Just how tough is the world’s toughest cellphone
Just how tough is the world’s toughest cellphone
A press release landed on my computer today, claiming that Samsung has launched the world’s toughest cellphone. The Samsung Solid, so the release assures me, has “strengths that make it stand out from other mobiles” which include built in anti-shock and water and dust resistance. The release goes on to claim that “encased in a thick rubber body this phone lives up to its name to withstand the tough treatment, making it ideal for any trades man, extreme sports enthusiasts or those who simply need a durable phone.” Well, maybe. Let’s look at the features. You might expect a truly tough…
What italic means
Finally an image that dispells all myths about the element. As you can see it’s all about presentation. Disappear you foul demon! (You have more HTML humor? Show me in the comments)
Min-width and Max-width template
Some problems seem to appear again and again, and one of them is page width. How wide should a site be? Should you adapt to 800px resolution? 1024px? Fully fluid with percentages? Perhaps elastic using em-units? There are lots to choose from. What I’ve found is that there’s one solution that almost always works. You […]
Spotify is a lot like…
Hi. Today I want to tell you about a music player called Spotify, that I like. What does that have to do with web development? Nothing, that’s why it’s in the “other” category 
Anyway. Spotify is a lot like Pandora, you know that music player that runs as a flash applet and suggests music based […]
New design for friendlybit coming up
Hi. I just wanted to tell you that I’m now working on the new friendlybit. I’ve listened to your previous comments, and these are the changes I’m going to make/not make: Blog format stays, no community. You’re damn conservative (something like 95% percent said to keep it a blog). More compact writing. I’ll skip more of the […]
100 Excellent Free WordPress Themes
High-quality WordPress themes always come in handy. Whether you are looking for some design inspiration or professional coding solutions — in both cases you can learn a lot, you can apply them and you can build customized designs upon them without reinventing the wheel all the time.
In this article we present 100 free high-quality WordPress themes. Together with hundreds of other designs, these themes have been manually selected, installed and tested over the last weeks. They all can be downloaded, customized and used for free in both personal and commercial projects. Links to demo-versions provide a direct preview of a theme.
Please notice that the listed WordPress themes are presented in 8 sections: vibrant themes, simple & minimalistic themes, magazine style, grid-based, clean and legible, advanced, experimental, photoblog & videoblog.
You might also want to take a look at our previous selections:
- 83 Beautiful WordPress Themes
An overview of beautiful, but rather unknown themes you might have missed. - 21 Fresh, Usable and Elegant Themes
A quite pretty selection of elegant yet well thought-out themes. - 10 Fresh and Clean Themes
The beauty of these themes lies in their clean look supported by a legible content presentation.
You want them — you get them. This page may take a while to load; therefore please be patient and don’t hit “Reload” too often.
High-quality WordPress themes always come in handy. Whether you are looking for some design inspiration or professional coding solutions — in both cases you can learn a lot, you can apply them and you can build customized designs upon them without reinventing the wheel all the time.
In this article we present 100 free high-quality WordPress themes. Together with hundreds of other designs, these themes have been manually selected, installed and tested over the last weeks. They all can be downloaded, customized and used for free in both personal and commercial projects. Links to demo-versions provide a direct preview of a theme.
Please notice that the listed WordPress themes are presented in 8 sections: vibrant themes, simple & minimalistic themes, magazine style, grid-based, clean and legible, advanced, experimental, photoblog & videoblog.
You might also want to take a look at our previous selections:
- 83 Beautiful WordPress Themes
An overview of beautiful, but rather unknown themes you might have missed. - 21 Fresh, Usable and Elegant Themes
A quite pretty selection of elegant yet well thought-out themes. - 10 Fresh and Clean Themes
The beauty of these themes lies in their clean look supported by a legible content presentation.
You want them — you get them. This page may take a while to load; therefore please be patient and don’t hit “Reload” too often.
1. Vibrant WordPress Themes
PFO Stripes [ Demo ]
PFO Business [ Demo ]
FFF Lemon Twist (Demo and Download)
DM-Bloodless [ Demo]
jsTheme
Comes with a number of themes.
Smashing Theme [ Demo ]
Gossip City [ Demo ]
Midsight Red & Brown[ Demo ]
The original page was virus-infected, the link is replaced with its text-version until the site will be cleaned.
