I thought this was a joke the first time I heard about it. First, the idea is that this cup will tell you whether you are drinking beer or juice. Second, it has some of the most meaningless marketing-speak I have read in a long time. Get this:
…craft an object that would possess a unique yet subtle presence on a tabletop. The spill-proof lid, non-stick interior, and durable build will allow you to be confident on the move.
After over a year of design and development and too many prototypes to count, the Kinsa Smart Thermometer has officially lunched on indiegogo as a socially-funded venture. Designed by SchultzeWORKS, the Kinsa Smart Thermometer is a simple tool to track and stop the spread of disease. By leveraging the power, display, processing, and connectivity of your phone, the Kinsa not only tells you your temperature, but can also tell you what illnesses are going around, what you might have, and what you can do about it.
The funds that are generated by donors will be used to manufacture the product and scale up production. The campaign’s success will also be used to encourage physicians, health systems, and governments to adopt this approach to be healthier, together.
In addition to the industrial design and engineering coordination, we also created all of the 3D renderings and animations for the marketing efforts.
LG’s “Design the Future Competition“, their 3rd annual cell phone design competition, has been closed to new entries as of Monday, April 26th, and the judges are now reviewing the 508 design submissions. First place winner in 2008, the latest SchultzeWORKS design submission is also included. Winners will be notified in one week, on Monday, May 3rd.
The objectives of the competition were stated as:
Predict what’s next. What do you think the next generation of mobile phones should work or look like for the U.S. market in the next 2 to 3 years? We are asking for your help. We’re NOT looking for a long list of specs or phone ideas that already exist. We’re looking for a cool new concept or “big idea” supported by usage scenario and user experience illustrations.
Awards of $80,000 total are unusually generous for a competition of this type, so kudos to LG and their organizers, crowdspring. The public announcement of the results will be posted at www.crowdspring.com/lg-winners
SchultzeWORKS and the Philco PC have been invited to participate in the IDSA-sponsored IDEA awards, or the ‘International Design Excellence Awards’. Entries were due February 1st, 2010, so the Philco PC is now entered in the Computer Equipment / Concepts & Prototypes category. The competition write-up on the Project Challenge coincidentally addressed many of the entertaining comments and imaginative assumptions posted on gadget and design blogs, so that particular section is re-printed below.
The PhilcoPC project was a labor of love, motivated by the frustration of trying to build a new computer for use in design & 3D projects. This long and somewhat painful effort ultimately led to a purchase that was a disappointing compromise. These feelings triggered the challenge: could you design a computer that was as inspiring to look at — as it was to work with?
The research effort studied hundreds of computer cases before several trends emerged. One trend, common to most computers, was that commoditization had led to a monotonous mélange of black and beige. Another trend, used to great effect by Apple, was a pilgrimage towards ‘minimalism at all costs.’ As their products became more highly refined, monochromatic, polished, and serious, they lost almost all sense of fun and personality.
The aesthetic work then embarked on an exploration of the pre-digital world, nicknamed the ‘analog era,’ before miniaturization allowed
components to be shrunk smaller than the eye can see, into boxes that weren’t much to look at. This retro research revealed a goldmine
of inspirational forms that, somehow, had the power to remind us of simpler, happier times.
Thank you to everyone who has called or written to inquire where they could buy (or be a distributor for) the Philco PC. However, all images are 3D renderings of a design concept which does not yet exist in the real world. We are currently meeting with PC manufacturers and hope that will change in the near future. Any news regarding manufacturing will be posted right here on the blog when available. Continue Reading →
The first print appearance of the PhilcoPC is in the February 2010 CPU (Computer Power User) magazine. We have had unbelievable press from the online media, but this first print coverage was a nice surprise, mostly because they did not contact us for any high-resolution images or questions. Continue Reading →
The recent media coverage of the PhilcoPC was great and generated a lot of site traffic, but the coolest part was definitely the lively commentary from readers. Here are a few favorites from Engadget. Continue Reading →
On Tuesday, I was interviewed by All Things Considered Host Alex Cohen for a feature they called “Computer of the Future.” The interview was held at the KPCC studios on the Pasadena City College campus. Alex was a total pro and the interview went more like a friendly conversation than an interview.
In fact, I found out Alex owned a Philco Predicta TV, so that’s why she was intrigued by the project. Southern California Public Radio has posted a summary of the interview on their website with a very cool introduction; “Pasadena-based designer Dave Schultze thought PC’s were boring beige boxes, desperately in need of a design make-over. And so, he decided to create a personal computer of his own.”
[vimeo width=”600″ height=”360″]http://www.vimeo.com/7951005[/vimeo]
When the Philco PC video was first uploaded in early-December 2009, we only had a few dozen of the SchultzeWORKS’ friends and family check it out. Not so long thereafter, the project was featured on a few gadget + design blogs such as www.engadget.com, www.gizmodo.com and www.yankodesign.com all on the same day. The number of viewers went from 3 the day before to 30,000 the day after. Now, that’s explosive growth!
The Philco PC press release [here] went out two weeks ago, and not only was the media coverage amazing, but it still continues. The press release was initially sent to a handful of my favorite design and gadget blogs, but those blogs were so heavily trafficked and syndicated that the coverage then spread to hundreds of other websites, blogs, and media outlets. A google search for “philco pc” returned initial results of 10,000 hits, which then climbed to to 50,000, then to 100,000 … and is closing in on 400,000. Continue Reading →
