

A New Era for Design - hornokplease
http://blog.kickstarter.com/post/1620648441/a-new-era-for-design

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mbm
This made me think of an article in the NYT the other day. Here's a short
excerpt:

Symbols, metaphors, analogies, parables, synecdoche, figures of speech: we
understand them. We understand that a captain wants more than just hands when
he orders all of them on deck. We understand that Kafka’s “Metamorphosis”
isn’t really about a cockroach. If we are of a certain theological ilk, we see
bread and wine intertwined with body and blood. We grasp that the right piece
of cloth can represent a nation and its values, and that setting fire to such
a flag is a highly charged act. We can learn that a certain combination of
sounds put together by Tchaikovsky represents Napoleon getting his butt kicked
just outside Moscow. And that the name “Napoleon,” in this case, represents
thousands and thousands of soldiers dying cold and hungry, far from home.

Brilliant design seems to works in a similar way. A product that reveals
something masterful about its creator evokes a human response on a level most
marketing departments will never understand.

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Neputys
So true... (but maybe it's just better that they don't? now that I think of
it)

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wmeredith
I've wanted one of these since the new Nano's came out (and this is certainly
THE incarnation of the iPod Nano wristband I was dreaming of) but I have
reservations.

It's not water resistant, much less water proof. I don't want to have to take
my watch off to wash my hands or do the dishes or when it rains. Another thing
is watches are _tough_. Most people don't realize how tough. I don't know what
the glass on this thing is, but I don't it can stand up to the abuse I dish
out to my Timex.

Having said that, I'm probably going to get one anyway. I'll get a Luna-Tik
and wear it as my dress watch. :-)

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noonespecial
I think its really cool. This is how wearable computing finally creeps up on
us. "Wearable computers" in the past were a non-starter because, lets face it,
they were _dorky_ looking.

This has style enough to be worn without seeming too moronic and really does
put a lot of power on the wrist. Better battery, tight "PAN" integration with
the iphone and ipad... can awesome cyborg-ery be far behind?

~~~
ugh
Isn’t wearable computing all about being able to carry around a capable
computer with you at all times without even noticing?

An Android phone or an iPhone certainly fit that bill. Those are not really
wearable or they are at least not what you would have imagined ten or twenty
years ago when thinking about wearable computing but they are just as useful.
I would even argue that they are more useful. You get all the benefits without
the downsides. We could have made all those gadgets much more durable and
waterproof and we could have even mated them with clothing – that doesn’t seem
technologically infeasible – but why should we? A small lightweight slab of
glass we can just slip in our pocket seems much more practical.

As for watches, I'm not sure what’s going to happen to them. I know many
people who just ditched their watch altogether because all their gadgets have
clocks, but the wrist is certainly attractive real estate for technology or
fashion or both. The problem is size, I think. There is no space for a 3.5" or
larger touchscreen on the wrist, even the 1.5" screen of the nano is a
stretch. That 1.5" screen doesn’t allow for rich interaction, it can at most
be used for very basic things (like in the case of the nano) or as a
conveniently located remote for a larger interaction surface somewhere else.

I think, however, that it’s very questionable whether a setup with a watch as
a remote is very convenient or practical. Why would you want to take care of
two gadgets (charge them, be careful so that they don’t break and so on) when
you can just pull your smartphone out of the pocket with about the same ease
as looking at your watch?

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jemfinch
Hopefully it's not too irrelevant to ask...

Does anyone know what music was playing in the background of that video? I
really liked it.

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chanux
Exactly what I (and probably everyone) wanted when I first saw the ipod clock.

BTW Sony Ericsson made something similar (with more of course).
[http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/15/sony-ericsson-liveview-
no...](http://www.engadget.com/2010/11/15/sony-ericsson-liveview-now-
available-in-europe-if-you-had-a-liv/)

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riobard
“in clock mode, the iPod Nano battery would last a week on a single charge.”

Really?? This is cool. I want one!

~~~
cubicle67
I love the idea that in 2011 we'll have the technology to be able to build
$200 watches that require charging weekly :)

~~~
BoppreH
And are _touchscreen_ and can run _software_ on it.

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jokull
How exactly do you use this thing? Do you have to have the earphones cord
running from your wrist to your head to actually use any of the nano's
intended functionality? That, to me at least, looks like you're being brain
monitored or something.

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melling
Their servers are not doing well from the extra publicity. Getting a bit of
extra attention from HN on a Friday night does have its downsides.

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baby
Not convinced at all. Who would wear that ?

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ugh
As of right now 2,649 people have pre-ordered 2,742 wristbands. In 27 days the
creators will receive $190,812 (Kickstarter takes a five percent cut) to
manufacture and ship those 2,742 wristbands. It took three days for all this
to happen, 27 more to go.

I don’t know whether 2,649 people want to wear it but they at least want to
buy it. It’s definitely a Kickstarter success story. What’s the point you are
making?

