Swatch Air Tube Watch

Don't write Swatch off just yet. The brand, which at one time was too hot to wear in Asia, is contemporizing its digital watches. First up is the Air Tube Watch. You'd think that borrowing from the bicycle pump would be a rather pedestrian design move. But the result from designer Lawrence Dawes is a surprisingly sleek bracelet watch in various strap motifs. Though, hopefully, the Swiss company does something about the irksomely loud tick-tock mechanism which has driven not a few Swatch owners nuts, including yours truly.

(The images have been removed on the request of the designer as he writes that Swatch Ltd. has not authorized the use of its trademark for the Swatch Air Tube watch.)

Via Yanko Design

Price: N.A.
Availability: N.A.
Device: Timepiece
Specs: N.A.

Suzuki's home-theater-in-a-car

Apart from the droolworthy Aston Martin DBS that Bond totaled in Casino Royale, this ride is next on our hot list. If you're a pistonhead and movie buff with pockets of spare change, Suzuki's concept XL7 Flix (a word play on flicks, geddit?) is a home-theater-in-a-car. Why go for tiny LCD panels at the back of the headrests when you can impress the hell out of your passengers by opening the clamshell roof and elevating a 60-inch projector screen? The front roof panel vents hide a high-intensity digital projection system, while the rear quarter windows swivel to create interior and exterior sound wings. It keeps getting better: Floor strip lighting for a movie-going effect, buckets seats that pivot 180 degrees, high-def DVD player with integrated hard drive for massive A/V storage. And if you want to relive the drive-in era, just aim the projection system toward the side of a building or wall. Batmobile? Ptwah!

Click to see more images:
Via Gizmag

Price: N.A.
Availability: Concept, more info at the official Web site
Device: Movie system in a car
Specs: N.A.

Linkable USB drives

More USB upgrades, although this is the best little idea yet that we've seen. Designer Vicky Wei has a workaround for your numerous collection of USB thumbdrives. Link them together and get one big expanded portable drive. Her concept, Memory Infinite, does this by sticking a female connector on one end with a male connector on the other. What's more, Wei's given her own uber-chic treatment by employing the idea of fun, colorful bendies. On a more practical vein, there's the question of whether there'll be sufficient juice to power such a daisy chain of USB drives. Still, this rocks. "Add" infinitum?

Via Coolest Gadgets

See larger image

Price: N.A.
Availability: Concept
Device: USB drive
Specs: N.A.

more than normal objects

More gems from annual design competition designboom, with this interesting product entry from Germans Müller Johannes and Moritz Willborn. The name's a dead giveaway, taking a trio of simple household items and giving them a "more than" twist. "more than chopsticks" adds branches to make life a lot easier for chopstick idiots, while looking good enough to make you want to pick them up. "more than a straw" is a little disappointingly obvious. The finale is a "more than a toothpick" which gets more party snacks onto those sticks than the usual variant. No quibble with that there from us. Reviewers are always hungry people. Amen to that.

See more than chopsticks | more than a straw | more than a toothpick |

Price: N.A.
Availability: More info at designboom
Device: Household items
Specs: N.A.

Music in the Rain

Step aside, Umbrella Photo Browser. Here comes the musical brollie. Only a matter of time this popped up, Korean designer Bong Kyu Song's invention is at least far more sensible than attempting to watch a projected movie on the insides of your canopy while on the move. However, it can't get anymore original considering Bong's choice of name for his creation--Music in the Rain. According to writeups, the dome structure acts as an amplifier, while the handle (where else?) contains the controls to music playback. What's a little more nifty is the forward/backward modes. You spin the brollie right for forward and left for reverse. Just watch who you splatter. As a final touch, you can dock your umbrella when not in use in a cradle and continue to play off it. No word, though, on the power source, battery life or how heavy this little player is as we had some issues accessing Bong's Web site. But at least Gene Kelly wont' be the only oddball singing in the rain.

Get upclose

Via Yanko Design

Price: N.A.
Availability: Concept
Device: Music-enabled umbrella
Specs: N.A.

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