Thought the page-turning Macallan was nifty? You ain't seen nothing yet -- The Astonishing Tribe (the brains behind the look of Android) aims to give you billowing, rippling cloth-like curtains of clever interactive content with their concept Velvet UI. Pull out a widget or Google Maps query, and a sheet of your desired result waves with the virtual wind, before stretching out flat for you to more comfortably interact with. Running on MeeGo (and apparently possible on Android) it's built with the company's proprietary UI framework, so don't expect it to hit tablets anytime soon unless someone throws them some bucks. Also see: TAT's other impressive concepts. Video after the break.

Continue reading Pay no attention to that playful UI behind the Google Maps curtain (video)

Pay no attention to that playful UI behind the Google Maps curtain (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 22 Aug 2010 13:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink MobileLivingRoom.de  |  TAT Mobile User Interface Blog  | Email this | Comments

As sea levels rise, an extraordinary population shift will place immense stress on cities around the world. Where will global warming refugees go? One design team envisions an "Embassy of the Drowned Nations" to provide asylum, and a fresh start. More »

The basic premise of TechnoCRAFT, a new San Francisco gallery exhibition, is that something's gone wrong in the history of people making things. These days, designers have all the power—and maybe it's time to put users in control. More »

Oh, don't get us wrong, we rather enjoyed our time with Nikon's S1100pj projector camera, but this here Pico concept design is on a whole other level. We're talking both in terms of cuteness and inventiveness. You might have recognized by now that one of the Pico's "eyes" is the camera lens while the other is the projector, but what of the "smile?" Why, that's your microphone's sound intake port. And its little feet -- acting as a stabilizing stand when in projector mode -- also double up as covers for the external connection jacks. Masterful. Look for it to appear in your dreams some time very soon.

Pico projector camera concept is, as usual, better than the real thing originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 20 Aug 2010 09:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  Yanko Design  | Email this | Comments

Sony figured out how to replace the 22-wire ribbon inside their mobile devices-the one that carries control signals, video, and audio data-with a single copper cable, capable of 940Mbps transmission. That could make for the best cup-and-string phone ever. More »

Plain ol' chairs, couches, sofas, and similar furniture take up too much space and can be too costly, but you've gotta sit somewhere. The easy solution? Cut some holes in your floor and say that you've made an OOoo Chair. More »

One Perfect Cube uses three clocks synchronized to form this perfect cube every 12 hours. Sadly, the visual satisfaction only lasts for one second. More »

IKEA might be known for soulless furniture basics, but in the year 2040 they're planning on selling mood-adjusting kitchenware, and fridges that project celebrity chefs' cooking tutorials. In short, it doesn't sound all that far-fetched. More »

This is doubtless the most productivity ever shown by a group of students standing within 5m of a beer carton. I guess Germans are known for their efficiency, though. More »

Tonight in New York, the IDNY Meetup at Humanscale hosted a panel about engineering design in celebration of the James Dyson Award which just announced their 18 national winners. The James Dyson Award is an international design award that aims to encourage and inspire the next generation of design engineers. It’s run and supported by the James Dyson Foundation, James Dyson’s charitable trust. At the panel, the Associate director of SENSEable City Lab at MIT was on hand as a representative of the winning U.S. Copenhagen Wheel project that was developed by a team of his students.

The Copenhagen Wheel is a plug and play device that has the ability to easily transform ordinary bicycles into a hybrid electric-bike with regeneration and real-time sensing capabilities. The Copenhagen Wheel contains a motor inside of it, batteries, and a useful internal gear system which can help cyclists get over hills and longer distances with much less strain. On top of that, it also features environmental and GPS sensors that provide data for cycling-related mobile applications – including an iPhone app. Riders can use the data collected in the App to plan healthier bike routes, the app also provides realtime feedback about their fitness and exercise goals, and they can also use the app to share this data with friends and use it to connect with other cyclists. By sharing this data they’re also enabling the whole community to benefit by creating a larger pool of information. The project was inspired because the team wanted to create more livable and sustainable cities by encouraging more people to use bikes for their  transportation.

On hand at the panel, was one of the U.S. finalists, a young woman who created the SeaKettle – a life raft that is able to produce fresh drinking water. SeaKettle is able to provide both insulated, reliable shelter as well as fresh drinking water for this estranged at sea. This is one project that we really, really hope goes into production. Heck, they could’ve used this on Lost too. The international winner for the James Dyson Award will be announced on October 5th.