Modular DJ deck controller lets you decide how you want to mix your music

Although it might seem like it, controllers for different devices and gadgets are actually designed to help make users’ lives easier. The overwhelming number of buttons on a traditional TV or set-top box remote, for example, are there to give nearly instant access to functions without having to dig your way through menus. Needs and trends change over time, however, and devices need to adapt with them, just like how those TV remotes have become significantly minimal, some with no more than five buttons. There are controllers, however, that can’t really be distilled down to half a dozen switches and buttons. Complicating matters is how different people might have different ideas on how to best use those controls. Straddling the fine line between those two camps, this design concept puts users in complete control of one of the busiest controllers in the market.

Designer: Marko Filipic

When there are so many things happening quickly that need your attention, the last thing you need is to fiddle with menus to remain in control. Sometimes, you don’t even get a few seconds to think about your next move and just function on autopilot. This is often the case with complicated controllers like the decks that DJs use to mix, scratch, and direct the flow of music at any given moment. A deck controller would have dozens of buttons, sliders, switches, and dials, but not everyone uses those same controls in the same way all the time.

This modular controller concept brings one of the rising trends in product design to the world of DJing, allowing the user to decide exactly how to arrange those controls or which ones to actually have present in the first place. The idea is to have a platform where one can easily add, remove, or relocate those gizmos where they’re most convenient. There are parts that are permanently attached to the deck, like the two large dials on each side, but the rest is fair game for the DJ.

This design is made possible by a grid of Pogo connectors in the middle of the deck, similar to those gold dots you’d find in older smartwatches as well as tablet keyboard covers. Here you can make any arrangement of buttons, sliders, and dials, some of which take up more than one “block” on that grid. In a way, it becomes a fun puzzle activity for DJs to build their own personalized deck.

The base design for this modular DJ controller leans more towards minimalist trends with its white coating and lack of decorations. Admittedly, this might look a little out of place among a DJ’s other tools, so there’s also a variant that brings those familiar accent lighting on a predominantly black deck, a better representation of a DJ’s vibrant and unpredictable style.

The post Modular DJ deck controller lets you decide how you want to mix your music first appeared on Yanko Design.

Sony’s new gaming handheld device streams PS5 games on the go

At the PlayStation Showcase 2023 event, Sony unveiled a handheld device that’ll make gamers both excited and longing for more. That’s because the Japanese electronics giant did unveil the Project Q gaming device but with a spoiler.

Rather than being a follow-up of the PlayStation Vita, the handheld will be more of a streaming gadget for mirroring PlayStation 5 games when you want to shift to the smaller screen for a while. That’s something akin to the Logitech G Cloud and the Razer Edge. This further reiterates Sony’s belief in mobile gaming since they announced the Backbone One game controller a few days back.

Designer: Sony

By no stretch of imagination is this gaming handheld a competitor for Steam Deck or Nintendo Switch. It’s basically a device to be used with PS Remote Play, and looks like a stretched DualSense controller. Much like a third-party mobile gaming controller that fits your smartphone.

Even though it won’t play any games standalone or without internet connectivity, the option to stream your favorite titles on the 8-inch HD LCD screen sandwiched between the controls is simply awesome. The device will be capable of streaming games at upto 1080p and 60fps over a Wi-Fi connection. Not to forget, you’ll get all the buttons and features of DualSense controller like the haptic feedback and adaptive triggers.

According to PlayStation boss Jim Ryan, “Innovation is our passion, and that applies to not just what games you play, but how you play them.” He further emphasized the cloud gaming aspect moving forward, making the streaming handheld a potent tool in the quest for leveraging the “trend of mobility.”

For now, Sony has just uncovered these details and there’s no word on the pricing or the release date of the Project Q handheld. That said, we are still rooting for Sony to release a dedicated gaming device that’s more than just a cloud gaming gadget and can play offline as well.

The post Sony’s new gaming handheld device streams PS5 games on the go first appeared on Yanko Design.

How this AI-powered ballpoint pen brings the joy of analog writing to the digital world

The pen is mightier than the sword, and that aphorism remains true even in this highly digital age. In fact, there has been a renaissance of interest and even passion for handwritten notes, giving birth to a myriad of paper-based productivity systems and beautiful notebooks, as seen on YouTube. Unfortunately, it’s also hard to deny the advantages and conveniences of digital notes, particularly in terms of organization and searching. Fortunately, there is no longer any need to choose between the two when you can have the best of both worlds thanks to this innovative AI-powered ballpoint pen that turns your handwritten scribbles into digital notes, whether you’re writing on craft paper or on the back of an envelope.

