Author Archives: Sarang Sheth

Apple AirPods Max get a USB-C port thanks to this clever engineering hack

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Ken Pillonel takes consumer satisfaction a little too seriously. Famous for hacking previous versions of the AirPods to give them USB-C ports and make them more repairable, Pillonel has now turned his sights to the AirPods Max (which hasn’t received an update in over 3 years, as he points out). The regular AirPods and even the iPhone have both made a concerted shift to USB-C, but Apple surprisingly forgot to upgrade their flagship headphones, leaving it in the lightning era.

No stranger to hacking (ahem, upgrading) Apple’s accessories, Pillonel decided to build a USB-C AirPod Max before Apple did. The video above takes us through the journey, showing how Pillonel disassembled the existing AirPods Max, designed a new PCB with a USB-C port, and mounted it (with relative ease) in the headphones, giving them the upgrade they severely needed. The best part, Pillonel even sells his PCBs on his own website, encouraging other people to hack their AirPods Max too and upgrade them to USB-C.

Designer: Ken Pillonel

The AirPods Max debuted in December 2020, which means they’re one of the only mainstream Apple products to not have received a major upgrade in years (they were announced even before the AirTag). Realizing that now was a better time than ever, Pillonel decided to take his AirPods Max for a spin, cracking them open to see the assembly inside and whether it would be easy to upgrade it. Luckily, the lightning port was relatively easy to upgrade without any invasive procedures to the headphone’s body itself. Apple designed the port with a removable metal lip that allowed it to magically become wider (it’s almost as if Apple was preparing for this transition in advance), and knocking the lip out made the hole perfectly sized for a USB-C port.

Pillonel simply unplugged the lightning connector from the existing motherboard and designed a new one that housed the USB-C port. He shared the new PCB design on PCBWay, and had the circuit boards sent to him. An older iteration featured a single-piece PCB that worked, but was susceptible to wear and tear, so Ken redesigned the PCB with a flexible ribbon cable, allowing it to bend without applying pressure on certain parts. The new PCB is available in Pillonel’s shop for 39.9 CHF ($45.3 USD).

The older PCB was prone to wear and tear if used roughly

A flexible ribbon cable on the new PCB made it much more resistant to regular daily usage

The upgraded AirPods Max (Pillonel calls it the AirPods Max 2.0) only has the one design upgrade, although knowing Pillonel, he’ll soon make the entire thing repairable and probably even figure out how to replace batteries on them. You can visit his YouTube channel here, or read our coverage on his other interesting projects here.

The post Apple AirPods Max get a USB-C port thanks to this clever engineering hack first appeared on Yanko Design.

LEAKED: Apple’s Notch Explorations Show What We Could Have Gotten Instead Of The Dynamic Island

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In the six full years that it took to transition from the notch to the dynamic island, I’m sure the Apple team was hard at work figuring out what the next logical step would be. Under-screen cameras had their caveats (camera quality would suffer), and bezels were an absolute no-go. The iPad could get away with a notch built into its relatively thin bezels, but the same bezel thickness couldn’t be carried forward to the significantly smaller iPhone. Then in 2022, Apple revealed the successor to the notch, a more detached notch that they called the Dynamic Island. Its benefit? That it could shapeshift into different shapes and sizes depending on notifications, resulting in a notch that didn’t feel like a compromise.

But information obtained by the folks at MacRumors provides a rare peek behind the curtain of Apple’s design process, and more importantly, what we COULD have gotten instead of the dynamic island. The concepts range from acceptable to downright absurd, with some proposing two notches instead of one! Here’s a look at the 6-year worth of brainstorming at Apple’s design offices before they transitioned from the notch to their now ubiquitous Dynamic Island.

The notch made its first appearance in 2017 with the iPhone X, a commemorative phone to mark the product line’s 10-year anniversary. It soon became a meme, and then a standard fixture for iPhones moving forward, but needless to say, Apple wanted to find a better solution. The first solution was in the form of an extra notch to make the existing notch look more appealing. Visible in the image above (left), this notch would effectively be your control center, but would disappear when not in use. Let’s be objectively clear, I’m glad Apple didn’t implement this because it’s downright hideous. It creates a uniquely displeasing screen shape (even if temporarily), and is an ergonomic nightmare for left-handed people. The second alternative was to black out parts of the screen entirely to hide the notch (top right) – a feature that looked much more acceptable visually, but was a step back for Apple’s zero bezel effort. It, however, would translate to battery savings because the top part of the screen on either side of the notch would remain black for most of the time.

