designer cell phones

cell phones have come a long way from their neanderthalesque brick ancestors in the '90s. from the 5-pound handset and its accompanying charger (as one so fondly remembers ross from friends carrying in a briefcase), it has gotten lighter, slimmer, and more multi-functional with technological advances. and of course, with this has arrived the desire for sexier and more high-design cell phones. while some brands like D&G and Prada have collaborated to make signature editions, others have experimented with materials or the form itself. the AU design project, for example, was started by KDDI in japan as a response to the traditional cellular device in seeking to create new and original models. the big wave of 2007 though seems to be geared towards music phones and touch screen interfaces, especially with the iPhone which was unveiled at MacWorld 2007 earlier today. note that i'm not so concerned or savvy about the functions included on each phone but more on the design. here are some of my picks:



apple iPhone
a widescreen LCD multi-touch interface, 4GB flash memory for music and movies, 2megapixel camera, visual voicemail options, wi-fi and bluetooth and more...could this be the superphone? the iPhone will undoubtedly cover the gap for those overly technogadget phones that have left much to be desired. them the release is expected in june and will start at $499.
via zdnet | gizmodo



LG ke850
the LG ke850 recently won the if product design award of 2007 and is rumored to be the prototype for which prada will base their rebranded cell phone on. there haven't been much on the specs yet as it hasn't been released, but prada or no prada label, the ke850 is pretty as it is. the touch-screen replacing the conventional buttons will probably take some getting used to though like the iPhone since it looks more like a tablet than something you talk into. i've heard that the lg chocolate touch interface is hard to use so i wonder if they've resolved it in this version.
via gizmodo




kddi neon by naoto fukasawa
the neon was released in 2006 as the latest model from the AU design project. the form is a rectangular solid that comes in three colors and a black interface. features include a 1.3 megapixel camera, miniSD card slot, FM tuner, and 50MB of memory for music. but the coolest thing that this phone offers is the top smooth surface of the phone that acts as a display for song functions and details.
via kddi | mocoloco


black diamond by jaren goh
the black diamond concept phone is a luxury item that will be sold in early 2007 by swiss manufacturer VIPN for a gi-normous sum of $300,000! this super sleek limited edition is made out of titanium, real diamonds, and has a glossy mirror finish. features include a 4 megapixel camera, 2-in. touch sensitive screen, intel 400Mhz processor that runs windows mobile 5, 128 mb internal memory, and sd card slot.
via jarengoh

other honorable mentions:
motorola rizr z6: suped up sliding rizr z3 with a better interface
sony ericsson w200i: the budget walkman
samsung ultra music phone: dual face music machine
hulger pip*phone: african hardwood shelled phone- wax with care

happy holidays

happy holidays! and oops for the hiatus- i have regretfully left copenhagen and am back in LA, but being in a design capital for 4 months definitely left me thirsting even more for innovative design and solutions. additionally, it's made me realize the importance of digital and print media today in dispensing ideas and information to people around the world. publicity and physical accessibility makes such a big difference in discovering cutting edge products and buildings etc., so it has only been till now that i've truly appreciated how magazines have compiled everything neatly into a few pages. this explains my excitement for the way some of my favorite reads are finally starting to expand their horizons. let me be one of the first to say that i am going to subscribe to the coolhunter magazine as soon as it comes out in march!! they have always been ahead of the game and never cease to wow with their finds and trends in design, dropping comprehensive blurbs and pictures that leave you wanting more. it is probably one of the few times an online magazine has been successful enough to go into print, so i wonder what coolhunter will have to offer in addition to what juicy content they already have online. frame, self-dubbed 'the great indoors', has recently come out with a digitalized version of their monthly magazines which is really great for people who love reading the articles but dont necessarily want or need to keep the whole book as a reference. in opposition to coolhunter's move towards print, frame's digitalization reflects the trend in mobilizing information via internet where users don't need or want to be bothered with physical ownership. prime examples: phonebooks and encyclopedias. but hey, sometimes it's nice to see it in print anyways...

