Yanko Design » Gadgets

Three Little Pigs

Long Tran — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:30:26 +0000

They’re not pigs at all. They’re a mobile, wireless projector and speaker set called Polpettek. Say that 10x fast. The anthropomorphic flavor is supposed to be more inviting and blend in better as objects of design rather than electronic equipment. The little speakers have magnetized feet so if you wanted to stack them into one large multichannel speaker – you can. There’s no info regarding specs but the designer’s last name is Alessi (no relation). Uncanny tho. It would fit right in their product line.

Designer: Eduardo Alessi

Carving Out A USB Love Relationship

Radhika Seth — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 08:12:09 +0000

Somewhere down the line bonding and reconnecting with loved ones in this digital world is all about doing special projects together. For instance the Presence in Absence DIY USB Carving Set is for those lovers who stay apart often, yet want a tangible piece of each other. The set comprises of a wooden Digital stick that you and your partner craft into two with the help of the special knife. This is where words like legacy, heirloom and devoted love come into play.

“I wanted to include the reflective, relaxing qualities of crafts as way to build an emotional bond between users firstly and then users and objects.” It also hopes to open a dialogue about how we will value our digital artifacts in the future – our digital heirlooms.

Presence in Absence Includes:

A digital Scrapbook in Birchwood with porcelain caps.
A carving knife with laminated steel blade with Birch and Oak handle.
A hub for both digital Scrapbooks finished in porcelain.
A carrying envelope finished in gray felt, brown aniline cow leather with birch duffel button and laser cut details.

Designer: Colm Keller

Scribble A Beautiful Masterpiece

Radhika Seth — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 18:58:01 +0000

One of my biggest regrets is that I don’t have a good hand at drawing. I mean I can copy someone else’s sketches but there’s a lot room for improvement. Incidentally, the ScribbleBot is a drawing tool for people like me. Ones who crave to draw neatly, but just don’t have the in-built talent for it. The device can be fed with a preconceived drawing paths downloaded off the internet, to maneuver your hand and pen in way that results in some awesome sketching. The video gives you the hang of how things are done.

Designer: Jon Cumberpatch

ScribbleBots from Jon Cumberpatch on Vimeo.

All-In-One Credit Card

Radhika Seth — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 10:51:31 +0000

Quite a few of us use multiple credit cards and every time one card expires, its plastic adds to the trash. So do the numerous receipts that we accumulate after swiping our CC. The fundamental of the One Card Electronic Card is quite simple; it wants to eliminate the trash (and resolve issues like identity theft via discarded expired CCs) by proposing to be this all-credit-cards-in-one device. On one end of the gadget is a Memory Card Slot that will help the user upload their various CC Details.

The other end has a turning-knob that allows one to choose the appropriate Credit Card to be swiped. The display on the device reflects an identical copy of the CC front, while the strip on the back mimics a CC’s magnetic strip. Once the transaction is completed, the receipt generated is displayed on the device (no paper receipt) and the info gets stored on the memory card.

The concept is pretty clear in what it wants to achieve, namely combine all cards that a person uses under one umbrella, reduce generation of paper/plastic trash, identity security etc. The only block is the compatibility with various banks and the willingness of people to rely on a gadget for daily CC transactions. Yes, we do use online, virtual services, but something like this is quite different.

Designer: Kim Young Suk

Alternate E-Book

Radhika Seth — Thu, 22 Oct 2009 09:06:40 +0000

I am a voracious reader but I must confess that I prefer paper to the E-Books. However I won’t let my bias get in the way of showcasing the Bibliofile Electronic Book Reader. This one’s a nifty reader that uses page-turning gestures to generate the power necessary to update an e-paper display. The display supports something called the Active Reading margin which features apps like dictionary and word games that make reading fun without distracting much.

Flip-side is that you still need to hook it to the mains for recharging. The gestures (of page flipping) provide cognitive, mechanical and digital feedback to the person using the device; plus additional juice.

Nadeem explains in detail:

The interaction that was developed for the final design has a margin that can be flipped up to go to the next page or flipped down to go to the previous page. The flipper’s taper allows it to be read comfortably on a flat surface. Alternative material combination, including leather and cast cork bases was explored. Bibliofile’s stylus has two buttons (one is the nib) that send a wireless signal to the device using the voltage generated by applying strain to a piezoelectric element. The stylus thus does not require batteries or charging. The major internal elements. Of particular importance is the diode bridge, which allows current to be generated regardless of which way the generator is turned. Using a color e-paper display and capacitive touchscreen, the interface supports stylus or finger interaction. It is designed with the challenge of updating the display as little as possible to conserve energy.