Finally, the company arrived at the dynamic island, but struggled with finding the right way to make it ‘dynamic’. Initial explorations would show dot-shaped icons emerging from the island when in use, while others showed the island transforming into a large block when increasing or decreasing the volume before returning to its original size. This pretty much put Apple on the right track, but they weren’t there yet. Another concept showed the entire island turning into your control center (I somewhat like this if I’m being absolutely candid), while one concept gave the island a second skin in the form of a colored window.

Finally, Apple figured out how to have the island dynamically transform into widgets based on apps and processes, offering something much more elegant than the concepts shown here. However, that’s the nature of the design process, whether you’re a small startup or a trillion-dollar company. You try, ideate, evaluate, fail, and go back to the drawing board over and over till you find something that works… even if it takes six damn years. In hindsight, I’m glad they took that long. I’d take a dynamic island any day over that godawful secondary side notch!

Image Credits: MacRumours

The post LEAKED: Apple’s Notch Explorations Show What We Could Have Gotten Instead Of The Dynamic Island first appeared on Yanko Design.

This 5G eBike has a built-in action camera and infotainment system: Orbic 5G eBike Hands-On at MWC 2024

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Amidst the bustling corridors of the 2024 Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, sustainable innovation company Orbic has unveiled a device that will radically alter last-mile and intra-urban commutes forever: the world’s first 5G-enabled eBike, equipped with AI for object avoidance and collision detection.

Designer: Orbic

Orbic’s leap into the eBike sector practically reshapes how we perceive mobility, safety, and connectivity on two wheels. “Introducing Orbic’s 5G e-Bike at MWC Barcelona is part of our innovation pipeline that implements advanced technology to expand connectivity and enhance user experiences,” said Mike Narula, President and CEO of Orbic. “By integrating 5G connectivity and AI technology, we aim to redefine the riding experience, making it safer, more connected, and environmentally responsible whether on city streets, in suburban neighborhoods or the challenging terrain of mountain trails. The 5G e-Bike represents a significant leap forward in electronic mobility, and we are excited about bringing this new technology to cities across the globe.”

Central to the eBike’s design is its AI-powered avoidance detection system, featuring a sensor with a 140-degree field of view at the rear, which actively monitors for potential hazards and alerts riders through audible and visual warnings. This focus on safety is further supported by the eBike’s array of cameras: a 64MP front-facing camera for capturing and livestreaming (yes, the Orbic bike has its own built-in action camera!), an 8MP camera on the front display ideal for video calls, and a 2MP rear camera dedicated to enhancing safety through collision avoidance and object detection.

The eBike’s frontal camera array

A rear camera helps with vehicle detection

Stuck in traffic? The touchscreen can be used for entertainment too!

Additionally, the eBike boasts a 7-inch, all-weather touchscreen display that provides riders with essential information such as battery status, speed, and navigation data, ensuring attention remains on the road. The eBike’s 5G connectivity not only minimizes lag for a responsive user experience but also enriches the riding experience by enabling features like live streaming, trail sharing, bike-to-bike communication, and real-time navigation.

Orbic’s 5G eBike reveal at MWC 2024 represents a seismic shift in eco-friendly transportation, operating without fossil fuels and emitting no carbon, aligning with the company’s dedication to sustainable technology development. This approach offers riders a guilt-free mode of transportation that doesn’t compromise on innovation or performance.

The post This 5G eBike has a built-in action camera and infotainment system: Orbic 5G eBike Hands-On at MWC 2024 first appeared on Yanko Design.

World’s First AR Glasses that correct Partial Retinal Blindness: Hands-on with Eyecane AR at MWC 2024

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I’ve always said that great technology doesn’t cater only to the needs of the dominant 95%, it also factors in the needs of the often neglected 5%. To that end, AR technology is great, but it hasn’t been applied in a way that benefits the 5th percentile – and Cellico wants to change that. The medical-tech company unveiled the Eyecane AR glasses at MWC, the world’s first augmented reality device designed to correct age-related macular degeneration (AMD).

Designed to look and feel like your standard sunglasses, the Eyecane AR helps people with retinal disease see clearly. A 4K camera at the center of the glasses records the world, feeding media into a tiny projected display within the Eyecane AR’s lenses. AMD causes blind spots within people’s vision, but the Eyecane AR’s cameras help fill in those blind spots with digitally captured imagery in real time, helping people see fully and clearly again.

Designer: Cellico

A disease that affects as many as 1 in 200 people by the time they reach 60, going up as high as 1 in 5 people by the time they hit their 90s. The affliction, caused by the degeneration of the macula (the central part of the retina) results in blurry or sometimes even no vision in the center of your eye. Think of a large black dot in otherwise relatively clear vision. Given that a lot of the important things we see find themselves in this central zone, people with AMD can have a tough time looking at objects, identifying people, and navigating scenarios. Cellico’s solution is incredibly simple – have a camera capture whatever is in that gap, and display it in the corner of your eye, where you can still see things relatively clearly. Creating somewhat of a picture-in-picture effect, Eyecane AR allows people with AMD to regain vision in their macular region simply by having a camera capture it and display it in another part of their field of view.

