These are challenging times for camera manufacturers. The megapixel race is coming to an end, profit margins on entry-level cameras are slim to nil, and the thin line that separates cameras and phones will only get more blurry in the years ahead.
The challenge now is to make interesting products that offer features you won't ever find on a mobile phone. The new Olympus EP-1 (CNET review) does that by giving the point-and-shoot user a camera that offers a dSLR-like experience in a compact package that evokes the stylish feel of a classic camera from the "Mad Men" era. It'd be tough for a mobile phone to do that.
The EP-1 takes good pictures, but it also makes a powerful design statement. Inspired by the mid-1960s Olympus Pen, the $800 EP-1 hearkens back to the glory days of film cameras by offering removable lenses, a fast (1/4,000) shutter, and a lens format that keeps the the camera compact.
Just as importantly, it looks great when it hangs around your neck, it feels great in your hand, and you interact with it in an old-school way that requires a higher level of engagement than one normally associates with digital cameras, except perhaps prosumer-level digital SLRs.
The EP-1 is certainly easy on the eyes, but does it have what it takes to escape the forces that threaten to decimate the point-and-shoot camera segment? In this walkthough, we'll take a close look at the design and engineering choices Oympus made to bring this product to market.
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(Credit:
Digigrip)
Supposedly conceived of by a Swedish inventor, the Digigrip serves a very specific purpose. From what we gather, it can be attached to a bag and works like a regular handle. Once you lift the bag using it, a display will show you how heavy the carryall is.
On the surface, this appears useful for frequent travelers, but we have our doubts. For one, how does that thing attach itself to the bag? The product description page (which oddly lists a Hong Kong contact address) sells a hollow punch for making holes. That, coupled with pictures showing only fabric-based bags, leads us to conclude that you have to make holes in your luggage to use the Digigrip.
Still, those who frequently find themselves paying excess baggage fees may find this gizmo useful. The Digigrip site lists it for sale at 19 euros (about $28), but approach with caution--the poorly designed Web site doesn't exactly inspire buyer confidence.
(Source: Crave Asia via Notcot)
Sleepboxes can be installed at train stations, airports, and shopping centers.
(Credit: Arch Group)With more devices dedicated to the sleep-deprived on the move, the Sleepbox is one concept I'm rooting for. It's probably not for the claustrophobic, given its box-like interior, but it draws inspiration from Japan's capsule hotels.
Parked along stretches of an airport, this private nap space would be a boon for Economy Class overnighters lacking access to a Business or First Class lounge with sleeping facilities. Not all of us plebs are that fortunate, and usually have to make do with stretching out on awkward plastic seats.
Russian architect team Arch Group, thinking out of the box, has attempted to make its Sleepbox as comfy and sanitary as possible. The bed comprises a soft, flexible strip of foamed polymer with a surface of pulp tissue. The sheets are changed via a roller-like conveyer belt system, similar to the roller seat covers in bathrooms.
There's also Wi-Fi, an LCD display, sockets for charging laptops and mobile devices, a storage area to stash your luggage, and an alarm for keeping tabs on your allotted nap time.
The plan is for travelers to rent these 6.5 foot by 4.5 foot by 7.5 foot Sleepboxes for 15-minute slots or longer. This sleeps one, and hopefully stays that way. More photos after the jump.
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From the back, you'd think this man was injured and wearing some sort of neck and body brace.
(Credit: Substitute Materials)We've heard of sleep pod facilities in New York for sleep-deprived cubicle dwellers seeking some shut-eye. But here's a way to have your power nap upright while still appearing to keep to the spirit of a city that never sleeps.
This crazy contraption--by the amusing one-man Office for the Development of Substitute Materials--was actually tried and tested during a 40-minute snooze along Broadway as part of the Conflux 2009 festival, a gathering of artists, technologists, and urban adventurers.
Out of the box, you have a vertical bed that attaches conveniently to any subway ventilation grating for prop support; opaque sunglasses; free standing brolly; and noise-canceling headphones. And it all collapses into a totable briefcase.
That said, this isn't as elegantly simple as Japan's chindogu (art of useless idea) solution, the Commuter Chin Stand. Plus, it's always a bad idea to catch 40 winks in the middle of the Big Apple, where you'll be easy pickings for light-fingered pickpockets who'll clean you of everything but the braces you stand in. In short, you snooze, you lose.
A man takes a 40-minute "nap" at Broadway and 33rd St. in New York as part of the Conflux 2009 festival. He must have an incredible talent for tuning out honking horns.
(Credit: Substitute Materials)(Source: Crave Asia via DesignLaunches.com)
Spring Design's Alex e-reader features a color lower touch screen with a 6-inch electronic paper display.
(Credit: Maximum PC)Spring Design announced its Alex e-book reader just a day before Barnes & Noble introduced its Nook device, but until now, the Google Android-based device hasn't been seen in public.
That's no longer the case.
