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January 26, 2007
Ooo Snap! My Future Hair Dryer
Actually it’s a nanobot by industrial design student Daniel Kocyba. He envisions them on Earth circa 2050 working both medical and military applications.
I however, being a total fashionista will pretend it’s my future hair dryer; totally sentient without any human assistance whatsoever. With a press of a button, it unrolls from its rollie-pollie state and flies around my head until I end up looking more fabulous than Paris Hilton.
Yes I know I dream a strange but clever future.
via core 77
more pictures after the jump
Posted by tranism at 2:49 AM | Permalink
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January 25, 2007
Urwerk 201
Timepieces are supposed to be easy to read so when you come across a watch with an incredibly complex mechanism for telling time, it had better be a looker.
Fortunately, the Urwerk 201 fills that role nicely. Set on an odometer style face, a rotating dial with telescoping minute and hour hands tell time. Turn it over and discover a cool feature that reminds you when to get your oil changed and a record of time from the past 100 years. Don't ask me why any person would need to know that - unless you're the time traveler Cable from X-Men.
Of course innovation and luxury come at a price and we know it's expensive if the price needs to be called in.
via yanko design
another picture after the jump
Posted by tranism at 8:33 PM | Permalink
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January 19, 2007
Sorry iPhone, Japan's Not Impressed
Steve Jobs' - "iPhone in Asia - 2008". Now I don't want to be the one saying this because I'm a total Apple fanboy but did Apple R&D and marketing not clue Jobs in on cellular tech in Asia?
For people in America, the iPhone is a major advancement in hardware and cellular tech. Let's forget about the fact that it doesn't have 3G mostly because America's 3G network is spotty and shoddy to say the least. Simply put, the infrastructure isn't there yet. The iPhone seems to be the holy grail between hardware and software design. The UI is deceptively simple and that's how phones should be right? But is this enough for Asia, specifically Japan? The short answer is no.
Japan's cellular tech is about a generation and a half ahead of America. Yes in case you didn't know, 3G is already widespread there and has been for many many years. In fact, the country is currently testing their next-gen cellular network which I'll just call 4G. All this while America is still hobbling along at 2G.
If the iPhone is the holy grail of hardware and software design, then Japanese cell phones are the holy grail of convergence devices. In no other part of the world will you find a phone that checks email, trade stocks, watch TV, act as a charge card, plays music, interface with other phones, act as portable computer, book tickets, 3+ megapixel cameras, unlock doors, remotely control other devices, GPS navigation, mobile shopping, bar code and fingerprint scanners, push to talk with multiple people, video chatting and conferencing, and of course . . . cell phone.
I spoke to my Japanese friend and asked him what he thought about the iPhone. Most people in America love it. Most of the press are enamored. To preface, Claude is a 27 y.o. Japanese male I met in my college days. He lives right outside Tokyo working as a textile designer. He thinks the iPhone is super sexy. To him, it doesn't look like any other phone out there. He loves how slim it is and is completely smitten with the multi-touch interface, but when asked if he'd give up his Sharp branded phone; he says no.
Claude's typical day starts with him checking his email on his phone. He gets all his daily tasks and calendaring events this way. He then syncs it with his computer. He pays for the subway by placing the phone on a kiosk granting him access past the gates. The commute is spent watching TV on his phone by rotating the screen. A small antenna extends up and catches the wireless digital TV signals (something we will never have here in America). About 45 minutes later, he's in Tokyo and heads to a vending machine to buy fresh fruit and water. He places the phone up against a pad. The vending machine reads his bank information which is tied into his phone. He then places his thumb on the phone's tiny thumbprint reader to verify his identity. As he makes his way to the office, he waves the phone near the door handle to unlock it. During a 10 minute break, he's flips thru a magazine and sees something he wants to buy. The item has a tiny stamp size barcode pictogram next to it. He scans the pictogram with his phone. A receipt and shipping confirmation hits his email minutes later. As the day ends, he syncs with his work computer and goes grocery shopping paying for items with his phone. Before heading home, he heads to a bar his friend has invited him too. He uses the phone to give him step-by-step directions. The day is finally over and his phone's battery is nearing the end of its life. He plugs it in and goes about the rest of the evening relaxing before bed.
