NoteOnThat

Posted today, The Verge has released a hands-on preview of the...

Tue, 26 Jun 2012 22:35:00 +0100

Posted today, The Verge has released a hands-on preview of the latest computing innovation - Leap Motion, announced recently for an early 2013 release. Much like the surprisingly successful Microsoft Kinect, the Leap is a motion sensing device used to interact with your computer, but at 200 times the accuracy of the Kinect, the size of a flash drive and priced at only $70, it’s hard to believe that this is actually a shipping product and not some crazy tech demo for a technology that might see daylight a few years down the line.

As the Leap Motion startup describes it;

Leap represents an entirely new way to interact with your computers. It’s more accurate than a mouse, as reliable as a keyboard and more sensitive than a touchscreen. For the first time, you can control a computer in three dimensions with your natural hand and finger movements.

This isn’t a game system that roughly maps your hand movements. The Leap technology is 200 times more accurate than anything else on the market — at any price point. Just about the size of a flash drive, the Leap can distinguish your individual fingers and track your movements down to a 1/100th of a millimeter.

This is like day one of the mouse. Except, no one needs an instruction manual for their hands.

After watching the Verge demo, it’s hard not to get excited about how this technology could push the product design industry forward and how 3D modelling software like Solidworks could be revolutionised. Touchscreen’s are already making tracks into the industry and no doubt we’ll soon be seeing professional grade modelling apps on the increasingly powerful iPad, but 3D interaction with the incredible intelligence of the Leap demonstrated in the video, makes such touchscreen technology look somewhat outdated.

The Leap is a periscope into the future and its uses will only be limited by our imagination. The Leap will be available in either December or January 2013 and if you can get your hands on one, $70 seems like a bargain. If you head on over to the Leap’s site then you can actually apply for a free one as a developer, but we’re sure students will have just as much to contribute!

emilytulloh: The only word to describe this video is...

Thu, 31 May 2012 13:34:43 +0100

emilytulloh:

The only word to describe this video is awesome.

MaKey MaKey by Jay Silver and Eric Rosenbaum, final year PhD students at MIT. This Kickstarter project has already received over 13 times the desired funding, in giving users the ability to make anything into computer keys. This universal invention kit uses only a USB port and some alligator clips, allowing the user’s imagination to be their only constraint.

In the wake of their recent television release, Ikea has just...

Sun, 13 May 2012 19:43:00 +0100

In the wake of their recent television release, Ikea has just unveiled a new digital camera and unbelievably - it’s made from cardboard. Powered by two AA batteries, the KNAPPA cardboard camera will store up to 40 images and has a built in USB connector. The camera was designed by Jesper Kouthoofd and has been created to be disposable, easily recyclable and given away to customers at select stores.

Frankly, I’m a sucker for anything made from cardboard and this camera’s image quality is yet to be seen, but this product looks a whole lot of fun and I can’t wait for the chance to have a play with one. I haven’t really noticed anybody trying to move the disposable camera market forward, especially into the digital space and no doubt that’s because of the rise of the smartphone camera, but the KNAPPA looks like it could be quite a success - coupled with IKEA’s unique styling exemplified no clearer than with the famous IKEA man on the back of the camera. Interestingly, however, IKEA aren’t actually releasing the cardboard camera as an all purpose happy-snap holiday camera, though. IKEA want the KNAPPA to be used to proudly snap photos of your home and upload them to their online community, I guess this is a really great way to encourage people to do so.

Zooming is done by stepping forward and backwards, image stabilisation is achieved by resting your elbow on your friends shoulder, the viewfinder is a rough cut hole in the face. In my smartphone free pocket this might have to be my Instagram…

“I thought I would try to stick out as a job seeker and...

