Author Archives: Sarang Sheth

The Ultimate Sling Bag for Photographers lets you carry Cameras, Drones, and any other Gear

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Contrary to popular belief, bags aren’t about storage… they’re about access. You see, every bag offers storage, it’s how you use and access that storage that makes a difference. Now most backpack makers recognize that the laptop is perhaps the most critical part of bag design (it needs to have a padded sleeve with a quick-access design), but what about those bags that AREN’T designed for laptops? Well, that’s where things get murky because then bags start becoming vague. They offer storage and expect you to figure out how to store and access your belongings. A sling bag’s design really doesn’t focus on anything, it offers an oddly triangular storage pocket that isn’t specifically designed for anything, and can be annoying to access quickly. A camera bag, on the other hand, is tailor-made just for cameras… not gaming gear or drones. With bags either focusing too much on specific storage or not enough, the ISHO-X5 boldly creates an all-purpose sling bag that shapeshifts to suit your changing demands. Designed to store (and organize) your gear, whether it’s cameras and lenses, drones, gaming tech, or even EDC, the ISHO-X5 doesn’t just offer versatile storage, it offers versatile access too, with clamshell ingress, side-access, and a unique X-Wing divider that lets you segregate your gear efficiently so that you can quickly take them out when you need.

Designer: Gideon Balloch

Click Here to Buy Now: $143.65 $169 (Use coupon code “YANKO15” to get an exclusive 15% off). Hurry, deal ends in 48-hours!

The sling format is a unique one because it can be carried in multiple ways. You can either wear it across the front like you would a camera bag, letting you access the contents the instant you see something worth photographing, or across the side or back, sort of like a conventional sling or messenger bag. The ISHO-X5’s rectangular design also lets it easily fit into larger backpacks or travel bags, offering modular storage in ways those ridiculous triangular sling bags can’t.

What the ISHO-X5 gets absolutely right is the idea that bags are about access. The sling offers ample storage, but also lets you access its storage in a variety of ways. The main door opens partially so you can dig in for stuff, or opens fully in a clamshell style so you can actually take your gear comfortably. The bag’s strap attachments actually let you quickly flip the main flap to face upwards, bringing the main door to the top so things don’t fall out as you open the bag. Additionally, the bag also rotates to face a side door to the top, giving you quick access to pull a camera or drone out in an instant, without having to fish other items out of the way.

The ISHO-X5’s compact design packs a surprisingly spacious 5.5L interior, allowing you to carry 80% more gear compared to similar-sized slings. The cuboidal shape of the bag does a remarkable job of being space-efficient, while the compact padding lets you easily store items without worrying about them bumping up against each other. The X-Wing divider helps you further segregate your spaces to suit your gear perfectly. Think of it as bubble wrap that fits in between your items, shapeshifting depending on whether you’ve got a DSLR or a drone or even a Nintendo Switch. The design team sought inspiration from Richard Neutra’s concept of “The Changing House,” a modernist piece of architecture designed with an adaptable multifunctional format, and open layouts. The bag’s cube shape and ample access points pay homage to its architectural inspiration, and the X-Wing allows you to create over 12 different layouts to perfectly organize your specific gear.

If that wasn’t enough, the bag comes with a removable/adjustable strap, external accessory-carrying straps, and a 9-pocket mini panel on the main flap for all your small gear from your passport and AirPods to every single memory card. The outer cover is made from a combination of a high tenacity 100% recycled Nylon 6,6 fabric with a weatherproof carbonate coating, and a diamond ripstop Nylon reinforced with Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE). If that sounds like too much jargon, here’s all you need to know – the ISHO-X5 is weather-resistant and abrasion-resistant, so a thunderstorm or a tumble downhill won’t do anything to the bag or the items inside. Yes, the bag also features YKK zippers to keep everything up to code.

Although designed to be used independently, the ISHO-X5 pairs wonderfully well with your existing backpack or travel case too. Designer Carry Cubo also makes its own bags and backpacks, all with the same materials, aesthetics, and attention to detail as the ISHO-X5. The smart sling bag comes in 3 color options and starts at $169, although YD readers get a 15% discount with the coupon code YANKO15.

Click Here to Buy Now: $143.65 $169 (Use coupon code “YANKO15” to get an exclusive 15% off). Hurry, deal ends in 48-hours!

