frogdesign
Latest
Recommended Reading: The Black Panther returns
The Return of the Black Panther Ta-Nehisi Coates, The Atlantic Ta-Nehisi Coates is one of the most important voices of our time, and he went to work on a new Black Panther series of comic books for Marvel. Coates previews the first issue in the series of 11 chronicling adventures of what was the first black superhero portrayed in US mainstream comics when it debuted in the 1960s. Details on the making of the new comics alongside a collection of panels for the first issue make this piece a must-read.
The $250 MOD-t delivers simplicity and beauty in a 3D printer
Affordable desktop 3D printing is imminent, and today another option began its crowdfunding campaign. The folks at New Matter are looking to simplify the process so that anyone can output the items they desire, and to do so they've built the MOD-t. Aside from the clear enclosure for easy viewing and dapper industrial design, the software component is where the ease of use really shines. The outfit worked alongside Frog to develop a user interface that allows for quick design downloads, applying tweaks like you would a photo filter, easily sharing with friends and beaming projects to the minimally-designed printer. "At the end of the day, we wanted to be a 3D printing experience that is meaningful to the way that you currently approach communicating with the people in your life. Create relationships, not just objects," says Frog designer Christine Todorovich.
5 lessons in design from Hartmut Esslinger
You may not know Hartmut Esslinger, but you've probably seen the impact of his philosophy almost every day for over 30 years. In 1982 Esslinger's Frogdesign began to work with Apple and kicked off a relationship that molded the company's products until 1990, though his influence still resonates in the company's function-focused designs. It was Esslinger who first suggested that Apple computers should be white, and he pushed the company to fight the conventional notions of what consumers wanted. At the time, his simple, clean designs were groundbreaking. A few months ago frog (Frogdesign simplified their name in 2011) posted this brief, but incredibly insightful, look at Esslinger's design philosophy. He briefly talks about the founding of frog, and points to five key lessons he's learned during his career. For Apple enthusiasts and graphic designers alike, this a fascinating look into the thought process of someone you might not even know you were influenced by. Enjoy.
Unreleased Apple products revealed in Hartmut Esslinger's upcoming book
Hartmut Esslinger founded Frog Design, the firm responsible for some of Apple's most iconic products of the 1980s, including the Apple IIGS and the Macintosh II. Now the legendary designer behind the "Snow White" design language is providing a rare glimpse at some of his work that never saw the light of day in a new book called Design Forward, due out on January 16, 2013. Esslinger provided designboom with photos of several product prototypes, including an all-in-one, dual-screen Mac workstation and a touchscreen-based Macphone -- a stylus-based Mac fused with a corded telephone. There are also several different takes on the classic Macintosh design and a better look at the Tablet Mac prototype circa 1982. There are some really exceptional sights to behold in the images released by Esslinger, and if this is only a taste of what will be included in his book, we can't wait to give it a read. We're partial to the grey and purple Mac designs above ourselves; what did you like? [Via The Verge]
Sinch takes aim at headphone tangles, we go hands-on
The Sinch is not much to look at, we'll give you that, but it is rather an interesting little thing. Intended to keep your headphone cable a little more tidy, it's just a couple of slender magnets encased in a rubber band with a hole punched on one end. It's a remarkably simple design, and a surprisingly effective one, too. We got a chance to wrap our cables around one, so read on for some quick impressions. %Gallery-133151%
Prototype dual-screened 2-in-1 Android smartpad from Imerj preview
From the front it looks like yet another plain smartphone -- dark, nondescript, and maybe a little like an iPhone 4 that's had its right-most extent sliced off. Pick it up, though, and you realize this little thing isn't so nondescript. In fact, it feels oddly substantial, with a strange bevel cutting around the edge and a curious amount of heft. And then you flip it open. Suddenly it's a little tablet, two screens forming one 6-inch slate bisected by a few millimeters of bezel. Shades of the Echo? Sure, but this is actually a very different device to hold, and a very different device to use. The software customizations built over Android 2.3, the bezel gestures, the proper multitasking, all make this into a unique device that feels incredibly familiar yet altogether different. It's a prototype device from Imerj and Frog (formerly known as Frog Design) something that's months away from production and hasn't even been blessed with a model designation more specific than "2-in-1 smartpad." So, is this poncho-clad Phone with No Name a legitimate threat to the established families of devices that own our little wireless San Miguel? Or, will it ride straight off into a sunset of obscurity when it launches? Read on to find out. %Gallery-127010%
Kinect hackers give us iOS-friendly dodgeball and Human Tetris
