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Building a better mouse Logitech is once again ...

Building a better mouse

Logitech is once again maintaining its lead in the computer mouse race. According to this report, the MX-1000 rechargable wireless uses a laser instead of an LCD light for 20 times the accuracy. Like the excellent MX-700, it somes with a charging cradle. Only this one lasts three weeks on a single charge, rather than a few days or so. Supposedly, it even works on glass, which as you know, confuses the feeble mind of most mice.

I want! I want!

Thin is in

This, of course, is the big news of the day. This isn't the first everything-behind-the-screen unit, but Apple as usual does it with a bit more style. Naturally, Apple just hates the fact that you'll have to use a mouse and keyboard in real life. It's supposed to mimic the lines of the iPod. Pretty slick.

Innovating stickers Here's a story I did recen...

Innovating stickers

Here's a story I did recently on HP's new consumer electronics products, and what they mean for the company. Nothing new here, unless you count the iPod stickers -- I mean, "tatoos."

I do wonder what HP's embrace of the iPod means in terms of music file standards. Is Apple's AAC with Fairplay-enabled copy-protection going to become the standard? Actually, I think Apple's refusal to license it helps Microsoft's Windows Media format. The other music stores have to use something, so naturally, they flock into the open arms of Microsoft. And when some company finally creates a true iPod-killer (hey, it could happen), that will put Apple and its iTunes Music Store in a vulnerable position. Personally, I've put off buying an iPod because I know it won't play all my files, some of which were purchased from Napster and MusicMatch.

Naturally, this puts Real is a tough spot, too. Apple can go with its own file format because it offers the best music player and online music store on the market. Needless to say, Real is no Apple.

Hopping off the bandwagon

Frog Design, the right-brains behind many of the iconic milestones in the tech landscap (the original Mac, the Sony Triniton, etc.), is getting bought by Flextronics, the contract manufacturer that makes a lot of the brand-name gadgets lying around your house. The article isn't sure what to make of the move, but it's intersting to see that Flextronics -- not exactly a household name -- wants to get more design savvy.

Bright IDEAs

This year's Industrial Design Excellence Award winners have been announced. I meant to post this a couple of weeks ago, but it took Slashdot to shame me into it.

Some of my favorite winners include the HP Scanjet 4670 (pictured here), the Logitech KeyCase keyboard/protective wrap, Apple's iSight Webcam, Herman Miller's Mirra chair and Matsushita Electric Industrial's apparently unnamed washer/dryer unit. I've written about most of these on this site.

I also liked this student-deisgned super-backpack, which I hope will be in production if I ever decide to packback through Europe or the Amazon.

Plug and play

New York Times has an in-depth review of Apple's nifty AirPort Express, the all-in-one Wi-Fi router, USB print server and stereo music streamer that's about the size of a typical gadget's power transformer. Very stylish, handy and clever. Like much of Apple's hardware these days, it works with both Windows and Mac.

It's almost sad that in most users' setups, the device will be hidden away behind the computer desk or stereo.

New PC Line Aims To Show HP Aesthetic

Here's a story I did recently on HP's sleek new Media Center PCs.

Masters of Design

Fast Company profiles 20 of the country's top industrial designers in an article that talks about how central design is to not only consumer goods but business itself. An intersting read.

As we researched this package, we realized firsthand that design's power runs far deeper than aesthetics. Chris Bangle, BMW's design chief, once said that the 'definition semanticists use for 'design' is meaning. Where there is meaning, there is design.' Put another way, behind every design is a process--a thought process. And that process transcends design itself. If you are mapping out a sales strategy, or streamlining a manufacturing operation, or crafting a new system for innovating--if you work in the world of business--you are engaged in the practice of design.

For design, like business, is all about solving problems. The result, as Roger Martin observes, is that 'design skills and business skills are converging.' Every design process confronts a time problem, a material problem, and a function problem. And there are problems that spill over into the wider world of sales and marketing: What's the first point of customer contact? Where is the product sold? And what does the design do for the brand? The implications are clear: Design matters--to all of us.

Splitting hairs

How timely. Consumer Whore reviews the M3Power razor, coming to many of the same conclusions I did. I do take issue with the author's premise that it's the angle of the blade cartridge that makes the Mach 3 line so much better than old razors -- it makes the blades easier to clean, but the blades themselves are approach facial hair at pretty much the same angle.

But its gist is that the new razor results in a faster, not closer, shave. The review makes a good point: it's doubtful that shaving any closer would actually be useful, unless you enjoy dealing with ingrown whiskers.

Close shave I tried out the new Gilette M3Power...

Close shave

I tried out the new Gilette M3Power, the battery-operated version of the excellent Mach 3 line. It's not quite an electric -- a battery powers a little device that sends pulses that supposedly makes your whiskers stand on end, ready to be cut.

I really like the design. It doesn't stray far from the traditional Mach 3 style other than to make the handle a little fatter to make room for the battery. It does add some subtle yet effective metallic green touches that convey the electric power aspects of the device.

As for the actual shave, it does feel as if the blade is getting more hairs. The end result doesn't appear to be a closer shave, and I don't think Gilette is even making that claim. What it may mean, however, is fewer strokes. And that means less irritation and a quicker shave.

The art of everyday objects

While it's not exactly a technology story, Slate has put up a slide show of a MoMA exhibit that looks at how design can elegantly solve real-world problems. Examples include: "The beer can with its non-removable pull-opener; the molded paper-pulp egg carton; the Duracell AA battery..."