Urinal Games
March 31, 2006 | Leave a Comment
From Yanko Design comes the On Target urinal. Basically this urinal has a built in game that helps to keep men aiming where they should and makes a generally mundane task entertaining. Well, at least that’s the theory….
I grabbed the rest of the images from the designer, Marcel Neundörfer, site. I think the images speak for themselves.
From their site:
Recessed into a urinal is a pressure-sensitive display screen. When the guest uses it, he triggers an interactive game, producing images and sound. The reduced size of the “targetâ€? improves restroom hygiene and saves on cleanings costs (like the “fly in the urinalâ€? at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport). It also makes a trip to the urinal “fun and gamesâ€? – more than just a necessary nuisance. By projecting the game experience into the public space, viewers are treated to a new way of visualizing the abstract, and the entertainment value is boosted. The projection of the project into a museum space was conceived of as a critical-ironic measure, questioning the concept of art, but extending it at the same time. “On targetâ€? is an interactive installation with the functional purpose of improving hygiene.
Tags: art, game, innovation, urinal, video game
Pepper Pad
July 26, 2005 | 12 Comments
On friday Casey and I went to see the Pepper Pad in Massachusetts. To me this is a hugely interesting product. It sits in the vacant space between PDAs and laptops, ignoring the existence of Tablet PCs. To tell the truth, I think tablets are entirely useless. Unless you have money to waste or a budget to spend, there is no justifiable reason to invest in these devices. They come up short on the power of a laptop, and are not actually portable. However, the Pepper Pad has found the sweet spot between laptops and PDAs, amazingly they do not pretend to be either and this is where they shine.
Do you ever find yourself watching TV and want to look something up quickly on the Internet? Do you want to be able to see recipes while cooking in the kitchen? Do you want an Internet enabled device you can walk around your house with? If you answered yes to any of these questions or similar ones, the Pepper Pad is for you. From their site:
Portable and lightweight? Definitely.
Able to instantly connect you to all your favorite activities-e-mailing, IM, Web browsing, listening to music, watching videos, sharing photos and more? Absolutely.
How about easy to use, totally low maintenance and ready to travel with you-whether to the couch, the backyard or even the local coffee shop? Check.
That device is here. Say hello to the Pepper Pad. The Pad represents an entirely new category of wireless device-bigger and more powerful than a PDA or mobile phone, but smaller, lighter and far less complex (and a lot more fun) than a laptop.
This is an existing gadget I’d like in my home. However, the Pepper Pad is not perfect. I have to point out the areas they fall slightly short in hopes they, or another generation, will resolve them. Problems:
- Spongy feeling keypad - limited tactical feedback
- Unlabeled “function” key
- Oddly placed backspace button
- Laggy response to stylus input - scrolling with the wheel is great, the stylus is troublesome
- I question the lack of a word processor, even if limited in features/functionality
Not to knock the Pepper Pad, because it is hands down the coolest thing of its kind available, but I want competitors in this space. Would we have ever gotten an MP3 player as sweet as the iPod if there Creative and others hadn’t pioneered that space first, I think not.
In a perfect world someone like Apple would step in and build something If they took the components in the Mini, added a small LCD touch screen, gave it appropriate usability testing, OSX, and a <$800 price tag, they’d make billions. I know I’d find the money somewhere…
Tags: computing platform, hardware, innovation, laptop, mobile, mobile computing, pepper, pepper pad, tablet, technology, ultra portable
The Greatest Keyboard Ever
July 25, 2005 | 1 Comment
Art Lebedev Studios is currently showing off the Optimus Keyboard which is still in the initial stages of development. This is undeniably the greatest keyboard ever created. On each key are OLEDs giving it ability to have dynamic images. Imagine the possibilities! Dynamic buttons for various games, or programs. I’d love to look down at the keyboard and see that I accidentally left the caps lock key on. I want one, I wish they were available now…
Previously I was in love with the ZBoard which has exchangeable keysets. The downfall of this is that you have to buy separate keysets for each application/use/game you want to use with it. This could become expensive quickly. Additionally it is far less versatile than the Optimus keyboard.
I found this on Alexa because the site is currently enjoying a 50,000% increase in traffic! I think that is entirely related to it being Slashdot’ed.
More Info:
Engadget
Primo Tech
Gadgetopis
Ensellitas
TechSpot
Tags: alexa, gadget, hardware, innovation, keyboard, OLED, optimus keyboard, technology, zboard
Nokia Rotary Cellphone
July 13, 2005 | 2 Comments
In a stunning release today, Nokia finds rotary phones more usable than touchtone. Our employer is excited about getting all our employees moved over to this great new innovation. This help us all find our way back to the roots of classic telephony. I guess they had it right the first time.
As a additional feature, the phone now has “classic ringing” and “rotary clicking” sound effects natively.
An excited user was quoted as saying “I’m too young to have had a rotary phone at home as a kid, but finally I can experience analog fidelity anywhere!”
Touchtone phone creators are fearful that this may have repercussions on existing telephone infrastructure deployed throughout consumer homes. There is additional speculation that large telecom corporations with significant investment in touchtone may be taken aback by this sudden trend in cellphone technology. Some even fear training difficulties in trying to get uninitiated users up to speed on the new technology.
The technology is being dubbed “RotoCell.”
Motorola and Ericsson intend on deploying similar technology in Q2 2006. Kyocera is expected to follow shortly after when the market has matured, release date unannounced.
(photo courtesy of Matthew Batchelder)
Tags: cell, cellphone, humor, innovation, nokia, parody, phone, retro, rotary, rotary phone, technology, telecom, telephone, telephony, usability