Devices



Sony DSC-N1
n the 2 years that have passed since Sony launched the revolutionary T1 there have been several iterations (5 to be exact) on the 5.1 Megapixel, big screen small wonder Tseries. The N1 is their next big step-- it features more megapixels, a bigger screen, a better lens, improved overall image quality and a whole new touch screen user interface. All this is in a package not much larger than the original T1.

Sony also tuned in to the fact that people were using the screen on the Tseries to show photos to friends and turned that in to a feature on the N1. It's smart because items put in the separate sharing album are only kept at the low resolution needed to display on the camera's screen, leaving room to take more photos.



iPod Nano
After the news of the ROKR I thought we were done. But then came the Nano .

Somewhere between a Shuffle and a Mini, the Nano is thinner than a pencil and doesn't have a hard drive (read: good battery life!). Available in 2GB (500 songs) and 4GB (1,000 songs), it has all the same features as the bigger iPod Photo. At 1.5 oz it's as light as two Shuffles. Best of all, it's available in black!

iTunes has also been updates to version 5 which includes a few new features.





iTunes Phone
Well it's finally official. After many months of rumors, the Motorola ROKR (pronounced rocker ) was just announced as the first phone with built in iTunes software. It only holds 100 songs and is therefor a phone that can sync with iTunes (as opposed to an iPod with phone features). Music playback is apparently well integrated with the phone features: The Motorola ROKR features a color display for viewing album art, dual built-in stereo speakers and stereo headphones that also serve as a mobile headset with microphone. Music fans can randomly autofill or manually fill the mobile phone with playlists of their favorite music, audiobooks and Podcasts from their iTunes library via a USB connection. The Motorola ROKR pauses music automatically when users take a call and offers the ability to listen to music while checking messages or snapping a photo via lounge.



Spiced Lady Ring
Can't stand other people's cooking? Ever wish you could bring your own spices out on the town with you? Take a look at Iluren 's Spiced Lady Ring designed by Chao and Eero Jewel . Although it's also made as a three-dimensional free-standing sculpture, it also functions as a not-so-subtle poison ring or food general food enhancer.





Seeking Green Striped Headphones
Our friend Rebecca picked up a pair of these fun green striped Zumreed headphones during her last trip to Tokyo. Unfortunately they were just destroyed in the hands of an adorable yet mischievous toddler. Anyway, I'm putting a call out to see if any of you know of a venue, on-line or in the physical world, that sells these and will ship to New York. Let us know .







Urban Camouflage Laptop Sleeve
Satiate Trapper Keeper nostalgia with a computer case from Lifepod . These padded pockets close with a velcro flap, come in sizes to fit 12", 15" and 17" notebooks, feature a roomy interior with a divider pocket that conveniently holds any papers you might want to stow, and are availble in 12 different fabrics. We're all fans of the brown courdoroy version that lends a collegiate air to tech transport, but the pear and apple design (pictured here) is a fun, more grade school option, and we think pairing the black and white checkered style with classic Vans would be a snappy update to the classic matching heels and handbags.

Apple Mighty Mouse

Aside from a mobile phone, there isn't anything I've waited longer for Apple to make.

The Mighty Mouse is a programmable 5 button mouse with a scroll ball instead of a scroll wheel. The ball allows for vertical and horizontal scrolling as well as clicking. The shell design is clean and distinctively Apple, with its cleanliness afforded by the fact that the left and right click buttons are touch sensitive and don't need moving parts and therefor seams.








Optimus Keyboard
The Optimus Keyboard is a wireless keyboard that features small color displays on each key that display the function for the currently active application. Above you can see (left to right) english characters, Photoshop functions and Quake shortcuts. There's also a set of programmable keys that can be used to shortcut to applications (right). Currently a prototype, the Optimus comes from the largest design company in Russia, Art Lebedev Studio . There's no word yet whether this will go in to production, but if it does clear your desk-- you don't want any clutter distracting from the beauty and genius of this keyboard.



Mimoco Figurine Flash Drives
love toys and I also love tech gadgets. I've been known to through down the cash for either items rather impulsively. So there's not much doubt as to whether or not this figurine flash drive from Mimoco will be adopted by me in near future. She wants to live with me. She told me so through the net. Isadore comes in 256MB, 512MB and 1GB sizes. And her little tail lights up when in use. Prices range from about $70 to $140. Adoptions can be made online through the Mimoco site or at retail outlets such as Giant Robot .

via Boing Boing and, coincidentally, del.ici.ous user gnatthew .



Haute Sex
Sex toys as a rule are simply, well, not that sexy. It's as if an invisible line runs between high design and sex, ironically suggesting that sensual curves and lines inspired by the body were somehow irrelevant when created for the body. A recent outcropping of luxury sensual products, including Myla ,Jimmyjane ,Mi-Su ,Lelo and the Mile High Kit , erase that false divide, finally introducing objects that relate to the body aesthetically, physically, sensually, and, of course, sexually.

The sex toy revolution began with the seminal launch of Myla, a British-based line of lingerie and toys founded by Charlotte Semler and Nina Hampson who left the corporate world in 2000 to produce a luxury fashion and sex brand for women. They tasked well-known designers Tom Dixon, Marc Newson, and Mari Ruth Oda with creating a line of vibrating toys that we've covered here . Their all time best-seller, Dixon's Bone, is ergonomic, rechargable, made from cast resin, and hand finished (pictured). Other toys come in materials like silicone and steel, and feature fluid, organic shapes. Available in fine department stores worldwide and boutiques in London, Paris, and Manhattan, Myla is the cornerstone of the designer sex toys market.

Publisher: coolhunting
Since February 2003 Josh Rubin's Cool Hunting has been a daily update on stuff from the intersection of design, culture and technology. Josh started the site as a way to catalog things that inspire him in his practice as a designer and strategist. Today Cool Hunting has grown beyond a personal reference tool-- designers, consumers and marketers from around the world visit every day to get their dose. As the site became increasingly fueled by contributions from readers, Josh realized Cool Hunting should be a collective. He now serves as Editor of the site and wrangles contributions from a small gaggle of hand picked writers who are out finding great things and looking at all the stuff readers are feeding us.
Web: www.coolhunting.com
Published: march 2005
Market: mens womens
Region: usa

DISCLAIMER
Information in this report relies on sources including Trade Shows, Associations, News Releases, Government Reports and other public sources. Infomat can accept no responsibility for the accuracy or completeness of such information or for loss or damage caused by any use thereof.