Designer : Stefano Marchetto and Cristiano Giuggioli

Designer : Nathanael Finlay

There’s no external display unit, a projector will pop up by pressing and holding the button and focus the computer screen on the wall which can be adjusted with navigation buttons. If there is no wall around, the paper sheet holder, divides into three pieces like an umbrella just after popping up, will help to focus the desktop on a paper sheet.

The software interface of E-Ball is highly stylized with icons that can be remembered easily, and is user friendly. This compact PC will be ideal for use when working in office, making video presentations, watching large screen movies, listening music and chatting on the net.

Designer : Apostol Tnokovski

Super functional applications are the key attribute of Burst. It supports revolutionary video conferencing which will help the deaf and hearing impaired aside from offering many other advantages. The innovative technology of combining a mobile device with a protection product has made it as functional and usable as a personal computer. Moreover, it is packed with various category games to make it a nice piece for all range of gamers. Other highlighted features of Burst include HD projected web browsing, document and media editing, video conferencing and online gaming. It can make user to send and receive calls, take pictures and video, download and listen to music and many more.

Designer : DJ German and Ryan King

Interview with Nico :

What was the inspiration for your concept?
The inspiration was the experimental approach to molecular cooking. Even after several decades of molecular cuisine, it still seems to be an exclusive game for specialists. So it became my main goal to bring some of the fantastic possibilities and ideas of molecular cooking to all ambitious cooks with an easy to use, affordable appliance.

How does your concept fit into this year’s competition theme “Designs for the next 90 years”?
I think the idea of molecular cooking is forward-looking, but the procedures and methods of preparing molecular dishes are still conventional. I would like to change this with my concept. At first, the idea of printing food seems to be something straight out of a science-fiction movie, but on second thought it is not unrealistic at all. I even think that Moléculaire could be the future kitchen tool that opens up possibilities for food-makers interested in molecular cooking.

What are the main consumer benefits of your concept?
Moléculaire is a futuristic kitchen appliance that offers several new possibilities to professional chefs as well as home users. It’s based on a layer-by-layer printing technique that arranges small particles from a set of ingredients. Within minutes, it prints out three-dimensional desserts, complex structures, shapes for molecular dishes, and patterns for decorating a meal. In addition, it’s easy to use. You simply insert a blister pack into the reservoir, place Moléculaire on top of a plate, and press the start button. Users can also create their own recipes with special software and their own ingredients. Ambitious users can download recipes and share them with other users in an online community.

Describe the consumer research behind your concept.
I conducted interviews with chefs and did a lot of research on the Internet. These approaches helped me to understand users’ interests, concerns, wishes, needs and desires. The outcome shaped my initial ideas and helped them grow. The most difficult thing about designing for the future is predicting the possible social and technological developments (their direction and speed). Therefore, it was very useful to read reports like sociological studies about cooking and future scenarios about the development of new technologies.

What kind of materials would you use to build your concept?
For my concept, I would use polycarbonate as the main material. I plan on applying this material in three different variations, each providing the right characteristics for the different parts of my design. Transparent polycarbonate can be used for the window, black tinted for the lid/display, and white for the body. The robotic printer arm and head could be made from aluminum. A blue (O)LED backlight accentuates the processes inside the printer.

Who is your favorite designer?
I don‘t have a favorite designer.

What are your career goals?
After I graduate in 2010, I want to gain more professional experience in a product-design company. In the long term, I want to further develop my conceptual and strategic skills and step into product-related design management.

Designer : Nico Kläber

Designer : Heyki Lee

But it may have become the harbinger of future mobile phone concept developments. With Pilotfish, a new development in the concept of phone music editing was born. The Ondo combines the touch screen ability with a back that lithely twists and turns to allow for fast and comprehensive editing of desired music on the phone.

This new concept according to Pilotfish is a bid to lessen the burden of mobile phone manipulation especially for those who find it hard to even understand the features and also make music enthusiasts happy. Of course we can not conclusively judge the efficiency of this designed concept but the need for a classy easy to use music editor has always been in the heart of mobile phone music lovers who want a calling phone with an Ipod like concept among its features.

[Press Release]
Pilotfish Launches Ondo Music Editing Phone Concept

Play it, mix it, rock out to it! Ondo enables a more flexible and physical experience in mobile phones

MUNICH, Germany – April 20, 2009 — Pilotfish, a progressive industrial design and product development studio based in Munich, Amsterdam and Taipei, today introduced Ondo, a dedicated music editing phone concept. The Ondo concept enables OEMs to visualize a new form of user interaction for mobile phones. User The target user for “Ondo” is the music enthusiast who seeks to interactively capture and edit sounds. Going beyond software-based solutions of other products, it is specifically designed to effectively collect pure sounds and is specially constructed to create a tactile sound editing experience.

Music Editing
Made from form-sensitive flexible materials, “Ondo” allows the user to modify recorded sounds by physically twisting and bending the device. Like a guitarist pulling on a whammy bar, users can feel and hear the musical effects as they create them.

