Pocket Projector Turns Mobile Into Remote

Nokia Pulse Projector is a project aimed at expanding the mobile communication experience and finding new ways to interact. It’s a device that has been designed to expand and strengthen mobile applications while working in conjunction with mobile phones. It combines a LED-projector and a NXT-speaker with Dolby sound processing in to a solid multimedia device. Using the accompanying Pulse software and Bluetooth, one can convert a mobile phone into an interactive remote that controls this unique multimedia player.

The Nokia Pulse relies on DLP Technology for high quality imagery when using the projector. Native resolution of 1280×768 and 1500:1 contrast ratio pimps out crisp image quality, with picture sizes ranging from 15 inches diagonally all the way up to 60 inches at 7.87 feet. It even sports LED light technology with 1000 lumens of brightness plus 16.7 million colors.

Designer: Miika Mahonen

VitameatavegiMIX

Are you tired, rundown, listless? Do you poop out at parties? Are you unPOPular? The answer to all your problems is this little digital audio player from iXing. Dubbed the “Vitamin”, this tiny tune toter supports both MP3 and WMA files, features a seven preset equalizer and has USB 2.0 connect-ability. Controlling your tunes is almost as easy as popping a pill. Need to skip a tune? Just twist. Want to back it up..? Twist again. With support for a 30 channel FM tuner and recording, this iPill is pure prozac and set for production at the end of this year. Oh, and it’s tasty too!

Product size : 25.2(W)X69(H)mm
Plan for the mass production for 2009.6 months
? Appended file sends in two types

Designer: Sangnam Park

Ambidextrous Wacom Intuos

One upon of time the Intuos line of drawing tablets from Wacom were designed for creative professionals but with the Intuos 4 line, I would go out on a limb and say it’s inclusive of everyone’s needs. Traditional artists who complained of pressure sensitivity (or lack there-of) will be happy to know it’s twice as sensitive so all the nuances from hand to paper (figuratively) are far more accurate and in real time.

Kudos to Wacom for the beautiful packaging. They probably wouldn’t admit it since there’s no loyalty to any particular platform but the boxing screams, “Apple influenced me.” Everything is so thoughtfully laid out in a very slim box containing the tablet, mouse, pen, pen holder, USB cable, manuals, and software.

I have to give Wacom daps and a huge pat on the back for re-engineering every facet of the tablet. Ergonomics takes a huge step forward with 4 sizes to choose from. It’s sleeker and looks far more sexier. They ExpressKeys are now grouped to one side which makes much more sense than the split layout of the Intuos 3. They’re also highlighted with OLED labels that rotate 180? automatically for ambidextrous use. The center ring, a.k.a Touch Ring, lets you zoom in/out of your canvas and change brush sizes with ease.

I received the medium sized tablet which has a 10? x 14.6? active area. The new designation maps better to widescreen displays and seems to be covered in a scratch resistant material. Installation was a breeze as with all Wacom products. You can even customize the Touch Ring and ExpressKeys. The cool thing is each tablet comes with a huge software bundle; Photoshop Elements, Sketchbook Express, Corel Painter Sketch Pad, and Color Efex Pro - an amazing Photoshop plugin for photographers. Trying purchasing those things separately and you’re looking at over $900+.

The pen, probably my most hated component from the Intuos 3 is so significantly improved, it’s difficult to know where to begin. It no longer feels like a cheap piece of plastic. It’s nicely weighted with a rubberized grip. There are multiple nibs to choose from conveniently stored inside the waited pen holder. The pen feels great in my hand, coupled with the greater tablet sensitivity - drawing and photo editing feel much more natural. If you’ve used Intuos tablets before, pen functionality is still the same in regard to right/left clicks, contextual menus, click+drag, etc… and of course all customizable.

I’ve never been one to use the mouse which is great for 3D and CAD artists. The fit and finish are exceptional matching the pen. It still feels a bit too clicky for my liking but that’s subjective.

What it all comes down to is price and what you can get from another company. In recent years a number of manufactures have produced their own tablets at competitive price points. Unfortunately the Intuos 4 leaps frog them in terms of technical specs and price when you consider the bundled software. What Wacom have done is create a product for every price point. At the bottom end you have the Bamboo tablet which retails under $100. Is the mid-range you have the Intuos line which ranges from $230 - $790. The top tier is inhabited by the Cintiq line which pushes the $1k mark. With Wacom’s unparalleled support by Adobe, Autodesk, and Corel - it doesn’t make sense to buy anything but Wacom.



