Elegant Technology

In my email inbox today was an email from Bang & Olufsen.

The email featured the new, more afordable, Beovision 8 LCD television.

This television is important not only because it introduces a HDMI input on one of Bang & Olufsen smaller screen offerings (26 Inches) but also because, in the UK, it will retail for £1800.

The TV also comes with the Beo4 remote control and a 16 page manual. Beauty in form and function.

Personally I think it’s worth sacrificing screen size for the aesthetics of this TV. It also looks different from the mass of other LCD TVs on the market.

On the B&O discussion board there seems to be a concensus that there will be a 32″ version available later in the year.

Now, where can I lay my hands on £1800?

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Recently I upgraded to the Sky+ digibox.

Over many years of VHS use I can say that the Sky+ is the most elegant way to manage what I watch on TV. Admittedly it only works with the Sky satellite service (whereas a VHS recorder is not tied) but the ability to pause live TV, record using the electronic programme guide, and perform a ’series link’ that knows when the next programme will be aired (and takes care of the recording) is an absolute revolution.

Sky+ really is a case of technology, simply presented, working for and not against the user.

Sky HD

There is another digibox on offer; Sky HD. This has the same functionality as the Sky+ box but offers a 160Gb hard disk (over 40Gb) and outputs in high definition. The only problem is that only a small fraction of the channels are broadcast in HD, it was another £200, and I have a standard definition CRT at the moment.

The Sony VHS is now consigned to the ‘give to a family member’ pile.

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Most individuals upgrade their computers every three years whereas they change their mobile phones annually. This results in millions of phones that need to be disposed of every year.

One of the reasons consumers’ replace their phones is the pace of change in hardware, features, and software (interfaces).

Manufacturers like Nokia did, in a way, provide a possible solution when phones were designed with exchangeable covers. At the time this allowed consumers to customise their phone. I don’t think the intention was to extend the ‘life’ of the phone [in this case the length of time the consumer would be happy with the phone].

So, it’s possible to produce a handset that has parts that can be replaced. The next step is to enable the software to be changed.

Just like when Microsoft or Apple release a new Operating System that refreshes the consumer’s interest – a similar process could be used for mobile phones.

Also, like PCs, the underlying components could also be upgradeable.

The end result of these changes could result in a large part of the phone being reused.

Good for the environment and also good for the consumer.

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I couldn’t resist this when I saw it in the shops recently. I was attracted to it because of it’s white colour. The fragrance is called Fleur du Male and it’s from Jean Paul Gaultier.

The torso shaped bottle comes in a metal tin which, at first, looks as if it needs to be opened with a tin-opener but it actually opens from the bottom.

The fragrance itself is quite floral and is a definite hit with the ladies.

Is this another example of the ‘Apple effect’? i.e. designers using the colour white because of the quantity of iPods and iMacs out there.

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For me Simplicity and Elegance go hand-in-hand. On a recent trip to the Design Museum in London I came across the book The Laws of Simplicity by John Maeda.

Maeda has reduced the laws of simplicty down to 10 in number. Briefly the laws are;

• Reduce
• Organise
• Time
• Learn
• Differences
• Context
• Emotion
• Trust
• Failure
• The One : Which is a law that tries to encapsulate the all of the other nine

Maeda argues in the law ‘Differences’ that simplicty can only exist alongside complexity otherwise there is nothing to contrast simplicity against.

This book also uses the iPod in many of the laws to demonstrate the practical application of simplicity in product design.

It’s fair to say that the early ‘laws’ are more readily applied than the later ones. Concepts like ‘Reduce’ and ‘Organise’ are used and applied in business to improve efficiency.

If you are interested in a set of rules you can use in all aspects of your personal and business life then I recommend this book.

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Whilst reading Wallpaper magazine this month (May 2007) I noticed an advert for a new range of Samsonite luggage designed by fashion designer Alexander McQueen.

I like the almost alien design of the case (although it was apparently moulded from a human rib cage and spine) that cleverly helps to stregnthen the plastic moulding.

Another reason I like this is the colour. It is quite rare to find a white suitcase.

Available under the Samsonite Black Label brand.

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Picture taken with Nikon D50

I visited Kew Gardens outside London recently. I made sure I saw the bridge designed by the minimalist architect John Pawson. The crossing is so simple in design using just a few elements; Black Granite and Bronze. I think a master stroke was to introduce the curve to it’s form. I had to wait a while until the bridge emptied. For a better view, click on the thumbnail above.

Further details from the Kew web-site;

Design

The Sackler Crossing is designed to foster clear visual links between the man-made structure of the bridge and the natural contours of its setting – the gently rounded shoreline, the smooth expanse of the Lake and the powerful verticals of trees. The deck is formed of rhythmic bands of black granite laid horizontally. Cast bronze vertical cantilevers rise between the granite treads to form simple balustrades, the top of each upright smoothly contoured to fit comfortably in the hand. Both stone and bronze will acquire a rich patina with use and the passage of time.
Set low and close to the lake’s surface, the Crossing is designed to give an illusion of walking on water. Depending on the angle of viewing, the spaces between the bronze fins appear and disappear, giving the structure an intriguing ambiguity between solid and transparent.

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Designed by Masayuki Kurokawa, 2006

I love the simplicity of this watch that is available from the MOMA store.

“The translucent mineral crystal in this stunningly simple watch creates changes in its appearance when viewed in different light and at different angles. The watch has a stainless-steel case with quartz movement and the band is made of supple yet durable silicone in milky white”

This watch ticks all the right boxes;

• Simple
• White
• Elegant

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I think it’s worth having an iPod Shuffle for many reasons; it’s size; it’s wearability etc.

There is a feature I really like that puts it above other, more advanced, iPods.

As you know, because the Shuffle’s has no display, the key marketing feature that Apple Inc. focuses on is the random playing of music tracks.

What I like is, that when I listen to music in shuffle mode and come across a record that I know is part of an album, I can move the switch to the ‘ordered’ setting, move back through the tracks to the beginning of the album (or playlist) and listen to the whole thing. If I have had enough of the album I can switch back to the shuffle mode without affecting the music playing.

With the nano (or any iPod with a screen) I have to look at whats playing, navigate back to the start screen and then navigate to select the album. Then I have to select the first track.

This feature of a switch for random or ordered play comes in handy quite a lot (for me). I often want to hear more of the album once I com across it randomly.

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A favourite elegant YouTube video.

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