Home sound systems were once like the original computers: huge, room-occupying cubes that protected collections of vacuum tubes and wires. Now there’s no need for those beasts. A device the size of our palm can cycle through more processes in a second than the grand old room computers, and an MP3 player the size of your thumb can play louder than a Hi-Fi module. Then where’s the fun for designers if everything is so small and efficient? Continue reading →

Little did I know that HDTV signals are broadcast over the air, and they don’t need expensive digital cable and satellite TV services to transmit to your home. But who would want to use the old antenna that looks like kite skeletons? No longer does Dad need to risk his life out on the roof to pivot the antenna in a storm to receive a signal. Continue reading →

If only life were a little more like a video game, we could hurt ourselves and watch health bars shrink but then rejuvenate when we picked up floating hearts, or we could increase achievement points by learning a new skill and upgrading our wooden sword to an Anointed Saber, or whatever they call them in fantasy games these days. Maybe our lives will just always be more boring than the video games, that’s why they exist, I suppose. But together, Nike and Apple have created something that simulates a little bit of the video game world in our own. Continue reading →

The Lapka personal environment monitor is ready to provide you with a whole lot of information about your immediate surrounding that you didn’t get to see before. Unlike anything else on the market really, this device is a gadget that measures radiation, electromagnetic fields, humidity and ‘organicness’(chemical presence) in anything you touch. It then links to your iPhone and generates live recordings on an app, powered only by the phone without the need for extra cables or batteries.
Pretty.damn.neat. Continue reading →

Were I to tell you there is a portable speaker system that resembles a picnic basket, I can’t predict your reaction, but I suspect you’d be a little confused. Would it be like the bulky, woven reed basket that looks like it belongs in a craft fair painting of a meadow? I don’t know if there are more modern variations of the classic picnic basket, but that is what I immediately think of when I see the Beolit 12, the portable speakers system for your smartphone by Bang & Olufsen. And because of its digital pastoral design, the Beolit 12 looks like the perfect thing to bring along with a couple of sandwiches. Continue reading →

Perhaps there’s one thing we haven’t been quick to remove in our digital world. There’s still far too much paper, and most of it comes in the form of exhaustingly boring details like receipts, legal documents, and forms. But before it’s altogether eradicated, there’s a tool that will archive your paper clutter so you can banish it from your life without hesitation. Continue reading →

I’ve never ridden a Segway, I’ve always found people piloting them to look rather foolish, and I have no idea how they work. But after seeing a family whip down the beach on the two-wheeled vehicles, (I’m not even sure that’s an accurate name for the mode of transportation), and watching mall security guards have a little too much fun wheeling by clumps of misbegotten teens, I think it’s time I revise my opinion. Continue reading →

If you’re looking to upgrade from your digital compact camera but not deal with a bulky DSLR and complex controls, you should check out a new category which recently gained a lot of traction in the photography world. It’s called micro four thirds systems / mirrorless cameras with interchangeable lenses – they’re just the right size, easy to handle with loads of features, shoot high quality images, and can change lenses on the fly. All the big players are already there, however this time we’re going to introduce you to one of the top 5 – the Alpha NEX series from Sony. Continue reading →

Never mind the criticisms that Apple’s innovation in personal computing is stagnating. Take one look at the design of the new Mac Pro that will be released later this year, and it will be clear that Apple is looking forward. Their strength and notable difference with competitors has always been product design. Here is the real, startling feature of the new Mac Pro. There’s no real reason to conform a desktop design to the standard rectangular shape, so Apple shunned the convention. The Mac Pro’s design is cylindrical, like skyscraper that ignores the mass produced box-shaped buildings around it for something more specific and original. Continue reading →

The iPhone Stealth case and cover design by Svyatoslav Boyarincev is a radical rework of an object for which a million variations have flooded the market – yet it still stands out as one of the best. Continue reading →