Okay, I think the iPhone can do 1-1/2 of the things he's mention; checking email and watching TV (by first purchasing shows on iTunes and syncing them). Everything else is alien to the iPhone and alien to US customers.
It's easy to see why the iPhone can't replace his phone. Japan's mobile phones were designed with years of co-development with their two carriers; KDDI and DoCoMo. This synergy between network and software has graced the country with mobile features unheard of anywhere else. The way I see it, one of two things can happen. When Apple releases the iPhone in Japan, it will fill a niche market because of its lack of features and use of quad band GSM which most of Japan doesn't run on. The other option is for Apple to choose one of the two carriers in Japan and attempt the same hardware, software, network synergy they have planned with Cingular here in the US. This path seems the most daunting but the most amazing if successful. Think about; Apple's iPhone running on the world's fastest cellular network with features so well integrated, it'll make all other phones in North America, Europe and Australia seem antiquated. What's more, Apple will probably push to create new features in Japan just as they did with visual voicemail here with Cingular. Apple is a high tech company and it excites me to think what the engineers at 1 Infinite Loop can think of when they're given the option to run wild on Japan's superior cellular networks.
Claude feels the iPhone will sell but only to people who already have Macs and to people concerned about style. As for the rest of the country, he thinks asking a Japanese person to give up mobile digital TV is like asking an American to give up football for soccer. So I asked him what his next phone would be if not the iPhone. He says he has his eye on the Sony Ericsson SO903iTV.
A super slim phone with a 3" Sony Bravia widescreen display, 3 megapixel auto-focus camera, software to pause, skip, record live TV!, GPS navigation, and Felica cashless electronic payment system.
So there you have it. It's a battle between fluid hardware and software design vs. hardware and network superiority. Apple will have a huge uphill battle in Japan if they plan to release the iPhone as it is now. I know some people felt it was sweet justice that a new gadget would see release in America first before Asia but I can definitely say the Japanese are not that impressed.
more pictures of the SE SO903iTV after the jump
Posted by tranism at 2:43 PM | Permalink
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January 14, 2007
Chevy Volt and The Possibilities
With all the news swirling around the hot concepts at the Detroit Auto Show, only one car grabbed my attention.
The Chevy Volt stands to be GM's answer to Japanese electric and hybrid vehicles squarely aiming for a market dominated by Prius' and Hybrid Civics. Throw in some American muscle into the design coupled with new battery tech means the Volt not only meets Japanese hybrids but also, in the words of Steve Jobs, "leap frogs beyond our competition".
Let's see, the Volt is technically a hybrid, but not in the traditional sense. The gas engine never powers the car. The only time it turns on is to recharge the batteries which are the primary source of propulsion. On top of that, GM seems to have solved a problem plaguing current hybrid batteries; power generated vs. consumption. Right now, my Prius can only travel under 10 miles on electric at below average speeds before it's completely discharged. The Volt manages 40 miles per charge at normal driving speeds. That's more than enough for me to go to and from work without the gas engine ever turning on. The Volt can be plugged into an ordinary wall socket for quick recharging and the batteries seem to be next-gen tech since it can be discharged and recharged hundreds of thousands of times without losing hold or charge capacity.
The only downside is it's concept status. Undoubtedly this vehicle is probably very expensive to build but as GM further consolidates it's manufacturing processes, the prospect of future vehicles with this tech can't be very far away. I'm salivating here.
more pictures after the jump
Posted by tranism at 9:25 AM | Permalink
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I've Seen Multi-Touch Before
Almost this time last year, I saw and blogged about an incredible new interface designed by Jefferson Han. He created what he called "Multi-Touch Interaction"; a flat screen that can sense simultaneous points of touch and allow real time manipulation of objects and sounds all at the expense of a keyboard, mouse and stylus. Sound familiar?