my favorite magazine is still surface, which covers up-and-coming luxurious fashion, architecture, and design through fresh and sexed up spreads. monitor, a super conceptual product/project savvy magazine which i discovered at the venice bienalle's bookshop this october, is a graphic masterpiece in itself and the thought of ripping out pages or discarding it makes me slightly uneasy. and don't worry, i didn't forget wallpaper*, which covers a lot of international ground in interiors, fashion, and travel. their magazine is worth a read but and their site adds new finds consistently, though it's been admittedly hard to keep checking for updates for lack of feed accessibility. i could probably go on for a while, but these are just a few of the great comprehensive design magazines out there. to be continued...

exclusionary

exclusionary, by jasper thomas, is a collection of photo stories which are reminiscent of minimiam's style except with slightly darker twists. [if you haven't stumbled upon minimiam yet, an AMAZING photo series by pierre javelle and akiko ida, i highly advise it!] though each photograph may not evoke quite the same amount of delight as a delicate figurine mowing his lawn on a kiwi, the overall composition of each story will guaranteedly make you snicker in glee. penguins vandalizing a corn-cob building, and chicks making bunny sacrifices..... how can you hate them when they're just so cute?



minimiam




exclusionary

pics courtesy of design*sponge/minimiam and exclusionary

food and decor down to a science?

molecular gastronomy, or food chemistry has become an increasing trend over the past decades. after being quite intrigued by bo bech's paustian restaurant menu, i decided to look more into molecular gastronomy and the relationship of such meals to the restaurant interiors. developed by nicholas furti, the "physicist in the kitchen", pioneers of the gastronomic cuisine which include ferio adria of el bulli (spain), pierre gagnaire (intl), grant achatz of alinea (chicago), and wylie dufre of wd-50 (nyc) have experimented with different chemical processes and combinations of ingredients to create unique dishes. for example, using liquid nitrogen to make tobacco-flavoured ice-cream or serving earl grey tea as hot and cold gel in a glass.

while there are still a couple degrees of variation in the style of each restaurant, moto's design philosophy may sum up the underlying reason behind these characteristically modern and simple interiors that most of these restaurants appear to follow: "our minimalist decor - warm whites accented with chocolate and cinnamon - allows diners to focus on the main attraction: Chef Cantu's food." as a recent diner at the hotel fox kitchen , i agree that decor, however cool, should be at minimum to detract from food (the nearby neon pink and blue LED light screen projected on the wall admittedly made me feel sleepy and stuck in a perpetual dream world). i also agree that gastronomy can work: for one dish i was served roast venison on grilled [dehydrated?] corn with a side of cherry ice cream paired with an elderberry cocktail, which was surprisingly good. but my only qualm is how long a diner will continue going to such a kind of restaurant before the food loses its novelty. obviously the aforementioned have found a way to retain the businesses of their restaurants, but in places such as nyc, few gastronomic restaurants have yet to be accepted. also, that if one does not enjoy the food, then they might not get much out of the atmosphere that was created most purposefully to compliment the food. so i guess the question is, can you have the success of a restaurant rely completely on the food itself? i'll let you be the judge of that.


moto, chicago


the fat duck, london

alinea, chicago


paustian, copenhagen


the paul, copenhagen


fox kitchen, copenhagen

more on food experimentation, analyses, and gastronomy:

molecular gastronomy: the science behind cooking
hungry in hogtown: gastronomical reviews
drink science: make jellied jin and tonic
wild sweets: molecular gastronomy hits the chocolate scene

first post

helloo~

this is mlin, or minimalnectar here with my first post. i am currently a 3rd-year interior design student who loves all thing design. this blog is meant to share some of my interests and commentary on current design and improve my writing skills, as well as give updates on a new design community web project for my university. a bio on me if anyone cares: i'm a californian-born girl going to school upstate new york and I freeze at anywhere below 50 degrees. i'm currently studying abroad in copenhagen for the fall semester and am addicted to two things here: the danish style and hotdogs. My favorite museum is the Tate Modern, my favorite artists are van gogh and rauschenberg, and I don't care what anyone says, but the modern art museum I.M. Pei built on my campus still looks like a giant concrete toilet. hope this intrigued you. enjoy!