Introducing - iWish

PSP + iPhone + Sidekick = iWish Concept — Millions people love iPhone, and the other millions people like PSP. Imagine if Sony Ericsson were to partner with Apple for their next portable, all-in-one gaming device, then it might look something like the iWish. This concept phone dubbed as “iWish” since the creator wish Sony would get their act together and improve the PSP. So many people are doing such amazing and innovative things these days, and yet the only innovative thing to happen to the PSP since 2005 was that it got a little slimmer.

Going further, you’ll notice that the PSP Phone display can slide upwards to reveal a full QWERTY keyboard, not unlike the T-Mobile Sidekick Slide. That’s not to say that the user interface is provided by Danger, however, because it looks like it has taken on a distinctly Apple iPhone-like flavor. Curiously, you’ll notice that one of the buttons at the bottom of the touchsceen is Windows… so it has Windows Mobile too?

This has got to be one of the strangest mash-ups I’ve seen on a cell phone, because it seems to borrow elements from nearly every handheld known to man.

Dubbed the iWish, this cell phone concept has a basic form factor that is reminiscent of the Sony PSP, complete with the PlayStation branding on the left side, along with directional pad and set of four face buttons. I do appreciate the inclusion of dual analog sticks, however, a feature that you won’t find on the real PSP.

I’m not entirely positive if this is supposed to be just a gaming machine, a multimedia player, a bulky text-minded cell phone, or all of the above. Whatever it is, the iWish is little more than a confused fanboy’s wet dream.

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Musical Tea Cup

The Musical Teacup - Brew & Music in a Single Gadget -

What could be better than taking a sip from your favorite brew of coffee in the coziness of your comforting home and listening to your fav music on a Sunday morning? Well, there are some things people could indicate as better than this particular one, but for now let's stick to brewing (coffee or tea) and music. It seems like designer Jongmin Kim stopped here as well... but unlike us, he has come up with a stunning prototype gadget that is truly nifty: the Musical Teacup.

The whole concept behind it is solving the problem of having your cup and your music in one single place, together as one, as they say. And since an MP3 cup was a bit too much, Jongmin Kim went outside the box and came with this one.

Tea and coffee are served in cups coming on a small plate. Well, it's that very plate Mr. Kim thought of changing first, and changes it has suffered. The plate grew thicker so that it could house the inner mechanism of a CD player, a DiscMan-like one. Of course, some of the things inside the CD player had to be modified in order to achieve the desired level of functionality: intuitive and handy controls have been designed for a pleasant musical experience.

The cup itself comes in a special shape, pretty much looking like a medieval beer mug, with its conic aspect. As you place the cup on its special-design support and rotate it to the left or to the right, the volume will vary accordingly; even more, as the handle has a red line painted on it, and the supporting structure has a small scale, you'll also have a very visual representation of the volume level.

Built-in speakers will fill the room with the sound of your favorite CD and the world will seem a better place: now, be careful with the amounts of coffee you plan to drink. First of all, you don't want to get sick; on the other hand, too much coffee could make your hands shake like hell and you'll spill the brew on the Musical Teacup and wreck it. Now, this nifty drinking gadget is still in its prototype phase so there's no serious danger lurking around. Great idea, Mr. Kim!

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Sony PSP 2 with Flexible OLED Display

Dreamy Design Sony PSP 2 with flexible OLED Display Concept -- Designer Tai Chiem mixed the potential of flexible OLED displays with the Sony PSP gaming console. The result is a stunning design of a roll-up Sony PSP 2. Roll-up displays are nothing new for gadgets though. Polymere Vision developed the Readius pocket eReader that is also supposed to be available as a mobile phone. Roll-up or folding displays are going to be the next big thing for portable devices in the years to come. At some point in the future we will hopefully get to the point that we do not have to kill trees anymore for newspapers and magazines. For that to happen ePaper gadgets need to become as convinient to use as paper magazines are today.

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X-Box 360 Portable

X-Box 360 could be going portable -

X-Box 360 handheld console on the way? Fancy rocking some GTA IV on-the-go, if T3 get our way Microsoft's Zune MP3 player could be going gaming. Check out our artist's impressions.

A Microsoft Zune / X-Box 360 / mobile phone hybrid? Could this potentially be the greatest handheld gadget in the history of the world?