Designer: Nuwa Innovation

Click Here to Buy Now: $234 $360 (35% off). Hurry, only 237 left! Raised over $150,000.

There is a certain appeal to the age-old art of writing things by hand, not to mention the cognitive and psychological benefits that the practice brings. Unfortunately, it’s also no longer possible to ignore the drawbacks of paper notes, especially ones that get lost or are hard to decipher months or even just weeks later. There are quite a few products trying to bridge the gap between analog and digital, but these often require the use of special paper that doesn’t feel like paper, special pens that may be discontinued in the unforeseen future, or both.

The Nuwa Pen is a revolutionary solution that approaches the problem from a different angle. You can use your favorite stationery or grab any piece of paper within reach, and standard D1 ballpoint refills are never going away. Instead, the Nuwa Pen employs an innovative TRIDENT imaging system to see what you’re writing and harnesses the power of AI to digitize those ink marks that can be saved to a digital file. The result is complete freedom to write what you want on whatever kind of paper you want, confident that you’ll be able to easily search through them as if you had typed the notes directly.

Searchable Notes: Keep track of your notes

Text Conversion: Exact copy of your notes

Augmented Notes: Stay connected

This AI-powered Ballpoint Pen, however, does more than just digitize your handwritten notes. Although the pen itself has 2Gb of built-in memory, you can also send your notes to the Nuwa Pen App for unlimited cloud storage. And with the Nuwa Pen+ subscription, you’ll be able to convert your scribbles into searchable text and, soon, connect those notes with over a hundred apps, including Google Calendar, Todoist, emails, and more. With its built-in battery, you can write non-stop for 2 hours before needing to charge the Nuwa Pen in just 15 minutes. The included charging case lets you do that five more times, giving you nearly unlimited freedom to put your thoughts on paper and, in the long run, on the cloud.

Starting at $234, not only do you get the well-designed ballpoint pen and its charging case, you also get a one-year Nuwa Pen+ subscription. With the AI-powered Nuwa Pen, you no longer have to choose between the joys of writing and the conveniences of digital notes. Write on your favorite paper, digitize your notes, and sync with the cloud to let your thoughts and ideas take you to new heights and new worlds.

Click Here to Buy Now: $234 $360 (35% off). Hurry, only 237 left! Raised over $150,000.

The post How this AI-powered ballpoint pen brings the joy of analog writing to the digital world first appeared on Yanko Design.

Playful Nintendo Switch Stand will charge your console, hold your JoyCons, and even dock cartridges

This absolutely heartwarming plant-inspired stand lets you dock/charge your Nintendo Switch between long sessions of playing the new Legends of Zelda game…

Styled like a piranha plant from the Super Mario universe, this Nintendo Switch stand comes with a place to dock your main Switch device, as well as two sets of JoyCons, to make them look like a flower and two sets of leaves. The stand features a hollow conduit running through its main stem, letting you string a charger cable through so you can charge your Switch while it’s docked in the stand. Meanwhile, the ‘soil’ of the planter features multiple slots, allowing you to store game cartridges with all your saved games on them.

Designer: 3DPrintedCanadaCo

Click Here to Buy Now: $57.94 US$ 77.26 (25% Off)

The stand lets you dock your controller with or without the JoyCons, giving you a degree of freedom that feels quite liberating. Two separate offshoot stems on the main stem allow you to add multiple other JoyCons to your stand, although the stand doesn’t charge the individual JoyCons – just the main controller.

If you’re the kind to game with multiple people (or if you just bought extra controllers because of the controller drift problem), the stand has dedicated slots for stashing spare controllers. You can pop them out and play a game while the screen remains docked within the stand, making for a pretty suitable gameplay arrangement, especially if your Switch is running on low battery.

My favorite part of the design is the one detail you’re most likely to miss. The dock comes with enough slots to store up to 10 Switch cartridges, allowing you to build a mini library for all the games currently in rotation. Perfect for if you want to replay Breath of the Wild before starting Tears of the Kingdom!

Click Here to Buy Now: $57.94 US$ 77.26 (25% Off)

The post Playful Nintendo Switch Stand will charge your console, hold your JoyCons, and even dock cartridges first appeared on Yanko Design.

