Gorgeous ‘Japandi’ MagSafe Charger blends into your Table Decor with a Rustic Wood Build

Posted on 05/11/2023 by Sarang Sheth

With its simple form factor and dual-shade wood construction, Oakywood’s MagSafe iPhone Stand/Charger has an aesthetic quality similar to the kinds found in Japanese and Scandinavian homes. Fondly known as ‘Japandi’ (an obvious portmanteau of the two words), the design style is characterized by cleanliness and minimalism that eschews materialism and clutter. With its Japandi-inspired style, Oakywood’s MagSafe iPhone Stand adds a touch of rustic beauty to your table, with a design that looks sophisticated but feels familiar thanks to the use of natural materials like Oak and Walnut wood.

Designer: Oakywood

The stand’s two-part design features a powder-coated aluminum base with a wooden ‘tray’ on top. The hefty aluminum base gives the stand its stable design (while also allowing it to function as a paperweight of sorts) while customers have a choice between a light oakwood or dark walnut wood upper, complementing their table setup.

The stand comes with an empty slot that lets you weave your MagSafe charger in. Once put in place, it becomes a nifty magnetic charging dock for your iPhone that you can either use as-is, or detach the MagSafe charger to use as a horizontal charging mat (shown above).

When used in the ‘stand’ mode, it angles your phone at a precise 25°, making it easy to view while also triggering the iPhone’s new Standby Mode – a feature unveiled in the latest iOS 17 update.

If you don’t want to use your Oakywood MagSafe iPhone Stand as a charger, the company sells a magnetic puck that you can slide into the stand, allowing it to work as merely a docking station without the charging facility.

The folks at Oakywood pride themselves in embracing nature as a material and a source for their designs. The use of wood feels antithetical to the metal and glass build of your iPhone, but it brings about a certain warmth to your tabletop, allowing it to become a standard fixture in your workplace. Besides, the entire thing weighs roughly 700 grams (1.5 pounds), making it a rather heavy accessory that doesn’t feel cheap in the slightest.

Oakywood sustainably sources its wood from America and Poland, also pledging to plant one tree for each product sold, thus ensuring a circular economy of sorts that helps reduce the effects of deforestation while turning wood into a renewable resource. You can grab your MagSafe iPhone Stand in three color options – a Light Oak, Dark American Walnut, or a Black Solid Oak that’s the darkest of the lot, matching the powder-coated Aluminum base.

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Double Your Productivity with this Vertically Stacked Dual 4K Monitor that’s Foldable and has Touch Input

Posted on 05/11/2023 by Sarang Sheth

Now THIS is a foldable display that I can agree with! Meet the DUOONE, a portable external monitor system that has not one, but TWO displays to connect to your desktop or laptop setup. Designed to be foldable just like a laptop, the DUOONE opens up into a vertically oriented double 4K display setup that matches your eye level, increases your productivity, and does so without the neck strain of side-by-side displays that always have you looking from left to right. DUOONE’s double 17.3-inch displays feature an adjustable hinge between them that let you orient your displays at a variety of angles (you can even have one display facing away from you for a ‘presentation mode’), with display continuity so that you can move files and folders from one monitor to another, and lossless frame rates that make the entire process seamless. Both displays accept touch inputs, have a color gamut that represents 1.06 billion different shades, and boast of 500-nits peak brightness, making them perfect for gaming, graphic design, video editing, coding, presentations, multitasking, and anything else you’d need a powerful, portable double-display setup for…

Designer: Sunny Cheung

Click Here to Buy Now: $699 ~~$1093~~ (36% off). Hurry, only 13/20 left!

The Future of Multitasking

Dual-screens are great in theory, but are notoriously complicated in practice. Sure, they expand your laptop’s horizons, but multiple monitors can be a hassle physically, aren’t usually portable, can cost a lot, and offer a less-than-desirable experience when it comes to connectivity and smoothness. Designed to be the future of portable multitasking, DUOONE gives you a dual-screen setup with no compromises. The two screens go up to 4K each, giving you an 8K setup that merely tethers to your laptop. Depending on the configuration, you’ve got a 144Hz refresh rate, 500 nits of brightness, and 1.06 billion color representation, but perhaps the icing on the cake is DUOONE’s seamless connectivity. A hardware-based connection (that doesn’t rely on driver software) seamlessly bridges your laptop with DUOONE’s screens, giving you a setup that you can use in a whole variety of ways.

A World of Possibilities

The DUOONE’s outwardly simple design makes it such a versatile little peripheral. For starters, it comes with a laptop-esque foldable design that you can easily shut and carry with you wherever you go. Use it beside your laptop screen, above your laptop screen, or instead of your laptop screen, the DUOONE lets you extend, mirror, or serve entirely as your device’s primary display. It works with desktops too, becoming a potent two-screen solution for anyone who agrees that one 15″ screen isn’t enough to unleash your full potential. Heck, you can use each of DUOONE’s displays with separate machines, running two devices on each of its screens in one unified solution.

