electro^plankton

« techness: September 2007 | Main | techness: November 2007 »

October 29, 2007

Want A Black iPhone?

No I'm not going to give you run nor am I running a contest. Sorry to disappoint but if you're still interested then read on.

via MoCo Loco

CITIZEN is getting ready to sell a very limited edition all matte black iPhone. Matte black is the color of choice when it comes to all things Tobias Wong and his seal of approval will be monogrammed on every iPhone. I like to think of him as the opposite of Starck. CITIZEN doesn't mention whether or not these are unlocked phones but I assume they aren't. No word on pricing but the fact that there are only 50 should give you an idea of how uber expensive they'll be$2,000. Can you believe that sh*t?!?!>.

Posted by tranism at 1:01 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | | |

October 25, 2007

Pleo's Ready For Halloween

Remember Pleo - the robotic dinosaur that responds to all sorts of stimuli like touch and sound? Well the designers wanted to know if it would still work wearing a sheep's costume? How cute does Pleo look! I love it and I demand the makers of Pleo release clothing options for my future Pleo.

And to answer their question, yes Pleo still works wearing sheep's clothing. Aw it looks so peaceful. . . until it roars.

via Robots Rule

Posted by tranism at 1:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (5) | | |

October 23, 2007

LEGOS I'd Totally Go For

I'm not as clever as I use to be and I blame age. When I was a kid LEGOS were a cinch. I would assemble all the pieces together just like the picture on the box with ease. Now that I'm 27 LEGOS seem like an engineering feat to me. It feels like work with little fun. Designer Jin Woo Han decided to change that with his Electric LEGOS.

He envisages a kit where interactive dioramas could be created simply by arranging and plugging in pieces onto a powered circuit board that looks like an ordinary LEGO piece. He uses the Simpsons as an example. Each piece contains clever but simple robotic components. If you place Homer and Marge on the board, they receive power thru the board, detect each other's presence and begin to interact. Throw Bart into the mix and the conversation totally changes. Pop in a TV set and things change again. You can imagine the endless possibilities with this kind of setup.

More pictures after the jump.

via Yanko Design

Posted by tranism at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (2) | | |

October 22, 2007

A Baby Cintiq And Still Too Expensive

I've been drooling for a Wacom Cintiq 21 for almost a year now but I wanted something more portable. The geek gods have answered my prayers because Wacom is about to unleash the 21's brother, the Cintiq 12WX. If you're confused, the numbers only denote the size of the integrate display. Think of the Cintiq 12 as a Intuos 3 tablet with a 1280x800 resolution display.

SNAP! That's the resolution of my MacBook. Perfect match. I want but NATCH, it doesn't come out in Europe til' November so who knows when it'll come out in the Americas. On top of that, it's $1,679. Double NATCH!

Posted by tranism at 3:11 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

Samsung Thinks Thin

That should be their motto because they've totally abandoned the whole bigger is better thing. Leave that to LG and Panasonic. Samsung wants to beat out Sony, who's been touting the world's thinnest TV. Now Samsung has something to show and tell. This beauty is barely 1 cm thick. Not as thin as some of what we've seen from Sony but Samsung has managed to do it with a 40" screen. Now that's impressive. The LED backlight makes for some really crisp imagery, not to mention the lower power consumption; only 90 watts.

This isn't a concept either. TV's like this will be hitting the Japanese market soonish so Americans and Europeans can probably get in on wafer TV's early next year.

More over at Gizmodo

Posted by tranism at 12:10 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | | |

October 18, 2007

Cute Overload From An Air Purifier

The Japanese have to "cutify" everything. Take for instance the Baby Cleamo, a.k.a baby's first air ionizer. It's TINY!, barely weighing 300g and fits in your hands. Ionizers all work the same. The remove debris and odor from the air by electrostatics. You may wonder if you need one, but when its wrapped up in a package this cute, how can you resist? Unfortunately, it's only available in Japan.

Posted by tranism at 8:38 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | | |

October 17, 2007

Tango With Your iPod

Today Xtrememac announced the Tango Studio Audio System for all iPods and one-ups the previous model by including an FM radio. Snazzy.

The system is powered by two 3-inch full-range loudspeakers and a full stereo high-dynamic amplifier to deliver excellent audio performance. Tango Studio also has a clear blue LED display that relays volume, operating mode and radio frequency information. The display is cleverly concealed behind Tango Studio's cloth grill when not in use, yet easily visible when the display comes on.

Tango Studio will charge and play any iPod docked in the retractable universal dock well. Through the auxiliary input jack at the back of the unit, it can also be used with earlier iPod models, and with other devices with audio out, such as computers and gaming systems. The included advanced remote controls all functions accessible from the unit itself, allowing Tango Studio and the iPod to be controlled from up to fifty feet away.

It's affordable too. You can pre-order the Tango from Xtrememac's website now, all for just $79.

Posted by tranism at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

October 10, 2007

If Lonely, Get A YABO

They've got robots for fighting, seniors, children; might as well design one for lonely people. Meet YABO, a robot with a permanent sweet disposition that expresses emotion thru a series of head turns, lights, sounds, and colors. YABO responds to your voice and touch via sensors galore. If that weren't enough, YABO also cleans the air and keeps it at the right temperature and humidity.

Umm, HELLO! I want one now.

Posted by tranism at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | | |

October 5, 2007

100 Channels

Those nutty peeps over at artlebedev decided what we as TV watching mass consumers are missing is a remote that has as many buttons as there are channels. Thus the Pultius TV remote was born. I like the pretty colors and the minimalist design but one question. I technically have 250 channels. What then?

via Notcot

Posted by tranism at 4:32 PM | Permalink | Comments (3) | | |

A Robot In A Car, Thanks Pivo2!

Nissan wants us to know the future is not only high-tech, but also extremely cute. The 2nd generation concept Pivo2 sure did turn heads and I mean literally.

Like the first generation, this car can maneuver into almost any spot because of its ability to turn 360º in place. What the second gen Pivo adds is a super cute R2D2-like robot on your dash. The robot not only helps you drive but also answers any questions you might have, like where the nearest Starbucks is. Seriously, I'll feel like Driving Miss Daisy, circa 2030 in this thing.

More pictures and video after the jump.

Posted by tranism at 4:03 PM | Permalink | Comments (2) | | |

October 4, 2007

Phone Wants To Know If You're Well

NTT Docomo (I love saying that) chose Ceatec 2007 to show off their latest concept phone, the Wellness Navigator. Sure it's touchscreen, yes it plays music and makes phone calls but it also does something your current phone can't - it tells you if you're well. What exactly is well?

The phone can measure body fat, weight, blood pressure, calculate your BMI and even doubles as a digital pedometer for workouts. But the real clincher is the built-in, "how bad is your breath" hardware. I have no idea what the phone is measuring but a little blow into a small hole comes back with how stank and rank your breath is on that large beautiful display.

More pictures after the jump.

Posted by tranism at 4:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (1) | | |

October 1, 2007

Bang & Olufsen Serenata

Being a big fan of the B&O Serene for a long time, I'm really excited about this - the Serenata. Designed by David Lewis, it's not as much a phone (it does make calls; but with even less of a keyboard than the iPhone, it's not very useful for texting or email) - as it is a portable B&O sound system.

It has no less than three speakers (one for calls and two for music), and will play music (Mp3, WMA, AAC) using the speaker for five hours, or via headset for 13. Other features of note include: 3G and the possibility to use it as a remote control via Bluetooth. Bad news include: no Mac-support, and it'll most likely make your wallet cry.

Posted by twisted at 11:18 AM | Permalink | Comments (1) | | |