Satechi’s Apple Magic Keyboard Redesign Features Backlit Keys and USB-C Charging for Enhanced Performance

Apple makes great primary devices… but has the worst peripherals on the market. Look at how the Magic Mouse charges, or how unrepairable the AirPods are, or that godawful AirPods Max carrying case, or even the fact that their Magic Keyboard (for both the iMac and iPad) don’t come with backlit keys. The products look remarkably sleek and cutting edge, but there’s really no excuse for bad usability… and rather than just wait for Apple to fix their problems, Satechi just decided to make a better version of their products instead.

Meet the Satechi Slim X3, a vastly better version of Apple’s own Magic Keyboard. The beauty of the X3 is that it acknowledges that the Magic Keyboard’s design doesn’t need changing, but its functionality does. Made to look strikingly similar to Apple’s own keyboard, the Slim X3 offers unique features, like the ability to connect to and switch between multiple devices, USB-C charging (so you can use the same iPad charger with your keyboard), and perhaps the greatest feature of them all, backlit keys that glow to help you easily type at night. The X3 comes with an extended 100% layout featuring arrow keys and a numpad too, although Satechi also makes the X1, with a compact 60% layout for people looking for a smaller keyboard.

Click Here to Buy Now

Right off the bat, the Satechi Slim X3’s design stands out as something an Apple aficionado would absolutely love. You’ve got the keyboard in both silver and space-grey variants, with a machined aluminum outer chassis that has a slight angular tilt, and black plastic keys for that familiar Magic Keyboard experience. The Slim X3’s layout is as expansive as the Magic Keyboard, featuring all the necessary keys along with the function keys on top as well, although understandably enough, there’s no TouchID key on this particular device, given that it’s proprietary Apple technology.

The lack of a TouchID key, however, is more than made up for by the Slim X3’s more prized features. The entire keyboard offers a backlit experience, giving you the ability to work comfortably even in low-light settings or at night without needing to have a table lamp or a light switched on. It’s a simple yet crucial detail that bizarrely enough, Apple completely missed… much to Satechi’s advantage. The Slim X3 also supports connections with 4 devices at the same time, using Bluetooth 5.0, and the ability to even switch between them by tapping the device keys located right above the numpad.

The Slim X3 offers a pretty uncompromising experience for Apple lovers looking for a better solution than the Magic Keyboard. Satechi’s attention to visual design has resulted in a keyboard that’s so remarkably similar to Apple’s own, it blends in with your work setup beautifully. Moreover, the keyboard sports a USB-C port, allowing you to use a regular cable to charge it rather than needing a special Lightning cable handy all the time. If you’ve got an iMac or MacBook, or even an iPad, chances are you’ll have a USB-C cable lying around (since all those devices have USB-C ports of their own), making the Slim X3’s integration even more seamless. Moreover, the Slim X3 Wireless Keyboard boasts compatibility with any Apple device launched in or after 2012, making it perfect for your MacBook, iMac, Mac Mini, Mac Studio, iPhone, or any iPad you’ve got from the past decade. Chances are, it’ll probably work with the Apple Watch too!

Click Here to Buy Now

The post Satechi’s Apple Magic Keyboard Redesign Features Backlit Keys and USB-C Charging for Enhanced Performance first appeared on Yanko Design.

This quirky mouse redesign reuses mechanical keyboard parts for buttons

The venerable computer mouse hasn’t changed its basic format in decades, though there have been additions like the middle mouse button or scroll wheel and shifts from trackball to laser. That means that this essential tool for modern-day life still bears many of the ergonomic flaws of its ancestor, an almost literal pain point in the age of computing. There have been a few design ideas centered around fixing this problem, though many of them pretty much change the mouse to the point that it has become unrecognizable. This particular design concept, however, has none of those and is instead focused on making the mouse a little bit more sustainable, mostly by letting you reuse keyboard parts that you might already have lying around.

Designer: Hizin Joo

Rendered on KeyShot: Click Here to Download Your Free Trial Now!

There has been a surge of interest in mechanical keyboards, especially among workers and gamers that rely heavily on precision, comfort, and satisfying experiences. Because of this, there are plenty of keyboard switches and keycaps available in the market for those who not only love customizing their keyboards but also repairing them on their own. In contrast, computer mice have barely reached that point where you can easily replace broken buttons, let alone change certain parts to your heart’s content and delight.

That is the kind of limitation that the Gima mouse concept tries to overcome, and it does so in a rather curious and almost whimsical way. The typical mouse buttons are replaced by what looks like keyboard keys because they are actually keyboard keys. Underneath the keycaps are actual mechanical keyboard switches that you can mix and match with whatever spares you might be lying around.