Thunderbolt-accelerated Smoothness

No matter how you use your DUOONE, its creators promise a buttery smooth experience as the device relies on a thunderbolt-based hardware connection to sync both displays perfectly and allow a smooth transition between elements on each screen. No USB drivers, and no buggy, latency-filled experience. The One-Screen mode, as DUOONE’s makers call it, assures no lag, lossless picture quality, and uninterrupted frame rates between both displays.

Seamless One-Screen Mode

The hardware-based plug-and-play feature makes the DUOONE incredibly easy to set up and even allows it to be modular, allowing you to set up as many as 6 or even more screens together (you’d be absolutely bonkers to do so, but it is, in fact, possible). The One-Screen mode gives you a continuous display that runs from top to bottom, although you’ve got the option to configure each individual display however you see fit. You can use both displays as external monitors with the same machine, or have each display running different machines.

Versatile Screen Modes & Book Mode

The foldable design lets you either close the DUOONE shut, or open it nearly 300° and have it standing like one of those convertible laptops – a feature that’s brilliant for when you’re presenting to a client, or playing mano-a-mano against a friend with each of you having your own display. Prop the DUOONE on its side and you can use it like a massive vertical book too, for reading, coding, or for setting up at an exhibition center or kiosk based on your business requirements. A simple USB-C or HDMI port is all you need to connect to your DUOONE, and it works straight out of the box with no extra firmware or drivers required.

Choose What Matters To You

Depending on your need (and your budget), the DUOONE offers two resolution options – dual 2.5K and dual 4K. The dual 2.5K variant sports two 16″ screens oriented vertically with a 144Hz refresh rate, while the dual 4K model bumps up your screen size to 17.3″ for each display, giving you a cool 8K@60Hz screen with a 28-inch diagonal as a whole. The smaller 16″ model has a brightness of 400 nits but gives you the benefit of 10-bit color depth that displays 1.06 billion colors, while the larger peaks at 500 nits but reproduces a commendable 16.7 million colors. Both displays are 100% sRGB and DCI-P3, with lossless picture quality, hardware-based pairing, and a VESA mount at the back for attaching to stands or walls. They do, however, cater to different audiences.

The smaller screen has a higher refresh rate and better color reproduction, making it more suited for graphic work, while the bigger screen does give you more resolution, making it a good pick for general multitasking and a fair bit of gaming. Additionally, the touchscreen feature is entirely optional, letting you opt out of it if you specifically want a dual-display setup that doesn’t respond to accidentally being tapped, wiped, or touched. The touch-input feature, however, vastly improves the DUOONE’s overall capabilities, helping designers, artists, presenters, etc. benefit from being able to interact with digital elements as if they have their own foldable tablet PC with not one, but two crystal clear displays!

The DUOONE starts at $699 for the 16” 2.5K@144Hz variant, going to $767 if you want the touchscreen ability. The 17.3” 4K@60Hz version starts at $1350, giving you an unparalleled 8K dual-display setup for half the price while still being portable… and touch-sensitive! Pledge for the DUOONE using the link below and you’ll also get a free wireless mouse and keyboard with your portable monitor.

Click Here to Buy Now: $699 ~~$1093~~ (36% off). Hurry, only 13/20 left!

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Upgrade your Old Basic 3D Printer into a Hi-End Multi-Filament Color 3D Printer with this Retrofit System

Posted on 05/11/2023 by Sarang Sheth

Imagine taking your Ford Fiesta and putting a V12 engine under the hood… that’s what the Co Print ChromaSet does for your regular consumer-grade 3D printer. Designed as a highly-advanced system that beefs up your single-filament printer, the ChromaSet features a multi-filament hot-end that replaces the one on your existing printer, along with extruder blocks that feed as many as 8 different filaments into your existing printer. A separate ChromaPad tablet manages the printer, acting as the brains behind it all, turning your $400 printer from 2 years back into a multi-color 3D printing wizard. The Co Print ChromaSet comes with universal compatibility that allows it to attach to a variety of printer brands, and that ChromaPad tablet lets you individually manage as many as 8 printers together through one dashboard. We’ve literally never seen something this incredible.

Designer: Huseyin Ozen of Co Print

Click Here to Buy Now: $349 ~~$489~~ ($140 off). Hurry, limited quantities! Raised over $240,000.

Using the literal words of the folks at Co Print, “ChromaSet brings color, speed, and ease of control to your existing 3D printer setup.” It supercharges your current printer by adding mods and upgrades to it, optimizing its performance, improving its output, and allowing you to manage your new multi-filament printer with even more ease than before. The system all boils down to 6 different modules that attach right onto any existing 3D printer, working with different mechanical systems including linear, shaft + bearing, and sigma profile-style printers. Once set up, printing happens smoother than before. The printer automatically manages and switches between filaments, while the tab lets you monitor and control multiple printers working in tandem. There’s no need for calibration, changing filaments in between prints, or even waiting hours to complete jobs. ChromaSet’s entire system hyper-optimizes operations with 300mm/s speeds that help cut down print times in almost half.