A snap-on sunshade helps people see clearly in bright settings too

By harnessing the power of a compact 4K 20MP camera seamlessly integrated into smart glasses and complemented by an intuitive mobile app, Eyecane AR captures and processes real-time images with precision, even applying optical image stabilization. These images are then projected onto an augmented reality display in Full-HD, effectively shifting central vision to the peripheral field of view. This groundbreaking approach not only restores clarity but also rekindles independence for those navigating the challenges of AMD.

simulates how people with AMD perceive the world, and how the Eyecane AR can help fill in the gap with a PIP on the left side.

Moving the PIP to the center of the screen shows what images would look like for people with regular vision.

The beauty of the Eyecane AR lies in the fact that it can be used right out of the box without a hospital visit. The Eyecane app has a built-in scotometry program that analyzes your vision for you, pinpointing the blind spot or the problematic area in your vision. The app then helps the AR glasses’ camera calibrate and focus on that region, capturing the image and displaying it in a corner of your peripheral vision. The entire process takes mere minutes, and helps quickly restore macular vision simply by relying on the inherent properties of augmented reality displays!

Key Features of Eyecane AR:

  • 4K camera with Optical Image Stabilization (OIS) embedded in AR glasses
  • Mobile app featuring a customized image-processing engine
  • Full HD Reflective Freeform crystal Lens offering a Field of View (FoV) of 40°
  • Voice control functionality for seamless user interaction
  • Electric Auto Sunshade coated with an LC film, ensuring optimal visual comfort in diverse lighting conditions
  • Lightweight construction, crafted from Titanium and Ultem materials, prioritizing comfort and wearability

The post World’s First AR Glasses that correct Partial Retinal Blindness: Hands-on with Eyecane AR at MWC 2024 first appeared on Yanko Design.

Dynavisual Hands-On at MWC 2024: Flexible Displays found their most exciting application yet

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If you’ve browsed through the internet long enough, you’ve seen videos of Taylor Swift or Coldplay concerts, with the entire audience lighting up thanks to LED wristbands that respond to the concert’s lighting and music setup. Well, Dynavisual wants to take that technology a few steps further. The company is working on a set of flexible high-visibility LED ‘billboards’ that can be worn on caps, clothes, bags, etc. The LEDs can be customized to display messages, stats, and brand logos (pretty standard stuff), but what really makes them exciting is their ability to be paired together by the thousands, potentially turning an entire crowd into a massive display. Dubbed ‘Swarm Technology’, Dynavisual paints an incredibly exciting future where massive arenas come to life at concerts or sports games, displaying images, logos, or even massive graphics – just imagine the entire stadium displaying the word ‘GOAL’ when Messi scores. The best part? These Dynavisual displays could then go back to being individual units once the game is over, with each person carrying their display back home and using it like they normally did.

Designer: Dynavisual

Flexible displays have been around for over a decade now, but calling the Dynavisual Pad a flexible display is a bit of a stretch. In theory, it passes the bar, but practically, you’re also looking at a pad that has just 512 pixels, arranged in a 16×32 array. Standard OLED displays like the ones in your phone have millions of pixels per display, but the folks at Dynavisual don’t want you to make that comparison. If looked at independently, the Dynavisual Pad is an entirely different product. It’s designed with a robust construction that can be worn across your body or on your head, has multi-directional flexibility across both X and Y axes, and those individual pixels may give the display an incredibly low resolution, but they’re exceedingly bright. For comparison, the iPhone has a peak outdoor brightness of 2000 nits – the Dynavisual Pad outputs a comfortable 6000 nits, making it up to 3x brighter than traditional phone displays. The reason is simple – the low resolution and high brightness aid visibility over distances of multiple feet, whereas a smartphone display is practically unusable beyond 6-7 feet.

Showcased at MWC 2024, the Dynavisual team is bringing attention to how capable its Pad is. Each Pad is roughly the size of a large phone, has visibility in bright daylight, and boasts a flexible design thanks to ridges in the back that allow it to easily bend in multiple directions, making it perfect for wearing on your person. The device is made to be lightweight, allowing you to wear it on a cap, in a hoodie/jacket, or even on a bag, and it has its own built-in battery. Details on the battery life were unclear, but given that the device has just over 500 LEDs to power, it’s much more power-efficient than your smartphone.