It's by no means a reality, but it's been over a year since Big M big-wigs hinted at this awesome combo. While nothing remains concrete, we at T3 couldn't wait any longer.

Our artist's impressions from the future tech feature in this month's T3 Magazine show the three gadgets brought together in revolutionary harmony.

Our vision features the familiar X logo and coloured buttons of the X-Box with the slim and sleek Zune music player, with a 64GB flash drive and a mobile phone built in for good measure.

Yesterday we revealed our vision for a mind-controlled Nintendo Wii. Check back tomorrow for an all-new artist's impression of our most-wanted future tech.

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USB Tape

Remember in the days before digital music and MP3 players?
If you do, then you probably made compilations of all your favourite music, to share with your friends and loved ones, on good old fashioned blank cassette tapes.
If you miss making mix tapes this product will inspire you again!

Create your own unique mix tape
1. ADD YOUR OWN SOUNDS TO THE USB STICK.
2. PLACE THE STICK INSIDE THE TAPE STYLE GIFT PACK.
3. WRITE YOUR OWN MESSAGE AND PLAYLIST.
4. GIVE IT TO SOMEONE YOU LOVE.

64MB USB MEMORY STICK
Store your own mix on the USB stick by plugging into your PC or Mac, then add MP3 or any other files to the USB stick.

C60 MIX TAPE
Stores up to 1 hour of high quality digital music - the same amount as you get on a C60 cassette tape. Perfect for creating your own unique compilation or mix ‘tape’. When you have 60 minutes you have to think carefully about what you are going to put on there! Write your own title, messages and play list all over the retro gift pack.

FOR MAC AND PC
6 different designs to collect

Home taping never killed music!
Design by $uck UK

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No-Key Keyboard

Glass surface inputting is the new hotness for almost every gadget maker today. From from the iPhone to Microsoft’s Surface technology, flat is where it’s at. Introducing the flattest full size QWERTY keyboard to date, “No-key Keyboard” by Kong Fanwen. Consisting of just a glass surface, camera and lighting, this alternative keyboard concept will use the latest motion capture technology to watch your fingers nervously select just the perfect smiley for your online bantering.

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Oled touch screen

Oled Touch Screen -
The Cobalt is a response to the discerning public need for the next convergence device to blend elegance with simplicity and portability. The Cobalt’s round OLED touch screen allows easy access to all its features with a simple flick of the thumb left, right, up or down. The default screen shows time, date, temperature, and updates on voicemail, email and text. Completely customizable on every level, the default screen’s settings can be changed to suit your needs - from minimal analog hands to a full on digital display.

The Cobalt is designed with the style conscious in mind - when Bluetooth technology can be seamlessly integrated with earrings and other accessories for all-day wearability. Along with state-of-the-art voice recognition software, there’s a hidden spot on the back for house keys. All I need is this, a monocle, top hat, and a walking stick.

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Life Index

Life Index Will Tell You How Long You Have Left to Live -

In the year 2154, biometrics might be so advanced that they will be able to tell us how long we have left to live based on data retrieved from our bodies. Or at least that’s the type of technological advancement that the creator of the Life Index is hoping for in the future.

Envisioned by One & Co for the Timex 2154 competition, the Life Index is worn like a nicotine patch that acquires biometric feedback from the skin, including fitness level, stress, nutrition level and the environment. It then uses this information to make an educated guess on how long you have left to live.

I guess the real question is whether you’d want a gadget that could put a number on your life or a guesstimate from one of those stupid online surveys. And more importantly, would the ever decreasing number convince you to quit $moking, dr!nking and having unprotected $ex while simultaneously shooting intravenous drugs with dirty needles? [gearfuse]

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Panoramic Digital Cam

Panoramic Digital Camera That Can Be Thrown -

Finalist for BraunPrize 2007, Triops is a robust digital camera which allows the user to experience new perspectives and perceptions and takes the potential of digital photography to a new level. The camera is equipped with three protected fisheye lenses and allows for an active, spontaneous and playful photography experience.

