Gizmodo: concept designs

Rubik's Cube MP3 Player's Puzzle: Who Would Want It?

Adam Frucci — Wed, 17 Jan 2007 12:44:59 EST

From the cool-looking-but-totally-impractical department comes this Rubik's Cube MP3 Player concept. Look, it's a Rubik's Cube! And it plays music!

It's neat and all, being controlled by twists of the columns, but who wants to carry around a Rubik's Cube in their pocket? And I prefer my controls to be something I don't have to think about, not something I need to think extra hard about. Somehow I think this will stay a concept for the foreseeable future. –Adam Frucci

Yanko Design [via Oh Gizmo!]

Concept Umbrella Plays Music for Some Reason

Adam Frucci — Fri, 05 Jan 2007 10:12:50 EST

In theory having an umbrella that can play music would be nice, especially with clever touches like fast forwarding and rewinding by twisting the handle. But think about it… how long do you ever hold an umbrella open at any given time? Enough to listen to one song? Maybe two or three?

Furthermore, I might just not know how to use umbrellas or just have a habit of buying the cheapest and crappiest umbrellas available, but I go through the damned things like you wouldn't believe. It doesn't seem like the most reliable place to stick fancy electronics. I'll just keep my iPod, thanks very much. –Adam Frucci

Product Page [via MocoLoco]

UV Cleaner: In the Future, We'll All Be Filthy

www.gizmodo.com — Mon, 18 Dec 2006 13:53:51 EST

Apparently in the future things will be cleaned not with water but with powerful, germ-killing UV rays. OK, I'll buy that when it comes to getting your toothbrush sterile, but clothing? What about, you know, dirt?

Well, according to a 600 word block of near-incomprehensible broken English, I am so wrong. The UV Cleaner, slated to come out in 2020 for some reason, will kill the germs on your suit with UV rays and get the dust off with "a strong wind." Yes, that's all it does to get actual dirt off. I'm going to go ahead and call this out as one of the most poorly conceived concept gadgets ever, although I can't argue with their point that "we don't need to put up with an unpleasant feeling in 2020." So true! –Adam Frucci

UV Cleaner [Yanko Design]