The Nilko “IMO” concept coffee maker

The Nilko “IMO” concept coffee maker by Alisson Wilson Str?her is an arm wrestling robot. Or, if that were a feature, it would be complete. As it stands, it’s compact (folds small,) folds out to many heights for tall or short containers, and holds enough water for lots of coffee. The water reservoir brews three average-sized packets of coffee. Simple, nice, orangy!

This design was sent to us by the designer, Alisson Wilson Str?her direct. It’s also been posted today on several other sites which each give their own unique view of the product. As the singular coffee maker fuels the design community, the design community appreciates the coffee maker: Coroflot, Trends Updates, The Design Blog, and Gizmodo.

Too hot, too hot, too hot to hold ya.

Designer: Alisson Wilson Str?her

F- for Fashionable French Diary

A done-to-death tech-spec in concept computer/gaming screens as well as watches is flexible OLED and e-paper technology. Fortunately at YD we have been able to add variety to the platter with items like the Yoga Mat and Music Score Sheet. This time we add an electronic diary to the list. This diary may as well become the all-important Filofax that busy execs live by. Adding the Hermès stamp to the concept simply glams up the piece and I like that!

Designer: Alexandre Fourn

The Peugeot Touch

Touch Me Michael, I Drive Just for You

You love light-up cars, right? You want your car to stick-out and keep the streets bright, right? How would you like your car to be uniquely coded to open and activate based on your touch- your fingerprints and more? Ask Enache Florin to hand the plans over. Here is the Peugeot “Touch.”

Designer Enache Florin keeps your car private, maybe:

[The Peugeot Touch] has a light weight body that in some areas, like the doors, are placed touch-sensitive sensors and finger recognition. [These sensors ensure that] only the owner can use the car. Everything is opened [and activated] by touch. The lights compose symbols made out of LED’s, in this way the car has it’s own identity at night. This associates the car with its parent company, identifying it uniquely as the Peugeot Touch.

Take note: if you want to ask questions about the logistics of the “Touch,” post comments below and Mr. Florin or one of his associates would be happy to answer some way or another, I’m sure.

1. This is no inexpensive car, for sure, but once the price barrier is broken, will a car that’s gotta be programmed to it’s driver be a realistic goal?

2. How about if we take that feature and make it regular for lots of cars?

3. Speed Racer. Time-lapse photography’s gonna be hot with this one.

Designer: Enache Florin

The BRAUN Clever Care Medical Coach

I find it really funny that the guy who gave us the awesome Lounge Bar has devised a medication manager. It’s like first tempting you to drink and then telling you- no worries, tank up, I’ve got the hangover pills ready for you to pop! The Braun Clever Care Medical Coach not only stores all you medicines, but also syncs in your medical records and prescriptions straight from the doc’s office via GSM or Internet. It also provides a database to hold all medical records for the entire family.

Individual records for vaccines, screenings, visits to dentists, medical appointments etc. are earmarked on the built in calendar. You can set reminders for daily medical doses as well schedule future appointments or reminders via the system. In short this medical nanny stores all your medicines, archives medical history for you and the family plus reminds you to take your pills. Neat!

Designer: Marc Salagnac, Ludovic Diallo and Cédric Dervillier

NIKON Cam For Extreme Conditions

My camera and I are inseparable during vacation trips. It’s a shame that weather often dictates how and where I use it tho. Like I would love to capture the sudden showers of London in the middle Hyde Park and not from under some shelter. Dubai’s desert safari is awesome, but the sand grains really ruin your cam. Down Under snorkeling in the Great Barrier is spectacular; then again you either opt for an underwater cam or simply take pics from the deck. Will someone make a camera like the eXtreme Compact Digicam, puhleezz?

This one’s an all-weather, all-terrain coolpix device that looks sleek and really knows how to rough it out!

Designer: Camillo Vanacore

Make a label for the Blind Peoples

Sighted friends, you have the advantage of picking Coke over Pepsi simply by picking red over blue. What will my sight-impaired friends do? Nothing much, but ask you to help out picking the preferred soda pop. However wouldn’t it be convenient for both if there was a label in Braille stuck to the can? Yup, that would be convenient!

Designers: Soonkyu Jang, Jieun Seo & Seung-un Kim

3D TV Glasses

3D TV glasses make the movie or television show you’re watching look exponentially more real - with objects flying off the screen and careening in your direction, and creepy characters reaching out to grab you. Wearing 3-D glasses makes you feel like you’re a part of the action – Good times

Advances in 3D cinema and TV have advanced dramatically in recent months, but the technology is still over decade away from ditching those dodgy glasses that reduce us to looking like time lords from the 80’s. That’s a whole ten years of not looking very cool. Bad times.

Designer Chris Nobles solves this by creating something chic and retro. These wireless sunglasses have infared sensors in the logo area which communicate to the TV its location. The left and right lens are configured to give two opposing images generating the 3D effect.

Designer: Chris Nobles for HJC Design