Concept Bug » Gadgets

iWatch, Apple Watch Similar to iPhone

Zach — Mon, 10 May 2010 18:26:29 +0000

The iWatch concept is a beautiful watch concept that looks to run similar software as the iPod Touch. The design is from the Italian ADR Studio, and unfortunately is nothing more than a concept, no prototypes have been detailed. The main screen shows the time, date and weather. But the device features much more than just that.

iWatch is a wrist device with these features:

- Aluminium body
- WiFi and Bluetooth
- Integrated RSS Reader
- 16GB
- Weather forecast system
- Possibility to connect to the Bluetooth or WiFi to iPhone / iPad
- LCD projector to show everywhere pictures by your iPhone / iPad
- Available in various colors

Futuristic “Smart Gun” To Be Tested In Combat This Summer

Zach — Fri, 07 May 2010 16:44:00 +0000

The “smart round” XM-25 Individual Airburst Weapon that was once perceived as a James Bond-like fantasy is now ready to be tested in combat. The gun fires a 25-millimeter “smart round” that can be detonated at a pre-programmed distance, spreading shrapnel in all directions. With the smart round, if your enemy happens to run inside, simply program the distance to the window and allow for the bullet to detonate 2 meters inside the room… now that’s impressive. It uses a rangefinder to figure out how far away a target is, and the operator can manually adjust when the bullet detonates to suit different situations. This allows a soldier to attack entrenched targets around corners and in buildings at a much safer and effective manner.

Rain Drum Makes You Hope For Rain

Zach — Sun, 02 May 2010 23:49:27 +0000

There’s an array of unique umbrellas floating around the design industry, but none more entertaining than this concept. The rain drum is a unique umbrella that has several different areas that are matched with a specific drum-like sound output. This means that whenever it rains, depending on where the rain lands on the umbrella, a unique sound will be played.

Designer : Dong Min Park

Holographic iPhone by 2020?

Zach — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 13:25:18 +0000

In the past few posts I’ve covered technologies that are currently being studied and are on the brink of revolutionizing the tech market. Here is yet another technology that will eventually be critical in the near future, and that is holographic technology. Recently a french designer Josselin Zaïgouche came up with the idea which she thinks will be possible by 2020. The Apple Black Hole is a futuristic device that let’s the user navigate through an extensive amount of programs, all while touching mid air.

After opening your hand, the ball in the middle of the device starts levitating, allowing you to control different applications in mid-air. If you attach the gadget to the recharging base it automatically turns into a desktop device.

So what are your thoughts? Can you see this becoming popular, yet alone possible?

Where Holographic Technology is Now

Impressive, but as you can see there’s still a ways to go.

via [josselinz]

Article is brought to you by Blarket.com the free website marketplace.

Movie Polaroid Camera: Create Movies on Material Instead of Ink

Zach — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 17:11:06 +0000

What made Polaroid cameras so special was the fact that anyone could get instant satisfaction of viewing a picture. Designer Kim Hyun Joong has taken that to the next level by introducing the idea of creating a Polariod-type camera that can print video clips onto a flexible display material. This technology would require a special technology called “graphene” which is currently being studied for the implementation of electronics.

This technology is similar to the futuristic newspapers seen in Harry Potter. Except graphene is made up of carbon rings one atom thick, not magic. This concept would “print” both audio and video components onto a flexible film paper which could then be seen immediately after being printed.

It’ll be interesting to see where else this technology could be implemented into. We could use this technology to produce video clips in textbooks, advertisements, video games, the possibilities are endless. The issue is whether scientists can produce this technology at an affordable price.

via [red-dot]

Nokia’s Vision of 2015 on Mobile Devices

Zach — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 17:26:39 +0000

A few months back we covered Microsoft’s vision of 2019 concerning technology, now it’s Nokia’s turn. Nokia’s vision of 2015 focuses on portable devices which features technology we’re on the verge of obtaining.

Overview of Features

Social Networking:

Face recognition software: When a mobile device is facing a crowd, the device is able to identify where your friends are (headshot of friend, phone number, when they last met, even pictures of you with each other.) By 2015, Nokia’s vision of gathering data will be much more advanced then it already is, leaving users with the ability to truly connect with anyone.

Connecting:

Music Sharing: I’m not sure how legal this feature is, but apparently the ability to listen to your friend’s music will become available.

News Fetching: Not only will the mobile devices be used as a common GPS, when driving to work, news stories related to your interests will be read out to the driver.

Hardware:

Because mobile devices are becoming more of a computer then a phone, the idea is to be able to use the device wherever you’re going. To do this, Nokia believes that data will be stored on a small sim card that can then be inserted into different devices. For example, if you’re riding a bike, you’ll be able to insert the sim card into a smaller device perfect for the outdoors. In a nutshell, there will be different designs for different users.

Summary

Nokia’s vision seems almost so realistic that it could be done even before 2015. Companies like Foursquare are already figuring out how to connect random people with each other. For example, say you’re at a bar, using foursquare, you can see the interests of people around you using a mobile device, so connecting with people of the same interests will be much easier. Nokia’s concepts certainly aren’t anything that can’t be reached by 2015, but the direction they see mobile devices going in, is right on target.

Maptor, the portable GPS projector

Zach — Tue, 06 Oct 2009 01:45:08 +0000

Here is a very clever concept that could be a hit if released. The small device is called Maptor. It’s a map projector that could be great for automobile passengers, and even city roamers. Maptor can be shown on any surface and can be shown a several different sizes depending on how large you’d like the map to be. Not only is it a map, it’s also featured with a GPS system with an arrow that shows where exactly you are, are where you’re heading.

via [toxel]

Courier: Microsoft’s booklet that is revolutionary

Zach — Thu, 24 Sep 2009 03:38:41 +0000

Microsoft has been behind the scenes because of the much anticipated Apple tablet. However, Microsoft has been working on their own secret gem that will definitely raise some eyebrows. It’s called the Courier, it’s not a tablet, but more of a booklet. As of now, the word around the street is that it is in it’s later stage of development.

The Courier booklet consists of duel 7″ screens which are both multitouch. Both screens are connected by a hinge that has one iphone-like home button. The Courier also features a camera on the backside.

The Courier user experience presented here is almost the exact opposite of what everyone expects the Apple tablet to be, a kung fu eagle claw to Apple’s tiger style. It’s complex: Two screens, a mashup of a pen-dominated interface with several types of multitouch finger gestures, and multiple graphically complex themes, modes and applications. (Our favorite UI bit? The hinge doubles as a “pocket” to hold items you want move from one page to another.) Microsoft’s tablet heritage is digital ink-oriented, and this interface, while unlike anything we’ve seen before, clearly draws from that, its work with the Surface touch computer and even the Zune HD.

I’ll keep everyone in touch with the latest on Microsoft’s new booklet. This looks amazing! As we move closer to the release, we’ll learn much more about the Courier, stay tuned!

via [gizmodo]

The dual 7-inch (or so) screens are multitouch, and designed for writing, flicking and drawing with a stylus, in addition to fingers. They’re connected by a hinge that holds a single iPhone-esque home button. Statuses, like wireless signal and battery life, are displayed along the rim of one of the screens. On the back cover is a camera, and it might charge through an inductive pad, like the Palm Touchstone charging dock for Pre.