CES 2011 Part 1

I’m as giddy as a school girl at CES because I’m literally going to be living in the future for the next few days. The annual Consumer Electronics Show has so many products to offer that I’ll just play curator. Hit the jump!

Exhibition: CES 2011 Part 1

GOBIZ i-Microphone is so small you might miss it at CES but good things come in small packages. This little doohickey packs some powerful mic tech and records 12dB louder. Perfect for mobile devices like the iPhone for recording lectures or on-the-fly interviews. Also compatible with pretty much anything with a 3.5mm jack.

Microsoft unveiled Surface 2.0, their smart table that takes touch interaction to a new level. What’s new? Pixel Sense, the ability to recognize almost anything touching the surface right down to the pixel. Amazing to put a business card down and watch the “surface” instantly digitize.

The Microsoft Touch Mouse is basically an Apple Magic Mouse. The entire surface is devoid of buttons and is covered in a matrix of capacitive touch-sensing electrodes. The new mouse supports gestures including a few new tricks like pinch-and-zoom. Available this June for $79.95.

Asus Eee Pad Transformer won’t come to life and demand energon but it does come with a removable full size keyboard. The tablet runs Android 3.0 Honeycomb which is Android mobile optimized for tablets. 32GB SSD, 1GB memory, Tegra 2 processor, 2 camera video cameras, 16 hour battery life, and a partridge in a pear tree.

I’m an avid Nike+ user but having my iPhone strapped to my arm while running makes me feel like a total douchebag. The Nike+ SportWatch replicates all the functions of traditionally pairing a shoe sensor with an iPhone into a sleek watch but with the added benefit of GPS thanks to TomTom so you can actually map your runs.

If Sony had a VOGUE cover it would read “Thin is In and 3D wins.” The company’s industrial design prowess is clearly on display with a total of 27 TVs making their way to the market. The gorgeous ones share Sony’s Monolithic design language with minimal buttons, sharp angles and all draped in the color black. The new sets feature Gorilla Glass, backlight LED tech, remote apps that can be downloaded on iPhones and Android devices, and a whole host of internet connectivity.

It can be hard to differentiate yourself in the pocket cam market but Casio has managed to do so with the Tryx. The entire camera swivels and rotates inside a body frame doubling as a stand which could make for some interesting shots. The touch screen has the usual goodies like touch focus but the lens is some kind of magic. The tiny 12.1MP SMOS sensor shoots 1080p video inside a wide 21mm lens. THANK YOU Casio! Available this April for $250.

Apple announced 3rd party accessory support in 2009 but I haven’t really seen many compelling products since. The iHealth Blood Pressure dock saves me a trip to the pharmacy by letting me check my blood pressure in the comfort of my home. The accompanying app is quite beautiful and easy to use too.

Lenovo intends to keep the “World’s Thinnest Desktops” award they’ll probably do so thanks to the IdeaCentre A320. The specs aren’t anything to write home about but the design is quite nice if not a bit contrived. Available this June for $700.

Android 3.0 Honeycomb running on T-Mobiles new G-Slate tablet. Big UI improvements for Android but there’s something still too geeky underneath it all. I don’t know, it just doesn’t feel as inviting to use.

An Analog Fan

I often like to guess what concepts are before reading descriptions because I enjoy the surprise in being totally off-base. This Analog Fan uses an old trick with gears and pulleys to generate enough power for 5 minutes of hair blowing wind. Not meant to cool a room down but it keeps air moving and all without electricity. By the way, I originally thought it was a clock.

Designer: Luc van Hoeckel

One Ring to Peel Them All

One can never have too many peelers because none are created equal. The Companion Ring Peeler slips onto the index finger. The outer ring peels the skin as you drag it across an apple. Will this form be good enough for tough skin fruits and veggies? Doubt it, but it looks like a practical companion for picnics and traveling. Will I buy one? totally!

Designers: Qing Ji and JiaYue Wu

Lock Thy Knife and Throw Away the Key

Wait a minute there is no key involved here in the Knife Locker. Apparently the knife itself is the key. It locks into position with a 270-degree counterclockwise turn and kick starts the UV sterilization process. Ready for the next use, bright and shiny! That sleek house will look good on any kitchen counter, what do you think?

Designer: Min Seong Kim

Core77 Announces Autism Connects, an International Design Student Competition!

Core77 & Autism Speaks are proud to launch Autism Connects, an international student design competition to help individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD).

The Challenge

Design students are invited to produce new and innovative technology-based solutions to assist individuals with ASD in their communications with others and, in doing so, to increase the public's understanding of this unique and growing population.

Special Jury Award

The jury will award a grand prize of $5,000 to one individual or team. In addition, Autism Speaks will award creators (or one representative in the case of a team entry) of the top three designs a $1,000 stipend and registration fees to attend the 2011 International Meeting for Autism Research, to be held May 12 to 14, 2011 in San Diego, CA, where they will be invited to present their design concept.

Popular Vote Prize (Community Prize)

$1,000 - First Place

$500 - Second Place

$250 - Third to Sixth Place

Schedule

Competition Opens: January 3rd, 2011

Competition Closes: March 30th, 2011

Voting Closed: April 6th, 2011

Enter Now!

Yet another alternative design for wind farms

The neat inflatable wind turbine we looked at earlier this week solves a materials/cost problem, but it doesn't solve the eyesore problem that keeps some communities opposed to wind farms. So here comes yet another wind-harnessing solution, this time from a Japanese company called Zena: The Wind Tower.

It's a design for a 50-meter tall structure that collects wind from every which direction, compressing it within its structure and channeling it into a wind tunnel that runs down the core. It is supposedly more cost-efficient than putting up a wind farm and it's arguably more sightly, as it just looks like another building, albeit a tall one.

It'd be cool if the building was managed by a lone guy with an office insidethe structure, but I'm guessing he'd need a manageable hairstyle and rather a lot of paperweights.