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| What a Sense of Direction! Orbita Mouse Review Posted: 20 Apr 2009 12:32 AM PDT We don’t often review mice here on YD unless it’s something really unique and or special. When Cyber Sport approached us about reviewing the Orbita, a hockey puck shaped mouse, we thought “hey why not!” My last experience with a puck mouse left a bad taste in my mouth (ahem: iMac) so I was prepared to be let down, or was I? Hit the jump! To be frank I’m not really looking for an improved mousing experience. I primarily use a Wacom tablet for everything and on occasion pull out the gorgeous Logitech MX Air. Needless to say I’m a bit out of practice when it comes to traditional mice. I cleared off my desk, unboxed the Orbita and proceeded with the short but specific installation instructions. Let me digress. To be clear, the Orbita is a wireless puck mouse wrapped in a squishy silicon body. You left click like traditional mice but right clicks are activated by a gentle squeeze. The most useful and endearing function is scrolling. You spin the puck in place letting you scroll freely without friction or even stopping. A BOON for me skimming their my 300+ RSS feeds. The Orbita sits on a USB powered base that keeps the little guy charged. You know I must like it if I’m referring to it in an anthropomorphic manner. Two little LEDs on the base tell you if your mouse is properly seated and when it’s fully charge. The first initial charge takes a few hours. Once it’s juiced, you sync the mouse. Since the Orbita spins 360º, it has to know which way is up. There’s some clever wizardy going on there that I’m not gonna delve into. Needless to say it works flawlessly. Never once did the Orbita “lose it’s sense of direction.” It’s way bigger than the original iMac puck mouse so hand cramps be damned! It’s actually quite comfortable. The left click works like it’s supposed to but right clicking is annoying. As I said before, you squeeze to initiate a right click. It takes very little pressure which is supposed to lesson hand fatigue but the design backfires. It’s way too easy to accidentally squeeze, interrupting your workflow and as customizable as the Orbita is, there’s no way to adjust squeeze tension. However a neat function that many of you designers might be interested in is the 3D-axis control over objects in your favorite modeling software. It works quite well. If you’re used to the $300 options from 3Dconnexion, then you’ll be at home with the Orbita. What we liked:
What could be improved:
Company: Cyber Sport [Buy it Here]
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| The Case of the Disappearing Home Interior Posted: 20 Apr 2009 12:10 AM PDT Whoa. Where’d it go? Oh shizzle it’s future day! This particular project is projected for 20 years from now. It’s meant to take full responsibility of the technologies that will be available in 2029. So it uses… buttons? Oh wait. It’s also made to retain the humanity of it’s users: humans. That’s why the furniture and whatnot is made of nice wood, steel, and glass. The entire system of this kitchen is contained under and above it, entirely concealed when not in use. Aside from the furniture, which all basically pops up from the floor, of course: three glass circles contain the entire kitchen. The largest reveals a heating plate, oven and cabinets, drawers, and fridge with freezer. The middle circle contains a sink, dishwasher, and cupboards / drawers. The the smallest circle contains a garden element. The garden element works in tangent with the roof garden that anyone with this particular kitchen simply must have. Don’t all “kitchen of the future” owners have a roof garden? Plants from the garden can be cycled down into the kitchen, allowing the owner to both feed the plans and use the plants for cooking (like if they are edible, etc.) - convenient, yes? The title of this project is the general “kitchen of the future,” but for identification purposes, I’m going to call it “Hideaway Kitchen of the Future.” Hope that’s alright, trusty readers! Designers: Magda Masalska & Marta Pala
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| Eggy-Blob for Television President Posted: 20 Apr 2009 12:05 AM PDT What in the heck is this thing? Is it an egg? Is it a blob? Nay! It’s eggyblob -I mean, actually, the “Infinity Remote Control.” Designed by Damien Crossan, this remote was designed to fit a model of a possible remote 7 to 10 years from now. This remote utilized “4G” technology, lithium polymer batteries, and flexible touchscreens. And for its next trick, separation anxiety! Whoa. Trippin out here on some futuristic fantasy. The remote receives live signal, acting as a preview for the television channels you could choose. It has channel/video/recording memory, allowing you to “take the screen with you” to different monitors around your home (or even around your world?) And it has touchscreen technology, the blue part comes off and acts as a portable media player, etc, etc, all the normal stuff. And don’t forget, you can play Nintendo Wii with it if you want, as it takes the technology used in todays controllers and applies them… …applies those technologies to tomorrow! Designer: Damien Crossan
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| Behold! The Desk of Purest Comfort! Posted: 20 Apr 2009 12:01 AM PDT Made for only the purest of the pure comfort; here is the “Edge Desk.” Designed by certified non-newb designer Alexei Mikhailov. This desk is made for design professionals and design studio owners. If these clients prove true, surely this desk would also ring correct for design schools as well. Its geometric shape provides an ambidextrous an attempt at a perfectly-ergonomic experience in sketching. Drawing and writing are also allowed, maybe possibly. Inclines on the side are “in the area where the wrist meets the edge in order to create a more ergonomically comfortable sketching experience.” Overhanging shelves on the sides there are in place to store “markers, paper, or even a desktop pc without cluttering the work area.”* And finally, the most interesting part:
Reeeally? *also, what if my work area IS my laptop? Designer: Alexei Mikhailov
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