Leica M7 Edition Hermes

 We've coveted many a Leica in the past, and when the company pulls out the stops for a limited edition you can bet that it will be quite lust-worthy -- and quite expensive. The M7 Edition Hermes sees the classic M7 35mm camera get a silver chrome finish and a choice of either orange or etoupe calfskin leather. On top of that, your purchase includes a Leica SUMMILUX-M 35 mm f/1.4 ASPH wide-angle lens, a matching classic round lens hood, a LEICAVIT M rapid winder and a leather carrying strap, and will arrive at your doorstep in a linen-covered, silk-lined box. But you'd better jump now, 'cos only 100 of each color will be produced. Available in the UK this December from authorized Leica dealers and at the Mayfair Leica Store for a mere £8,550 (about $14,250). PR after the break.

Yamaha EC-F Electric Motorcycle

We’ve see plenty of great green concept cars at this week’s Tokyo Motor Show, but Yamaha might take the prize for the best-looking two-wheeler with its new EC-f electric motorcycle. Designed to make motorcycling attractive to riders of all ages and experience levels, the vehicle features  a lightweight aluminum frame, a long-lasting lithium ion battery, and a 0.6 kWh electric motor.

Perfect for commuting and short urban jaunts, the EC-f features a built-in charger that can be plugged in to any standard outlet. In order to make the EC-f even more enticing for potential riders, Yamaha has partnered with major Japanese motorcycle manufacturers to lobby for more free motorcycle parking spaces and easier access to licenses. Admirable goals for car congestion-plagued Japan, but just because a motorcycle looks like fun doesn’t mean it’s easy to ride!

YAMAHA

Apple's New MacBook Family

Apple just let loose a new 15-inch MacBook Pro at WWDC 2009, with what appears to be the same built-in, non-removable battery (or, non-user serviceable, if we're being proper) as in the current unibody 17-incher. Phil asserts that the cell will last the average user around five years (1,000 recharges), and could last around seven hours under ideal conditions. There's also an SD card reader rather than an ExpressCard slot (seriously Apple -- replaced? -- why not just add it like every other Wintel laptop available today?). Oh, and the starting tag just dropped to $1,699.

• Starting at $1,699 (down from $1,999 in prior lineups)
  
• $1,699: 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M graphics, 250GB HDD, SD card slot, no ExpressCard
  
• $1,999: 2.66GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT graphics, 320GB HDD, SD card slot, no ExpressCard
• $2,299: 2.8GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M + 9600M GT graphics, 500GB HDD, SD card slot, no ExpressCard
• 17-inch unibody MacBook Pro remains the same specs-wise (it's the only Apple laptop left with an ExpressCard slot), but it's getting a price cut to $2,499.
• Shipping today

Not enough for you? The 13-inch unibody MacBook has been beefed up and revised, and it's now part of the MacBook Pro line as well. Yep, all the aluminum machines are now Pros, with the same built-in battery promising seven hours of life. The littlest Pro also gets the SD card slot, a FireWire 800 port, up to 8GB of RAM, upwards of 500GB of storage and a backlit keyboard as standard. You just knew Apple couldn't let its remaining white MacBook outperform its more expensive unibody for long, right? It'll be available (today, we expect) in two configurations. 

 

• $1,199: 2.26GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M graphics, 160GB HDD, SD card slot, no ExpressCard
• $1,499: 2.53GHz Core 2 Duo, 4GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M graphics, 250GB HDD, SD card slot, no ExpressCard

Wilder still? A new MacBook Air, which starts at $1,499 (while the SSD unit gets going at $1,799). Yeah, that's $700 less than before. 

 

 

• $1,499: 1.86GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M graphics, 120GB HDD
• $1,799: 2.13GHz Core 2 Duo, 2GB DDR3 RAM, GeForce 9400M graphics, 128GB SSD

www.apple.com

ZENDOME

The ZENDOME.20HE is a unique recreational spot concept enclosing a 20sqm and increasable up to 1000sqm of exclusive floor space covered with sensually arched roofs.The brilliant and creative characteristic of the organic space and advanced frame system has really made it an eye-catching and distinct structure. Moreover, several domes can be combined in inspirational groups. Powder-coated steel and PVC coated polyester fabrics arethe main materials that have been used to form this great waterhome. Usually the dome comes in white color, however, it can be changed as per the design of individual taste.

 ZENDOME

Solar Traffic Light

By now we've all seen our fair share of green energy cars and devices, but there remains a dearth of public works-centric green tech innovations. Helping to fill the void of cool green-tech-meets-public-works design ideas, Taiwanese designers Cheng-Tsung Feng, Yao-Chieh Lin and Bo-Jin Wang created this solar-powered traffic light that easily could have emerged from the labs at Cupertino.

