One of the projects leads of the Apple iPod has come up with a novel design for a household thermostat. Tony Fadell’s Nest thermostat has the brains of a smartphone and the looks of a product made by Apple. Instead of complex programming steps, the device learns from every day use. It can be controlled from an iPhone or iPad and through a computer. It will be interesting to see if this product really catches on. Optimal adjustments to the temperature in a home can potentially save a lot of energy. There also seems to be ample R&D and funds behind the product. Just purchasing the domain nest.com was probably quite an investment. The Nest thermostat should be available for sale late this year for $249.
A next generation alarm clock
By now many people are using their smart phones to wake up every morning instead of a traditional alarm clock. In the case of the iPhone, there are numerous applications that enhance this with images, weather updates, and other features. The Lark alarm goes much further by including a wrist band that can softly wake you by slightly vibrating. This is particularly useful because it will typically only wake up the wearer of the wrist band and not the sleeping partner. It also includes a sensor and Continue reading “A next generation alarm clock”
Social product development
Developing a new product is a costly and time consuming enterprise. It requires countless hours of research, prototype creation, and plenty of funds for materials and legal fees if attempting to patent the idea. Quirky has come up with a different approach. They have a network of over 30,000 volunteers that can help influence to improve and eventually launch a product. The process starts by someone submitting an idea. The concept is then presented to the community for feedback. The best ideas are selected to move on to actual product development, design, and branding. Continue reading “Social product development”
The start of a new way of learning?
The current mainstream method of learning in a classroom is centuries old. In the last few decades technology has been changing these long standing methods. Salman Khan seems to have sped up the change with his Khan Academy. Salman started producing videos for his cousin in 2004. Some years later in 2009 he quit his job in the finance industry to dedicate himself fully to the Khan Academy. He has authored over 2,000 videos that have been watched over 35 million times. The lessons topics cover math, finance, biology, Continue reading “The start of a new way of learning?”
A novel tool to remember things
It seems that more and more we have to deal with an ever growing amount of digital information. It is increasingly difficult to manage things like pictures, bookmarks, notes, and other digital tidbits. Evernote provides a clever way to organize it all. The system is composed of a main application that runs on a computer and supporting plugins and apps that run on mobile devices. For example, lets say that you come to a website on your computer that you want to remember. Yes, it can be bookmarked, but often it is difficult to search through the default bookmark systems in most browsers. Continue reading “A novel tool to remember things”
True access to your personal data from anywhere
A recent MacRumors article mentions Apple’s interest in Near Field Communication and the possibility of it being a feature on a future Apple mobile device. NFC is presently utilized in “tap and go” credit card payments. The feature enables users with NFC enabled cards to pay “wirelessly”. Users can simply wave their card at the merchant’s payment sensor and this will transmit the information necessary to process payment. This also opens the possibility of having an electronic wallet instead of the traditional credit card. Continue reading “True access to your personal data from anywhere”
Read about architecture and new design ideas
I often visit the Contemporist blog to discover new design products and stay updated with innovative construction projects around the world. The blog is tailored mainly for architects and interior designers, but also has interesting articles for anyone interested in good design. The site covers categories like furniture design, interiors, lighting, and mostly architecture related topics.
The next frontier, wireless electricity
Imagine sitting in a room and the mobile phone in your pocket is automatically charging. Furthermore, the TV, digital picture frame, and lamps around you have no electrical cable. This is the world WiTricity is trying to realize. They are conducting research to allow for the distribution of electricity using magnetic fields. The technology is thoroughly explained in their website. There is also a wide range of immediate uses for the technology. Aside for powering electric devices in a home, the technology can be used to replace single use batteries, power medical devices, automatically recharge electric cars, and even power robotic devices. In this day and age almost everything is without wires, wireless electricity seems to be the next frontier.