The applications for the Dynavisual Pad are perhaps the most exciting bit as far as the product goes. There’s an obvious use-case in branding/marketing, with the pad accepting logos, messages, and branding elements, but Dynavisual sees the Pad as being a great communication element beyond the narrow marketing approach. It could be used by safety personnel to help deliver messages/guidance, or it could even be used in a personal capacity, perhaps by a cyclist looking to let drivers behind know whether they’re turning left or right (or braking). To that end, the Dynavisual Pad is a pretty smart device. It packs a whole slew of sensors, including GPS, Bluetooth, WiFi, Infrared, and even voice input.

The 6000-nit LEDs are bright enough to shine through thin fabrics too, allowing you to easily conceal them into clothing.

However, things get truly exciting when multiple Dynavisual Pads come together at the same venue. The company has developed a unique protocol that allows multiple Dynavisual Pads to sync together, becoming a swarm or hive-mind. The technology is best displayed within stadiums and arenas, as organizers can command multiple Dynavisual Pads together, turning them into a massive intelligent display that relies on hundreds if not thousands of pads to work as individual pixels. Imagine an entire stadium audience erupting into colors and displaying the score every time there’s a goal (or a touchdown), or lighting up with brand messages during an ad break. Unlike with current LED bands used in concerts that rely on a combination of WiFi and radio frequencies, Dynavisual’s Swarm Technology operates differently. For starters, with existing solutions, LED bands are owned by organizers, distributed to audiences at venues, and collected once the event is over. That isn’t a concern with the Dynavisual Pad, as users can bring in their own Pad devices into a venue and have it automatically sync up with the event’s light and sound system. Moreover, while current LED bands can only display swathes of colors and vague shapes, Dynavisual’s team has managed to figure out how to display images – a feat that’s incredibly tricky because organizers will need to know where every single Pad device is located, and send specific signals to them.

The application of that widespread swarm technology, however, doesn’t translate well to a hands-on demo with just one or two units on display. It’s also a challenge to explain the product to people attending the Mobile World Congress, because there’s a knee-jerk reaction to then compare it to a mobile – which the Dynavisual Pad is NOT. That being said, the swarm technology looks promising, as the visuals quite literally paint a vivid picture… although with massive concerts, tournaments, and large-scale sporting events like the Olympics, the Dynavisual Pad has an audience practically ripe for the picking!

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If the Apple Vision Pro and the Google Glass had a baby, these AR glasses would be it…

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Showcasing their tech at the Mobile World Congress, Everysight is riding the new AR (or should we call it Spatial) wave with the Maverick, their small, sleek, and stylish glasses that challenge the bulky mixed reality glasses and headsets we see today with something so close to regular glasses, you wouldn’t be able to tell the difference. Designed with a projected display that lets you see data and metric overlaid on the existing world, the Maverick uses an entire slew of sensors to track position, orientation, and head-tilt to ensure that digital elements remain in your line of sight (LOS) and correctly oriented. In fact, the Maverick even bagged multiple awards last year, including the iF Design Award and the Red Dot Award.

Designer: Everysight

Unlike most AR headsets that can make you look a little dystopian when walking down the streets or sitting in a subway (we’re looking at you, Vision Pro wearers), the Maverick stands at the intersection of great tech and fashion. Weighing in at under 47 grams, these glasses boast a sporty, ergonomic frame that promises comfort for all-day wear, a crucial consideration for devices intended to be part of our daily lives. This comfort does not come at the expense of durability or style, making them a versatile accessory suitable for any occasion.

AR glasses are only as good as their displays (something that most Vision Pro users will swiftly point out – which is why the Maverick impresses with its crisp, high-contrast visuals despite its tiny package. Utilizing a Sony Color microOLED display, it delivers stunning visuals characterized by vibrant colors and sharp details. The high-brightness display guarantees an optimal viewing experience in both indoor and outdoor settings, a testament to the glasses’ adaptability and user-centric design.

Ease of use is at the forefront of the Maverick design, with an intuitive interface that allows users to navigate and control features through simple gestures. This user-friendly approach is further enhanced by advanced sensors like a 3D accelerometer, gyro, and magnetometer, which provide accurate line-of-sight tracking for an immersive augmented reality experience.

Battery life is a perennial concern for wearable technologies, and here, Maverick impresses with over 8 hours of continuous operation. This endurance is complemented by efficient power management, ensuring that the glasses support a day’s worth of activities without needing a recharge. Such longevity is essential for users who demand reliability from their smart devices.

User interface and interaction are streamlined for ease of use. Maverick features an intuitive interface that allows for effortless navigation and control through simple gestures. This ease of use is further enhanced by the inclusion of a 3D accelerometer, gyro, and magnetometer, providing accurate line-of-sight tracking that enriches the augmented reality experience by aligning virtual objects with the real world seamlessly. Moreover, the Maverick glasses are designed with inclusivity in mind. They offer an RX solution with personalized lenses tailored to individual prescriptions, ensuring that users with varying visual needs can enjoy the benefits of smart eyewear without compromise.

