If It's Hip, It's Here (Archives)

Looking For Great Tech Product Design and Packaging? Go Full TYLT.

above composite image by if it's hip, it's here

Every once in awhile a new brand comes along that has it all going on. Impressive product design, packaging, branding, even a well designed website with functioning e-commerce, good photographs and plenty of useful information. That's the case with TYLT, a California wireless accessory design and development company that has combined innovation with style. Their current product offerings include power products, audio products and protective cases.

above: examples of the package design for TYLT by NewDealDesign

Established in 2011, TYLT focuses on the world of mobile devices, providing you with about 20 convenient products for your mobile phones and tablets. Like many of you, I'd never heard of TYLT until they sent me three of their hip products to review with the understanding that if I did not deem them worthy, they would not be featured on this blog. No money was paid to me in exchange for a review, and believe me, none was necessary. A big thank you to TYLT for the three awesome products reviewed later in this post.

above: TYLT's home page

When the POWERPLANT portable battery pack, the YCHARGE, a dual USB Car Charger and TUNZ, a rechargeable bluetooth speaker arrived at my doorstep - one look and I knew they were gonna be blog-worthy. Once I got past the beautiful packaging created by NewDealDesign LLC, and tried out the products, my enthusiasm only increased.

I'm not alone, TYLT already boasts 3 CES Innovations Award winners at CES 2013 including: the Y-CHARGE Car Charger, the BAND Car Charger and the BAND Travel Charger. And reputable tech blogs such as Engadget, Slash Gear, CNET Asia and Tech Crunch have all lauded various products from TYLT.

The POWERPLANT:

Small (smaller than my iPhone), portable, lightweight (just over 5 ounces) and stylish, this is a 5,200 mAh battery back-up charger that has the capacity to fully charge your smartphone twice.

And with multiple ports (Universal USB and either Apple Lightning, Apple 30-Pin, and Micro USB versions available) it can charge more than one device simultaneously.

It packs the power it claims to and works with all Apple mobile products and Android mobile products. The appearance and functionality of the TYLT Powerplant do not disappoint.

Tylt Powerplant video:

Prices $69.99- $89.99, buy it here

The Y-CHARGE (2.1 AMP):

This little lightweight device is intelligently designed to charge two smartphones at once (or one tablet) in your car. The split Y-shape places the USB ports on each side so that the driver and passenger can each easily plug in their mobile phones and charge them simultaneously.

The silicone covered device weighs less than an ounce and comes in the four colors (bright apple green, bright red, bright blue or black) that appear on several of TYLT's products. The Y-CHARGE is also available in a 4.2 version and with a two foot Syncable.

TYLT Y-CHARGE video:

Price $24.99 Buy it here

The TUNZ Rechargeable Bluetooth Speaker:

A nice looking compact wireless Bluetooth speaker equipped with two x 3-watt drivers and a passive radiator for exceptional bass, TUNZ has a built in noise cancelling microphone making it perfect for phone calls as well as music. The 2800 mAh battery takes about 6-7 hours to charge and can chat or play music (with the volume at 50%) for 20 hours -that's 10 hours more than the Jawbone Jambox. The design allows you to seamlessly switch from music to hands-free calling and the touch-free controls for Volume, Play, Pause, Answer & End Calls are very convenient. The speaker comes with three different colored (black, blue and red) vibration-cancelling silicone bands that also function as an attractive stand. And with a 1Amp output Universal USB charging port you can use it to charge other external devices.

The sound is impressive, delivering volumes up to 80dB. It's also NFC Enabled - includes Tagstand NFC launcher App for Android. TUNZ is priced less than the MSRP for the comparable Jawbone Jambox, a $180 speaker that helped create the portable category the new Beats by Dre Pill, a $200 model from the popular headphone brand, making it even more desirable.

Tylt Tunz video:

Price $149.99, buy it here.

All in all, TYLT products are well-designed small, lightweight and portable, but feel substantially made. Both the packaging and the product design are visually appealing, and the products feature the latest in technological innovations and compatibility. Priced neither outrageously nor dirt-cheap, they receive consistently favorable reviews from tech gurus. You can find several video reviews on youtube, almost every single one of them favorable. Therefore, my advice is to go full TYLT.

Here's a peek at a few other beautifully designed and packaged products from TYLT (shown in green for consistency):

TYLT is dedicated to shifting consumer expectations through best-in-quality accessories which innovate briskly to stay a step ahead of the fast-paced smart product launches. They have several more products including the impressive Energi Backpack.

See more and shop for these fine products at TYLT.

The Graffiti Fishtank by Artist Dean Zeus Coleman

London Artist Dean Zeus Coleman (aka Zeus) is known for redefining traditional Graffiti with his three dimensional sculptures, paintings and typography. One of his unusual projects I simply had to share with you, given my fondness for aquariums, is this fabulous three dimensional graffiti typography fish tank.

detail:

From the back side as seen in an exhibit:

Zeus is incredibly talented and works in several different mediums. Here's a look at just a few of his sculptures, paintings and installations I find compelling:

all images courtesy of the artist

There's much more to see over at his blog. Go check it out.

Dean Zeus Coleman

Hipsters in Stone by Léo Caillard And Alexis Persani

Street Stone is a series of digitally created images conceived of and shot by photographer Léo Caillard with photoshop manipulation by Alexis Persani.