The traffic light uses a discolor LED that allows the red, yellow and green signals to all occupy one space rather than the traditional three-tiered design we have on today's streets. The trio won this year's international Lite-On Award (Silver Level) for their striking design which hopefully will inspire cities around the world to adopt this kind of green-centric infrastructure in the near future.

Via Yanko Design

Limited Edition Pentax K-x Robo

 For beginners, handling a digital SLR can be a daunting task. To ease the green horns into the art and complexities of photography, the Pentax K-x Robo might be of help. Announced just last month, the Pentax K-x was deemed a reliable and decent entry level digital SLR. Operating at 12.4 megapixels with HD video capability, the camera also comes with other features and functions such as PENTAX auto pictures and scene mode. All specs aside, the K-x is due to be released in a variety of colorways, and the latest K-x Robo is a colorful piece inspired by Kore Ja Nai robot toy. The camera is dressed up in the same shades as its figurine counterpart and also has the same penned in face. The camera is limited to just 100 units and is available exclusively at the Pentax online store.

3D Power Socket

One plug is not enough. In the USA, two is not enough. Everywhere in the world, basically, more power plugs are needed. So what did ArtLeb do? They built it into the plug itself, rather than relying on the ever-present power strip. And it’s got blue on it! And it uses the Art Lebedev logo on it! I’m pretty excited by it. I’m gonna need it in three-prong, please.

Hiding in the wall until the right moment to strike, the Rozetkus sits flat unless more than one plug is needed. And look at the concepting! it goes all over the place! Normally I’m not into building everything all at once into the base product, aka I love extensions. But this is the right stuff.

The right stuff!

Artistic Director: Artemy Lebedev
Art Director: Timur Burbayev
Designer: Anton Schnaider
Industrial Designers: Allan George and Alexei Sharshakov
Modeler: Alexander Pozdeyev
Visualizator: Dmitry Dolgikh

Woodway Bicycle

Arndt Menke-Zumbrägel | Produktdesign

"Good morning. Check out this killer wooden bike." Lance Armstrong on Twitter.

Berlin designer Arndt Menke-Zumbragel is the creator of this unique bicycle made using wood. the project began by investigating the use of wood as a construction material, paying close attention to its particular considerations. The result is a fully functional bike that weighs only 2.3 kg. with some special metal parts and carefully constructed wood pieces, Arndt has created a bike that blends new and old together into one unique package. Make sure to check out the bent wood detail on the rear support.

www.arndtmenke.de

Void Record Player

Inspired by the Vinyl Killer, which is currently the smallest record player in the world, Korean designer Rhea Jeong's "Void" LP player would have records spinning in midair above it.

Here's the plan, according to Designboom, who Jeong sent the design to:

The record player uses a carrier and dock outfitted with a magnetic and auto-calibrating control system which carries the LP into thin air as it is playing music. A self-running record player shaped in the form of a red sphere, contains a needle, amplifier and speaker, spins around the record, bringing the music to life.

There's even a control on the player's base to control how high the record spins. It's a wild design, for sure, but one that we hope becomes a reality one day. Oh, how we love us some things that levitate.

 

DVICE

Miranda Art

Miranda is a surface tile with hairs that can be manipulated to create different shades in the surface. How many times have I done this with suede? This is much cooler.

SmartSpace Dry Food Dispenser

By securing the dispenser to the wall, you can create additional storage without having it getting in the way on the countertops. Plus, the dry foods inside are now easily accessible with just a twist of the handle. Only one twist dispenses 1 ounce of product perfectly portion-controlled every time! The included measuring cup that fits on each canister makes it easy to work the wall-mounted SmartSpace Dispenser into your cooking routine. This dispenser is a space-efficient accessory for every kitchen.

Product comes with 3 dispensers as shown.

Features

· Space-saving, contemporary design makes it perfect for the smaller kitchen
· Suitable for a wide variety of dry foods (cereal, trail mix, candy, granola, nuts, beans, rice)
· Convenient storage and portion control each quick twist dispenses approximately one ounce
· Designed to preserve freshness for up to 45 days
· Ideal for parents (promotes growing independence as children learn to serve themselves)
· Ideal for health- or weight-conscious consumers
· Each canister holds 13 ounces of dry food

 

 by Zervo 

 

VIDEO 

SEA-DOO SEASCOOTER EXPLORER

The SEA-DOO ® Sea Scooter EXPLORER, introduced in 2006, is the highest specification Sea-Doo ® water scooter available - ideal for swimming, snorkelling and diving, both in the SWIMMING POOL and the SEA. What's more, SEA-DOO® is part of Bombardier - one of the world's most respected engineering companies - so you know you are buying a quality product from a quality company. 