Connectivity is robust, with Bluetooth 5.2 ensuring seamless pairing with a wide range of devices, including iOS and Android smartphones, as well as Apple Watch and Android Wear. This connectivity underpins the Maverick’s versatility, making it a central hub for notifications and digital interactions on the go.

In the box, users will find everything needed to start their journey with Maverick: tinted removable visors, a charging cable, a carrying case, a pouch, a cleaning cloth, and interchangeable nose pieces. Everysight is selling a developer edition of the Maverick for $399, although it’s unclear when the public rollout will begin, and what the price will be for regular consumers.

Everysight’s Maverick glasses represent a significant advancement in smart eyewear, proving that it’s possible to stay stylish while benefiting from the latest in wearable technology. They set a new benchmark for combining practicality with elegance, ensuring users can stay connected in a visually compelling, productive, and convenient manner. If these glasses could brew coffee, we might never find a reason to take them off.

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Whopping 28,000mAh Energizer phone unveiled at MWC 2024 with a week-long battery life

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Battery Saver Mode? What’s that??

Meet the Energizer Hard Case P28K smartphone from Avenir Telecom. I hesitate to call it a smartphone because it’s pretty much a brick with a screen… but this smart brick does have a pretty incredible spec to boast about. This device is a behemoth in the battery department, boasting a staggering 28,000mAh capacity that promises to last a regular user an entire week on a single charge. It’s a follow-up to their previous 18,000mAh model from 2019, marking a significant leap in battery size and, implicitly, in user independence from power outlets.

For context, a 28,000mAh battery is roughly 9x more than your average smartphone, which has an average of around 3000mAh. That translates to much more battery capacity, stretching to a week (or maybe more) with regular use… but it also leads to, well, that massive brick-ish format. The Energizer Hard Case P28K measures a staggering 27.8mm thick (that’s nearly three smartphones thick) and weighs a whopping 570 grams (over 20 ounces). I pity the fool who texts with this in bed and accidentally drops it on their face. That being said, the phone is at least rated IP69 for dust and water resistance…

The 18,000mAh Energizer Phone from 2019 (above), versus the P28K smartphone (below)

Fast charging at 33W is also a welcome feature, considering you don’t want to spend 5-6 hours topping off the entire battery. However, details regarding the full charge time remain unspecified, raising questions about the practicality of recharging such a large battery. The phone’s specifications are modest, with no 5G support and a processor that won’t turn heads. Yet, with 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a trio of rear cameras, Android 14, and a sizable 6.78-inch 1080p LCD display, it covers the basics well enough for users whose primary concern isn’t cutting-edge tech but battery life.

Scheduled for release in October at a price of €249.99 ($271.37 USD), the P28K positions itself as a unique offering in the smartphone market. However, it’s notable that it won’t be available in the US, a decision that may reflect market research or regulatory challenges, but it certainly raises curiosity about the global distribution strategy and target audience for such a niche product.

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Future Smartphones could have backplates made from 3D displays, fiberglass, or even fragrant leather

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While most smartphone companies focus only on advancing the inner components of their devices, TECNO’s working on something even exciting – outer materials that enhance and elevate the smartphone’s design to new levels. The company gave us a sneak peek of what they’ve been working on, and let’s just say it goes above and beyond simple glass or metal assemblies. TECNO’s team have been researching color-changing materials, 3D stereoscopic displays (on the back of your phone), organic fabric leather, fiberglass, and even fragrant materials that can give your smartphone a unique aroma. Obviously, none of these materials are ready to deploy at the mass scale that TECNO produces its phones at… but it’s exciting to think of a future where phones won’t look the same, or even smell the same!

1. Chameleon Coloring Technology

Perhaps the holy grail of smartphone design (aside from fully transparent phones) has been the idea of a phone that can change color… and TECNO seems to have developed a technology capable of this. Dubbed Chameleon Coloring Technology, the material stands out as the first in the industry to harness ultra-fine prisms for full-spectrum, polarization-free color shifting. This state-of-the-art technology operates through angular rotation induced by an electric field, enabling it to capture every color hue vividly. It boasts an ultra-fast reaction time that sets new industry benchmarks, achieving responsiveness in a mere 0.03 seconds. Alongside its rapid performance, it promises an extended lifespan and operates on minimal power, with consumption measured at the milliampere level. The technology also features versatile color adaptation capabilities, allowing for the independent customization of essential color functionalities and enabling selectable color absorption to suit a variety of needs.