ChromaPad – Excels in color, material, speed, and control, unlocking limitless potential.

Fastest Multi-color Printing Experience – ChromaPad pushes the usual boundaries of 3D printing speed for both single and multi-filament projects. Accelerate your print up to 300+ mm/s and get your project in hand three times faster.

ChromaScreen Advanced Klipper Software – Comes with features like the ability to control multiple extruders, a helpful setup wizard, and the ability to manage multiple printers at once.

Manage Multiple Printers Effortlessly – ChromaPad allows you to control up to 8 printers in a single simple panel.

The 6 different modules have very specific roles, starting with the ChromaPad which becomes the ultimate hub for all your printing needs. With a 7-inch touchscreen on the outside and a powerful AmlogicS905X3 processor on the inside, the ChromaPad is the buffer between you and the 3D printer, using a special ChromaScreen software (based on Klipper Screen) that gives you the ability to control multiple extruders, to manage multiple printers at once, and a helpful setup wizard that allows you to effectively things up by upgrading your old printer.

ChromaHead – Designed to match your needs on multi-filament 3D printing. When combined with ChromaPad or KCM, it minimizes all the issues that can occur such as jamming and clogging.

Filament Cutter for High Quality Prints – Powered by a robust servo motor with up to 20 kg of force and supported by a durable Japanese blade, ChromaHead’s precise filament cutting mechanism achieves a success rate of 99.9% in clean cuts.

Universal Rail Plug System – The design allows you to match with different brands and different models, and solves the compatibility issues.

Supports all the Materials you Need – Different colors, different materials. Your creative journey knows no bounds.

The ChromaSet can practically attach onto any existing 3D printer, augmenting its abilities. Its design is a result of a partnership between Co Print and companies like Creality, Phaetus, LDO Motors, and other popular 3D printer makers and suppliers, which means the ChromaSet works with all popular printers, attaching on in just minutes. The process starts with mounting the ChromaHead, which contains the hot-end and nozzle, along with a filament management system that helps efficiently switch between filaments mid-print. The ChromaHead is a unique-looking device, with an 8-holed funnel on top that accepts multiple filaments at the same time. Based on the print requirement, it effectively alternates between filaments, heating them to the right temperature before dispensing them through the nozzle onto the print-plate. But how does it know which filament to take next? Well, the CX-1 Extruder takes care of that. Sitting on top of the printer, this extruder manually feeds the right filament into the hot-end. Layer as many as 8 of them side by side and they work in tandem like ink cartridges in a regular printer, delivering the right filament at exactly the right time. This potentially allows you to print an entire multi-material product in one single job, printing TPU, PLA, ABS, and PETG at the same time.

KCM (Klipper Chroma Module) – For users who already have a Klipper-based 3D printer. KCM gives you all the great features of ChromaPad right out of the box, so you don’t need to buy ChromaPad separately.

ECM (Extended Chroma Module) – Designed to increase your extruder limits. ECM allows you to add up additional 4 extruders into a single output via USB.

The results look nothing like what you’d get from a starting or mid-range printer. The ChromaSet’s output feels undeniably premium, with the kind of materials and colors that one could expect from a printer costing four figures in the least. Moreover, a single ChromaPad can control multiple printers at once, allowing you to revamp that old printer from 5 years ago lying in your garage, bringing it up to speed with your new printer. If your printer is Klipper-based, you don’t even need the pad to control it – the Klipper Chroma Module (or KCM) lets you turn it into a multi-filament machine without the pad, and if you REALLY want to push your printer’s multi-filament chops to the limits, the ECM or Extended Chroma Module allows you to add up additional 4 extruders into a single output via USB, letting you simultaneously print with 20 filaments of different colors and materials.

The results pretty much speak for themselves. Although the video doesn’t document a time comparison, ChromaSet boasts nearly 3x printing speeds without any drop in quality. You don’t need to calibrate the printer or manage filaments manually because the system does it all for you. The ChromaScreen software is entirely open-source, and even if you’re away from your printer (or printers), support for remote devices lets you monitor and even control active print jobs on your phone, tablet, laptop, or any other internet-connected device. The entire ChromaSet starts at a discounted $349 if you opt for the KCM bundle, or $499 for the bundle with the ChromaPad tablet device – both bundles include 4 Extruders, with the ability to add more to your initial pledge. If you ask me, that’s not a bad investment, considering how the minor upgrade turns your basic printer into a high-end industry-grade one!

Click Here to Buy Now: $349 ~~$489~~ ($140 off). Hurry, limited quantities! Raised over $240,000.