This product can take images while being thrown, suspended or just being placed in an unusual location. It captures the moment by responding to sound or movement, or by reacting to the manually operated release. Sequentially taken photographs are possible as well as 360 degree panorama images. All working parts are integrated in the robust casing and can be operated easily and intuitively. Pictures can be wirelessly transmitted to a separate display unit for display. This unit functions as a processing and storage device and the camera‘s charging station. [franziskafaoro]

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Extreme Extension Cord

Extreme Extension Cord -

Instead of just having power outputs on one end of an extension cord, designer Wilson Song placed them all along the cord itself. We’re not electrical engineers here at Yanko Design but we have our doubts. If a device is plugged into one output, doesn’t that prevent power from reaching the other outputs? On paper it sounds like a great idea. The cord itself can act as a flexible power strip. [via: mail]

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Smallest Battery Charger

The Smallest, Lightest Battery Charger in the World -

Main Features

• Recharge batteries via any USB port
• Smallest and lightest battery charger in the world
• Recharges all NiMH and NiCd AA and AAA batteries
• LED charging and battery power indicators
• Tough, rubberised casing
• Recharges batteries in 3-4 hours via USB
• Team up with the Freeloader Solar Battery and charge batteries in 1-2 hours (cable provided)

The Smallest, Lightest Battery Charger in the World -
Fed up with using up and throwing away more batteries than an Anne Summers convention? Battery chargers may be no new thing, but then none claim to be the smallest and the lightest AA and AAA charger in the world, and charge conveniently via USB – credentials that catapult the Freeloader Battery Charger sky high above its larger, more cumbersome competitors. At last!

Say goodbye to bulky monstrosities, the featherweight Freeloader portable charger weighs in at just 54g – and that's including batteries – and fits comfortably in the palm of your hand. Two complimentary rechargeable AA batteries come with your pack, but this handy battery charger will also happily charge AAA NiMH and NiCd rechargeable batteries too, both via its USB connection.

Pop up to two batteries into the fast battery charger at any one time and charge via the USB port on your PC – it takes three to four hours to reach 75% full charge. Clear LED indicators show the charging status of the USB battery charger, as well as your battery power levels, while tough, rubberised casing stays protected and looks good in the process.

If you hadn't already guessed from the name, the Freeloader Battery Charger is a close relation to another Gizoo favourite, the Freeloader Solar Battery (not included), and conveniently if you have both, you can use the pair together. In short, for all those times you're away from your PC and a USB port you can use the Freeloader cable provided and charge your batteries from this handy unit instead in just one to two hours – ideal for all those days you and your laptop aren't joined at the hip.

Specifications -

• Charge AA or AAA batteries either from Freeloader or from your PC's USB port.
• Includes 2 rechargable AA batteries
• The average time to charge the supplied batereies via USB is 3 to 4 hours
• Product dimensions (H)20cm x (L)13cm x (D)5cm
• Box dimensions (H)8.5 x (L)4m x (D)2cm
• Package weight 109g
• Power requirements USB or freeloader

[via : gizoo ]

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Amazing - Robot Solves Cube

A Lego Mindstorms robot that solves Rubik’s cube -

Tilted Twister solves Rubik’s cube fully automatically.
Just place the scrambled cube on Tilted Twister’s turntable. An ultrasonic sensor detects its presence and starts to read the colors of the cube faces using a light sensor. The robot turns and tilts the cube in order to read all the faces of the cube. It then calculates a solution and executes the moves by turning, tilting and twisting the cube.

The challenge was to build the robot using only the Lego Mindstorms NXT Retail-kit. And to make it completely independent, without need of being connected to a PC. The Lego Mindstorms NXT Retail-kit contains three servo motors and four sensors (touch, light, ultrasonic and sound).

How should I build the robot using only theese items?
After a lot of experimenting I came up with a solution - If I tilted the whole robot, it would be possible for it to tilt the cube using only one motor, leaving the other two motors for turning the cube and for positioning the lightsensor. Thus Tilted Twister.

Color recognition

While rotating the cube, the top face colors are scanned using the lightsensor. It is actually possible to see difference between colors using only the lightsensor. But some of the colors on the standard Rubik’s cube were hard to distinguish from one another. The blue and the green colors of the cube were very close to each other. Likewise were the red and the orange ones. To avoid confusion I replaced some of the colors on the cube. (Cubesmith.com has replacement stickers in all sorts of colors.) After that, it reads the colors of the cube perfectly. Only if you have a strong lightsource right above the robot it might fail.

