The Urban Survival Vehicle - Fiat 500 by Diesel

Not only powered by a Diesel engine, but also by the Italian denim and fashion brand of the same name. The special edition Fiat 500 by Diesel has been created by Fiat and Diesel's respective design teams. Their Urban Survival Vehicle concept is designed to navigate the busy city with added personality and style.

Thanks to it’s rivets and chrome air-vent details on the rear, nose and door pillars the military chic styling gives the cult car an added toughness. While Diesel branding is subtle, the car included many exclusive design modifications that add attitude and distinct Diesel design and fashion attitude. Diesel’s famous Mohican ‘Only The Brave’ logo is found on the 16” inch alloy wheels and chrome gear shift. The driver and passenger are greeted with the ‘For Successful Living’ claim moulded into the door sill. The tachometer and dials have been redesigned to look similar to Diesel’s distinctive watches, and even the stitching of the leather and fabric interior recalls details from denim jeans. Proving that the Diesel 500 is an exercise in attention to detail and not merely a cross branded rebadging, as has become the trend.

The car will be made available initially only online before Christmas 2008, before reaching showrooms early next year. Availablein a range of fuel efficient engine configurations, (1.2 69 bhp, 1.3 Multijet 75 bhp with DPF and 1.4 16v 100 bhp) and bronze and black colour options the car will be priced from €15,000 - €17,000.

New iPods Listen To Your Music

Apple today presented a revised line of iPods in a special press event in San Francisco. The iPod shuffle and classic iPod received only minor changes, while the iPod touch received a minor design upgrade making it thinner and with a curved iPhone like back.

The biggest changes announced were to the iPod Nano line that is the thinnest iPod Apple have ever made. It returns to a similar, vertical design of the earlier 2nd generation Nano, returning to a screen format that would allow it to share some applications available to the iPhone and iPod touch, with particular focus on games, in order to increase potential sales on the already successful Apps store. The Nano does not benefit from a touch screen, but does have a newly added accelerometer, to add more fun navigation of songs and albums. Simply shake the iPod and it will produce a different shuffle of songs.

All of the iPods are cheaper than their predecessors, and with larger capaicity storage, with Apple hoping to captitalise on the sale of content to the devices from the iTunes store. It was the store that also got an upgrade with support for High Definition TV shows, a new way of displaying albums, and a neat functionality that enables iTunes to build automatic playlists of similar music. The software can analyze the songs in your library and recommend other similar songs in your library or even recommend new songs from the iTunes store. This 'Genius' playlist is described like having the worlds best DJ in your iPod. In fact the iPod touch and Nano's actually come with the functionality built into them.

Always looking for more ways to increase the sale of songs, this new function is sure to prove fun and useful for users, as well as helping generate more sales. Though Apple still seem to be missing out on many other social media ideas that could really take iTunes to the next level.

BMW GINA - Morphing Car With Flexible Fabric Skin

Yesterday I posted a video of the BMW interactive kinetic sculpture, an installation that forms part of the companies recently launched museum. While browsing their Web TV site I saw a video of another exhibit from the museum. Called GINA, the exhibit is a prototype car with a flexible fabric skin instead of a traditional rigid metal or fibreglass body. The car is engineered to be able to morph, changing its shape. The changes can only be made within fairly limited physical parameters. It is a framework under the flexible skin that is able to move, but with such precision engineering in car design, even the most subtle of changes in a plane or line can have radical aesthetic or aerodynamic affect.

The concept of using a flexible fabric skin is in itself very radical and interesting, especially combined with the ability to change the cars shape, and I am sure that there will be great desire and expectation to see something so innovative find its way into production. However the thing that I find even more interesting is to see how the car itself has been so influential on the visual language of the current series of BMW production cars. The car itself looks very much a BMW. The shapes and lines that the car cuts, are distinctly BMW, yet it does not appear that a visual language has been mapped onto the car, rather the technology of a simple frame pushing through the flexible fabric skin creating its own unique language. From what I have garnered from other posts online, the car is at least six years old. It would appear that the team imagined up a car that not only explored the idea of a flexible skin, but also became a tool for exploring new forms and shapes, and became a tool in evolving BMW's avant guarde visual design language. This is an example where, at least in part the technology has been used to express the visual language. The shapes do not come from a computer, or from traditional crafts and design, rather from new materials and technology.