What we liked:

* Improved ergonomics, fit and finish
* Increased pen sensitivity (2,048 levels up from 1,024)
* ExpressKeys now all on one side
* Works for both right and left handed users
* ExpressKey buttons are soft but tactile
* Touch Ring makes scrolling long documents a breeze
* Pen actually feels like a durable product, weighted nicely
* Nifty pen holder keeps extra nibs neatly tucked away
* Priced nicely at $349 for the medium size

What could be improved:

* Touch Ring should click when spun

Variable Frame Bike

The bike is up, then the bike is down. You sit on the bike upright in the city, then set it down to cruise in the suburbs. It’s intuitive. It’s wild. It’s a thesis project. It’s got a video to go with it. It’s already mocked up. The final version will have a battery and hubmotor for a little kick in the pants. Environmentally friendly city and country transportation in one bike.

Each frame is adjusted to the weight of the rider. The rider may ride in either mode forever, but if the rider wants to switch from one position to another, they’ve just to push the locking lever and lean forward or backward. The rider may change positions while continuing to ride the bike.

Info on the mockup movie, below:

This is the proof of concept mockup for a commuter bike with variable frame as part of the diploma thesis of the product-designers daniel knüpfer and stefan wallmann at anhalt university, dessau in mai 2008. In the concept, the frame can be locked by a lever on the handlebar, that feature is missing in the mockup. Also, the springs that help bringing the rider in an upright position need to be adjusted to the riders weight to balance the frame (making it possible to switch positions while leaning back or forth). these springs are too weak in this prototype, therefore the riders in the video need to push the backrest a little bit. only a very lightweight rider managed to bring himself up by simply leaning forward.

Vielen Dank, Deutschland.

Designers: Daniel Knuepfer & Stefan Wallmann

Power Your Spice

The “Salt&Pepper Cell” shakers belong to the “I’m not product series” by Antrepo Design. They previously gave us the Minutuner, which was an awesome design for a clock. While that one confused us to believing it’s a Radio Tuner, the Salt&Pepper Cell serenade as a pair of whimsical D size battery. Fashioned from stainless steel and glass, the power indicators on the sides correlate to the amount of spices left in the shakers, before refill time. The Red&Turquoise and Black&white color options look fantastic!

Designers: Antrepo Design Industry

SOLAQUA Water Disinfection Unit To Be Used in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa

SOLAQUA is a useful device, going to be used as a water disinfection unit in the rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa. As per the design, this device will obtain infra-red and ultra-violet rays from the sun and will utilize them to eliminate pathogens of contaminated water. Unrefined water will initially pass through a filter of sari cloth to improve the effectiveness of solar water disinfection. A funnel of five taps fills five different bottles to acquire 10 liters of water. Then these transparent bottles are scattered on the ground to get maximum exposure to ultra-violet rays. The black rear surface of these bottles soaks up heat and the reflective inner surfaces imitate ultra-violate rays within the water.

Designer : Jason Lam

MID (Mobile Internet Device)

Really, why would I want this MID (Mobile Internet Device) over the current iPhone I use? Lord! I know you’re up to your neck with Apple banging, so for a change let’s compare it to an LG Arena, Samsung I7500 or even BlackBerry Storm 2. Where does this MID score over the rest of these Internet efficient phones? Two places: Prime Real Estate i.e. a three screen setup that opens to 210 x 210 mm and an Integrated Stand.

On the flip side, this MID is merely a concept, but is pompous enough to include a clip-like anti-theft mechanism! I’m not going to get into the tech-specs, coz any dandy designer can pump out just about anything they like these days. So my focus stays on the screen.

How important is the screen of a mobile phone anyways. Plenty! Those who chanced on the LG Arena etc. will have to admit, that when you are using a device that small for net browsing, you wished for that moment the screen was a bit larger. Unfortunately I do need to quote Apple here, but damn; the panning in and out on the iPhone, sure compensates for not having a large computer screen handy. So yeah, a mobile device with a three tier screen layout giving easy keyboard access to fat fingers really scores, even if it’s a concept!

Designer: Petr Kub?k

Honda Hovercar

This was supposed to be the future! That’s what I heard. I was always told that in the future, we’d have flying cars. I’d say what happened to that, but I know what happened to that: John Mahieddine happened to that. The “Honda Fuzo” is a Vertical Take-Off and Landing concept. The Fuzo is a futuristic fantasy with four high-powered turbines for high-speed horizontal flight and Iron-Man-like handling. Cruzin in at 350 mph, two joystick control for speed, trust, and steering. Vertical spaceways for ultra-infinite possibilities.