Curved WordPress Theme [ Demo ]
Accord WordPress Theme [ Demo ]
2. Simple, Minimalistic Themes
Documentation [ Demo ]
Dayvan Theme [ Demo ]
Tree Theme [Demo ]
DePo Clean WordPress Theme [ Demo ]
Brilliance [ Demo ]
3. Magazine Style WordPress Themes
WP Premium [ Demo ]
Structure Wordpress Theme [ Demo ]
Visionary Wordpress Theme [ Demo ]
WP Polaroid [ Demo ]
Jello Wala Mello Wordpress Theme
4. Grid-Based WordPress Themes
Gridline Lite [ Demo ]
5. Calm, Clean and Legible Themes
Abstractia [ Demo ]
HemingwayEx [ Demo ]
6. Advanced WordPress Themes
Neoclassical
A 3-column template system with rotating header images.
7. Experimental Themes
Bonsai, Red Growth Live
Big typography dominates.
Trevilian Way [ Demo ]
BrainTied 1.0 [ Demo ]
The front page displays only the list of recent posts.
Tropical Grunge [ Demo ]
Isolated Theme [ Demo ]
Fontella
The front page features only the main/recent post of the weblog.
Retro Mac OS X [ Demo ]
8. Photoblog & Videoblog Themes
Tumblelog For WordPress [ Demo ]
9. Sources and Further Resources
- WordPress Themes That Don’t Suck
- BlogPerfume WordPress Themes
- 48 SEO WordPress Themes
- Skinpress.com
- WPDesigner.com
- Clazh.com
- Best WordPress Magazine Themes
- ScribbleScratch.com
- Photoblog Themes
Monday Inspiration: Innovative Designs and Devices
Steve Jobs stated once that the “design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” While this statement has proven to be crucial over thousands of years, one shouldn’t misinterpret it by emphasizing the functionality despite the design. When it comes to product design, the significance of aesthetics of a given device, the way its design looks and feels, determines the choice of the customer once the functionalities of multiple devices are more or less similar. If supported by sound user interface and a well-tested, clean implementation, innovative design solutions can drastically enhance the user experience.
This article presents innovative, futuristic gadgets, devices, designs and concepts. Unless explicitly specified, none of these cut-edge concepts is currently being manufactured. None of them is available for end-users which is why neither the price nor links to the stores are mentioned.
Please keep in mind that the main idea of this article is not to do the sell-talk for trendy products, but to showcase innovative design solutions and futuristic devices which can become reality in 2008 or over the next few years.
- You can also take a look at our article User Experience Of The Future which covers recent developments in the field of user interface design.
Steve Jobs stated once that the “design is not just what it looks like and feels like. Design is how it works.” While this statement has proven to be crucial over thousands of years, one shouldn’t misinterpret it by emphasizing the functionality despite the design. When it comes to product design, the significance of aesthetics of a given device, the way its design looks and feels, determines the choice of the customer once the functionalities of multiple devices are more or less similar. If supported by sound user interface and a well-tested, clean implementation, innovative design solutions can drastically enhance the user experience.
This article presents innovative, futuristic gadgets, devices, designs and concepts. Unless explicitly specified, none of these cut-edge concepts is currently being manufactured. None of them is available for end-users which is why neither the price nor links to the stores are mentioned.
Please keep in mind that the main idea of this article is not to do the sell-talk for trendy products, but to showcase innovative design solutions and futuristic devices which can become reality in 2008 or over the next few years.
- You can also take a look at our article User Experience Of The Future which covers recent developments in the field of user interface design.
Sony’s Apple Remote Control
Sony’s Apple Remote Control
Is there any place for innovation when it comes to the design of remote controls? Apparently, there is. This Sony’s”apple” allows users to perform basic functions like changing channels, volume etc. with simple motion gestures (see image below). Once “apples” are placed on the bowl, the remote control is being recharged. Neither price nor production dates are known.
Optimus Tactus & Optimus Maximus
Artemy Lebedev’s Optimus keyboards offer an unusual approach for a traditional input device. A small OLED-display (Organic Display) is placed beneath every key to enable users to define displayed characters and the keys’ functionality manually. In other words, with Optimus the placement of labels on the keyboard can be varied at any time.
Optimus Tactus does not have physical keys, which means there are no restrictions on their shape and size. Any part of the keyboard surface can be programmed to perform any function or to display any images. Production date and price: unknown.
Optimus Maximus (Demo). Each of the 113 keys is a stand-alone display that shows the function currently assigned to it. Optimus’s customizable layout allows convenient use of any language — Cyrillic, Ancient Greek, Georgian, Arabic, Quenya, hiragana, etc. — as well as of any other character sets: notes, numerals, special symbols, HTML codes, math functions and so on to infinity. Production date: the end of January 2008, price: 460$.
The Keyboard Configurator. You can assign any images and characters to display on your Optimus keyboard.