I thought this was the future of interface design then and if Apple had been working on the iPhone for more than two years, it makes me wonder if there are any connections between the two. The iPhone's Multi-Touch technology is strikingly similar. If you've seen the iPhone's introduction, then watch this video of Jefferson Han's design. Uncanny huh?
What's even more surprising is a quick visit to Jefferson Han's website which reveals "very exciting updates coming soon" in regards to the iPhone. Did Apple buy the team out after they saw Jefferson's demonstration last year? If so, what can we expect in future Apple products? Jefferson's multi-touch research is a paradigm shift in personal computing and if Apple is in fact working with them, this could mean great things down the road; just imagine!
At the risk of being presumptuous, I want to congratulate Jefferson Han and his team members Philip Davidson, Casey Muller, and IIyad Rosenberg.
Posted by tranism at 8:48 AM | Permalink
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January 13, 2007
iRiver S10 Watch Conversion
Unveiled at CES, the folks over at iRiver decided their tiny S10 dap player would do well as watch with a simple and optional conversion. They've also updated their tiny player with bluetooth. If it's bluetooth 2.0 with stereo support, I'd totally rock it with a pair of bluetooth headphones.
Just like the original S10, it's super tiny (shuffle tiny) with a crisp color OLED screen. Dammit Apple, this should have been the iPod Shuffle.
Posted by tranism at 8:56 PM | Permalink
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Apple tv
Completely overshadowed by the iPhone's announcement, Apple tv is Apple's foray into your living room. Think of it as a media extender, wirelessly connecting to you Mac and/or PC to stream your music, pictures and videos straight to your TV. HDMI, DVI, and component connections mean crystal clear reproductions on your tele and that built-in wireless-n protocol means more than enough bandwidth to speedily stream your HD content.
I love it and hate for a few reasons. First off, I'm loving the incredibly small footprint; sleek enough to blend into your living room. I've always believed the TV should be the focus. Everything else needs to blend away. The interface looks like front-row on steroids which is fine for me since front-row is super easy to use. On the downside, the unit is limited to 720p. That's not really a bad thing since 1080p content is gigs bigger and still far and few in between. The built in 40 gig hard drive seems a bit anemic and overall, disappointing. This is not a DVR. It simply stores content you stream so it can be shared with other computers and watched again without having to re-stream. The other downside are its client limitations. Although up to 5 computers can be directly linked to one Apple tv unit, it has no ability to stream that content to mobile devices say, the new iPhone.
On the bright side, Apple is king at selling hardware filled to the brim with standards and open enough for them to update via software. That's what I'm hoping for. It would be great if the device is capable of 1080p streams and expanded syncing with Apple's future mobile devices via a simple software update. For now, the device is perfect for someone who has tons of movies and pictures on their computer and would love to watch them on their tele all wirelessly. I also see it doing well in the education market since it's much easier to stream shared content to classrooms instead of wheeling around a TV and DVD player on a cart.
Just $299 for pre-order.
Posted by tranism at 8:48 PM | Permalink
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January 4, 2007
Robots via Human Thought
A group of students from the University of Washington have created a robot they can control using their thoughts with a 94% success rate.
Although mind reading robots are a long ways off, this research is the first step towards a future where humans use the most powerful computer at their disposal to control them; the brain.
The in-house built robot is connected to a computer which reads brain wave signals from a person using a cap studded with electrodes. The software can correctly translate the brain signals into simple instructions fed to the robot. Right now a person can instruct the robot to move forward, differentiate between two objects, pick one up and move it to another location. The team hopes with further research, the instructions can become more complex perhaps daisy-chaining them to complete more complicated tasks.
Although the robot they're using seems innocent and demure, how long do you suppose it'll be before it somehow becomes self-aware, turning our brain waves against us? In cases like this, I recommend the alpha training technique used for dogs. Always make direct eye contact with the bot, sniff its behind, and force it on it's back every now and then so it knows who's boss.
Posted by tranism at 11:49 AM | Permalink
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