gadgets

Google Unveils Real Time Search, Translation, Image Searching, Goggles...Awkwardly

Kit Eaton — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 13:55:35 -0500

Google called a high-profile press conference today, and used it to unveil not one big feature, but a number of current and future tweaks to its service. The list was impressive, so we've rounded up some of the cleverest tech for you. But man, Google needs to hone its presentation style.

Real Time Search

Solar Power With Style

Paul Hochman — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:00:00 -0500

Solar energy got hot in the 1980s. The economic sting of the oil embargo was still fresh and the air was thick with tax credits, so Innovation Nation put on its thinking cap and began harvesting the resources that were literally falling from the sky: the 1,366 watts of solar energy that constantly rain down on every sunny square meter of earth. Smelling opportunity in those free-flowing photons, huge companies jumped into the sun business.

Maximize Your Downtime

Edited by Paul Hochman — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 13:00:00 -0500

FILM: Flip MinoHD

Lighter than a deck of cards and crazy simple to use, this camera by Pure Digital Technologies takes handheld video recording to a new level with high def. Turn that extra day of travel into a digital reel of sights and sounds -- it even shoots in cinematic wide screen -- before effortlessly sharing your vids by pop-ping open the built-in USB. theflip.com | $230, 4 GB model

Dear Gadget Reviewers: You Don't Understand Beauty

Gadi Amit — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 18:49:39 -0500

An entirely new industry of quasi-professional reviewers has grown out of the Internet. And since most of these reviewers are preoccupied with consumer electronics (which is what I design), it hits me close to home. I am well aware of the importance of these many reviews as a public service and as a driver of our tattered economy. But beyond appreciating the variety and diversity of opinion offered, I can't say I like many of them. Why? Because none of these reviewers understand design.

Lisa Strausfeld, Yves Behar, and Abbott Miller Form Supergroup, Design Litl Netbook

Cliff Kuang — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 18:06:17 -0500

It's baffling that no one's really overhauling laptop design. They're getting thinner and smaller, while capabilities and processing power swell, but the user interface stays exactly the same. Litl, a brand-new laptop, isn't going to change the world--but it's proof of what a set of excellent designers can do, if given a bit of breathing room.

AIDA - Your Robotic Car Co-Pilot of the Future - Now With Video

Kit Eaton — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 08:38:15 -0500

Last week we introduced you to AIDA (the Affective Intelligent Driving Agent)--get used to her if you can. MIT and Audi are hoping that this robot, or one that looks even more like Pixar's EVE, may be gracing your car's dashboard to help you drive in the near future.

8 Gadgets to Make Your Business Trip More Fun

Paul Hochman — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 17:27:48 -0500

Bright Ideas: 8 Great Solar Gadgets

Paul Hochman — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:24:59 -0400

Macs Loved by Rich and Nerdy, Study Says

Chris Dannen — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 13:42:58 -0400

Mac owners are more likely to be affluent and gadget-oriented, according to a new study by NPD Group. The group's Household Penetration Study found that Mac owners were more likely to have more than one computer in their household--with 66% of the Mac-using survey respondents reporting more than three computers.

Apple Tablet Timeline

Kit Eaton — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 10:14:40 -0400

The excitement in the tech world about Apple's rumored iTablet (iPad?) is getting close to fever pitch, culminating with an article in The New York Times today. But all the evidence suggests that the seeds of the iTablet were planted decades ago--so we've made a timeline for you.

Nokia Concept Smartphone UI Puts the 'Friend' in User-Friendly

Kit Eaton — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 08:14:29 -0400

So your smartphone is a very neat bit of tech, serving up your cellphone, portable gaming and MP3 needs...but have you ever wondered if it could be designed to be more friendly?

CIID students Kevin Cannon and Tobias Toft definitely think so, and developed a proof-of-concept UI while working on a 2-week study course with Nokia.

How can you give away free gadgets and make money?

Chris Jones — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 12:06:19 -0400

It sounds like a crazy business plan: 'We will make money by giving away gadgets to the general public'. Any prospective investor would surely run a mile on hearing such an opening speech.

Well, if they make it through what seem like wild claims, everything may start to make a little more sense.

Augmented Reality Gets New Dimension: Layar Adds 3-D

Kit Eaton — Tue, 22 Sep 2009 10:49:50 -0400

We've covered Augmented Reality app Layar a lot as it's one of the most promising examples of the technology out there--and it's getting even neater: Layar's adding 3-D to its AR world modeling system.