The general idea is to offer the same level of customization and flexibility that mechanical keyboards have, but on the other computer peripheral that barely offers such features. You can, for example, use the level of resistance you prefer using different switches, or you can use different keycaps to reflect your personal style. You might settle for simple L and R letters, or you can use specially-designed caps with different graphics. This also means that should one or even both of the buttons break, you can easily replace it with any other keycap or switch.

While the design is definitely interesting, Gima, unfortunately, doesn’t address the mouse’s ergonomic problem and may, in fact, make it worse. The resistance offered by mechanical switches for keyboards might not exactly be ideal for repetitively clicking with the same finger. The soap bar shape of Gima might also lead to incorrect positioning of the hand and the wrist, and the location of the touch-sensitive slope for the mouse wheel exacerbates the situation. To its credit, Gima does touch on the need to have a repairable and customizable mouse, much like their larger keyboard partners.

The post This quirky mouse redesign reuses mechanical keyboard parts for buttons first appeared on Yanko Design.

Samsung Reveals Revolutionary OLED Panel with Built-in Fingerprint Scanner and Heart Rate Sensor

Samsung Display, a subsidiary of electronics giant Samsung, unveiled a world’s first OLED display with its own integrated fingerprint scanner capable of monitoring its user’s blood pressure as well as heart rate. Dubbed the “Sensor OLED”, Samsung revealed its innovative new display at the Display Week 2023, an exhibition for the electronic display industry currently being held in Los Angeles. The Sensor OLED, Samsung Display mentions, is poised to be a powerful tool for health monitoring right within your smartphone or tablet.

Designer: Samsung Display

The Sensor OLED is more than just a scanner and monitor. It’s a comprehensive health assistant designed with you in mind. It has the capabilities to measure stress levels, tracl sleep patterns, and provide essential data to enhance users’ overall health and wellness. According to Samsung Display, in order to take accurate readings, measurements need to be taken from both arms simultaneously, quite similar to how you would with the Kardia device by AliveCor. The OLED screen offers multitouch abilities, but goes beyond by also being able to recognize both left and right hand fingers at the same time. This new display helps simplify health monitoring and increase accessibility by allowing anyone with a smartphone to measure their fitness without splurging for a fitness wearable.

This cutting-edge piece of technology is realized thanks to Samsung Display’s state-of-the-art organic photodiode (OPD) technology. The OPD, a light-sensitive sensor, is the beating heart of the Sensor OLED. It adeptly captures fingerprints and heart rate data, incorporating these vital features right into the panel. Samsung hasn’t really unveiled any roadmap for when the display will officially find itself on devices, but it could possibly bring an end to the cheap fitness tracker industry.

The post Samsung Reveals Revolutionary OLED Panel with Built-in Fingerprint Scanner and Heart Rate Sensor first appeared on Yanko Design.

How to build self-control with this gamified digital coin concept device

Humans, especially the latter generations, seem to be terrible at self-control. Modern culture and technologies have made impulse decisions even worse, thanks to encouraging instant gratification. Although not entirely impossible, it has become more difficult to build good habits when the world seems to be designed to work against you. Fortunately, those very same psychological tricks used to trick your mind into a rabbit hole of procrastination can also be used to help build up your self-control. Rather than punishing people for failing, this toy-like gadget encourages good behavior by rewarding the person in easy, quick, and bite-sized chunks, almost like earning a coin for a small good deed that can then go into buying candy or, in this case, playing your console or watching TV.

Designer: Seokoo Yeo for Samsung Design Membership

Rendered on KeyShot: Click Here to Download Your Free Trial Now!

With instant gratification, you immediately receive a reward for doing very little work, a behavior that gets our minds almost addicted to the happiness that the reward brings, regardless of its long-term impact. Although mostly associated with bad habits, this kind of impulsive reward system can also be used to build good behavior using the same addictive methods, giving people small rewards more frequently with less effort until the good habit becomes second nature. Willet, which is a portmanteau of “will” and “wallet,” is a device that utilizes that psychological strategy to help people build self-control in utilizing their leisure time more wisely.

The concept for the device revolves around an orange coin-like piece that has an LED display on its surface that indicates how much “leisure time” you have saved up. This “Cookie” is charged on a different device that’s basically like a time tracker. The idea is to let the Cookie sit on the lamp-like Charger while you work, filling it up with minutes you can later use to run your leisure devices, such as a console, a TV, or even a radio. Take the Cookie too soon, and you won’t have as much time to use up compared to when you let it sit there until it’s full.

