Design posts

I don’t normally like talking about iPad cases. Your Techi time is precious, and I’m not about to waste it on a piece of molded plastic. With that in mind, I’ve got this great piece of molded plastic I’d like to show you. It holds your iPad, and everything. In all seriousness, though, this isn’t the wrong kind of rad. The iPort is a for real-real grown up serious dock that transforms your iPad (or iPod Touch, if you get the smaller one (or iPhone, if you get the smaller one, and are unwise)) into a wall controller for music systems or other tasks that need roboticizin’. To be honest, that’s just about the long…

Hey, remember the new Commodore 64 that suddenly rose from the ashes earlier this year? This is just about the same thing, only less ugly. Alright, maybe that’s unfair. This isn’t the belle of the ball, either. Held together with masking tape, the MacBook Air Project is the Frankensteinian result of what happens when you mash a MacBook Air, oldschool Apple keyboard casing, and wireless keyboard/Magic Trackpad combo together. It could be sexier, but it’s fully operational, and that is nothing if not mondo. “According to geekbench it will give a dual G5 powermac a run for its money…for whatever…

I promise you, this will be both the cleverest, and, simultaneously, the most useless social media experiment you’ll see all day. Continuing the proud tradition of Twitter’s inconsequentiality,  Graphic designer Shelly Peleg and Mizbala.com cofounder Guy Dayan have seen fit to turn Guy’s Following list into a large bird. Surely, organizing this must have been a bit more of a nightmare than the video lets on – not only would Dan have to coax 36 people into switching their Twitter display pictures to slices of bird, but he’d have to follow them in that order, not to mention subsequently follow…

Even I have to admit that wandering around town looking for an unguarded WiFi signal blows, and I’m not about to drop the cost of a USB internet stick. My laptop cost enough on its own, thanks. Luckily, it would seem Apple’s looking into it, recently filing patents for a telephonic laptop featuring a magnetically coupled antenna. Mobile communications being what they are, this would only seem to make sense, and in terms of tech, is a great step forward. But on the other hand, as a designer, I’m left wondering. If Apple has a commitment to one thing, and one thing only, that is form factor. An Apple product…

Long ago, in the before-times, people did this thing. It was sort of like texting, but involved the manipulation of this crude wooden stick to create letterforms. I think it was called ‘writting’ or something. In any case, the communication technology historians at Sharpie have discovered a new form of this archaic medium that hobbyists of ancient communication will get a kick out of. Dubbed the ‘Liquid Pencil’, the device is not so much an erasable pen as a non-erasable pencil. What’s the difference? Well, not much, but unlike previous forays into the exploration of the removability of ink,…

And now, for the coolest thing you’ll see in music today. A clear sheet of glass, a midi controller, and a projector are all you need to turn internet-faring music enthusiasts into jealous whiners. Hell, I’m whining as we speak. But I don’t think I can be blamed. The Töken multitouch system is simply rad. All that’s really known is that it uses a rear projector to provide the visuals, it’s constructed by a guy named Rodrigo, and the DJ in the video is Pablo Martin. Beyond that, your guess is as good as ours. But damn, if it isn’t totally wicked mondo, nothing is….

After an unusual amount of buildup, Research in Motion finally revealed its latest Blackberry this week. The Torch, as it has been named, is a touchscreen-keyboard combo that also ships with Blackberry’s new OS 6. In many ways, it represents a significant move forward for the Blackberry, and in certain areas – social integration, universal search, a webkit-based browser – the Torch on par with the other two players, the iPhone and Android. But, for good reason, the response from the tech press has thus far been lukewarm. Many reviews have called the phone out for lacking any imagination, not to…

Hey, remember that scene in that movie, where the guy filmed that plastic bag? That was American Beauty, right? I can’t recall. Anyway, this is that, with a techie twist. One hundred and eight is an installation by artist Nils Voelker that sees 108 plastic bags become… well, this. Each bag is attached to two CPU cooling fans – one to inflate, the other to deflate. The resulting wall of lungs is nothing short of hypnotic. While the re-appropriation of computer parts is cool on its own, this is one installation piece that’s simply begging for social integration. Tweetbag….

For the gentleman who is just too hot for his own good, Thanko has been gracious enough to supply the most ridiculous hunkalicious gadget the tech world ain’t never seen. The USB Necktie Cooler 3 doesn’t do anything you’re not expecting by title alone – except of course for turning you into an inescapably sexy lust magnet. You thought the ladies were attracted by your regular tie? What kind of pathetic ignoramus are you? Just plug this blinding sex symbol into a USB port, strike a manly pose, and attract female coworkers and passers-by alike with the gentle whirring of your love tie. All from the comfort…

You may be aware Apple’s Covent Garden location opens in London tomorrow. If you’re not reading this from Britain, you’ll probably demand to know why you should give a damn, right? Well, apart from being Apple’s biggest store yet, the CG location boasts dedicated wings for every Apple product, spaces for group learning and professional training, and, perhaps more importantly, the largest stock of iPhone 4s and iPads on planet earth. Perhaps its just me, but is anyone else kind of getting all hot and bothered by the architecture of this place? The glass-and-stone motif is really turning my crank,…