If you have an HDTV, you’ve noticed the wasted screen space when you’re on certain television channels. That’s a little inconvenience that Studio FRST has remedied with their Double Aspect Ratio 16943 concept, a TV with a slightly odd shape that can handle two viewing formats: a 16:9 format for films and 4:3 for television (hence the name). The clever design makes it clear why it is referred to as a ‘technological sculpure in levitation’. The black screen rests on a clear glass base, giving it the illusion of floating, and the 120mm thickness surprisingly conceals a DVD player.

The image of hybrid cars as boxy, efficient little travel pods is getting a makeover. At the Geneva Motor Show, Italdesign unveiled the Namir prototype, a 370-horsepower space rocket that can travel over 1,200 miles on a single charge. Namir is the world’s fastest hybrid to date, with a top speed of 187 mph, and releases lower emissions than any sports car on the U.S. market. We’re not sure if this particular whip is going to be available stateside, but it’s nice to see this trend forming.

Via Inhabit

When an aeronoautical engineer puts his mind to work on a speaker system, the finished product is no less than an audiophile’s wet dream. Danish designer Paul Schenkel, through his Davone project, brings us floor speakers that produce sound so refined it takes a master’s degree in acoustics to understand the ear pleasure you’re experiencing. While the RITHM speakers were the talk of CES 2009 for their performance, that’s not the only punch they pack. RITHMs appear outlandish and futuristic–yet warm–in their wooden exterior. This isn’t just a sound system, it’s architecture.

The morning got off on an artistic note and included Ed Ulbrich who showed some dazzling film special effects from The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love wooed the audience with an “a cappella” (read: no slide support) walk-through of her creative process while Margaret Wertheim amazed people with her crocheted great barrier reef art installation, which strangely and coincidentally unlocked mathematical secrets. Later Daniel Libeskind took us through a juxtaposed architectural vision and thoughts behind the new Freedom Tower. Shai Agassi who abruptly left SAP to follow a vision on shifting the world to non-petroleum transportation showcased his recent partnerships with both Renault-Nissan and various governments. Sarah Jones brought her multiple personalities to the stage and entertained everyone while poking a little fun at highbrow TEDsters.

Later in the day, TED 2009 Prize Winner Jill Tarter, introduced remotely by Sir Richard Branson and Al Gore, asked everyone to collaboratively find extraterrestrials which was actually rather well received. Sylvia Earle who is collaborating with Google Earth to map the world’s oceans gave everyone a good scare showing that fish populations have been depleted by 90% because of pollution and commercial fishing since 1900. Between Jeremy Piven’s mercury poisoning and this revelation I am going to reduce my sushi intake starting today. Accordingly she asked all of us to ignite public support for a global network of protected marine areas. The response was overwhelming. Jose Antonio Abreu in Caracas who created El Sistema and helped musically inspire impoverished children and bring them out of poverty also received acknowledgment today.

So while the elbow rubbing and hob-knobbing continues, there is clearly an underlying level of tension on the many global crises that exist right now. The good news is that the TED community is pretty powerful and may just figure out how to crack the code on some of these enormous issues

Electrolux, makers of fine vaccums and other home appliances for about 90 years have just announced their seventh global Design Lab Competition. The 2009 contest’s theme is “design for the next 90 years”, a call for creative students to submit their ideas on the future look of appliances. In addition to making something that looks sweet, entrants must take into account lifestyle and eco trends. So, if you’ve got an innovative idea on the evolution dishwashers, washing machines, or refrigerators, don’t be shy. The deadline is May 31st. Finalists will have the chance to present their entries before a jury of design bigwigs at the decisive event in late September. We’ll cross our fingers that you’re among them.

We’re attending the 25th Anniversary of TED, which is proving to be yet another extraordinary tour de force of mind expanding speakers and entertainers. Al Gore followed up on last year’s disturbing new environmental scientific data with some even more disturbing beta and a strong attack on “clean coal”. Bill Gates proved himself to be a genuinely humorous speaker and charmed TEDsters with his foundation’s work on Malaria and educational issues. Gates shared a couch with normally cognizant TED curator Chris Anderson, who brought further laughs as he unwittingly opened up his Apple MacBook next to the Microsoft CEO to read e-mailed questions to him.

Juan Enriquez opened up with, among other topics, an eye-opening reality check on how bad the banking situation is. The true father of the Internet (not you Al), Tim Barners-Lee spoke on the need for more raw data sharing and its ability to advance humankind and solve pressing issues. Yann Arthus-Bertrand showed beautiful film footage that highlighted the global environmental condition and made everyone pause.  “Dancing Man” Matt Harding’s (famous for dancing around the world on YouTube) got both TED locations dancing. The musical hit of the day were instrumentless hip hop artists Naturally 7, who arrived fresh from their WEF Davos appearance and blew everyone away. For those who enjoy rubbing elbows with celebrities and progressive industry leaders, there are plenty to go around here. But alas, this is a trendspotting blog, not Perez Hilton.