Designer: Nadeem Haidary

Music and Time On Your Wrist

Chris Burns — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 07:05:48 +0000

We’ve evolved from Walkman to iPod (plus whatever else there is, let’s be honest) and from wrist watch to cellphone-held-clock. Now. What would have happened if instead of the clock merging with the cellphone, the clock merged with the music device? We’ve got wrist tunes, contact!

Let’s have a short (or long!) discussion here about the combination of things. As things stand, the most common place I find people hold their time is in their cellphone. On their portable phone! Imagine that. I couldn’t have say, 15 year ago. I wouldn’t have believed you. What if things had gone differently than they have – what if instead, time stayed on your wrist, and music went there too?

This concept is called “Tick Tack Music Watch,” and I’ve got to say it’s pretty cute. Like a bunny rabbit cute. Designer A.Tnokovski plans on marketing it to “teens” and I think he’d be right.

I’m thinking as soon as phone service becomes as “free” as internet service, we go ahead and build that in to Tick Tack 2, and we’ll be in business.

Designer: Apostol Tnokovski

Only Label Power Works Here

Radhika Seth — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 07:00:16 +0000

Upgrading a redundant cellphone means adding to the pile of toxic trash that accumulates all around the world. The Label With Green is a concept phone aims at weaning you off the upgrade mania. To power the phone you need to use ECO-Green Electronic Labels, which are solar paper labels that juice up the phones various components (display, speaker, keypad, camera, and solar battery) independently. So to turn on any function, say display, you need to stick on enough solar labels onto the rear cover to power it.

The more functions of the phone you want to use, the more solar stickers you need to paste on the rear.

The idea is to make you conscious of the amount of toxic waste being accumulated due to improper disposal of electronic gadgets, our greed for upgrades and the amount of energy we consume to power our stuff. Essentially you can use this concept for a variety of gadgets. A noble cause, an excellent idea, but too cumbersome to follow!

Designers: Shao Wei Huang, Chia-Yi Cho, Yu Pei Kuo & Chung Kai Chiang

New Kinda Treasure Hunt

Radhika Seth — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 10:37:29 +0000

One of my favorite games at a kiddies Birthday Party used to be Treasure Hunt. The charm of such traditional games has been lost, ever since gaming consoles have come on the scene. So it’s nice to see that the love for such games rekindled albeit in a techno avatar as the EMIL Experience Outdoors. This hand-held console is like a GPS compass that allows you to form and execute treasure hunts, biking routes and expeditions, Hunting Mr. X in the field and Scouts Games. It can also come in handy to polish your Navigational Skills. Super!

Designer: Andrea Schoellgen

Picasso Can Draw To Switch-off Lights

Radhika Seth — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 07:00:21 +0000

So what if your drawing sucks, the JustDrawIt unit won’t mind; it will in fact help to manage the power supply to the various household equipments hooked on to it. How? A main device and several remote-controlled receivers visualize the service life of your synced electrical appliances. A haptic interface allows you to hand-draw on the timeline-based main unit, defining the period of usage. When the time’s up, the equipment will be automatically turned off. Oh shoot! Just One Thing…you can’t misplace the pen now!

Designer: Pega Design

Digital Photo Frame Packed With Features!

Long Tran — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 15:41:40 +0000

I love my digital photo frame but this concept called Mint Frame takes the cake. Like other digital frames it displays your photos but also takes pictures with a built-in 2 MP autofocus camera. The adoption of digital frames has been slow and why? – partly because older people find it cumbersome. By turning the frame into a camera, you get instant gratification without the need of a computer or syncing with an online gallery service.

The 7 in. touchscreen also displays videos (no mention of what formats) and you can even record narration to photos. I really like the little retractable magnetic stand. Wish my frame had that. My only gripe is the low camera resolution. It’s perfectly suitable for viewing but terrible for print. I guess I’m over complicating what it’s meant for but can’t we bump up the megapixel count to at least 3?

Designer: mintselect @ mintpass