The post Upgrade your Old Basic 3D Printer into a Hi-End Multi-Filament Color 3D Printer with this Retrofit System first appeared on Yanko Design.

Knife Designer for the SpaceX Crew is back with a Damascus Steel and Titanium EDC Pocket Blade

Posted on 03/11/2023 by Sarang Sheth

In 2021, SpaceX commissioned knife designer Darriel Caston to design a standard-issue EDC pocket blade for its crew. Now CRKT is teaming up with Caston to build a production-ready version of that very knife, with a titanium handle and a gorgeous Damascus Steel blade. Named Mbombo after the Kuba god of creation, the knife builds on the Central-African mythology of a god who helped create the sun, moon, and stars from within their body. The entire knife measures 7.63 inches when fully open, and weighs a mere 3.5 ounces (99.22 grams), making it absolutely ideal for traveling with. It’s a feisty little demon, with a precisely engineered flipping mechanism that makes the knife feel incredibly robust and well worth its $225 price tag.

Designer: Darriel Caston for CRKT

Caston’s knife for SpaceX had some very specific design guidelines. The build had to be reliable, infallible, and had to have the kind of precision you’d expect from a space exploration company. As a tribute to the company, Caston even incorporated materials from SpaceX’s launch pad, using the metal as the raw material for his knives. CRKT later approached Caston to help create a new derivative line of knives based on the SpaceX design. While it wasn’t entirely possible to get their hands on SpaceX’s launch pads, CRKT decided to outfit the Mbombo with some unique materials of their own.

The Mbombo’s blade is perhaps the first thing you notice about it. Crafted from Damascus Steel, the blade has a beautiful marbled pattern on it brought about by etching the steels’ different metal blends. The Mbombo comes with a cleaver-style blade with two edges, reminiscent of an American Tanto, but with a curved front profile that makes it versatile and good to look at. The blade measures a cool 3.23 inches (82mm) when open, and closes into its beautiful bead-blasted titanium handle.

The handle comes with a textured edge on the front, increasing dexterity and grip during use, while also being a hat-tip to the ridged design of the SpaceX flipper. The titanium handle also sports a nifty frame lock in the form of a thick lock bar that locks the blade in place once open, preventing it from accidentally shutting while in use. Lift the bar and the blade folds back into its handle.

The Mbombo also comes with a pocket clip as well as a lanyard hole built into it, allowing you to carry it with you everywhere you go. It starts at $225, with free shipping within the US.

The post Knife Designer for the SpaceX Crew is back with a Damascus Steel and Titanium EDC Pocket Blade first appeared on Yanko Design.

Astell&Kern’s Award-Winning SR35 Portable Hi-Fi Audio Player Delivers Sublime Sound on a Budget

Posted on 03/11/2023 by Sarang Sheth

The iPod may have died at the turn of the 2010s, but for audiophiles, Astell&Kern’s handheld Hi-fi Digital Audio Players (DAPs) couldn’t have come at a more perfect time. Since 2012, the company’s developed some of the most premium-sounding audio gear consumers could ask for, with the SR35 being a culmination of the company’s decade-long innovation in the audio category. Now in its fourth avatar (following last year’s SR25 MKII) the SR35 boasts even better specs, with 20 hours of continuous playback, Quad DAC, and two-step Gain control – all powered by Astell&Kern’s New Generation Amp technology, featured for the first time in their portable A&norma product range.

Designers: So Yean Kim, Ji Sun Kim, Jong Min Jeong, Dong O Hwang, Seon Mi Ko & Jong Seung Kim

Click Here to Learn More

The A&norma SR35 lives up to Astell&Kern’s lofty legacy. It delivers sound that rivals full-size players, ensuring you get the most out of your music on the go. At the heart of the SR35 is the Cirrus Logic CS43198 Quad DAC Chip, ensuring impeccable sound reproduction. What sets it apart is the inclusion of Astell&Kern’s TERATON ALPHA technology, which enhances dynamics, spatial perception, resolution, and separation, delivering true-to-life Hi-Fi audio that does your lossless music collection true justice.

The experience is powered by Astell&Kern’s latest amp technology. Pulling from its top-end A&ultima line, the SR35 is the first in the A&norma series to get this high-end amplifier tech, which effectively improves noise reduction at high power output. To ensure consistent operation with various impedance output sources, the output end of the SR35 is enhanced with increased current handling capability, thereby optimizing performance across multiple devices. The SR35 comes with two-step gain-matching (“Normal Gain” and “High Gain”) for different headphones and IEMs, and houses three jacks on top for wired connections including one unbalanced 3.5mm out, and balanced 2.5mm and 4.4mm outputs respectively.