The post The Ultimate Sling Bag for Photographers lets you carry Cameras, Drones, and any other Gear first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Ultimate Sling Bag for Photographers lets you carry Cameras, Drones, and any other Gear

Posted on by

Contrary to popular belief, bags aren’t about storage… they’re about access. You see, every bag offers storage, it’s how you use and access that storage that makes a difference. Now most backpack makers recognize that the laptop is perhaps the most critical part of bag design (it needs to have a padded sleeve with a quick-access design), but what about those bags that AREN’T designed for laptops? Well, that’s where things get murky because then bags start becoming vague. They offer storage and expect you to figure out how to store and access your belongings. A sling bag’s design really doesn’t focus on anything, it offers an oddly triangular storage pocket that isn’t specifically designed for anything, and can be annoying to access quickly. A camera bag, on the other hand, is tailor-made just for cameras… not gaming gear or drones. With bags either focusing too much on specific storage or not enough, the ISHO-X5 boldly creates an all-purpose sling bag that shapeshifts to suit your changing demands. Designed to store (and organize) your gear, whether it’s cameras and lenses, drones, gaming tech, or even EDC, the ISHO-X5 doesn’t just offer versatile storage, it offers versatile access too, with clamshell ingress, side-access, and a unique X-Wing divider that lets you segregate your gear efficiently so that you can quickly take them out when you need.

Designer: Gideon Balloch

Click Here to Buy Now: $143.65 $169 (Use coupon code “YANKO15” to get an exclusive 15% off). Hurry, deal ends in 48-hours!

The sling format is a unique one because it can be carried in multiple ways. You can either wear it across the front like you would a camera bag, letting you access the contents the instant you see something worth photographing, or across the side or back, sort of like a conventional sling or messenger bag. The ISHO-X5’s rectangular design also lets it easily fit into larger backpacks or travel bags, offering modular storage in ways those ridiculous triangular sling bags can’t.

What the ISHO-X5 gets absolutely right is the idea that bags are about access. The sling offers ample storage, but also lets you access its storage in a variety of ways. The main door opens partially so you can dig in for stuff, or opens fully in a clamshell style so you can actually take your gear comfortably. The bag’s strap attachments actually let you quickly flip the main flap to face upwards, bringing the main door to the top so things don’t fall out as you open the bag. Additionally, the bag also rotates to face a side door to the top, giving you quick access to pull a camera or drone out in an instant, without having to fish other items out of the way.

The ISHO-X5’s compact design packs a surprisingly spacious 5.5L interior, allowing you to carry 80% more gear compared to similar-sized slings. The cuboidal shape of the bag does a remarkable job of being space-efficient, while the compact padding lets you easily store items without worrying about them bumping up against each other. The X-Wing divider helps you further segregate your spaces to suit your gear perfectly. Think of it as bubble wrap that fits in between your items, shapeshifting depending on whether you’ve got a DSLR or a drone or even a Nintendo Switch. The design team sought inspiration from Richard Neutra’s concept of “The Changing House,” a modernist piece of architecture designed with an adaptable multifunctional format, and open layouts. The bag’s cube shape and ample access points pay homage to its architectural inspiration, and the X-Wing allows you to create over 12 different layouts to perfectly organize your specific gear.

If that wasn’t enough, the bag comes with a removable/adjustable strap, external accessory-carrying straps, and a 9-pocket mini panel on the main flap for all your small gear from your passport and AirPods to every single memory card. The outer cover is made from a combination of a high tenacity 100% recycled Nylon 6,6 fabric with a weatherproof carbonate coating, and a diamond ripstop Nylon reinforced with Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene (UHMWPE). If that sounds like too much jargon, here’s all you need to know – the ISHO-X5 is weather-resistant and abrasion-resistant, so a thunderstorm or a tumble downhill won’t do anything to the bag or the items inside. Yes, the bag also features YKK zippers to keep everything up to code.

Although designed to be used independently, the ISHO-X5 pairs wonderfully well with your existing backpack or travel case too. Designer Carry Cubo also makes its own bags and backpacks, all with the same materials, aesthetics, and attention to detail as the ISHO-X5. The smart sling bag comes in 3 color options and starts at $169, although YD readers get a 15% discount with the coupon code YANKO15.