The classical male and female greek statues don contemporary casual fashions for a surprisingly cool look. Take a peek:

Here's a peek at the photo manipulation in progress courtesy of Alexis Persani:

Léo Caillard is represented by:

Paris: Olivier Jezequel
olivier@lgaparis.com
t: +33 1 45 22 53 07

London: Glenn Wassall
glenn@lgalondon.com
t:+44 20 7240 8222

Alexis Persani

Dad Facts, Figures and Fab Art For You On Father's Day.

above: Wes Hempel, Fatherhood (after Bouguereau’s Charity), 1997; oil on canvas; 72"x42"; Collection of Denver Art Museum

How Did Father's Day Come About?
The idea of Father's Day was conceived slightly more than a century ago by Sonora Dodd of Spokane, Wash., while she listened to a Mother's Day sermon in 1909. Dodd wanted a special day to honor her father, William Smart, a widowed Civil War veteran who was left to raise his six children on a farm. A day in June was chosen for the first Father's Day celebration, June 17, 1910, proclaimed by Spokane's mayor because it was the month of Smart's birth. The first presidential proclamation honoring fathers was issued in 1966 when President Lyndon Johnson designated the third Sunday in June as Father's Day. Father's Day has been celebrated annually since 1972 when President Richard Nixon signed the public law that made it permanent.

Classic foosball has been brought into the future with New Potato Tech's Classic Match Foosball for iPad accessory. Powered by the iPad, iPad 2 or iPad 3rd generation, you can work your pull, snake, bank and bread and butter shots, fake out your opponent and deliver the ball into the goal with a resounding "thunk", all on a table top foosball dock for your iPad. Just like real tournament tables, Classic Match Foosball brings the complete foosball experience to your iPad.

Complete with eight functional 2-axis control bars and real scoring markers at each end, this app enabled accessory immerses you in game play as good as a tournament grade table, allowing the most expert player to show off their well-oiled skills.

screen shots:

Gameplay features all the elements you can think of in a complete simulation, but unlike simple software-only foosball emulation apps, this accessory brings the real deal to your iPad with advanced peripheral-to-game dynamics for an incredible experience.

Just plug in your iPad, fire up the free Classic Match Foosball app, and start playing. All 8 of the 2-axis control bars will move your virtual players around the table, so up to four people can join in! And this ingenious dock even comes with little scoring markers at both ends.

The Lowdown
• Play classic foosball (table football) on your iPad
• 8 working 2-axis control bars with tactile elastomer handles
• Real scoring markers at each end of the table
• Removable legs for easy portability or storage
• 3D instant replay of every goal to recap the action
• Includes multiple Playfields and alternative foosman and layouts
• One, two, three, or four person play
• USB connector to charge and sync iPad while docked
• Classic Match Foosball application downloaded (FREE) from the iTunes App Store
• Powered by Apple 30 Pin Dock Connector

Gameplay Features
• Dazzlingly real foosball experience
• Classic foosball play fields and layouts
• Realistic game and crowd sounds
• Tournament Foosball rules
• Multiple layouts and play fields
• Customise your table and team colors and sponsors
• Unparalleled play and feel for iPad

Accessory Features
• Realistic foosball game table for your iPad
• Foos buttons on both sides to launch the ball into real play

System Requirements
• iPad, iPad 2nd Gen, iPad 3rd Gen running iOS 5.0 (or higher)

$99 USD, Buy Classic Match Foosball for the iPad here

Belgian Chocolate Bumholes. That's Right... Edible Anus.

Founded in 2004, they're not new, but they've been making the rounds on the web, so I'll follow suit and jump on the butthole bandwagon.

The beer from bands trend continues with a new brew from the chart-topping Ska band Madness. The beer, described as "A lager that's an ale" was brewed in conjunction with Growler Brewery (formerly Nethergate) in Essex.

Gladness is 4.2% alcohol and a combination between an ale and a lager- or as the band's publicity calls is “A lager that’s an ale – that’s totally mad.” It is brewed using local Maris Otter malt, a traditional ale variety, and Tettnang and Saaz hops, which are usually associated with European-style lagers. The blonde beer is said to be highly refreshing with a lovely subtle hop flavour and aroma, reminiscent of a pilsner.

above: Paul Gower, left, head brewer at Nethergate's Growler Brewery, Madness frontman Suggs, center, and keyboard player Mike 'Monsieur Barso' Barson celebrate the launch of the band's official beer, Gladness

Named after a line in their well-known song "Madness", the beverage will be stocked at 800 venues, owned by Nicholson's Pubs, across the U.K. for the next three months.

Buy Madness Music

Prestigious Pill-Popping. Designer Drugs by Desire Obtain Cherish.

Addicted to fashion, luxury or status? These sculptures of blister packs of pills with recognizable logos from luxury brands Hermes, Chanel, Yves Saint Laurent and Louis Vuitton are UV cast in resin by the Los Angeles based artist Desire Obtain Cherish. Each of the satirical status symbols measures 42" x 27".

CHANEL:

Hermes:

Louis Vuitton:

YSL (Yves Saint Laurent)

Take two and be more chic in the morning.

About: Desire Obtain Cherish

LA-based artist Desire Obtain Cherish received his Bachelor of Fine Arts (B.F.A.) at Parson’s School of Design. Since his emergence as a street artist in the 2000s, DOC has blended the concerns and methods of street, pop, conceptual and appropriation art with popular culture to create his own unique satirical message. His work, though often controversial, is always engaging, and explores contemporary obsessions with sex, desire, drugs, gender, celebrity, media, commerce and fame.

DOC’s artwork rarely inspires moderate responses, an indication of his achievements’ importance. With DOC focusing on some of the most banal objects as models, his works avoid typical standards of “good taste” in art, and instead focus on the vulnerabilities of hierarchies and value systems. DOC’s work “reflects a darker, albeit more humorous slant on middle-class American values versus a spiritual or expressive essence of a highly individual artist.”

See more of his captivating work here.