Design posts

Like most Apple products, the iPad is, understandably a beautiful device. For most people, that is good enough. But what if you want to personalize it and make it your own? You could grab a paint brush and a prayer not to mess up, or you could spend a few pennies on one of the following amazing decals. Apple Pi? Clever! You can have your Apple and eat it too. Nintendo’s SNES people know. It reminds us of Android, but we like it. Iron Man is Apple power. [via DamnCoolPics]…

Anyone here familiar with chindōgu? Translated as ‘unusual tool’, chindōgu is the Japanese art of inventing devices which, while technically solving everyday problems, are so ridiculous and awkward, they really have no reason to exist. Seriously, I’m not making this up. Anyway, check this action out. The Potechi Chip Gripper is half-robotic arm, half-dining etiquette taken too far, and all-Japan. Designed to replace the obviously barbaric task of eating potato chips with one’s hand, the Chip Gripper acts as a middleman between you and that ocean of grease that typically pervades your…

While most tests done comparing tap water and filtered water show that tap water is just as pure, people continue to buy bottled water. But not only does bottled water produce a lot of waste, it also take a lot of energy to package and ship all those bottles. Which is why the new 321 Water Bottle is great for those concerned with sustainability – or if you just like stuff that looks really slick. The bottle works in a manner similar to a coffee press. You fill it up with tap water and then simply push down on the plunger. But rather than getting rid of coffee grounds, the plunger contains a carbon filter, which…

Like the design of classic radios but want something that will also play the music on your iPod? Well look no further than the Revo Heritage Radio. An ideal gift for your grandparent who keeps on asking “does it get the Sinatra?” Winner of the 2010 Red Dot Product Design Award, the Revo Heritage Radio is a modern take of the classic European table radio designs from the 1960’s. The radios cabinet was made using a mixture of aluminum and real walnut veneer and then infused with the latest multi-platform digital radio technology. Heritage has a large OLED display and groundbreaking joystick control…

On a scientific scale of one to ten – where 1=sorta’ lame and 10=totally baller – this car elevator has got to be at least a nine.Maybe nine-and-a-half. Designed by Takuya Tsuchida, this lift raises and lowers some very expensive cars from the living room of this beautiful house to the garage below. The moving platform sits on hydraulic stilts that go up and down on command, while the floor is covered in the same pale wood flooring of the living area. How strange it might be to simply be able to park in your living room we have no idea, but you gotta’ admit: this is probably the closest that anyone’s come…

What do you do with a device that isn’t quite so useful? You throw it away! Okay, so you are not going to do that to your iPad, so we have an alternative: you could, quite literally, shelve it. Now we’re talking. The iBookend (again, with these “i” names), is a concept design by Dominic Wilcox that actually makes the iPad a useful device, and it is quite fitting as well. The iBookend would allow you to store your iPad in a book shelf and use it as a stand for your books. Quite handy. If only this accessory became reality… I would, only then, have a reason for buying the iPad, or not! [via LikeCool]…

Smallpc.com has just announced the release of their 10.4″ LCD Touch Screen Computer model SDC100. It was designed and tested in the most extreme environments to ensure that it could be used in the most daunting situations. Other computers face problems such as glare on the screen from sunlight, or issues caused by water damage. Those are things that users won’t have to worry about with Model SDC100. The computer is sealed, waterproof and the display offers excellent viewing, no matter what the conditions are. Some standard features include: 32GB Solid State Drive, 1G DDR Memory, 3 USB 2.0 ports…

The only galleries or exhibits I’ve ever attended have been mostly made up of large scale displays and traditional art. When I came across these unique pieces by Japanese designer, Nendo, I was instantly intrigued by them. Pictured above are some of the simplest, but most interesting paperweights that I’ve ever come across. Representing a period, comma and a quote, these weights were made with Takada Seisukajuo – a firm in Japan which specializes in aluminum casting. These pieces are made to represent forms of punctuation and can be used to separate work into different categories: the period…

Ever notice how boring street furniture is? It’s mostly one color with a basic design. Boring! European designer Yoann Henry Yvon has created an urban design of what outdoor furniture such as bicycle racks and benches might look like in the future. Originally from Nice, France, Yvon graduated in 2008 with honors from Istituto Europeo di Design in Italy. The photo of Yvon’s Wave Bench, above, is made by an aluminum structure that is enriched with independent acrylic colored arms. The bench’s pieces can be moved as well, to either have a supporting back to lean back on or for separation to make…

Designer Liu Yi claims his Toe Mouse is to help those with upper limb disabilities enjoy an internet-rich existence, but I’ll be damned if I’m not the first person to have pondered a foot-controlled mouse’s many other applications for those who simply have, er… idle hands. Oh, come on, you’re all thinking it. We’re all adults here. The internet is sometimes an interactive experience. Sometimes, you need your hands. The Toe Mouse is perfect for those times. I speak, of course, of those times you have an absolutely insatiable urge to make a sandwich at your desk. What’d you think I…