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It’s true – whisks (like timers, cheese graters, corkscrews and can openers) are one of those kitchen gadgets that get redesigned again and again, and like the sucker I am I have a drawer full. But still, none of my perfectly functional whisks are quite like Beater, by Ding300 for Normann Copenhagen. The nifty little whisk that debuted earlier this year at Stockholm Design Week solves the whisks biggest design flaw: storage. The bulbous end of a whisk never pack neatly in a drawer, but unlike an ordinary whisk, the little band around the Beater can slide up or down to open up for use or fold away for neat storage.
“We are driven by the romantic notion that a designer invents products aimed at making the world a better place. Our whisk is simple and sculpturesque in form and function and we have made it as space-saving as possible without compromising on the design.”
Beater comes in eight colors: white, grey, light blue, nude, lavender, pink, mint and dark blue.
about perrin drumm
After the Apple’s Magic Mouse mouse, here’s a blow of heart for this design made entirely of titanium and high quality resin, with laser optics.
Good to go on Windows and Mac OS X.
This is a hand-crafted device that is anything but humble (or cheap) or as smart as MM, but lays down challenge on the design front.
The ID mouse is Bluetooth enabled and is constructed from hand-formed grade one titanium and high quality plastic resin. It features a neodymium scroll wheel and is suitable for both left and right-handed users. Powered by two AAA batteries it is available in black or white and has a three-button layout.
Stunning design comes at a price – $1,200 USD
Designer: intelligent design
Apple introduces world’s first wireless multi-touch “Magic Mouse”.
Apple delivers minimalist design with no buttons, scroll wheels or “nipples” on display. Instead, the entire top of the aluminum-based mouse is a seamless hard acrylic multi-touch surface that lets users navigate using the finger gestures made popular on other Apple devices, such as the iPod touch, iPhone and Macbook trackpads.
Touch-sensitive surface enables familiar mouse controls: left and right mouse buttons, full 360 degree scrolling. Bottomline, the whole surface is, in fact, a clickable button like the original clear Apple mouse.
However, does not pinch zoom – instead, a screen zoom is accomplished by holding the Control key on the keyboard down while scrolling with one finger. Swiping across the touch surface with two fingers lets users flip through web pages in Safari or photos in iPhoto. You can also add custom touch controls.
The new Magic Mouse will be included with every new iMac and is available separately for $69 USD.
Producer: Apple
Will digital readers cut it with the masses. Here is Kindle 2. via businessweek [PR]
Greener gadgets. 2009. February 27, 2009. New York City USA.
Innovators, entrepreneurs, visionaries, and eco-designers will return to New York City to discuss the future of sustainability for the consumer electronics industry.
Looking back. What you get when you cross Sanjo ultrasonic bath, the 1970 World Expo, and Barbarella. via boingboing [PR]
From the creator of Helvetica the Movie, Gary Hustwit, comes a new documentary.
Above: sidewalk + snow + stereo in nyc = a production still
Objectified is a feature-length documentary about our relationship to manufactured objects and, by extension, the people who design them. It’s a look at the creativity at work behind everything from toothbrushes to tech gadgets. It’s about industrial designers, the people who re-examine, re-evaluate and re-invent our manufactured environment on a daily basis. It’s about personal expression, identity, consumerism, and sustainability.
World premiere: South by Southwest Festival 2009 ( March Visit 13 – 22 )
Designers featured include: Featuring:
Paola Antonelli (Museum of Modern Art, New York)
Chris Bangle (BMW Group, Munich)
Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec (Paris)
Andrew Blauvelt (Walker Art Center, Minneapolis)
Tim Brown (IDEO)
Anthony Dunne (London)
Dan Formosa (Smart Design)
Naoto Fukasawa (Tokyo)
Jonathan Ive (Apple, California)
Hella Jongerius (Rotterdam)
David Kelley (IDEO)
Bill Moggridge (IDEO)
Marc Newson (London/Paris)
Fiona Raby (London)
Dieter Rams (Kronberg, Germany)
Karim Rashid (New York)
Alice Rawsthorn (International Herald Tribune)
Davin Stowell (Smart Design)
Jane Fulton Suri (IDEO)
Rob Walker (New York Times Magazine)
and more participants TBA
Visit objectifiedfilm.com for more info and screening dates. Thanks Jilly.
Designers are invited to explore the concept of “Greener Gadgets.” Designs should seek to minimize the environmental impact of consumer electronic devices at any stage in the product lifecycle. Areas of sustainability to consider include energy, materials/lifecycle/recycling, social impact, and educational development. Designers can focus on a particular area of human enterprise (learning, playing, communicating, etc.), or a particular context (work, home, school, etc.), a particular material, or a specific device. Entries may also seek to create new paradigms for products and services.
This year, the top 50 entries will be published on the web for voting and commenting, and top finalists will be showcased live at the Greener Gadgets Conference in New York City on February 27th for judging by an expert panel.
For more information: Design a greener gadget. Last year’s winners. via Core77
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