A truly inspirational project. From many angles!

See more images and video of the car below, and the teaser that preceeded it. Not only an interesting story, but also an example of successful online marketing, with the video notching up over two million views in several weeks.

I read about this first on Geekology blog

XO 2 - OLPC Second Generation Laptop

Nicholas Negrponte unveiled the design of the next laptop computer that will be the future sub $100 computer designed to bring affordable computers to developing countries. With it's first computer, the project did not quite achieve its goal of developing a computer that could be produced for under $100, but they have at least made significant progress. As part of the process they designed a laptop computer that completely rethought the engineering of the typical laptop, and produced a computer that is far more energy efficient, robust and usable in more difficult lighting conditions. The innovation that they brought will no doubt impact not only on the children it is intended for, but will surely have implications on the laptop industry as a whole.

Based on the learnings made so far, the One Lap Top Per Child project have decided to take a different approach for their next computer. This time they are not 'improving' an existing product, they are inventing a completely new one. The device is half the size of the original, and consists of two flat panel screens. Looking like a digital book, the device can be used in a variety of ways; Held vertically like a book; Placed flat like a tablet; Or like a traditional laptop, where the lower touch sensitive screen can be used as a keyboard. The device will naturally benefit from advances in new technology and the inevitable lowering of production costs, so that the device will be able to be produced for $75 (or at least closer to the original psychologically important price point of $100).

Also to note is the repeat of the chance to get your hands on the original computer, by buying two and having the second donated to a child in a developing country. This is due to launch in August. I am not going to let that opportunity pass by, as this computer is not only cheap and useful, and would make a great computer for my son, but it will surely go down in computer history.

Interestingly, being a not for profit programme, they have taken the 'un Applelike' approach of revealing the design, two years ahead of production, with the aim that people actively adopt the thinking of their device. Therefor, the project and the public as a whole will benefit for development in this type of devise, ensuring a further reaching improvement than if they had been secretive. This is pretty revolutionary thinking, but I have another theory...As we all wait for Apple to launch their latest version of the iPhone, there are also rumors that they will also be introducing a new portable web device. I would not be surprised to find out that their devise is not dissimilar to this one. Maybe OLPC wanted to trump Apple?

Jonas Damon - Numbers Clock

I love this clock designed by Jonas Damon, European design manager of Habitat. He has reduced the 'Numbers' clock to it's fundamental function of representing the time, in this case through four digital numerals. Each numeral can be positioned independently from the others, to make a personal time sculpture.

The clock is available to purchase from Design Public, that offer a really excellent range of design objects.

Check out more products from Jonas from his personal site. I really like his side table 'Echo' that is made from four independent identical sections that can be used individually or brought together to create a larger table.

Phonographic Speaker For iPod

This ceramic speaker designed for any portable audio device does not require batteries or other power source relying solely on input from the players ear phones, and horn acoustics to deliver the equivalent loudness of a computer speaker.

Designed by Tristan Zimmerman It is not yet available at time of writing this post, but is anticipated for launch in a matter of weeks.

More about it, and where to buy. Read originally of Trend Hunter.

Icon Watch

This retro style watch that makes more than a giant reference to 8 bit computer games, looks like it was taken directly off the wrist of Mario. I want one please! It appears that this design was revealed way back in 2005, but I can't find out if you can buy in in Europe. More info (in Japanese can be found here on FunShop).

Originally read on TechDigest.

Embroidered Graffiti Sofa

Artist Richard Saja hijacks existing traditional fabric prints with his own rebelious emroidered graffiti. I like the idea of furniture becoming an actual work of art. The writters of the post which I first saw this on even suggest that you could even have a go yourself at adding your own embroidered graffiti on the item. I really like this idea, but starting with a blank canvas and treating the sofa as a kind of sketch book.

Found here

Get Drunk Not War

I am not sure that the actual finishing of these tables is for me...a little bit tacky and tasteless (well, the actual idea may be a little tasteless also), but I like the idea.

Great furniture for telling your old war stories around! Buy one now...cheap at about $3,000 a pop!

New Nest Furniture and Lighting Online Store

The newly redesigned online furniture store Nest, features an excellently designed interface that is clean and simple, that complements well the classic lighting and furniture designs on offer.