Click Here to Buy Now: $143.65 $169 (Use coupon code “YANKO15” to get an exclusive 15% off). Hurry, deal ends in 48-hours!

The post The Ultimate Sling Bag for Photographers lets you carry Cameras, Drones, and any other Gear first appeared on Yanko Design.

CRKT’s tiniest Multitool could one day save your life

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Roughly the size of a key and small enough to easily become a permanent fixture on your keychain, the CRKT K.E.R.T. is a small but serious multitool that could easily get you out of a sticky situation. The K.E.R.T. (which stands for Keyring. Emergency. Rescue. Tool.) is a tiny all-metal EDC that packs a seatbelt cutter into its multipurpose design (among other tools of course). If you’re ever in an emergency, the tool could be used to cut yourself free so you can make a quick exit, or potentially help someone else who’s had an accident. Sort of like owning a fire extinguisher, the K.E.R.T. is a tool you probably won’t use often, but you’ll thank the heavens for the day you find yourself needing it. Oh, and when you aren’t slicing through seatbelts, the K.E.R.T. also doubles as a bottle opener, a flathead screwdriver, and a 1/4″ hex wrench.

Designer: Ray Kirk for CRKT

Click Here to Buy Now

Measuring a mere 2.48 inches long, the K.E.R.T. might be one of the most compact emergency tools we’ve seen. The EDC comes made from tough 8Cr13MoV steel with a neat brushed finish, weighing a paltry 0.8 ounces (22.6 grams). The design is a clear example of form following function. It packs the seatbelt cutter, flathead screwdriver, and hex-wrench in the smallest form factor possible that’s still easy to grip and maneuver. The design is ambidextrous too, which means you can use it with any hand.

The seatbelt cutter is sharp but cleverly designed so that it can’t accidentally hurt anyone. The edge sits within a groove that’s perfect for looping around the seatbelt, and the sharp steel helps the EDC slice comfortably through the tough fabric. You can use the K.E.R.T. to also cut other materials like cloth, wrapping paper, or tape, making it handy outside its obvious emergency use. The blade’s safety design makes the K.E.R.T. TSA-friendly, so you can easily travel on flights with it (after all, planes have seatbelts too). As a cautionary measure, though, each K.E.R.T. also comes with a protective vinyl cover that sits right over the flathead screwdriver just in case there’s a danger of it poking you through your pants or scratching your phone/wallet.

Click Here to Buy Now

The post CRKT’s tiniest Multitool could one day save your life first appeared on Yanko Design.

65 Mile Range and a 500W Motor make this E-Bike Perfect for roads and rough terrain alike

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Even without bringing the economy up, needing to own two sets of e-bikes just sounds like a silly idea. Most urban commute bikes can’t endure off-road adventures, and rugged terrain-ready e-bikes aren’t really meant for lightweight long-range last-mile commutes. If you’re going to design an e-bike, the holy grail is to make one that serves both those needs perfectly. The perfect e-bike needs to have a powerful motor, a durable design, a lightweight build, adaptable riding modes, and a range that serves longer journeys well. The Elixe eBike hopes to embody that definition of perfection – with a rugged 6061 aluminum frame that weighs a mere 42 pounds, punctureless tires, a 500W motor coupled with a torque sensor, 5 riding modes, and a range of 65 miles with a top speed of 28mph, the Elixe is quite the contender for the ideal all-purpose e-bike. Oh, and it has a removable battery, a smartphone app, and anti-theft features.

Designers: J Goyal, Frank Butcher and Sashi K

Click Here to Buy Now: $679 $1699 (60% off). Hurry, exclusive deal for YD readers only! Raised over $161,000.

The heart of the Elixe experience is its robust frame. Constructed from lightweight yet robust 6061 aluminum alloy, the frame prioritizes rider comfort with a strategically placed seat and upright handlebars that promote a relaxed posture, minimizing strain on joints for extended journeys. This ergonomic design is seamlessly integrated with advanced technology, creating an unparalleled level of freedom and ease on two wheels. The frame’s impressive 42 lbs weight keeps the overall eBike maneuverable, while the sturdy construction ensures it can handle any adventure, from city streets to rugged trails.