Remember that Microsoft Rally Ball demo from a few days ago that showed Windows Phone 7's integration with Xbox? Well, the gang at Supertouch has stolen a bit of Ballmer's thunder with a new Kinect hack that lets you hurl digital orbs at your Kinect-controlling friend using an iOS device instead of a WP7 handset. The graphics for the game and the iDevice controls aren't nearly as pretty as Microsoft's cross-platform gaming solution, but the end result is pretty much the same -- flingin' balls with a phone while your friend dodges them courtesy of Kinect. Meanwhile, Frog Design has added a Human Tetris game to the Kinect's repertoire where players perfect their Vogue-ing skills by striking a pose to match an approaching cut-out on screen. Finally, all the shape-shifting fun with none of the goofy silver jumpsuits. Vids are after the break. [Thanks to everyone who sent these in]
DC Fast Charger joins the ECOtality EV charging station fleet, looks like a fuel pump
You can't help but smile, can you? ECOtality's latest entrant into the rapidly expanding Blink line of EV chargers looks awfully familiar to avid motorists, and for good reason. Designed to mimic a conventional petrol pump, the DC Fast Charger should blend right in when installed in Best Buy parking lots, gas stations and beyond, with the company aiming to get these positioned in a wide variety of locations in order to ease "range anxiety." We're also told that motorists will eventually be able to utilize the Blink Network Smartphone Application in order to locate the nearest charging station and receive GPS directions, and an RFID-enabled payment system makes it easy to drain your wallet, rejuvenate your vehicle and get you back on the open road. There's even a 42-inch LCD on the top, and while it's primarily engineered for ads and information, we're sure a few wire swaps would have your Xbox 360 displayed in no time flat. The DC Fast Charger should be hitting 16 major American cities in the near future, and there's a video after the break to tide you over.
ECOtality and Frog Design debut eye-catching Blink EV chargers
Coulomb Technologies isn't the only company that's announced some new electric vehicle chargers at this week's Plug-In 2010 conference in San Jose -- ECOtality has also taken advantage of the show to debut its new Blink EV chargers. Those were developed in partnership with Frog Design, which is responsible for the eye-catching look that the companies hope will become a "new icon for a smart EV ecosystem." Of particular note with the home version is a modular set-up that lets you place the garden hose-like cord reel separate from the main unit, which the company says makes it particularly well-suited for cramped garages. It also looks like you'll soon have a decent chance of spotting the commercial version out in the wild -- the first charges will be installed this Fall as part of the public-private, $230 million EV Project, which will eventually see ECOtality install nearly 15,000 chargers in 16 U.S. cities. Head on past the break for the complete press release, and a video overview from Frog Design's Andy Hooper.
Everything old is new again; frog design does an iPhone app
Early in Apple history, long before Jonathan Ive came along and performed his design miracles, there was frog design. Under the helm of Hartmut Esslinger, frog design was responsible for some of the more memorable early Apple designs, including the iconic Apple IIc and the Imagewriter II printer. More importantly, Esslinger defined the Snow White design language that was used by Apple between 1984 and 1990 to define how Apple products of that era would look. History is repeating itself now, with frog design recently releasing a new iPhone app, Postcard Express [App Store]. The $3.99 app definitely doesn't break new ground in terms of functionality -- it creates and sends digital postcards from your iPhone photos. As with Postman, SodaSnap Postcards, and other apps of this type, Postcard Express lets you either take a new picture or use an existing gallery photo to send an electronic postcard to your friends via email. Unfortunately, frog design's savvy doesn't appear to extend to iPhone apps, as Postcard Express is not only more expensive than any of the other apps, but version 1.0 has some serious shortcomings.
$249 Kindle 2.0 significantly thinner and Frog stylish?
Like the 1st generation Kindle unearthed by Engadget snoops way back in September of 2006, Amazon's having a tough time keeping the lid on its 2nd generation e-book reader. Seems everyone and his analyst brother is confirming a new, larger screened collegiate reader and at least one other variation, presumably the Kindle 2.0. Now BusinessWeek steps up and "confirms" the collegiate reader while claiming knowledge of a new 2.0 base model that, "is significantly thinner, has a better screen, is more stylish and includes fixes to some of the user interface annoyances," such as the placement of those massive page forward / back buttons which can trigger inadvertent page changes. In fact, their source claims that the new version is much more than an iterative evolution, "They've jumped from Generation One to Generation Four or Five. It just looks better, and feels better." BW also claims that the new model's price (currently, $359) will hit $299, "or maybe $249," and could be announced as early as September. Interestingly, Kindle 2.0's design is being lead by a designer hired from the powerhouse shop, Frog Design. A group which just happened to give the Kindle a very public and very critical tongue lashing at its November 2007 launch. We guess this squeaky wheel received its oil in the form of a giant cash payment. Read -- Frog's take on Kindle 1.0 Read -- BusinessWeek rumor