Sun, 13 May 2012 19:05:00 +0100

“I thought I would try to stick out as a job seeker and make something fun and eye catching to show my personality and my own original style as a designer. Who doesn’t like chocolate? I Wrote my skills as how I would be to work with as a designer on the back of the wrapper in the ingredients list, along with my contact info and a fun twist with a “Best Before” box that says “Before someone else snaps me up”, like a wordplay at the same time as in snapping up a chocolate bar. The front of the wrapper it says ” Charlotte Olsen: 100% RAW TALENT”, and on the sides of the wrapper it says “No artificial skills” and “Not factory made”, therefore I chose to print on a textured paper to make it look more “Raw” and natural. Under the wrapper I put a Golden Ticket that gives anyone “snapping me up” 10% off my hours.”

I spotted this on The Dieline and it instantly caught my eye. Charlotte Olsen used the classic Willy Wonka ‘golden ticket’ to promote her own ‘10% off my hours’ scheme whilst showing off her creativity and sense of fun - I’d love to hear how this turns out for her.

The acclaimed French designer Philippe Starck has collaborated...

Wed, 02 May 2012 14:38:32 +0100

The acclaimed French designer Philippe Starck has collaborated with the American chair specialistsEmeco on this environmentally-friendly, stackable chair called ‘Broom’. Unveiled earlier this month during Milan’s Salone del Mobile fair, the chair is made from reclaimed polypropylene and discarded wood fibre – a ‘compound of industry waste from lumber factories and industrial plastic plants.’

Dare I say it? Ok, here goes nothing. I like this Philipe Stark chair.

Made from reclaimed polypropylene and discarded wood fibre, this looks like an interesting development in sustainable material technology. No doubt the new material composite can be easily moulded like the plastic it originates from and it could be the first of a really exciting series from Emeco.

I’m such a sucker for these videos.PES also did the...

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:19:50 +0100

I’m such a sucker for these videos.

PES also did the equally delightful Fresh Guacamole video.

I hope mechanical watches forever have a place on the wrist of...

Tue, 24 Apr 2012 20:08:18 +0100

I hope mechanical watches forever have a place on the wrist of fashion.

mrmcqueen: Uniform Wares

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:49:00 +0100

mrmcqueen:

Uniform Wares

This seems to be the latest Kickstarter success story in which...

Wed, 18 Apr 2012 09:47:33 +0100

This seems to be the latest Kickstarter success story in which these guys have reached an incredible $4million in pledged funding after requesting a $100,000 goal. There’s a slew of phone connected smart wristwatches starting to hit the market so I approached this slightly pessimistically, but after watching the video I’m completely sold.

The Pebble connects wirelessly to your iPhone and supports a variety of apps, alongside everything else you’d expect from a smart watch like a timer, customisable faces and weather alerts. Apps available at launch include a music streamer that connects directly to your iPhone’s iTunes, speedometer and pedometer for cycling and running and a golf rangefinder to name but a few. They look great though and what really caught my attention is that they’re releasing an open source SDK which’ll allow developers to make their own apps for the thing! This could be what really drives the success of the product which is already aesthetically spot on.

Another killer feature is push notification support which will allow you to read important messages on the watch without ever having to pull your iPhone out of your pocket. Read more about it here and if you’re as excited about it as me, back it.

emilytulloh: Coffee infographics - the starting point for a...

Tue, 17 Apr 2012 03:18:58 +0100

emilytulloh:

Coffee infographics - the starting point for a coffee ordering interface. Customers can hover over each beverage for information on how it is prepared and click on it to begin their order. Following screens will allow the user to customise their beverage with type of milk, temperature, number of shots and syrups.

© Emily Tulloh 2012

As someone who’s spent the last four years of employment using the worst cash register interface’s department stores can afford, this looks great. With the beautiful graphics, not only will it be more enjoyable to use but no doubt my orders will be messed up less often…

Try it out yourself; coffee ordering app

If this doesn’t make you happy then there’s...

Wed, 11 Apr 2012 00:42:36 +0100

If this doesn’t make you happy then there’s something wrong with you.

Part of Microsoft’s new IE9 ad campaign. The campaign site...

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 19:55:43 +0000

Part of Microsoft’s new IE9 ad campaign. The campaign site is actually really well done, check it out!

This is a reusable spray bottle in which the base, which...