Elixe’s Five Dynamic Pedal Assist Modes

The frame features an integrated removable 14Ah battery that sits flush inside the e-bike’s main pillar. Made from EV-grade Samsung cells, the battery gives the Elixe a range of 65 miles, delivering power to the 500W rear-wheel Bafang motor (EU riders get a 250W motor as required by EU guidelines). Riders can personalize their experience with Elixe’s five distinct pedal-assist modes. Glide effortlessly through cityscapes or conquer demanding terrains – the perfect level of assistance awaits to match any rhythm and riding style. Elixe also offers an intuitive throttle mode for effortless power on demand. With a simple twist, you can get a quick boost on inclines or navigate busy streets without the constant pedaling. An integrated torque sensor detects the force applied to the pedals, seamlessly adjusting motor output for a natural and responsive ride. Whether you’re cruising effortlessly or tackling a steep incline, the torque sensor ensures a perfect balance of power and effort, making every ride feel smooth and enjoyable.

Swap-and-Go: The Removable Battery

Mastering Terrain with Elixe’s Front Fork Suspension

Elixe’s Puncture-Protected Tires Ensure A Safe Journey

The puncture-proof tires are just a clever feature that sets the Elixe apart. Most e-bike riders have range anxiety… but a flat tire is just something nobody looks forward to. Ensuring that your e-bike doesn’t give up on you in the middle of a ride makes the Elixe feel much more reliable as you ride it, knowing that the e-bike can absolutely handle anything you throw at it. Meanwhile, the hydraulic front fork suspension absorbs bumps and jolts with ease, providing a smooth ride across any landscape. This advanced suspension system enhances handling and stability, allowing riders to navigate even the roughest terrains with confidence and control.

Instant Power with Elixe’s Throttle Mode

Ride Easy with Torque Sensor

A sleek and intuitive dashboard displays key metrics like speed, battery life, and distance traveled, allowing riders to stay informed and plan their journeys effectively. Like any good e-bike, it also comes with anti-theft features that prevent the e-bike from being stolen or towed away without your knowledge. The frame is embedded with a GPS tracker, accessible through the Elixe smartphone app. This app not only tracks the eBike’s location in real time but also sends instant alerts for suspicious activity. Additionally, the app allows riders to remotely lock the motor, deterring potential theft. The Elixe app goes beyond security; it enhances the entire riding experience. Riders can utilize the app to effortlessly track trips, analyze metrics like calories burned, and set fitness goals. The app also allows for remote customization of pedal-assist modes and access to a variety of additional features designed to maximize enjoyment and performance. With the Elixe app, every ride becomes a connected, informative, and secure experience.

Available in two styles – a step-thru frame for shorter riders, and a step-over frame for taller patrons, the Elixe offers 5 color variants to choose from. The 250W motor variant ships globally (although it’s specifically designed for the EU market) and is priced at $679, while the US-only 500W motor version is priced at $849. For the price, you get the e-bike, a charger for the battery (which takes 2.5 hours to charge fully), a kickstand, a toolkit, and a 3-year warranty. You can add more accessories to your pledge like an extra battery, a fast charger, a rear rack, a front basket, a tire inflator, or if you’re feeling very experimental, a cargo trailer!

Click Here to Buy Now: $679 $1699 (60% off). Hurry, exclusive deal for YD readers only! Raised over $161,000.

The post 65 Mile Range and a 500W Motor make this E-Bike Perfect for roads and rough terrain alike first appeared on Yanko Design.

You can buy a DIY Prefab Tiny House on Amazon and it’s cheaper than you think

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I don’t mean to be controversial, but having a roof over your head shouldn’t cost you your life savings multiple times over. A new report shows that million-dollar homes have now become the norm, with cities being the most affected by rising house rates. It’s a political issue, but the consequences ripple across all fields, especially the design field. We’ve seen a rise in micro-living and tiny homes over the past couple of years, as young people embrace the idea of less-is-more and accept living in cosier spaces as opposed to larger homes.

Prefab houses have easily become the hottest architectural trend over the last decade, and here’s what we love about them – they’re compact, easy to construct (almost like putting a massive puzzle together), often come with a fixed layout so you can choose exactly the kind of house you want up-front, and here’s the kicker, you can even buy them on Amazon! This 2-storey prefab home can be bought online and will deliver right to your address. It comes with a multipurpose lobby, a living room, a quaint bedroom on the first floor with ample natural lighting, an attached balcony, and a tiny parking space underneath. From the looks of it, there’s no bathroom integrated into the layout, but that’s where you have the freedom to play with spaces and add a small loo of your own wherever you please. The entire home costs about as much as 3-4 months of average New York rent, which is practically a fraction of what a brick-and-mortar home would cost in today’s market. There are, however, some minor caveats.