Jamming
Another innovative feature of “Ondo” are the three removable display ”sticks”. In their normal state, the “sticks” act as a unified touch display for the mobile device. When removed, each can be separately clipped onto a musical instrument or person to capture live sound. Like a portable recording studio, “Ondo” makes mixing tracks easy, because each “stick” picks up isolated sounds from each individual instrument. The recordings can be immediately sent via MMS (Multimedia Messaging) around the globe allowing musicians at different geographical locations to jam together.

Mixing
In party mode, “Ondo” works as a digital mixer enabling the user to create seamless transitions between songs. This is made easy with interactive touch functions combined with integrated software support.

Market Opportunities
The advantage of such a device is that a range of services and accessories can accompany it in order to enhance the sound capturing and editing experience. From a business perspective, most of the players in the mobile world can benefit: for example, content creators – by providing sound libraries or musical games for download; operators – by facilitating increased user interaction; and device manufacturers – by producing accessories such as input devices, Bluetooth instruments, etc.

Awards:
- First Place: $20,000
- Second Place: $10,000
- Third Place: $5,000
- 40 Honorable Mentions: $1,000 + 1 LG U.S. Phone (A.R.V. of $300)

Start and End Dates: April 20, 2009 @ 12:00 a.m. PST – June 7, 2009 @ 11:59 p.m. PST

Submit your idea here!

[Press Release]

CHICAGO, IL. – April 21, 2009 – LG Mobile Phones (the fastest growing mobile phone brand in North America) is partnering with crowdSPRING (an online marketplace for creative services) and Autodesk (a leader in 2D and 3D design and engineering software) to hold a new competition to define the future of personal mobile communication. Starting today, U.S. residents age 18 and over can have a chance to design their vision of the next revolutionary LG mobile phone and compete for more than $80,000 in awards.

This year’s competition is even bigger and better than last year’s with first place awarded $20,000, second place awarded $10,000 and third place awarded $5,000. And to reward as many people as possible in the name of creativity, LG will be giving out a whopping 40 honorable mentions of $1,000 plus an LG U.S. phone!

“We’re very excited about this competition because it gives consumers, professionals, students and design enthusiasts all a chance to exercise their creative imaginations and have their ideas be heard. You don’t have to work for LG to make an impact on the future of mobile phones,” said Ehtisham Rabbani, V.P. of product strategy and marketing for LG Electronics MobileComm, U.S.A, Inc.

Autodesk will supply participating designers with a free 15-day trial of SketchBook Pro. Autodesk SketchBook Pro software is a digital sketchpad. A paint and drawing application for use on the Mac or PC, it offers an intuitive, streamlined user interface so even new users can be productive within minutes. The 15-day trial will give all competitors access to industry-leading professional design software and levels the playing field for professional and amateur designers alike to create the phone of their dreams.

Both seasoned and aspiring designers can submit their entries until June 7th at www.crowdspring.com/LG

Competition Details

Eligibility: Any U.S. resident that is 18 years (or age of majority in state of residence) and older

Start and End Dates: April 20, 2009 @ 12:00 a.m. (midnight) PST – June 7, 2009 @ 11:59 p.m. (midnight) PST

Winners will be announced on July 7, 2009 at www.crowdspring.com/LG/winners.

Prizes:
• First Place: $20,000 Cash Award
• Second Place: $10,000 Cash Award
• Third Place: $5,000 Cash Award
• 40 Honorable Mentions: $1,000 Cash Award + 1 LG U.S. Phone (A.R.V. of $300)

Official rules can be found at www.crowdspring.com/LG. NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED

NeatReceipts is a mobile scanner with a built-in digital filing system that allows you to scan business cards, receipts and other important documents that can be safely stored and organized as you like. NeatWorks 4.0, the software of this device, can identify and extract the more important information and can automatically organize them for you. The dimensions of this product are 10×14x4 inches with a maximum resolution of 600dpi and weighted 3 pounds only. The approximate speed of this scanner is 3 to 4 receipts per minute and can run in a Microsoft Vista or Windows XP operating system. [Buy it here]

Designer : The Neat Company [Buy it here]

Gavin explanations about “Connect” Phone:
Connect is offering simplicity through usability as well as Looks
The majority of the mobile communication market aim their products towards the mid ages. The mature age can’t relate or adjust to such products as easily as other generations because of lack of experience and ability. Physical and User Interaction aspects of a mobile device are the main issues that prevent the mature age using most devices. In the general consumer market, products are over loaded with visual complexity and extra features to standout from competitors. Even to a competent mobile device user this can give the perception of complexity, when all that is desired is simplicity and understanding.

Menu Navigation
Optimus keys house little OLED displays behind them which can be programmed using special software to accommodate multiple functions. Incorporating Optimus keys allows for simplicity within the usability and appearance of the design. This allows what potentially could be a complex menu, to be hidden within the Optimus keys and for the screen to display the current state the user is in. Lesser keys are physically required, making the overall appearance visually simplistic and alluring.

Designer : Gavin Flowers