2. 3D Stereo Optical Grating

If you thought changing colors was exciting, what if the back of your phone had its own dedicated 3D display that showcased depth without requiring glasses?? The 3D Stereo Optical Grating is a cutting-edge technology that uses advanced materials and a special pattern to produce a 3D effect without the need for glasses. This technology can create a sense of depth and make images look like they’re floating right in front of you. It can also change the way colors and patterns appear. This method works by bending light in a specific way, which can be applied across an entire surface or just parts of it. It’s perfect for large-scale printing processes where vivid colors and detailed patterns are needed quickly and accurately. Plus, it’s capable of adding movement to images, making it a smart choice for creating lots of high-quality products in a factory setting.

3. Layered Fiberglass

Layered fiberglass stands out from standard glass because it’s built to be much stronger and more flexible, even when it’s just as thin. This means it can take more bending and pressure without breaking. Plus, it’s surprisingly lightweight, making it a better option for things that need both durability and ease of handling. To give it a sleek, shiny finish that mimics the look of metal, a special coating technique is used. This isn’t like regular spray paint; it’s a high-tech process that leaves the fiberglass feeling smooth to the touch, almost luxurious. The texture is top-notch, and it has the added bonus of resisting smudges and fingerprints, so it stays looking clean and polished for longer. This makes layered fiberglass not just tough and good-looking, but also practical for everyday use where touch and cleanliness matter.

4. Colored Textured Glass

Colored textured glass is crafted by blending molten glass in various colors, like clear, shades of blue, and white. This mixture is stirred evenly in a special container using a precise method, resulting in beautifully textured glass. The color infuses throughout the glass, ensuring it remains vibrant and enduring over time. This glass can be tailored to personal preferences, offering a unique, almost magical hue that resembles the depths of precious stones. Additionally, it has the ability to mimic the appearance of fine ceramics, all while being thinner than actual ceramics.

5. Fragrant Leather

This might be the most bizarrely interesting piece of innovation yet. TECNO’s Fragrant Leather is an innovative material that infuses scent into vegan leather through a special process. Tiny capsules filled with scented oils are mixed into the PU resin of the leather, with the amount carefully adjusted to get the perfect strength of fragrance. This sensory-rich material combines durability with a pleasing aroma and practical use. It’s designed to retain its scent for a long time, and with normal use, away from harsh conditions like direct sunlight or extreme heat, the lovely smell can last for more than a year, and TECNO’s been formulating popular scents like cologne, ocean, and even rose.

6. Organosilicone Fabric Leather

While most synthetic leathers come with a polyurethane coating, TECNO’s working on a synthetic leather that uses an ‘organosilicone’ coating instead. This fabric is specially coated with a silicone polymer, which makes it particularly user-friendly because it’s simple to clean and doesn’t hold onto odors. Additionally, it’s an eco-friendly option with very low volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions, meaning it’s better for indoor air quality. The durability of organosilicone fabric leather stands up to various weather conditions, and it’s also recyclable, supporting a more sustainable lifecycle. What’s more, this material represents a leap forward in fabric technology by utilizing high-grade silicone coatings, reducing reliance on carbon-based materials and thus decreasing carbon emissions.

7. Renewable Fiber

We’ve seen fiberglass used everywhere, but have you seen it on the back of your phone?! TECNO’s developed a special brand of fiberglass that’s made from recycled plastics. The fibers themselves come from shredded plastic bottles that would otherwise end up as landfill or ocean waste. The result is a plastic that’s flexible, durable, gorgeous-looking, unique because the fibers are laid out differently on each phone, and innately fingerprint resistant given the fiberglass’ texture. There’s also the added bonus of it being sustainable because not only is it made from recycled plastic, but it can further be recycled too!

8. Color Blending Leather

Leather is currently a favored material for crafting deluxe smartphone back covers in the tech industry. However, the variety of leather colors on the market is quite restricted, typically offering only single or dual-tone options. TECNO has been working on a Color Blending Leather that incorporates color-changing patterns into leather, allowing it to shift hues through the day. This process allows for the merging of multiple hues, creating a seamless and vibrant artwork directly on the leather itself. The result is a multi-layered color effect with a distinct and refined texture that’s also practical, resisting dirt and wear. This innovative color blending technique is set to infuse a dash of fashion-forward flair and artistic expression into the realm of technology accessories.

9. Borderless Foldable Main Screen

While companies like Oppo, Huawei, and Samsung have truly been pushing the boundaries of folding phone technology, there’s always been one obstacle nobody could overcome – the bezel. TECNO, however, is proposing modifying the structure of the Ultra Thin Glass (UTG) to remove the bezels entirely. While we don’t have any physical or visual evidence of this, it seems like TECNO could potentially launch a folding concept soon with zero bezels.