Although the audiophile community expresses much disdain for wireless experiences, the A&norma SR35 does a compelling job of handling wireless audio well too. The SR35 embraces the future of music playback with Bluetooth v5.0, supporting LDAC and Qualcomm® aptX HD codecs. Additionally, its dual-band (2.4/5GHz) WiFi ensures uninterrupted streaming and Roon Ready compatibility, allowing you to enjoy HiFi music through various services. The BT Sink function connects the SR35 to external devices via Bluetooth, offering a cableless, wireless solution for music file management, and Roon Ready compatibility elevates your audio experience by delivering the best sound quality through network systems.

The A&norma SR35’s design is instantly memorable with its iconic slanted 3.6-inch HD display that’s carried forward from its SR15 in 2018. With perhaps the strangest bezels on the planet, the hi-fi audio player boasts a tilted UI that cleverly avoids accidental touches from your thumb or fingers while holding the device. The tactile experience gets carried forward to that large textured volume crown on the side, which becomes a defining element of sorts for the SR35’s design. The other defining element is its compact, chiseled form factor that Astell&Kern describe as ‘warrior-inspired’. The bezel on the left is shaped like a broad sword with a pointed tip, while the large volume knob almost doubles as a shield-like element. The angled surfaces also lend a rugged appeal to the hi-fi audio player, eliciting a comparison with Tesla’s armored Cybertruck. All this combined has earned the SR35 multiple accolades including the iF Design Award 2023.

But it’s not all about outer aesthetics; the user interface has received a thoughtful overhaul too. The SR35 boasts a redesigned Crimson-themed UI/UX for an immersive music experience while simultaneously offering intuitive navigation through music categories with simple gestures as well as a powerful search feature and integrated album art for a visually engaging experience. The dark black and red theme not only reduces eye fatigue but also prolongs the SR35’s industry-leading battery life. Built with a 3,150mAh battery on the inside, the SR35 provides an impressive 20 hours of continuous playback that comfortably gets you through long-haul flights, long workdays, vacations, or even lazy weekends when listening to great music can become somewhat of a ritual.

The A&norma SR35 weighs a mere 184 grams, despite its all-metal body that gives it a premium in-hand experience. It sports a USB-C port at the base that lets you charge your audio player or connect it to a Windows or macOS device for transferring files. For enthusiasts, the SR35 starts at $800, undercutting Astell&Kern’s A&ultima series (while still delivering all the power-features) as well as the competition.

Click Here to Learn More

The post Astell&Kern’s Award-Winning SR35 Portable Hi-Fi Audio Player Delivers Sublime Sound on a Budget first appeared on Yanko Design.

Innovative Document Folder transforms into an All-in-one Stand for your Laptop, Tablet, and Phone

Posted on 01/11/2023 by Sarang Sheth

Ever propped your iPad against a pile of books? Or placed your laptop on top of a stationery box to angle it for easier typing? The folks at PUNCUBE Gear have a rather nifty solution that hides in plain sight. The Puncube Workelf is, for all intents and purposes, a document folder for organizing and holding all your important paperwork… but its design allows it to also transform into a laptop stand, an iPad stand, a phone mount, and even a writing pad. While the paper folder has remained unchanged for nearly a hundred years, the Puncube Workelf gives it a subtle update that allows it to integrate well into our digital-first age, while still being a reliable document holder.

Designer: Sunny Cheung

Click Here to Buy Now: 3 for $59 ~~$117~~ (50% off). Hurry, only 87/150 left!

The Puncube Workelf is a clever reminder that tech won’t entirely replace stationery, but rather the two must coexist peacefully and symbiotically. It’s about as slim as your binder/folder that holds printouts and other documents, and comes with a unique flap-based design that lets it shapeshift into a multi-angle stand for not one, but all your portable devices. With 8 different ‘modes’ to choose from, the Puncube Workelf alternates between being a paper-holder to mounting your laptop, tablet, and smartphone, while also serving as a clipboard, display stand, book-holder, and a slanted stand for sketching/drawing either on paper or a tablet PC.

It all boils down to the Puncube Workelf’s rather clever design, which relies on its material structure, a fair bit of origami, and clever detailing to really create a modern utilitarian piece of stationery. When shut, the Puncube Workelf looks just like your regular A4 folder. It holds A4 documents inside it with the help of a metal clamp, and even fits right into your office shelf or folder-holder for easy access. It weighs a mere 290 grams, making it perfect to carry around under your arm or in your backpack.

Laptop Stand

iPad Stand

Slant Board

Phone Stand

Book Stand

Document Folder

When you need something a little more than paper-holder, the Puncube Workelf opens up into a world of possibilities. It transforms into an angled laptop holder that props your device up at a cool 30° angle, giving you an ergonomic elevation that raises the laptop screen to your eye level to reduce neck strain, as well as tilting the keyboard towards you so it’s easier to type. The laptop stand format also works for a drawing pad or for a tablet where you want to doodle/draw or write on, but if you’re looking for a more traditional tablet dock, the Workelf transforms into an easel for your iPad, holding it up at a cool 60°. Cutout fins in the Puncube Workelf pop out to hold your iPad up at a perfect viewing angle for video calls or for viewing content, and if you’ve got a smaller device like a smartphone, the Workelf has a smaller set of cutout fins for your phone too!

