Yanko Design - Form Beyond Function

This silent blender is for ninjas

Posted: 20 Mar 2018 12:00 PM PDT

Your midnight smoothie craving doesn’t need to go unfulfilled anymore. The BL1502A (it could use a catchier name) from Midea can blend pretty much anything… and that too in silence! Its double enclosure cuts out the whirring sound that blenders are notoriously famous for, reducing it to a 10-decibel level, which is about as loud as a human breathing.

Even though it’s as quiet as a mouse, the BL1502A looks incredibly heavy duty, with its robust design. The control panel sits at a 45° angle, making it easy to view the display and operate the controls, and the blender itself even has a heating function letting you cook your soups and broths as you blitz the ingredients together… in pin-drop silence.

The BL1502A blender is a winner of the iF Design Award for the year 2018.

Designers: Lu Yangzong, Yang Chao & Zhao Pengyu (Midea).

A Sweet Spot for Succulents

Posted: 20 Mar 2018 09:00 AM PDT

As one of mother nature’s naturally sculptural elements, succulents are deserving of a home just as artistic as they are. The Capsule planter by Gavin Rea is precisely what I’m talking about! Its ultramodern form (in pure white) is a perfect place to plant and put your favorite succulents on display.

Ideal for compact living quarters, it’s designed to hang on any wall to save valuable desk, table or counter space. It mounts to the wall using standard carriage bolts available at any hardware store. The planter itself simply slides on and off using familiar T slots in the back. Better yet, each plant pots is removable for repotting or replacing plants so you can mix and match them or switch up your style at any time. Because of their delicate watering requirements, it also sports a spiral drainage system to prevent water accumulation that results in root rot. Its cool capsule shape is a perfect compliment to modern interiors and is sure to make you and your succulent buddies happy!

Designer: Gavin Rea

Never Look for your Keys Again!

Posted: 20 Mar 2018 06:57 AM PDT

The Pocketbands 3.0 is the most un-wallet-ish wallet we’ve seen and I love it. Think about all the times you’ve forgotten to carry something important with you, or you’ve been forced to even with no place to put it. Imagine going out on a run or to the gym but needing to carry your keys in your hands because your jogging or workout shorts don’t have pockets. Then maybe you need some loose change so you can grab a juice or a smoothie on your way back, so you need to carry your wallet along with you.

The Pocketbands was made to be the evolution of your wallet. Because A. A wallet isn’t made for every scenario, and B. It’s much easier to flick a wallet than it is to undo a silicone band. Its band nature makes it extremely helpful in certain situations and useful in general. Be it on the beach, or camping, or at the gym, pool, or on a run, the Pocketbands 3.0 is a replacement for your chunky, clunky wallet. It holds your keys and loose change, strapping them to your arm so you know exactly where they are, and it uses your wrist, a resource you always have, instead of a pocket, something that one may or may not possess depending on the clothes you’re in.

The Pocketbands 3.0 comes made in silicone. Designed to mimic the feel of skin, its silicone construction feels natural on your wrist, and isn’t affected by sweat, dust, or grime. The silicone provides a friction of its own, meaning the band’s much less likely to come undone on its own. Designed with a concealed sleeve, the band can comfortably hold keys and banknotes against your wrist, leaving your pockets empty and your mind carefree because you don’t need to worry about looking for your belongings. I wouldn’t say they were at your fingertips, but they’re literally the closest they can get to your fingertips!

The Pocketband’s band format works because your mind treats it as a wearable, not a carryable. You could change your clothes and you’d have the band on your wrist, as opposed to when you switch pants and you forget your wallet in your other pants. Using and wearing the band almost becomes instinctive too, meaning you’re much less likely to forget your keys in your “other” pants or on your mantelpiece… and you’re less likely to have a panic attack and run your hands through your pockets because you think you’ve forgotten your keys because the band sitting on your wrist is as visually communicative as it gets. If you have your band, you have your key. My favorite thing, however (and I say this as a forgetful bachelor), is that your keys and cash won’t accidentally end up in the laundry because you forgot to take them out of your pants!

Designer: Devin Eisner

Click here to Buy Now: $12.00 $15.00

Click here to Buy Now: $12.00

By Golly, Meet, OLLLY!

Posted: 19 Mar 2018 10:47 PM PDT

A regular desk with a drawer seems just plain drab compared to the uber-cool OLLLY desk! Not only handsome, it’s also designed to accommodate all your modern devices and not-so-modern apparatuses.

Aside from a pull-out drawer at its center, it also features grooves on either side to hold and keep your pens, pencils, stylus or other writing utensils from rolling around. It also has openings dedicated to propping up your tablet, phone or other slim techs for easy viewing that takes up less desk top real estate than laying them down flat. In a sleek ebony and oak combination, it’s a chic and functional office option you can get here!

Designer: Pavel Petrov for Zegen

Connector protector, dirt deflector…

Posted: 19 Mar 2018 04:00 PM PDT

I never really knew this but the oils coming off your skin can sometimes affect the performance of your connector if they get on them. Most phones are designed to be oleophobic, repelling the reactive effect of the skin’s oils… but chargers and connectors, hardly. You’ll notice that chargers are more likely to collect everyday grime/dirt than your phone, and even that connector port can get dirty/oily, gradually affecting its performance… a little like getting fingerprints on a CD before you put it on the CD tray.

The Connector Protector is a small piece of plastic that sits on the connector, covering it when not in use so that you don’t necessarily touch it. Its spring-like design means the hood retracts when you’re plugging the connector into the port, and returns to its original shape when you’ve unplugged the cable. Now if only someone designed a protector that prevented those pesky wires from fraying and breaking apart every time!

The Connector Protector is a winner of the iF Design Award for the year 2018.

Designers: Takahiro Nakamichi & Wataru Yaekura (Softbank)

Listen up. Bose is making AR sunglasses.

Posted: 19 Mar 2018 02:00 PM PDT

Why would one of the world’s most reputed sound companies makes AR equipment? Bose’s AR sunglasses were designed to plug a gap in the development of AR. Augmented Reality or even Virtual Reality were designed with a very visual-heavy focus, but Bose’s entry into the game means more concentration on 3D audio. That’s what the AR sunglasses from Bose are designed to show off. AR Audio.

Bose’s AR glasses use bone-conducting technology to deliver audio to their users. The sunglasses sport Bose’s proprietary technology in the hopes to add an “audible layer of information and experiences” to the real world. The glasses aren’t really focused on capturing consumers as much as they are on capturing partners. Bose hopes that companies working in AR will embrace Bose’s technologies, integrating it into their products. The company hopes they can see Bose AR in headphones, eyewear, helmets and more. The sunglasses use motion trackers and GPS to accept input controls and understand where you are.

So where would one use AR audio? Bose sees their AR audio technology being used in museums to provide information based on it knowing which exhibit you’re near or what painting you’re looking at. Or at airports, to guide you to your boarding gate, or relay information to you. Or even in navigation, especially in navigation. There’s also a future where AR could use visual cues to translate signs in foreign languages, or for visually impaired. Their choice of Bone Conduction technology is interesting for two reasons. Bone Conduction technology lets you hear ambient noise/sound around you along with the audio playback, making it much safer in everyday life for people driving, crossing the road, etc. It also allows Bose to expand in an area that hasn’t seen much quality or competition. Bone conduction technology is rather new, and from products I’ve used, its quality sub-par. Bose’s entry holds great promise for the technology, and the fact that it’s letting its products be used by a wide number of partners (Yelp and TripAdvisor for starters) makes the future of AR much more exciting!

Designer: Bose