10. Satellite Communication Technology

Finally, TECNO is also looking at ways to bring satellite communication to its own phones, just like Apple did with the iPhone 14 series. “When located in an environment with poor or no signal, the Satellite Communication Technology enables users to maintain contact with the outside world, ensuring safety when camping, hiking, and mountaineering,” says the company.

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What if the White Board and Sticky Note had a baby? Meet the Future of Creative Productivity

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Back in 2020, the way we worked radically changed. No, I’m not talking about the shift to Working From Home (WFH) during the pandemic, I’m talking about the birth of the Mover Erase, a rather inventive little piece of stationery that took the best parts of a magnet, a whiteboard, and a Sticky Note and combined them all into one single universally appealing solution. The Mover Erase was just genius – it was portable, reusable, magnetic, and came in clusters that helped you move notes around instead of one large static surface. Moreover, it saved paper by replacing thousands of sticky notes that would eventually end up in the trash. Nearly 4 years later, the folks at Bravestorming are making the Mover Erase better than ever, with standardized sizes that let you mount sticky notes onto your individual MEU (Mover Erase Uni-size) plate, for people who prefer the texture of paper. The entire kit also comes with its own mounting accessories, along with an app that digitizes your hand-written notes, giving them a place to live forever even if you wipe them clean to reuse!

Designer: Bravestorming

Click Here to Buy Now: $44 $65 (33% off). Hurry, only 9/165 left!

Whiteboards are great because you can capture ideas, wipe them down, and start afresh. Sticky notes are great because you can put them anywhere, and arrange them to create brainstorming maps with repositionable boxes. So why not combine the two into a novel, clever solution? The Mover Erase Uni-size cleverly merges them into a singular product that really lends well to your creative process. The MEU’s whiteboard-like glossy silicon surface is great to write on with whiteboard markers, while the magnetic design lets you snap your notes easily onto surfaces for future reference. A patented release technique lets you dislodge notes too, quite like pulling a sticky note off a wall. The MEUs are color-coded, perfect for organizing your notes based on category or urgency, come in two standard sizes that match popular Sticky Note formats, and unlike paper which tends to curl up and become frail after days, stays looking as good as new forever.

6 Forms of MoveNote + Trifold

The beauty lies in the ability to use a cluster of MEUs together, brainstorming, organizing, reshuffling, and effectively mapping out ideas simply by moving individual MEUs around. Then, once you’re done with your sprint session, you can either keep the MEUs where they are, dislodge them to assign activities/roles to different teammates, or better still, take a photo through 3M’s Post-It app to digitize your notes effectively before wiping an MEU clean. Cleverly enough, the new MEUs are perfectly sized to fit your standard Post-It notes too, so just in case you love the texture of paper, you can stick your notes right on the MEU and use them… although what’s great about the new MEUs is the fact that the silicon surface on which you write can actually be removed from its plastic housing and stuck onto surfaces (given that silicon has an almost friction-like gripping tendency). However, there’s an understated beauty to the magnetic clear casing that the MEU has been perfecting since 2020.

Speaking of things being perfected since 2020, the Mover Erase Uni-Size comes with two new accessories in the form of an A3-compatible Movenote magnetic folder that gives your MEU notes and your paper documents a single place to coexist, and a shapeshifting Trifold that gives your notes a dynamic stand to display themselves on. The Movenote is a folio case that holds documents (A4/A3), acts as a daily planner (letting you stick your MEUs on the built-in charts), and even transforms into a tiny table! Its A3/A4 size compatibility means it holds tablets too, giving you a singular place for all your stationery and productivity tools. However, if you need something a little more compact just for your MEUs, that’s where you’ve got the Trifold.

The Trifold is a clever accessory that features three panels with dedicated charts on them for using alongside your MEUs. The magnetic surface lets you easily attach MEUs to the Trifold’s charts, but wait, they also fold into a prism shape, sitting on your desk either horizontally or vertically, allowing you to view and access your MEU notes on command. Open the Trifold flat, and it’s just the right size to fit into the Movenote folder, giving you a holistic kit that radically transforms how you think, take notes, and work.

The makers behind the Mover Erase began their journey by simply designing magnetic memo bricks that you could attach sticky notes to… but in doing so, they realized there was a lot more to the product. “Compared to the traditional sticky note thinking process, our Mover (Magnetic Memo Brick) significantly helped ADHD adults, Montessori educators, and many entrepreneurs in their thinking processes,” mentioned the creators at Bravestorming. Over the years, different iterations helped them build products that served different needs for different users. The magnetic memo brick still remains core to the product’s UX, but it now comes with a removable, washable, paper-like textured silicone writing surface… but more importantly, it’s standardized in size, still allowing people to mount Sticky Notes from popular brands like 3M onto it, just like the first generation.

