MeeGo’s official user interface guidelines could easily end up determining whether the platform sinks or swims — no one wants a phone whose UI looks like junk, after all. The minions at Nokia and Intel’s little pet project have posted new OS shots as examples of how to properly implement the interface in third-party apps, and we’ve got to admit — things are looking a lot cleaner, prettier, and generally more modern than the first round of pictures we saw back in June, thanks in part to a demonstration of the platform’s comprehensive theming capability that can totally revamp how UI elements look. We’re definitely seeing shades of webOS in the task switcher (pictured above), but then again, Nokia’s no stranger to borrowing ideas it likes. That’s all well and good as long as it makes for a great platform… and obviously, we’d need some hardware to do that. O N9, where art thou?

New official MeeGo screenshots show promise, influence originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 03 Sep 2010 13:09:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Computers, Back to School

We’ve never carried them, but we sometimes wish that we had pocketwatches. You know, with a gold chain arched over the middle button of a sharp looking vest (which we’ve also never owned). It’s a strange sentiment, particularly since most of us don’t even wear wristwatches. (There’s a clock on that cell phone for a reason.) A slightly less intense, but altogether similar sentiment cropped up when we first looked upon images of Aaron Adding Machines. These handsome calculators are custom made by a guy (or, should we say ‘chap’?) named Andy Aaron, and we have to admit that those switches, push-buttons, dials and keys make for the best looking computers we’ve ever seen. Of course, they’re also expensive, and — let’s face it — not that functional. (Google can do more, and more quickly, for free.)

When we make our millions, though, you can rest assured that we’ll get a few. Yes, we’ll ride in the back of our horse-drawn buggies, tipping our hats to the ladies strolling past, calculating how to spend our fortunes with our adding machines and impatiently checking our pocketwatches — tired of waiting for that blasted telegram from the whippersnapper we pay to check our e-mail. [From: Aaron Adding Machines, via: Kottke]

Andy Aaron’s Handmade, Victorian-Style Calculators Deserve a Tip of Our Hats originally appeared on Switched on Sat, 14 Aug 2010 13:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Computers

It seems like Choire Sicha over at The Awl may have had a feline-facilitated, coffee-on-the-keyboard calamity this morning when he decided to declare July 20th Be Conscientious With Beverages Around Your Laptop Day. He writes, “How many laptops have we seen destroyed by a forgotten cup of coffee or a dripping bottle of Vitamin Water?” Well, Choire, this writer can personally vouch for a $250 bill for a laptop deep-clean at Tekserve, thanks to a scant few drops that flew across his partner’s keyboard. Maybe we could both benefit from ChambersJudd’s hard drive, which leaps to escape coffee cataclysms?

You may remember ChambersJudd’s ‘Gesundheit’ sneezing radio from some months back, part of a collection called The Attenborough Design Group, which imagines what tech might be like had ‘The Living Planet’ host David Attenborough become a designer with animal defenses in mind instead of a TV naturalist. Its ‘Antitouch Lamp’ is cute if aggravating, dodging your switch-flipping inclinations whenever you walk near. But we kind of love ‘Floppy Legs Disk Drive’ and its mini Apple LCII-esque housing — retro, functional and funny. (And the cats would be so terrified of it that they wouldn’t dare come close to your perilously perched beverage.) Check out a video of the animalistic gizmos after the break. [From: ChambersJudd, via: Core77]

Continue reading ChambersJudd’s ‘Floppy Legs’ Drive Leaps to Avoid Desktop Disasters

ChambersJudd’s ‘Floppy Legs’ Drive Leaps to Avoid Desktop Disasters originally appeared on Switched on Tue, 20 Jul 2010 12:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Computers

While they aren’t full-blown ‘Transformers,’ ultra-thin smart sheets developed by MIT and Harvard researchers could pave the way for machines that fold into different shapes. According to Popular Science, the fiberglass sheets, which are made from .5-inch wide, .5-millimeter thick, triangular tiles, are dubbed ‘programmable matter.’ The researchers equipped the smart sheets with ultra-thin, shape-memory strips that are equipped with stickers containing circuits and algorithms, which, in turn, correspond with certain folding techniques. When electricity is applied, the strips heat up and change shape, thus spurring the stickers into action. (Check out the video after the break.) Think of it as high-tech origami.

For now, researchers have programmed these shape-shifting smart sheets to fold into small boats and airplanes. But their sights are set on real-world applications, like creating a complete dining room utensil set from smart sheets. Sure, giant transforming cars would be great, but we’d just love to see one of these dragons fold itself. [From: Popular Science]

Continue reading Shape-Shifting Smart Sheets Fold Like Origami

Shape-Shifting Smart Sheets Fold Like Origami originally appeared on Switched on Wed, 30 Jun 2010 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Filed under: Computers

Ah, menstruation. That wonderfully cyclical occurrence that women always discuss with knowing nods, and that men do their best to not think about. But thanks to designer Hiromi Ozaki, formerly clueless guys can now experience the menstrual experience first hand, in all its splendor. Cheers all around.

Ozaki, you see, has designed something called the ‘Menstruation Machine,’ which consists of a device that dispenses blood and simulates lower abdomen cramping — all in an attempt, as Ozaki explains, to mimic “the pain and bleeding of an average five-day menstruation process of a human.” Ozaki even created a demo/music video (after the jump) about a guy named Takashi, who uses the machine in an effort “to fulfill his desire to understand what it might feel like to be a truely kawaii (cute) girl [sic].” Takashi manages to stick with it for a while, and then things get pretty ugly. So, what did Takashi learn about being a woman? We’re not really sure. But it definitely looks like he won’t need to buy a Childbirth Machine for at least nine months. [From: DesignInteractions, via: Wired]

Continue reading Men Can Try the ‘Menstruation Machine’ to Feel ‘Bleeding Down There’

Men Can Try the ‘Menstruation Machine’ to Feel ‘Bleeding Down There’ originally appeared on Switched on Mon, 28 Jun 2010 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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