In the digital age we’ve all become victims of information overload. We’re flooded with so much data via blogs, emails, and attachments that we often forget not only where we got it from, but where we put it. Gist combines all your important information by combing through Outlook, Gmail, LInkedIn and Twitter to create a happy place where your data and relationships integrate in a logical order, making all the elements of your electronic life easier to manage. For instance, if you’ve been emailing with Josh, and he’s been tweeting, and then he appears in a news story, Gist aggregates all of that info and puts it at your fingertips. This is for anyone with a large network of contacts who need to stay up to date on the companies and people important to their business. The application is currently in its private beta stage, but we expect big things on the horizon.

Philips is one of those companies that has a great history of design dating back to the 1920s, and once again they really cleaned up at the annual IF product design award competition winning 22 awards. One of my favorite new award-winning products is their Wake-Up Light. It is an alarm clock that slowly lights up and gradually gets brighter until the light wakes you up. There are only a few major companies who put a lot of importance on design aesthetics, and it is nice to see that Philips constantly puts out innovative work. Take a look at this year’s winners.

via Core77

In 2003 the Japanese utilized magnetic levitation for their 361 mph train, and in 2008 a British company utilized it to levitate a chair eight inches off the ground. The Hoverit uses a series of powerful magnets that repel each-other (like in grade school science class) to create a “magic carpet” like experience. This clear acrylic marvel is also the world’s most comfortable credit card eraser. Each chair is handmade and can be customized to support the weight of most people. At a price of £5,875 it costs a little more than an IKEA lounger, but the Hoverit is a lot more interesting.

Personally, we’ve always wanted an iPod dock that looks exactly like a bent staple. Haven’t you? Should it be put into production, not only will this little device help you have dreams of Office Space with its helpful bed light, the Sang-Hoon Lee designed device will also blast out your music while its speakers go unnoticed. What are you going to do, go buy the iHome at Target? Really. But, while you’re checking out the Korean artist’s work and waiting for this concept to become a reality, don’t miss another of his concept designs: a lamp in the shape of a coffee cup that pours out light through a little bendy straw. How cute!

Using wireless devices was long seen as a no-no when flying the friendly skies. Visions of horrible accidents ala Oceanic Flight 815 kept us from checking email at 35,000 feet. Those fears are quickly becoming a thing of the past as more and more airlines are equipping their jets with broadband. The latest frequent flyers lining up to install the service is United Airlines. The domestic carrier recently tapped Aircell to give passengers the power to surf via the Gogo Inflight Internet Service, which will run users about $12.95 per session. The new aspect of in-flight entertainment will surely be a relief to travelers tired of choosing between episodes of The New Adventures of Old Christine and a viewing of Nights in Rodanthe during lengthy flights. Other airlines to offer the service include American, Delta, Virgin America, and Air Canada. Southwest is testing similar technology of Aircell’s competitor, Row 44.

If you’re a fool for your audio gear, you probably feel entangled in wires. That jungle of insulated black and gray is slowly being diminished by wireless options for any sound system. Parrot wireless speakers utilizes WiFi and Bluetooth technology, allowing you to set up your Philippe Starck-designed speakers anywhere in the room and stay in control of the music from your computer, iPod, or any Bluetooth enabled source.

Unless you are some kind of extreme Grinch, there has got to be just a little bit of a soft spot in your heart for holiday lights. I know, I know … they can be tacky as hell, but there’s something festive about colored lights in the midst of winter. That said, the standard tools often can be a bit boring. What about some really design focused colored lights? Maybe even LEDs? Answer: Phillips LivingColors. They’re indoor lights with a remote control color wheel. Simple touch the desired color and the lamp fills the room with one of 16 million availble colors (check out the video on the Amazon page). It isn’t really recession friendly pricing at £92.99 a pop, but perfect for an upcoming party.

Steve Jobs, here’s what we want for Christmas. The “Glassy Glassy” phone is a new concept by designer Mac Funamizu; absolutely gorgeous and looks straight out of Minority Report. It features a double-layered glass body — great for sex appeal, not so great for oily-fingers. But the real questions: Will it shatter into a million pieces when your inevitably drop it? Will people across from me be able to read my text messages? Would Apple charge $1000 on top of a three year service agreement for it?

Via Yanko Design

READ MORE…

A good pair of headphones should envelope your sense of hearing. Able Planet has mastered the art of noise cancellation with their Clear Harmony NC200 Audio headphones. The foldable and easily portable cups come equipped with Linx Audio technology, delivering clarity no matter the format. A little plus is that you can still use the headphones without the noise cancellation feature, which is battery powered. Pick them up here.