Tue, 20 Mar 2012 18:36:00 +0000

This is a reusable spray bottle in which the base, which contains a concentrate of the product, is removable. Tipping the bottle upside down releases a measured amount of the concentrate, then when tipped back you’re able to add the water yourself - making up the rest of the spray.

Instead of shipping what’s essentially a bottle of water, and paying for that both financially and environmentally, this thoughtful concept reduces the amount of plastic used, the shipping cost and the hassle of having to visit the shop so often, as each pod contains four bottles worth of concentrate.

I love this design not only because it’s a fresh take on a concept that seems to have stagnated, but because there’s enough benefit for both the consumer and the manufacturer to give this concept a chance of success.

This is a neat little solution to a problem I had last night...

Wed, 15 Feb 2012 19:52:00 +0000

This is a neat little solution to a problem I had last night when I was eating my (delicious) Domino’s. Manufacture hasn’t been complicated past having to change the shape of the cutter and material usage is conservative.

A beautiful short film about Prime Burger, a diner opened in...

Mon, 06 Feb 2012 19:36:00 +0000

A beautiful short film about Prime Burger, a diner opened in 1938 and the people who’ve worked there all their life.

visualise-it: This is just gorgeous Yep

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 10:32:00 +0000

visualise-it:

This is just gorgeous

Yep

Waterproofed gadgets seem like the next logical step in consumer...

Tue, 17 Jan 2012 09:02:00 +0000

Waterproofed gadgets seem like the next logical step in consumer electronics. Fracture proof glass technology is evolving quickly, just look at how quickly Gorilla Glass has been implemented on the iPhone and most Android devices, and so I see this kind of wizardry becoming more and more compelling for manufacturer and consumer.

(I have nothing to do with this (pretty awful) video demonstration)

Lytro lets you take pictures like never before. Unlike a...

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:58:00 +0000

Lytro lets you take pictures like never before. Unlike a conventional camera that captures a single plane of light, the Lytro camera captures the entire light field, which is all the light traveling in every direction in every point in space.

If you haven’t seen this before, Lytro is a camera which allows you to focus after capturing your image. The more you think about it, cameras haven’t come very far in the last 100 years. They’ve moved forward, (lets not neglect colour, film quality and now digital imagery and post processing) but the basic principle - capturing a two dimensional representation of a scene on a sensor shielded by mechanical shutter blades - hasn’t changed one bit. The cameras we use are still shaped like those wielded by photographers in the 1930’s, until now at least…

The very first light fields were captured at Stanford University over 15 years ago. The most advanced light field research required a roomful of cameras tethered to a supercomputer. Today, Lytro completes the job of taking light fields out of the research lab and making them available for everyone, in the form of the world’s first Lytro Light Field Camera.

To me, design is the single post powerful language in our World and can shape society like nothing else. It doesn’t matter how advanced science is, without great design none of this becomes real - something we can use, something that can change the way we see the world. I love Lytro because it’s doing this. The implementation is unique and beautiful, the technology will only get more incredible.

iconoclassic: International Photography Awards 2011...

Mon, 16 Jan 2012 19:31:47 +0000

iconoclassic:

International Photography Awards 2011 (j) Category - Fine Art: Other 2nd Place Winner: Claudio Allia (via Facebook)

This photo doesn’t need commentary, unbelievable.

The XO 3.0, like the XO laptops, won’t be sold directly...

Sun, 15 Jan 2012 14:08:16 +0000

The XO 3.0, like the XO laptops, won’t be sold directly to consumers or parents. OLPC will sell the tablets in bulk to countries who want to ensure their children have computers, and won’t produce units until orders come in. So how much will countries like Uruguay and Peru (both of which have deployed thousands of OLPC laptops) have to pay? McNierney and Negoroponte say that $100 promise will actually be fulfilled, depending on a little flexibility.

I love XO, it’s great what they’re doing and this’ll surely be collecting a few design awards at the end of this year. The rubber screen protector is a really nice touch, I think one configuration even has a solar panel under there.