Following 3 successful Kickstarter campaigns with over 15,000 happy customers, the folks at Bravestorming are finally turning a good idea into a great ecosystem. Four years later, the Mover Erase ‘universe’ is more functional and well-rounded than ever, allowing you to ideate, brainstorm, collaborate, and organize your work-life more efficiently and creatively. The Mover Erase Uni-size Starter Pack starts at a mere $33, consisting of just blank MEUs, but for $44 you can upgrade to color-coded MEUs, and for a little extra, you can add the Movenote and Trifold to your kit.

Click Here to Buy Now: $44 $65 (33% off). Hurry, only 9/165 left!

The post What if the White Board and Sticky Note had a baby? Meet the Future of Creative Productivity first appeared on Yanko Design.

This Compact Pizza Oven is the Secret to Unlocking Restaurant-Worthy Pizzas at Home

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Compact enough to easily fit even in the tiniest of backyards, the Gozney Arc isn’t a pizza oven as much as it’s a portal straight to Naples. With a unique design that combines high-end material, immaculate engineering, and a series of game-changing innovations, the Gozney Arc sets a new standard for creating epic pizza at home.

Designer: Gozney

Click Here to Sign Up Now: $760

The Arc gets its name from the way its evolutionary lateral gas burner creates a yellow flame that rolls and arcs over the internal chamber of the oven, mimicking that of a wood fire seen in many traditional restaurant pizza ovens. The innovative burner design unlocks valuable floor space meaning the oven is compact on the outside but big on the inside whilst providing unparalleled heat consistency and precise control. This, creator and founder Tom Gozney mentions, makes it easier than ever to bake the perfect pizza no matter your skill level Just like a restaurant pizza oven, Arcs reaches temperatures upwards of 950°F (500°C), well beyond what your regular home oven is capable of so you can cook a pizza in as little as 60 seconds…. if you’ve tried baking a restaurant-style Neapolitan or even New York pizza in your home oven (with a pizza stone or steel), you know that it just doesn’t taste the same. The lower temperatures of home ovens mean the pizza dough takes longer to cook, and instead of charring on the surface, it dries out through and through, giving you a bread-like consistency, not the airy, charred crust you’d get in a restaurant.

Arc XL + Arc bring Gozney’s renowned design ethos into a sleek form that’s compact outside yet big on cooking space inside.

That’s where a device like the Arc comes in. Designed to distill the performance of a restaurant oven into something more accessible so you can churn out 14 or 16-inch pizzas that taste just like something you’d get at your favorite pizza place. It’s tricky scaling down all those thermals and design principles but that’s what the Arc’s engineering is all about. It has a 20mm stone floor and thick layers of insulation that provide unbeatable heat retention and consistency. This helps the pizza oven get hot and stay hot, allowing you to get a consistent bake, pizza after pizza. However, don’t just limit yourself to pizza with this oven, with the Arc you can create calzones, focaccias, grilled fish, roasted veggies, seared meats, and other dishes that benefit from high, searing, scaling down an hour’s worth of cooking to mere minutes.

With a revolutionary lateral gas burner, unbeatable heat retention, and precision temperature control – all for distributing high heat evenly and consistently – creating epic pizza has never been easier.

It isn’t just the fact that the Arc is smaller that makes it the perfect partner for your outdoor cooking adventures – it’s smarter too, with innovative features that make the entire process highly intuitive and easy for home cooks. Temperature control is key to achieving perfect results with any oven, and the Arc is no exception. With features like a digital temperature display that alerts you when the oven has hit the perfect stone floor temperature of your favorite pizza styles and an intuitive, precise temperature control the Arc lets home cooks make pizzas with more confidence and less trial-and-error.

The Arc is available in two sizes with the smaller oven having a base big enough for a medium 14″ pizza, and the Arc XL is able to make a large 16″ pizza for everyone to dig into. To ensure you have everything to need, Gozney has also designed a range of pioneering accessories from a handy outdoor stand for the pizza oven, with fold-out side tables and a dedicated spot for a propane tank underneath to a new range of peels so you can launch, rotate and serve your pizzas with ease.

With the Arc, you don’t need to be a professional pizza guru, have working knowledge of wood-fired ovens or stress about fluctuating temperatures or uneven cooking to make the restaurant-worthy pizzas at home. What’s not to love? Bring on the pizza parties.

Click Here to Sign Up Now: $760

The post This Compact Pizza Oven is the Secret to Unlocking Restaurant-Worthy Pizzas at Home first appeared on Yanko Design.