The new Sea-Doo® Seascooter Explorer is designed and engineered to withstand the toughest environment. It was created for commercial and rental applications, making it ideal for both recreational and professional divers. This product is patented and patent pending worldwide.. The EXPLORER delivers THREE levels of thrust for a speed of up to 3.3mph/5.3km/h down to 160ft./50m. With the EXPLORER you save air, stay down longer and get more fun out of diving.
The new Sea-Doo® Seascooter Explorer weighs just 32lbs/ 14.5kg including battery and includes new improved safety features such as water leakage protection, low battery voltage protection, over current protection, high temperature protection, safety lock, auto shut-off function and battery voltage indicator.

 
VIDEO

www.seadooseascooter.com/

Andromeda Nebula - 1957

Andromeda: A Space-Age Tale a.k.a. Andromeda Nebula (Russian: Туманность Андромеды, Tumannost' Andromedy) is a science fiction novel by the Russian writer and paleontologist Ivan Efremov^[1], written and published in 1957. The novel was made into a film in 1967, The Andromeda Nebula

This is a classic communist utopia set in a distant future. Throughout the novel, the author's attention is focused on the social and cultural aspects of the society; there are several principal heroes (a historian, an archeologist, a starship captain) involved in several plot lines. Though the world shown in the novel is intended as ideal, there's an attempt to show a conflict and its resolution with a voluntary self-punishment of a scientist whose reckless experiment caused damage. There's also a fair amount of action in the episodes where the crew of a starship fight alien predators.

Several civilizations of our Galaxy, including Earth, are united in the Great Circle whose members exchange and relay scientific and cultural information. Notably, there's no faster-than-light travel or communication in this world, so interstellar missions sent by Earth are few and can only reach nearby stars, and the Great Circle civilizations almost never meet in person. The Great Circle radio transmissions are pictured as taking the energy of the whole Earth and therefore infrequent; one such transmission is a lecture on the history of the Earth civilization which gives the author an opportunity to put his world into a historic context.

WIKIPEDIA

Incheon Stadium

It’s an exciting time for sports fans everywhere as cities around the world unveil the incredible stadiums that will host the events of tomorrow, and the designers and architects of Populous have them in spades. The latest competition-winning proposal from the HOK offshoot was recently selected as the primary stadium for the 17th Asian games in Incheon, South Korea. The adaptable stadium creates an abundance of green space within the city that will serve as a public park when not in use.

PHOTO 1   PHOTO 2   PHOTO 3   PHOTO 4   PHOTO 5

Designed by Populous (formerly HOK Sport Venue Event) and Heerim Architects and Planners, Incheon’s new stadium is designed to hold 70,000 people for the Asian games in 2014, after which it will downsize and transform into a 30,000 seat stadium and public park.

The elegantly sloping structure is meant to reflect the traditional Buddhist ritual Seung Moo dances. According to architect Daekwon Park, “In architecture, as in dance, dynamic movement creates form, but can also be recognized by the space voids created around its form. The yin and yang of complementary opposites within a greater whole are represented inside the form of the master plan of the stadium, and the left over space around that form, becomes the main access to the building.”

The stadium has been described as promoting “a new era of designing sustainable venues for major events”, however the project’s sustainable features have yet to be disclosed. Ensuring environmental responsibility in a structure designed to draw thousands of spectators is a challenging goal, and we’re interested to see how populous plans on pulling off the feat.

For now Populous has said “The key to its success will be linking it into the surrounding parklands, to make it an open, accessible building for its people. It will be smaller, easier to operate and more usable by the community, securing its long term sustainability and providing a true legacy for the people of Incheon.”

Location: Link

Recyclable Paper Laptop

Recyclable-Paper-Laptop-by-Je-Sung-ParkLaptops these days never seem to last that long. I tend to go through a new laptop every couple of years and when I get new laptop I always have the issue of doing something with the old one. Over the year this adds up to a lost of waste for me and im sure millions of people around the world have exactly same issue.

This big issue is something computer companies are always trying to rectify. Designer Je Sung Park has now taken the idea of a recyclable computer to new heights. His Recyclable Paper Laptop is made from pulp and reprocessed materials, and would be broken down into the same when all is said and done.

@ DVICE