Tilting, turning and twisting the cube
The tilter arm pushes the side of the cube until it tilts over and slides back. The construction of the tilter arm along with the sloping turntable enables this in one moment. The cube is turned by the motor connected to the turntable. Lego Mindstorm’s servo motor is very accurate, and the built in tacho counter makes shure it doesn’t ”hesitate”. There is no need for other easurements to align the turntable after turning it. To twist the bottom face, the tilter arm holds stil the upper and middle layers of the cube while the turntable rotates the bottom face.

Calculating a solution
I wanted the robot to be completely independent, without the need to connect to a PC. This puts some demands on the program. Of the size of the program and memory usage. And not least of performance. The performance of NXT’s processor is quite sufficient for typical robot-tasks. But when it comes to heavy calculations it is significantly slower than an ordinary PC. This rules out heuristic-algorithms (which generates sub 30-moves solutions). Instead I tried to find a method to solve the cube, whith limited number of algorithms but that still would generate a solution with not to many moves. First I implemented a quite simple layer-by-layer-algorithm. This gave a solution with an average of almost 100 moves. I have now implemented a corners-first method which generates a significantly shorter solution. The average is just below 60 faceturns (which I think is pretty good for a general solution).

Performance

• Scanning the cube: 1 minute
• Calculating a solution: 20 - 40 seconds
• Executing the moves: 1 - 5 minutes. Average 4.5 minutes (60 faceturns)
• Average total time: 6 minutes

[via - tiltedtwister]

Enjoy the Amazing Video Below -

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Amazing Text Scanner

Dixau Text Scanner Wikifies and Googlizes Your Reading -

Reading is such hard work without the internet at your disposal to cross reference anything that you don’t immediately understand. Until now, people had to read books while at the computer if they wanted to look stuff up, manually typing it in to Wikipedia or Google. It’s horrible, I know. The Dixau text scanner from Korean company Unichal makes is so that you only have to be next to the computer. It contains a little camera that is able to take pictures of text, recognize the characters, and then provide on-screen explanations via search engines.

The Dixau may seem totally superfluous (especially for $90), but what I think it’s designed for are Korean students who want to be able to translate words from English scientific texts on the fly. And with that in mind, it really could be useful even for native English speakers trying to decipher English scientific texts. I mean, I majored in geology, which is perhaps not the most technical of disciplines, and I still swear that half of those words were made up just to confuse people.

Dixau from Unichal is a device available on the Korean market designed to help you understand what you are reading and while you are reading.

If you are in the middle of a study related to medicine or you encounter specific terms that you are not familiar with, Dixau’s built-in camera captures the image with the sentence at the push of a button and searches through Wikipedia, Google or a dictionary you provided it previously.

It then finds the detailed explanations in your PC with the help of text recognition technology, and reveals them on the monitor. Such a device costs around $90 and if you understand Korean you might want to check all the details about it on the official product page. (dixau) [via - techpin ]

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Rechargeable USB Cell

USBCELL AA Batteries Can be Charged through USB -

If you thought rechargeable batteries were a good green idea, the USBCELL rechargeable battery will blow your mind- it plugs into any computer’s USB port to recharge. It’s a standard AA battery which will fit into all your every day uses. We’re not the only ones amped up about USBCELL- today at CEBIT, the green battery was awarded a Gold award at the IF Product Design ceremony. Produced by Moixa Energy, has a flip cap top that houses the USB port, and can be used like any regular AA battery. Not to mention, it cuts back on the nearly 15 billion Alkaline batteries made and thrown away each year.

The little power cells can also can be charged in approved NiMH chargers. USBCELL won a New Energy Entrepreneur of the Year award last Wednesday, too. We’re glad such a deserving product is getting the attention it deserves. [usbcell]

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Phonograph CD Player

Phonograph CD Player -
By: Yong Jieyu & Ama Xue Hong Bin

A 2 day workshop with Joris Laarman. The aim is to analyse a product in its history and function and redesign it.

A CD player was disassembled and the components rearranged to suit the layout of a phonograph. The speakers are put below the trumpet loudspeaker for amplification. The wooden box is made slightly more spacious then the electrical PCB board needed to achieve bass resonance. The laser pointer is shifted to the top allowing the spin of the CD to be clearly shown.

By bringing back a familiar nostalgic form of a phonograph, the design seeks transport the user back to the golden age of phonographs in early 1900s where sound broadcasting had a magical feel। (jieyu-design)

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