The Workelf’s shapeshifting design allows it to achieve as many as 5 different angles, including a fully vertical one. The three-paneled format of the folder lets it practically stand up vertically, allowing you to prop your documents up to read on cue. The same metal clasp that holds your papers also works as a ‘lip’ or holder for your laptop when the Workelf’s used in laptop stand mode.

White Board

The Puncube Workelf comes in a variety of 6 colors to choose from, and even has the option of adding a clip-on whiteboard accessory to it that you can use to jot down ideas or make temporary notes/schematics that you can then wipe down for a fresh start. The all-in-one folder and gadget stand starts at $39 for one unit, although it’s best bought in bundles with a 3-pack costing $59, allowing you to easily set up your entire workstation on it, with your laptop, tablet, and phone.

Click Here to Buy Now: 3 for $59 ~~$117~~ (50% off). Hurry, only 87/150 left!

The post Innovative Document Folder transforms into an All-in-one Stand for your Laptop, Tablet, and Phone first appeared on Yanko Design.

Apple’s ENTIRE October MacBook Event was Shot On the iPhone 15 Pro Max

Posted on 31/10/2023 by Sarang Sheth

The company may have announced new MacBooks and iMacs at its latest event yesterday… but what it secretly was doing all along was creating an advertisement for their smartphones. In a rare video uploaded to Apple’s YouTube channel, the tech giant revealed that their entire October 30th Keynote was filmed on the iPhone 15 Pro. The video lifts the curtain on how Apple pulled it off, while being perhaps the greatest act of ‘putting their money where their mouth is’ in terms of proving the iPhone’s top-notch video capabilities.

While it’s easy to think that the true star of the event was Apple’s new M3 chip, in reality it was the USB-C port on its newest iPhone 15 Pro. Unveiled just fifty days ago, the new iPhone 15 Pro’s USB-C port is capable of 10Gb/s transfer speeds, allowing you to move ProRes videos in a snap, and even connect external storage, 4K displays, microphones, among other accessories to augment the iPhone 15 Pro’s overall output.

The entire event was quite different from any of Apple’s events, and that seems to be by design. For starters, it premiered in the evening (or at night depending on which coast you live on), marking a massive departure from all of Apple’s morning events. We heard Tim Cook say the words “Good Evening” for the first time, but just before, we got a tour of the Apple Park at night. The camera flew in from up above, battling not just the tricky conditions of flight and navigation, but also incredibly low-light videography. The Apple Park was practically drenched in the Halloween spirit, with bats flying, ominous music, smoky/foggy pathways, and dimly lit scenes… all of which were captured brilliantly on the iPhone 15 Pro Max’s massive sensor.

The pre-Halloween keynote, the evening announcement, all seemed like a brilliant setup for the fact that Apple was planning on shooting the entire event on its latest phone. Sure, Apple could have had the event during the day and still boasted a “Shot On iPhone” disclaimer… but to shoot the entire thing in low-light – there’s no way Apple could resist that massive a flex. The event was also entirely edited on a Mac, as Apple’s way of showing how powerful the two devices are on their own as well as put together.

Anyone deeply familiar with Apple’s Shot On iPhone campaign knows that there’s more than just an iPhone involved. Those massive billboards with beautifully composed and edited photos look great, but a regular user holding an iPhone in their hand could never pull off the same visual mastery. The words ‘Shot On iPhone’ are often followed by ‘with a lot of expensive accessories’, but not many people know that. For Apple’s keynote, the company is at least a little more forthcoming by showing exactly what their rigs looked like… and no, it isn’t just a dude holding an iPhone in front of Tim Cook.

Verge reports that the entire Scary Fast event setup would have probably cost tens of thousands of dollars. The iPhone itself is mounted on a massive hand-carried rig that stabilizes the footage. For more consistent camera paths, the team used a dolly cam setup with trolleys and rails, and for the aerial shots, the Apple team literally built their own drones that held the iPhone 15 Pro Max. There are expensive microphones, monitors, battery units, lights, and a tonne of other equipment used in the picture. To be fair, Apple would still use all that extraneous equipment with a high-end camera… so just the fact that the iPhone could replace that camera does count for quite a lot.

The entire video dump was easily transferred out of the phone using the USB-C connector. Company 3, an American post-production company that handled the filming of the event, mentioned how buttery smooth the entire process was to shoot 4K ProRes with all those accessories and have all that raw footage simultaneously transferred onto an external hard disk without any hiccups. The A17 Bionic’s heavy lifting would then be complemented by Apple’s M2 chips, which were used by the Macs that edited the footage.

A quick glimpse at the hand-made drone used by Apple’s team to shoot all the aerial shots of the Scary Fast keynote.