Designer: Anovoal

Click Here to Buy Now

It’s easy to add a house to your cart on Amazon, but what you get is still just a glorified IKEA version of a house. Prefab homes need a LOT of work, they need land which you’ll probably have to own or lease out (although it’s a lot cheaper than an entire house), they need to be constructed (although prefab homes are much easier to put together over a period of a few hours or days), they need to have utilities like electricity and water (and Wi-fi), and they need to be furnished. The good part, however, is that all of this can sometimes still be cheaper than actually owning a house that’s roughly the same square footage.

Unlike most matchbox apartments you’d get in urban spaces for this price, the Anovoal 40Ft. Modern Home is quite quaint. The two-story house gives you 2-and-a-half rooms that you can divide and segregate as you please, with an airy balcony for plants, a small jacuzzi tub, or anything that grabs your fancy. Large windows and skylights mean you get loads of sunlight during the day, practically negating the need for any lights before sunset. Place the house anywhere and you can pretty much treat yourself to any sort of view – whether you want your bedroom facing the sunrise or sunset is entirely up to you. The house uses strong and sturdy construction materials to come together, with a reinforced steel frame, panel walls and floors, and secure doors and windows. Setting the house up is less energy-intensive, making it much more viable than actual concrete construction, and the best part, the house is designed to be disassembled too, so you could shift locations after a year or two.

The best part about the Anovoal prefab home is that it can be treated as a module, allowing you to join multiple homes together to create an even larger one. The homes can stack up in any direction, giving you the layout you choose while also allowing you to have multiple bedrooms, a bigger living room, a workspace, and probably an open kitchen too.

Currently, the Anovoal tiny home is one of many on the e-retail platform with a price of just under 12 grand for one 2-story unit. Each unit comes with a 1-year warranty, along with online after-sales services just in case you need help with the house. The house can be styled/upgraded/moduled in a variety of ways, giving you the freedom that you probably wouldn’t get with other apartment homes. You can turn your tiny home into a smart one using IoT devices, probably transform one of those cabins into a garage or shed, and heck, even add an elevator if you want.

Click Here to Buy Now

The post You can buy a DIY Prefab Tiny House on Amazon and it’s cheaper than you think first appeared on Yanko Design.

This LEGO version of the Portal 2 Gun won’t help you teleport, but it looks stunningly real

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Arguably one of the best games from the last decade, Portal 2 still holds its own against games today. Sure, it isn’t open-world, doesn’t have NPCs, and the graphics aren’t bleeding-edge, but the game is a brilliant combination of storytelling, premise, and clever gameplay. For the uninitiated, Portal 2 is a game that has you escape from a dystopian prison using nothing but a teleportation gun. You can create portals that allow you to ‘tunnel’ through reality, and the game relies on your understanding of physics and geometry to help you navigate this futuristic labyrinth filled with occasional surprises and enemies. The portal gun is all you have, and it’s arguably the only thing you need.

Now sure, such a gun clearly doesn’t exist in real life, but this LEGO recreation from Hooded-Blaze sure has captured our fancy! Styled to be a perfect replica of the cyberpunk quantum gadget from the game, the Portal 2 Quantum Tunneling Device is made entirely out of LEGO bricks, and comes with its own stand, as well as the ability to alternate between shooting blue or orange tunnels, just like in the game!

Designer: Hooded-Blaze

Although Hooded-Blaze doesn’t specify how many bricks are used to build this MOC (My Own Creation), chances are the portal gun is just a smidge tinier than the real deal. With its cyberpunk stylings, the gun boasts a uniquely blobject-ish form, looking almost like a stormtrooper ant, with three pincers right in front of the repulsor. The repulsor feeds off a cell that sits in the middle of the gun, and altering the cell allows you to switch between blue and orange portals.