Amazon Getting Into Own-Brand Accessories: The Start Of Something Bigger?

Kit Eaton — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 08:51:35 -0400

Soon you'll be able to buy Amazon own-branded basic electronics accessories, as well as the usual big-name electronics that you'll plug Amazon's gizmos into. It's a little surprising, but could well be seen as a sign for bigger Amazon ambitions.

New Product Launches [5 Second MBA]

GL Hoffman — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:11:38 -0400

Fast Company's 30 Second MBA

Soon Your Phone Network Will Be a Vanilla Data Channel

Kit Eaton — Thu, 10 Sep 2009 07:26:01 -0400

Nokia just revealed it won't let phone networks apply any proprietary customization to its hot little MID/smartphone the N900. It's another sign that in the future your cell-phone network will be way less important than it thinks it is.

The "Power Funnel" and Other Design Innovations in Plantronics' Discovery 975 Headset

Cliff Kuang — Fri, 21 Aug 2009 09:04:11 -0400

Designers always draw from personal experience. That's particularly true for Darrin Caddes, vice president of design for Plantronics. "Function has a deeper meaning for me," he says. Five years ago, before he came to Plantronics, he was working for Indian Motorcycles, after a seven-year stint at BMW. A motorcycle accident had recently left him wheelchair bound. "That's when I became a headset user. So being hands free became crucial, and headsets became a truly enabling product. And that's why coming to Plantronics really resonated."

Your Avatar & You

Donald Schwartz — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 09:55:16 -0400

RTI study finds that an avatar's virtual life image may influence user's real-life image http://bit.ly/hq6Vn - DS: well, duh, avatars have always been aspirational....

Sorting, Scoring, and Avatarism: "Users are already familiar with the avatar as persona, and with the concept of various inventory items with unique attributes." http://tinyurl.com/3pzose

Technology

Twitter and Facebook Come to FiOS TV, but Verizon's Still Just a Widget Wannabe

Kit Eaton — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 09:23:31 -0400

Verizon's just added something to FiOS that's either a blessing or a curse for Twitter addicts--a live feed of your Twitter account that'll appear on your TV over the show you're watching, part of a new Widget Bazaar that also includes a Facebook app.

Exploring the Apple Tablet Rumor...Again

Kit Eaton — Tue, 14 Jul 2009 10:06:55 -0400

The Apple Tablet--long hoped-for magic unicorn of the high-tech gadget world--is back in the news. But this time instead of merely speculating, people are saying they have hard numbers to back up their rumors. So--is it real?

Best Buy Dabbles in Online Crowdsourcing

Kit Eaton — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 10:25:39 -0400

Best Buy's a big name and, you know, it's pretty successful. But that doesn't mean it's closed-minded, and won't listen to good ideas from the public. To that end, it's just launched an online Suggestions Box.

GDGT Web Site Launches, Brings Social Networking to Gadgets

Kit Eaton — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 08:31:25 -0400

GDGT, a new gadget-centric Web site, has just gone live--joining the throng of gizmo sites that already vie for your online attention span. It's not a traditional blog, though: Think of it as a gadget discussion room, museum, ownership tracking system, and social network. Being its target audience, I took it for a spin.

Humanscale's Desktop Air Purifier Promises a Cone of Clean Air

Tim McKeough — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 14:00:00 -0400

Few of us want to live in a bubble, but how about working inside a cone of clean air? Office-furniture maker Humanscale has rethought the air purifier by developing the Humanair, a unit that aims to give users personalized airspace. The product sprang from a collaboration with Swedish inventor Andrzej Loreth. "He was doing air purification for big warehouses and subway tunnels," says Humanscale global product manager Shane Cohen. "We've been working with him to create a product on a much smaller scale that can be used on a personal level."

Travel Search Wars: Google Tests City Guides, Bing Travel Plagiarizes

Kit Eaton — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:09:37 -0400

Seems like travel functionality is a trending topic in search engine design: Google's testing intelligently-created City Tours. Meanwhile Bing Travel, which we wrote about recently, is in trouble over an alleged plagiaristic UI.

Did The iPhone 3G S Sell a Million This Weekend? You Betcha

Kit Eaton — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 06:03:42 -0400

Some analysis last week poured cold water on the idea that the new iPhone 3G S would outsell its predecessor on the first weekend, and only make 500,000 sales. We say otherwise, and there's plenty of data around the net to back that up.