The joysticks. Here’s how they work. There’s two joysticks, one on either side of the driver’s seat on the armrests. The left joystick “allows the car to spin on its axis,” and the right one “manages tilt and direction.”

At the floor are the normal pedals controlling power and brakes.

For safety, two things in particular:
1. Fly-by-Wire system that relies on GPS to keep cars from hitting one another.
2. Airbags that open inside AND outside of the vehicle to protect the driver, the car, and anyone in the path of the car should it get in an air-collision. (Speed Racer anyone?)

Of course, if you’re into the whole landlubber thing, you can drive on the ground with the retractable wheels (the turbines convert into these.) The vehicle is constructed of materials such as carbon fibre, Kevlar, and carbon nano-tubes. The bubble canopy allows for two passengers plus the driver, “in a very hightech comfort.”

Designer: John Mahieddine

Combination of Motorcycle and Snowmobile {Kvant Motorbike}

Kvant is a concept motorbike that will enhance the mobility in the snow climate as well as boost the winter sports experience for adventure enthusiasts. This bike is the result of a combination between a motorcycle and a snowmobile that will offer useful help during the snowy weather when people can’t use any other vehicle for transportation purpose. It features mono curving ski to offer supreme curve handling and efficient curve belt drive that provides improved maneuverability. It may seem quite uncomfortable to sit on the bike during the first look but actually a rider will be able to sit on the bike easily on the extended exhaust pipe while grabbing the handles.

Designer : Patrik Petersson

A Watch with Integrated CellPhone

The concept Van der Led WM2 is a watch with integrated cell phone which if in production can actually be worn and carried around. It is a quad band GSM watch with color screen display and also has additional features such as stereo Bluetooth and almost 5 hours of talk time. And to store those songs, you have 1 GB storage space. At $471 a piece, it sure is one gadget that will leave a hole in your pocket

Designer : Van Der Led via Engadget

Peugeot Clear by Alan Kravchenko

Small in size just enough for one the Peugeot clear is a classy model that creates a divine beauty and permeates an aroma of excellent design in its features. Suitable for incredible speed it has an electric motor that heightens the electrical systems to work fluidly and almost effortlessly. The hydrogen and oxygen cylinders are well placed to improve the engine function on a car that uses little fuel. Heat in the sleek car is a thing of the past with the tunnel cooling radiators owned by the concerted elements of fuel. Peugeot clear is the newest sensation of affordable individual designed car.

Designer : Alan Kravchenko

Moonlight Laptop Concept with Dual Curved Screens

Moonlight laptop is just a concept yet but it is possible to make it today since all the technologies are already exists. The uniqueness of this concept design is the duel curved screens, bigger one of 16:9 and other one with 4:3, which reduces eye stress by maintaining an average distance from the eye to the laptop screen. The lower display is a touch screen and can work as a mouse or run a mini OS in the background, or just as an annex of the bigger one. The frame is sensor controlled and lights up in dark and has a pair of long legs to lifting the laptop and proper placing of the keyboard.

Designer : Teo Braun

Stylish Nokia E97 Envelope Concept Cell Phon

Nokia E97 is a concept design by Fabien Nauroy, shows an incredible thought and a stylish phone. This concept phone has a complete keyboard in an AZERTY layout and there is a small LCD display above the keyboard. This envelop like design aims to set a limit between professional and personal life. The included leather case contains a second pocket to hold an additional screen. The parcel post like packaging of this phone has made it even more attractive and the best part of this concept phone is the futuristic pull-out LED display that can be used as a storage device and can create and share files or pictures.

Designer : Fabien Nauroy

Evolutional Mobile Entertainment

The innovative EME designed by genius Shao Wei Huang makes the initiative approach by providing video, gaming and music in a mobile device. The dual screen set of connections can be used in tandem according to the best way to the functions is being used. Smartly the other sleeks out its underneath. It also displays the fundamental functions such as contacts, photos, SMS etc. The second screen let you access secondary data. But if you turn the whole device sideways it turns into a portable gaming gadget that gives you the advantage to mimic any control scheme through the touch screen facility.

The “evolutional” aspect comes from the EME’s ability to expand its feature set if the user shares his/her experiences with other EMEs. That could be in the form of videos, music, or games. By doing so, bigger speakers would unlock and slide out, the screen may even become higher-res. The idea is to encourage the device’s evolution by exposing it to as many experiences as possible.

Designer : Shao Wei Huang