“This would be no doubt a fantastic LEGO set because of how large the Portal community is. Since its release, over 40 million players have played Portal 2 worldwide,” says LEGO builder Hooded-Blaze. This isn’t the first time they’ve submitted the portal gun to the LEGO Ideas forum. The previous fan-made submission crossed the coveted 10,000 vote mark on the LEGO Ideas website with overwhelming support from the communituy, but was rejected by LEGO’s internal team. “Since the last time this LEGO Ideas project was released, it has been redesigned to be stronger internally and externally and more aesthetically pleasing, with some key components staying the same,” Hooded-Blaze mentions. “I have built a physical prototype of the Portal Gun from what LEGO I had. I have learnt a lot from the mistakes I made on the previous version, and it has been significantly improved since.”

With over 7,000 votes, the LEGO Ideas Portal 2 Quantum Tunneling Device is well on its way to crossing the 10,000 vote mark yet again. You can vote for the entry on the LEGO Ideas website too. Maybe this time the LEGO gods will listen to us and turn this into a box-set that we all can buy and secretly ‘pew-pew’ with when we’re bored!

The post This LEGO version of the Portal 2 Gun won’t help you teleport, but it looks stunningly real first appeared on Yanko Design.

Logitech G launches its tiniest wireless keyboard – The first with a 60% layout

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If you’re anywhere near a laptop, spend a second looking at the keyboard it contains. Chances are, the keyboard you’re looking at has a 65% layout, featuring the QWERTY keys, the number row above it, and function keys. Not all laptops have num-pads on the side (unless they’re 15-inch laptops or more), so what you’re left with is perhaps the most condensed keyboard layout ever. However, you CAN go smaller. Remove the function row from the top, and you’re now left with a bare-basics 60% keyboard layout. It gets the job done, it’s compact, and is ideal for portability – all of which are the Pro X 60’s most prized features. Debuted as Logitech’s first 60% wireless keyboard, the Pro X 60 Lightspeed is deviously tiny, but doesn’t trade size for functionality. It’s still got great mechanical travel at its heart, making the keyboard perfect for pretty much everyone, but ideal for gamers, who revere that mechanical feel.

Designer: Logitech

Click Here to Pre-Order Now

At a glance, the $179 Pro X 60 Lightspeed is a study in meticulous design and technological advancement. Offering a choice between tactile or linear GX optical switches, and available in three colors—black, white, or pink, the keyboard seeks to envelop gamers in a bespoke gaming experience. The keyboard’s compact size is a deliberate choice, offering ease of transportation without compromising on the essential features that gamers have come to expect from Logitech’s G Pro X series.

Unlike its predecessor, the G Pro X TKL Lightspeed, the Pro X 60 Lightspeed opts for optical switches over mechanical ones, offering a distinct feel with a 1.8mm actuation point and a travel distance of 4mm. This choice underscores Logitech’s pursuit of providing gamers with precision and responsiveness in a form factor that defies convention. The keyboard’s versatility extends to its connectivity options—wired via a USB-C cable, or wireless through Bluetooth or Logitech’s proprietary Lightspeed dongle, ensuring a seamless gaming experience with a 1000Hz polling rate.

Gamers can customize the keyboard and assign macro shortcuts, adjust lighting, and tweak audio effects to their liking, with each key capable of performing up to 15 different functions through Logitech’s G Hub software and the new Keycontrol tool. The inclusion of Lightsync RGB lighting, pre-set to a static blue to minimize distractions, further enhances the gaming atmosphere, allowing for a personalized color palette and lighting sequences to radiate through the keyboard’s dual-shot PBT keycaps.

Beyond its technical prowess, the Logitech G Pro X 60 Lightspeed is designed with quality-of-life improvements that cater to the gaming lifestyle. A strategically placed volume roller, a Game Mode switch that disables potentially distracting keys, and a carry case for easy transport all contribute to a gaming keyboard that understands the rhythm of competitive play and travel. For gamers for whom every second and every key press can make the difference between victory and defeat, the Pro X 60 Lightspeed is a mobile command center that bridges the gap between performance and portability. The Pro X 60 Lightspeed is available for preorder, with deliveries starting April 17th.

Click Here to Pre-Order Now

The post Logitech G launches its tiniest wireless keyboard – The first with a 60% layout first appeared on Yanko Design.

Could a Luxury Car Brand like Audi get into Fitness Equipment?