Nonobject Behind the Scenes Camera
The Nonobject Behind the Scenes Camera (Video) has “lenses and displays on both sides for simultaneously recording what you’re aiming at, and what you’re not.” Behind the Scenes Camera is designed to capture what’s going on behind our back, beyond our control, while simultaneously capturing the scene in front of us.
Duofone
The main idea behind Duofone is the possibility to put multiple devices together to combine their screen real estate. The battery power can be shared, and a movie can be watched on a larger screen.
Toast Messenger
Toast Messenger incorporates a little message board where one can write quick notes and then instantly print them on the toaster. Simple, yet innovative.
Dual Music Player
Compared to traditional music players, this Dual Music Player is different. It is a portable solution that supports both CDs and Flash-memory. You can listen to MP3s stored on your Flash-drive and copy music via USB while once you need to play your old CDs you can simply open both sides and let the player do the rest.
Vaio Zoom
The Vaio Zoom notebook takes everything we know about holographic technology and squeezes it inside a thin glass form factor. When off, the screen is completely transparent and the keyboard goes opaque. Turn it on and the touchscreen holographic festivities begin. Even the mouse buttons are holographic! [via Gizmodo]
Visual Desktop Charger
Quite often the details are not the details. They make the design. Saying that, Charles Eames was right: the beauty of Visual Desktop Charger lies in its close attention to small details. The device is a visual indicator of the charge status of a mobile phone. It is supposed to like like a “bird bath-like charger, complete with radiating rings of light to indicate charge status and to top it all off, thirsty birds that glow once the rings of light hit ‘em.” [via YankoDesign]
Bluetooth Laser Virtual Keyboard
This is reality. This BlueTooth Laser Virtual Keyboard, a laser projection keyboard, allows you to type on any flat surface. You can use it to compose an e-mail on your Bluetooth enabled PDA or Cell Phone. With 63 keys and and full size QWERTY layout the Laser Virtual Keyboard can approach the typing speed of a standard keyboard. Size: a little larger than a matchbook. Already released. Price: $150.
Omaura HTPC
Omaura Home Theater Personal PC is a new face in HTPCs. “When we first opened the PDF containing the concept images of Omaura’s concept TT chassis, we thought for a second it was a large, TV-stand-ready all-in-one PC whose display had a seriously distorted aspect ratio. We’ll confess to a little disappointment once we realized it was simply an upright case, but that shot of its interior got us excited again. Imagine sticking the TT on a low-profile table under your wall-mounted LCD or plasma screen.” [via CNet]
Hi-Tech Office: Eclipse Partitioning System
Eclipse Partitioning System (Video) includes a desk, task chair, expandable hood, integrated speakers, and power all set on casters for true mobility. The central idea behind this hi-tech office is versatility. Its retractable hood allows for various levels of privacy and access to accommodate to the changing work flow of one’s daily job. You should really take a look at the video. Neither price nor production dates are known.
EmTrace’s PS100 Photoskin Frames
EmTrace PS100 offers one single dock station for all your personal needs and interests. Looking like a digital photo frame, it fits into a wallet and syncs data for stocks, weather and other information via Internet. You can load whatever information you’d like on your personal dock station and take it with you — in your wallet. Neither price nor production dates are known.
iRing
iRing is a control playback for your Apple media devices. As a simple ring which fits on a finger, it has a wireless Bluetooth connectivity with iPod and iPhone. “iRing features a bright OLED status display with touch-sensitive function strip, and a rechargeable battery life of up to 2 days. Conveniently recharge your iRing using the included cradle.” Neither price nor production dates are known.
Pock-It
So simple, yet so effective. Pock-It is a simple design concepts that allows you to use a little pocket instead of usual stick-it-notes.
Bonus: “sQuba” Diving Car
Rinspeed’s sQuba Diving Car is the “first real diving car designed to autonomously turn into an amphibious vehicle at the push of a button — can submerge up to 10m (33ft) under water.” Powering the concept is an electric motor mated to the rear wheels.
The propulsion on the water is ensured by two propellers in the stern and two powerful jet drives in the bow to propel the vehicle under water. The body is constructed from light weight components made of Carbon Nano Tubes and contains an on-board air-filling system. Neither price nor production dates are known.
Resources
- YankoDesign.com
Form Beyond Function. A weblog dedicated to introducing the best modern international design, covering from industrial design, concepts, technology, interior design, architecture, exhibition and fashion. - ProductDose.com
Style, technology, design, substance - Techeblog: Concepts
A number of recent technology concepts, designs and unusual approaches in the “Concepts” category on Techeblog.com.
Durable Cell Phone Cases…
Love is an act of endless forgiveness, a tender look which becomes a habit. ~ Peter Ustinov…