This isn’t the first time the iPhone was used to shoot professional content. In 2015, a film named Tangerine was highlighted at the Sundance Film Festival for being shot entirely on iPhones. Notably, Olivia Rodrigo shot one of her music videos on an iPhone too, and Indian film director Vishal Bharadwaj collaborated with Apple to shoot a short film, Fursat, entirely on an iPhone. This is the first time Apple’s taken that plunge, and it seems to have paid off rather well. If only they had migrated to USB-C sooner…

The post Apple’s ENTIRE October MacBook Event was Shot On the iPhone 15 Pro Max first appeared on Yanko Design.

This LEGO Snow Globe with the Lo-Fi Girl inside is Peak Holiday Wholesomeness!

Posted on 31/10/2023 by Sarang Sheth

It’s truly amazing what people can do with the right combination of LEGO bricks. From building Bugattis to functioning calendars, the bricks have an unmatched versatility, and just in time for the holidays, LEGO-builder BrickAbe came up with yet another perfect LEGO project – a functioning snow-globe! The cherry on the cake, however, is that this snow globe also features YouTube’s most well-known fictional character, the anime girl from the LoFi Girl YouTube channel, known for her endless streams of great downtempo music.

Designer: BrickAbe

The Lo-Fi Girl Snowglobe is an interactive mechanical toy that features elements of Christmas along with the popular LoFi girl character, seen writing in a notebook with headphones on, with a laptop and a lazy ginger cat becoming a standard fixture in the background. BrickAbe’s globe captures these elements beautifully, turning the album art into a full LEGO-based diorama with a ground and first floor. The first floor becomes LoFi girl’s study, while the ground floor transforms into a living room during Christmas season, complete with gifts, and a decked up Christmas tree that rotates when you crank the lever outside!

The entire construction is incredibly wholesome, capturing the Christmas spirit in a rather adorable way. The diorama sits on a red platform that comes with its own Yuletide motifs, including stockings and presents, while being covered with a clear bell jar that is capped off with a snowflake on top!

“My greatest escape with Lo-Fi Hip Hop comes around the holidays. I feel very relaxed sitting next to a glowing fireplace, under a warm blanket, with Lo-Fi music playing in the background,” BrickAbe mentioned. “The idea for the snow globe came from a drawing I made a while back for #lofigirlchristmas. You can see this drawing displayed right above the fireplace. I created a charming loft apartment inside, decorated with holiday joy and Lofi Girl references!”

The post This LEGO Snow Globe with the Lo-Fi Girl inside is Peak Holiday Wholesomeness! first appeared on Yanko Design.

“World’s Lightest Mechanical Watch” clocks in at a Stunning 8.8 Grams in Weight

Posted on 30/10/2023 by Sarang Sheth

Billed as the world’s lightest mechanical watch, the MING LW.01 boasts an impressive weight of just 8.8 grams (0.31 ounces) for the manual variant and 10 grams (0.35 ounces) for the automatic variant. For reference, that’s lighter than one AirTag… or about as much as two AirPods WITHOUT the case.

The LW.01 takes the idea of minimalism a little bit further by going beyond just the visual sense of the word. “We wanted to push the envelope further than we – or any other brand – has ever done,” the folks at MING said. This includes some brilliant design hacks, the use of novel materials, and basically removing everything non-essential. In short, the folks at MING Marie Kondo-ed the hell out of this watch… and the result definitely sparks joy.

Designer: MING

The watch itself is a work of art, featuring a dial that’s as minimal to look at as its bill of materials. In fact, there isn’t a dial at all. The LW.01’s minute hand sits on a disc that obscures the movement, while the central portion comes with a gradient print that hides the skeletal view of the watch, while also having the watch’s minimal markings on its periphery. Every part of the watch is art and engineering combined to its nth degree, creating something that really stands at the intersection of great design and immaculate engineering.

“We set ourselves some ‘conventional’ constraints, though: the watch had to be a wearable size, and retain certain tactile qualities such as the texture and thermal transfer of metal,” MING’s team mentioned. “More importantly, it would have to be practically wearable and not technically compromised purely for the sake of lightness. As it turns out, it would take us a couple of years longer than expected and an exhaustive amount of metallurgy and testing.”

Those constraints, however, don’t in any way diminish the end product. The watch has a spectacular body that’s crafted from a special metal alloy that’s lighter than carbon but has the premium feel of metal. The lugs are turned into bars that allow the strap to through without any additional elements (which would add to its weight), and the face isn’t layered with sapphire crystal. Instead, it opts for equally resistant Corning Gorilla Glass – similar to the slim glass sheet found in smartphones, but with a separate hardening treatment done by UK-based Knight Optical.