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Luxury car brands don’t sell transportation… they sell a lifestyle, so what if you carried that idea to any other category? Designer Qingsheng Meng asked themself the same question, wondering what would happen if you took a luxury car brand like Audi’s DNA and applied it to another category, for example, exercise equipment. Sure, it sounds odd on the face of it, but Bose makes speakers and truck seats. Yamaha makes motorcycles and pianos… so why couldn’t Audi make a stationary exercise bike? After all, the company already builds electric bicycles, so the transition seems like a natural one. Meet the Audi Smart Spinning Bike, an exercise bike built with Audi’s luxury automotive DNA. After all, luxury car brands sell a lifestyle – why not a healthy one?

Designer: Qingsheng Meng

The Audi Smart Spinning Bike concept carries the company’s automotive aesthetic to home workout equipment. This translates to clean surfaces, chiseled forms, a forward-leaning stance that indicates speed, and a gorgeous matte black and silver colorway that adds to the bike’s appeal. “Different from traditional spinning bikes, this product intelligentizes traditional spinning bikes,” says Meng, the China-based designer responsible for the Audi Smart Spinning Bike concept. “At the same time, it uses simple styling techniques to draw lessons from Audi’s design language, emphasizing Audi’s intelligent and simple brand attributes, and is in line with the market.”

The spin-bike is different from Peloton or any of the other stationary bikes you’d otherwise see. It looks different, feels much more advanced, and comes with features that set it in a class apart. The bike sports an adjustable frame, that lets you manipulate the seat distance, height, or even handlebar heights with the simple push of a button. A dashboard gives you a comprehensive breakdown of your workout, and the energy that you put into the exercise doesn’t go to waste. It charges the e-bike as well as a detachable power bank that sits underneath the dashboard, giving you actual battery power that you can then use to charge your smartphone or other devices around the house.

The handlebars facilitate a sturdy grip while cycling, and a touchscreen LCD dashboard lets you brows through your workout stats, giving you a comprehensive breakdown of how long you cycled, how many calories you burned, your cadence, cardio, etc. The dashboard also lets you choose difficulty settings before each workout. Meanwhile, your exercise doesn’t go in vain – the muscular energy you exert during cycling gets converted into kinetic energy, which then gets stored as electrical energy in a battery pack attached to the base of the handlebars.

With the ability to hold as many as two battery packs, the Audi Smart Spinning Bike gives you impetus to exercise, also allowing you to measure your workout in a unique way. You can compare a single exercise session to literal milli-amp hours, understanding how much physical exertion you’d need to charge your entire smartphone from 0 to 100! Sounds fun, doesn’t it??

It’s precisely that fun that helps the Audi Smart Spinning Bike stand apart from other stationery bikes, that just provide you with ‘exercise’. Quite like how Audi cars are fun to ride and immerse you in the luxurious thrill of style and speed, the spin bike helps elevate your workout to another level, giving you the kind of workout you could only experience from a state-of-the-art bike designed by one of the world’s leading automotive marques!

The post Could a Luxury Car Brand like Audi get into Fitness Equipment? first appeared on Yanko Design.

Apple’s Big Mistake with the iPhone 16 Series is Focusing TOO MUCH on the Camera

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When Jobs took the stage to announce the iPhone back in 2007, he used three terms to describe the revolutionary device – a widescreen iPod with touch controls; a revolutionary mobile phone; and a breakthrough Internet communications device. However, ever since the iPhone 7 introduced a dual-lens main camera system on the phone, the Apple team has sort of obsessed with making sure the iPhone has a great camera first, and phone-adjacent features later. Almost like a handheld camera with an App Store, the iPhones now are just a shadow of what they could be. No foldable technology, no AI-based enhanced features, and not even a damn-near decent voice assistant. In fact, it took Apple YEARS to get 5G to their iPhones. Apple spends nearly 30-40% of each iPhone keynote talking about the camera and screen, and now rumors are indicating that the iPhone 16 will introduce a dedicated ‘capture’ button that lets you click photos like you would with a professional camera. The problem with this is that it’s diluting the very definition of a smartphone… and I feel like it might be deliberate.