This Cookie can later be placed on a Pusher that, as its name implies, pushes a button to turn on a device. In this scenario, the Cookie acts like a timer that counts down until its earned time is all used up. Once that happens, the Pusher activates again, this time turning the attached device off until a refueled Cookie is attached again. The idea is to let the Cookie coin earn time while doing some other work and then use that time for a limited period of leisure.

Willet is a creative solution to the problem of self-control, one that uses the same impulsive reward system to do good rather than harm. While the design of the product itself also turns the system into a fun game, it does have some shortcomings in implementation. The Pusher, for example, relies heavily on devices and appliances that have a physical button to turn it on or off, and it doesn’t take into account devices like smartphones and tablets. Admittedly, that can be solved by locking those devices inside some storage that requires a push of a button to unlock.

The post How to build self-control with this gamified digital coin concept device first appeared on Yanko Design.

This tiny wireless charger is a convenient alternative to the Apple MagSafe Charger

Whether you’re working from home, or in a corporate office, the one thing that’s pretty much consistent in both these scenarios is a desk! A desk is probably one of the most important pieces of furniture in our modern lives, only because we spend the majority of our day on it. You may be typing away to glory, munching away on a snack, or simply fidgeting with a random object – you do end up spending hours on your desk. And hence, it’s really important that your desk be neat, tidy, and uncluttered. Not only will this improve your work routine and productivity, but it will also help you maintain a clearer and more streamlined mindset. And, I’ve discovered that adding limited, quality, and innovative products to my desk setup can help me in achieving these goals! And a nifty desk accessory that I recently came across is the Neatcharge wireless charger.

Designer: Humanscale

Designed by office furniture brand Humanscale, the Neatcharge is a wireless charger that can be neatly attached to the underside of your work desk or any flat surface to subtly charge your phones. The 13-centimeter-wide wireless charger was designed as a discreet alternative to traditional wired chargers, which tend to clutter up our desks and make them messy. Neatcharge, on the other hand, helps to maintain a clean work desk and can be utilized in the office and home as well.

The charger can be attached to the underbelly of a flat surface using screws or double-sided tape. Once you place the phone on the wireless charger, it turns on and uses magnetic resonance technology to power the phone. Once you remove the phone from the charger, it instantly powers off.

“While conventional wireless chargers are required to be placed on top of the desk or between the furniture, therefore, permanently affecting the worksurface, NeatCharge seamlessly mounts underneath the desk or any tabletop. This positioning brings power exactly where the user requires it while keeping the workspace or living area free of additional clutter and cords,” said Humanscale. The Neatcharge models at priced at $199 onwards, and are a bit heftily priced.

The post This tiny wireless charger is a convenient alternative to the Apple MagSafe Charger first appeared on Yanko Design.

Pep-up your creativity with Logitech Meteor G portable RGB desk light

Logitech has always been at the forefront of innovation and design when it comes to computer peripherals and accessories. On the same lines, with a focus on enhancing the gaming and computing experience, this concept from the gaming-centric Logitech G line-up offers a visually stunning and immersive environment that can be tailored to individual preferences.

The Logitech Meteor G concept is a versatile lighting accessory to transform any gaming setup or workspace into a mesmerizing light show that matches the overall theme of a workstation. The lighting bar seamlessly synchronizes with any RGB-enabled devices including keyboards, mice, headsets, and speakers to create a harmonious display of vibrant colors.

Designer: Anantvijay

One standout element of the design is the ability to unleash users’ creativity with 19 different hues to choose from. In the accompanying app’s intuitive interface, one can curate their own lighting profiles to design unique and captivating visual displays. Whether it’s a pulsating rainbow effect or a dynamic color wave, Meteror G empowers users to express their personal style and make a statement with their desk setup.

The user-friendly interface is well suited for any interior setup, offering a variety of pre-configured lighting effects and customization options. Also, the ambient light can be synchronized to react to the music, video or in-game action.

While the Logitech RGB Light Design concept is currently just on the drawing board, it embodies Logitech’s commitment to pushing boundaries and reimagining the role of lighting in our computing experiences. Logitech Meteor G is another good example of how personalized and synchronized RGB lighting is an integral part of any creative individual who’s looking for peak focus sessions or wants to create a cohesive ambient light setup.

The post Pep-up your creativity with Logitech Meteor G portable RGB desk light first appeared on Yanko Design.