“We explored a wide range of ultralight materials including carbon fiber derivatives and hollow-core 3D printing, but ultimately found that AZ31 Magnesium-Aluminium-Zinc-Manganese alloy from Smiths High Performance was both lighter than carbon (1.77g/cc, vs ~2g/cc density), more consistent to produce than hollow 3D printing, and more importantly retained the feel of metal,” MING mentioned. “It is further surface treated by plasmaelectrolytic oxidation by Keronite for corrosion resistance and biocompatibility, with a further composite protective layer.”

Every element of the watch, including the screws made of PEEK composite, the hollowed bezel, and the angled case buttressing, was meticulously optimized to achieve the perfect balance between durability and weight. The crown, crafted from anodized aluminum, ensures durability and smooth threading. To ensure overall torsional rigidity, finite element simulation was employed to assess the watch case. The fixed integral bars, machined from the same billet as the case, not only enhance rigidity but also weigh less than traditional steel spring bars.

As a result, the watch boasts an impressively lightweight head, weighing just 8.8 grams with manual winding, 10.8 grams with automatic winding, along with an additional 0.6 grams for the matching AZ31 buckle and 1.2 grams for the ‘record’ spec Alcantara strap. This translates to a total weight of 10.6 grams or 12.6 grams for a fully assembled, ready-to-wear timepiece… but don’t expect all that innovation to come cheap. The “World’s Lightest Watch” may be lighter than an AirTag, but it’s half the cost of a Tesla Model Y. With a brain-imploding asking price of 19500 Swiss Francs ($21,623 USD), you’re kind of better off buying a Patek Philippe instead.

The post “World’s Lightest Mechanical Watch” clocks in at a Stunning 8.8 Grams in Weight first appeared on Yanko Design.

The World Design Assembly 2023 held at Tokyo with Environment, Policy, and Digital Transformation in Focus

Posted on 30/10/2023 by Sarang Sheth

Every two years, the World Design Organization (WDO), an international powerhouse committed to “Design for a better world,” convenes the WDO World Design Assembly. This year, Tokyo took the spotlight as the World Design Capital, marking the third time Japan has had the honor of hosting this prestigious gathering, following a 34-year wait since the event was held in Nagoya in 1989. The three-day event was held between October 27th and 29th (Friday-Sunday) at the Chiba University Design Research Institute, and the Roppongi Academy Hills in Tokyo.

In a world still grappling with the effects of the COVID pandemic, this assembly aims to engage the global design community in discussions that transcend boundaries. WDO seeks to reaffirm design’s role as a catalyst for a more humane way of life, moving beyond its traditional identity as a driver of innovation and economic growth. Under the theme of “Design Beyond,” the assembly hosted multiple discussions ranging from perceptions of the new individual to environmental issues, digital transformation, policy, etc.

Visit the World Design Assembly 2023 Website to Learn More

Kazuo Tanaka (WDO World Design Assembly Tokyo 2023 Executive Committee Chairperson) addressing the guests.

The World Design Assembly commenced on Friday, October 27, with a vibrant forum featuring a panel discussion, paper presentations, and a poster exhibition. The WDA also awarded the World Design Medal to Dr. Patricia A. Moore for her overwhelming contribution to the design field. The event saw eminent design scholars, representatives from companies and government agencies, and even students, bringing a large gamut of people across all professional spectrums under one umbrella to highlight the broad appeal and relevance of design in today’s world. The day’s event was specifically geared toward students and researchers who are interested in learning about design. It aimed to align with the themes established by WDO and provide the next generation of designers and young researchers with opportunities and perspectives to explore the future of design and discover upcoming trends.

Ayse Birsel (Co-founder of Birsel + Seck, designer, author) delivering Friday’s Keynote Session

Dr. Patricia Moore awarded the World Design Medal for the year 2022

On Saturday, October 28, global experts delved deep into the theme of “Design Beyond” and its four intriguing sub-themes: “Humanity,” “The Planet,” “Technology,” and “Policy.” These discussions, led by researchers, activists, and designers invited from Japan and abroad, explored the intricate relationship between design and pressing societal issues, as well as the potential design holds for shaping our future. The theme on Humanity discussed what it specifically meant to be a new kind of individual (i.e., autonomously decentralized, digitally networked, committed to the life of the planet, etc.) and the role design played in this context. A common topic for the past few years, The Planet (theme 2) pondered on how society can be incentivized into tangibly shifting to a circular economy, and more importantly, what would be society’s goal BEYOND a circular economy. Given the rise of AI, the theme of Technology focused on what kind of changes the impending digital transformation will bring to humanity, and specific cases cited to provide thought about what design will be capable of. The last theme, Policy, was unlike any of the other breakout sessions, in that it focused on how suggestions from the previous three themes would effectively be implemented. Discussions were had around the two perspectives of “policies for the promotion of design” and “social policies that leverage the power of design.” The crowning moment of the day was the unveiling of the WDA Declaration during the Afternoon Plenary Session. Frankfurt RheinMain (Germany) was declared the capital for the year 2026.