As well as some pretty expensive cult products, the store also offers more affordable items from one of my favorite product designers, Suck. The dead man pen holder is pure genius, and their mat that reads 'come in' or 'go away' depending on which way you approach it is fantastic.

Equation Bookshelf From eStudio Breder

I like this fun bookshelf that is designed to allow you to prioritize books and objects placed on the shelf, by placing them between the different mathematical parenthesis. Designed by Estudio Breder, you can read their blog or visit their main site. Read on Trend HunterTrend Hunter.

Louis Vuitton USB Key

As I wrote in an earlier post, there is a rapidly growing trend of designer USB devices. More and more commonly people have the need to share digital content, and for now the USB key is the weapon of choice. Having become relatively cheap to purchace consumers are willing to spend more on the design of the device, and not just on the capacity of the device. This is a prototype for Louis Vuitton, designed by Fred de Garilhe, the 40GB devices come with digital or analogue watches, and are uncrusted in diamonds. The cap's lock is opened with the attached gold key. There is a massive market for these devices, but I look forward to seeing more practical implementations! I can imagine that storage will be completely integrated into jewellery and watches, and will be wireless so there will be no need to connect the to any other device to share data.

Read originally on Trend Hunter, read more on New Launches

Wooden USB Data-key

It is nice to see cool product design coming to these ubiquitous little devices. This is only €32 from Brando.They are becoming the new jewellery. I really liked the idea of Nokia's 'Medallion' wearable digital photo device, but the design was pretty ugly. This is certainly an area where there should be significant development over the coming year.

The Nokia Medallion

Interactive Table

This is a pretty cool table from 'Because We Can'.



Found on Trend Hunter.

Sony's New 3mm Thin TV Screen Goes On Sale

This device marks a real turning point in screen technology, and will change the way you view video and images in future! OK, so this actual device won't, but the technology that it is premiering will.

I met someone who has the priveledged possition to be given access to and test new technology for Sony and they are already using Sony's new OLED TV technology in their work (special effects for live performances) and say that it is amazing. Not only the high resolution but the way that the screen technology delivers the image in a way that renders black as pure black. Images will look far more realistic on this type of screen. The great thing is that they are far thinner than other screens, in this case the screen is only 3mm wide.

According to the BBC they are to go on commercial release at the end of 2007. The first screens will only be 11 inches and will cost around €1400, a fair bit more expensive than LED screens, but for professional use this still seems to make the technology viable until Sony develop cheaper and larger screens for personal use in coming years. As the screens are created using a form of printing this means that there will likely be little limitation in making the screens to any size. While people where showing off with their fancy 40 inch plasma's, they will be wowing us with full wall to wall screens in their living rooms in the not too distant future (seriously!).

Collapsing Tables

For those of you with €60,000 to burn and with space issues on your huge luxury boat here is the product that you have all been waiting for. Personally if I had that much free cash, I'd simply buy a bigger boat! The engineering being the table is pretty smart though. I can just imagine the people that own this must spend all day opening and closing it repeatedly just for fun. Could get you into some painful situations though on those hot sunny days - make sure you are safely contained within your trunks before using the table!

Check out more products by D B Fletcher here.

Hypnotic Glass Sculptures

These glass sculptures caught my eye, with their incredibly detailed and hypnotic inner landscapes. They are made by Padadino Hansen in California.

See more here.

Shades that change colour

Chemists at the Univercity of Washington have released a demo of a prototype pair of sunglasses that have lenses that can change colour. The lenses are adjustable by the wearer, who can change the colour of the shades by turning a small button on the side of the shades arms. The technology will be applied to shades where wearers may want to have shades for different conditions - such as skiers or riders of bikes and motorcycles. Traditional shades that react to the light to darken the lenses in bright conditions do not work when shielded from UV rays (which trigger the reaction), where as these user controlled shades would work in all conditions.

Thanks to Kimm for this link.
Read more here.

Fold School - Free Furniture

foldschool is a collection of free cardboard furniture for kids, handmade by you. The downloadable patterns can be printed out with any printer - simply follow the instructions to assemble a stable piece of furniture.

A cool and simple site for kids - foldschool

The Robots Are Taking Over!

I do not know if this model maker is responsible for the designs of the characters in the film Robots? They are amazing! Check theem out on his flickr account.

Thanks to Pete for this link!