Earlier this week, leaks showed a new hardware feature coming to the iPhone – a Capture Button that would sit on the top right corner of your phone if you held it in landscape mode. Surprising as it is, considering Apple has been trying to go buttonless and portless for a while now, the Capture Button seems like an odd addition to a phone. Not a single other smartphone has a camera shutter button. In fact, the de facto position is to turn your volume button into a capture button while the camera is running… so what’s driving Apple to add YET ANOTHER button to their phone, following the addition of the Action Button last year?

Leaked images of iPhone dummies used for case designs

Last month, I pointed out that the iPhone 16 is just going to be one of those boring phones worth missing, and this Capture Button seems to reinforce that fact. Every 3 years, Apple launches a ‘boring’ iPhone with a minor design upgrade just to keep things moving before a radical change and it’s been 2 years since the Dynamic Island, so this is probably Apple’s boring year. But why a Capture Button? Nobody said we needed it, not a single Android competitor has a Capture Button, heck if anything we’d appreciate bringing the 3.5mm audio jack back. So why is Apple going ahead with this hardware change?

There are two ways to look at it. The first is a simpler explanation – Apple’s run out of ideas. This is just one of those years where Apple pushes out something so it can tick that annual release box and make a few sales before something bigger and better in 2025. It’s a theory that holds merit given that the iPhone 8 was the ‘boring’ phone for the iPhone X, the iPhone 13 hardly had any extra features (unless you count Cinematic Mode as a game-changing upgrade) before the iPhone 14 ushered in the Dynamic Island. This basically means it’s business as usual and 2024 is just going to be a boring year for iPhones… but there’s yet another explanation.

Close-up of the purported Capture Button

The second explanation is a little more layered and vague, considering there’s no concrete proof to the fact. The explanation is that Apple’s pretty much resigning the iPhone to its fate – the camera. With the Vision Pro becoming Apple’s new breakthrough device, the iPhone will eventually take second place, quite like the iPod did 12 years ago. There are multiple rumors that Apple’s building a cheaper Vision headset (without the ‘Pro’ title) for the mass market to immerse in spatial computing… and when that happens, the iPhone won’t be anything except for a glorified photography device. It still doesn’t explain why Apple’s adding a Capture Button to their phone, given that people already use the volume button to capture photos… but that’s the vague part, because we really don’t ever know what’s going on inside the heads of Tim Cook and the Apple team until and unless they tell us. But as far as the iPhone 16 goes, I’d recommend you give it a miss unless you were long due for a smartphone upgrade.

Renders by Sarang Sheth

The post Apple’s Big Mistake with the iPhone 16 Series is Focusing TOO MUCH on the Camera first appeared on Yanko Design.

Single Serve Coffee Grinder deposits the perfect grind directly into your portafilter

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Slick, svelte, and almost looking like Michael Jackson leaning forward in his iconic stance, the AF007 (no relation to James Bond) is a tabletop conical burr grinder that does one job well – grind exactly the right amount of coffee for a single serve. For people who love the idea of a Keurig or Nespresso, but hate resorting to preground commercial beans, the AF007 gives you exactly a single or double-shot worth of coffee, dispensed directly in your portafilter, or a coarser ground dispensed right into your French press or pour-over.

Designers: Nicola Zanetti and Federico Gonzales Bosque

The AF007’s design is so ruthlessly minimalist you could put it somewhere in an Apple Store and nobody would bat an eyelid. It sports an incredibly clean design that’s focused on utilitarianism and is devoid of any details that would clutter the aesthetic. That being said, the AF007 still has a personality, with its geometric surfaces, wonderful matte metal finish, and that leaning-forward stance that gives it a sense of dynamism even though it’s a static device that sits on your kitchen countertop.

Using the AF007 is simple. Load the beans in the vessel through the opening at the top. The top also doubles as a rotary knob that lets you choose the grind size, going coarse for pour-over brewing, or finer for use in a Moka Pot or an espresso machine. An LED panel on the side lets you choose between a single or double-shot (smaller or larger depending on how much coffee you consume), and a holder and tray right in front of the nozzle lets you attach a portafilter or a collecting vessel for the grounds to get deposited into. It’s all deviously simple, both visually and functionally, which is what makes the AF007 such a neat little device for coffee aficionados. In fact, the grinder even won the A’ Design Award last year for its simple yet sophisticated approach to the coffee-making process!

The post Single Serve Coffee Grinder deposits the perfect grind directly into your portafilter first appeared on Yanko Design.