The folks at Maximum PC have taken photos of the dual-screen, 6-inch electronic-paper-display gadget in the flesh, and it's just as strangely proportioned as the original mockup promised.
Read more of "Hands-on photos of Spring Design's Alex Android-based e-reader appear" at ZDNet's The ToyBox.
(Credit:
Cambridge Consultants)
People who like getting physical with their gadgets may warm to a new Internet radio that must be moved around to operate.
The Q2 Cube radio from Cambridge Consultants and Armour Group will change to one of four preselected stations when it's turned over on its side. Tilting the speaker back or forward lowers or raises the volume.
The Cube seems to be a bit bigger than palm-sized, so it would fit neatly on a cluttered desk. It wouldn't do as an alarm clock, since tossing it from the bedside table would presumably only change the station.
The companies are calling the device "revolutionary," though in what sense is unclear. In the old days, radios also had to be tuned by turning something--a large dial.
There's no word on price yet, but the Cube could be in some U.K. stores for the holidays.
(Via Wired)
Normally $99.99, this exceptional desktop-publishing program can be yours for just $16.99.
(Credit: Buy.com)Whatever happened to desktop publishing software? A decade ago you had your pick of at least a dozen programs, but now the field is nearly empty.
Sure, you can still buy Adobe PageMaker or QuarkXPress for a small fortune (make that a medium fortune: they run $499 and $799, respectively), but what if you just want a simple program for creating newsletters, brochures, flyers, and the like?
Enter Serif PagePlus X4, a terrific desktop-publishing application that's ideal for designing print and Web-based documents alike.
Right now, Buy.com has PagePlus X4 for just $16.99 shipped. That's after a $25 mail-in rebate [PDF], but even at the prerebate price of $41.99, this software's a steal.
Indeed, although you can use PagePlus for any number of everyday projects (calendars, greeting cards, etc.), it's powerful enough to create professional-level documents (books, magazines, etc.).
In addition to robust page-layout tools, PagePlus features a PDF editor, logo builder, and photo lab. It also comes with a huge assortment of templates so you can hit the design-ground running. And to help beginners get started, it incorporates tutorial videos.
The software supports nearly every imaginable output option, including four color separations, press-ready PDFs, double-sided printing, and Web publishing.
In short, PagePlus X4 can stand toe-to-toe with Quark and PageMaker, but at a fraction of the cost.
I'm a huge fan of the program, which I've used for years. In fact, I've been plugging along just fine with PagePlus X2, but now that I can score the latest version for just $16.99, I'll definitely be upgrading.
Update: Sorry, folks, looks like the deal is no longer valid. But check back in a day or two to see if Buy.com replenishes its stock. It's been known to happen!
On Sale Now: $79.99 - $94.99
View the latest prices for Serif PagePlus X4
(Credit:
Intelligent Design)
Great. So you sprang for an uber-expensive laptop the likes of the Sony Vaio X or Dell Adamo. But what's this? You dare put your el cheapo $50 mouse next to that gorgeous and overpriced portable?
If you do not want to be arrested by the fashion police, then only this wireless mouse by Dutch firm Intelligent Design will do. To quote from the press release, the ID Mouse is made from "grade 1 titanium and high-quality plastic resin" and has a neodymium scroll wheel. Using the standard Bluetooth protocol, it requires two AAA-size batteries to power its laser sensor and comes in white or black.
But that's not the best part. This oh-so-desirable rodent has an oh-so-expensive price tag of 800 euros ($1,176.80). Compatible with both Windows and Mac, you can order one at the Web site--if you've got cash to burn.
(Source: Crave Asia)
(Credit:
Imregun Erturk)
How many cameras can float in the air and take pictures of you automatically? None, and there probably won't be any for some time to come. This is how skeptical I am of the Wagabond conceptualized by Turkish designer Imregun Erturk.
According to Erturk, the Wagabond can float in the air (the floating mechanism wasn't explained) and users can employ a remote control to adjust the height and shooting angles. This gizmo is targeted at lone travelers who don't want to bother people around them to help take their pictures.
All that is required for the user is to place the Wagabond on the floor and then use the remote control to activate it. The snapper will then float to the designated position and start taking shots.
I'm not placing too much hope for the Wagabond to go into commercial production. For now, I'll just use my Gorillapod.
(Source: Crave Asia via Trendhunter)
(Credit:
Vado)
Just how many ways can you get wet? Six, if U.K.-based bathroom brassware maker Vado has its way with the Sculpture--a flexible tentacle-like showerhead that lets you project water spouts in six different directions.
Of course, what you end up with is limited only by your creativity and how deep your pocket is. The contemporary Sculpture can be mounted on the wall or ceiling and comes with a 12-year guarantee (check with Vado for pricing and availability).
Of course, given the amount of water you might be using here, the Sculpture could make an interesting companion piece for these eco-conscious shower curtains.
(Source: Crave Asia via Newlaunches)
