Category Archives: Industrial design

What is unique about TENORI-ON is not just the way it is played, but also the way it is shown. As you press each key, the backside of the instrument lights up. This is something new in the electronic music scene. Because in the electronic music scene, we always see a musician looking at a computer monitor, but TENORI-ON makes it possible for audience to enjoy the music visually. In the UK, a limited number of TENORI-ONs was sold to some musicians and already received lots of attention. Apparently, Bjork is planning use TENORI-ONs for her next tour.

TENORI-ON, new musical instrument, will be released in Japan on the 12th of May. This product was developed by Yamaha and media artist Toshio Iwai. TENORI-ON’s sound, design, functions are all electronic. There are 16×16 LED keys, and you can play music by pressing them. You don’t need to know any musical knowledge – you can just play music with your intuition.

Japanese mobile phone service provider Softbank will release new 3g mobile phone series “The premium texture 823sh” on March 28th. You can change the back panel of the mobile phone. It comes with 2.6 inch wide QVGA (240 x 400 dots), and 2Mb pixel camera. It works with 3G high-speed, Bluetooth, but does not work with GPS. Also, it has the system called “BT Watch”, which synchronize with Citizen’s “i:VIRT”. Available in 2 colors: silver and black. The variation of the back panel is the following: Leather(black/white), Crocodile (black/brown/pink/red), Pison, Carbon, Ebony, Crystal.                          

KDDI’s new cell phone W61H comes with “Silhouette Screes”, which uses electric papers on the back side of phones. You can choose animated movie or still images among 95 options, and the design changes as it rings, receives messages, etc…depending on the situation. Yurio Seki, who has worked with Uniqulo, designed the patterns.

Panasonic has released the SoftBank 822P recently. This phone is available only in Japan. 8.9mm thin body W-CDMA and GSM support 2 megapixel camera Bluetooth connectivity 96 grams in weight It looks like it is slimmest (slimmer than Sony Ericsson’s 880i). However, it is slightly longer and weighs more than 880i. The following is the description by Panasonic. -8.9mm of Super Sleekness -This flat, seamless body is super thin, making 822P a streamlined handset with a focus on style and functionality. Rounded edges make it more comfortable to use and accentuate its thinness. -Unique Coloring to Express Your Individuality Sophisticated color gradation enhances the stylishly designed 822P, for even greater … Continue reading →

Toshiba will release “Escargot” clearner on March 16th in Japan. The “Escargot” shaped body is very compact and easy to store. It weighs only 2.2Kg. By using the attached belt, you can carry it easily. The brush and pipe (that come with the clearner) make it easy for you to reach higher areas of a room such as windows and stairs. The length of the cable is 6 meter, which is at least 1 meter longer than an normal clearner.

Japanese company Silver Reed has released a new home shredder “conof. CS56D”. It is designed by a Japnese designer group “n.o.l.”. Simple and beautiful – something that reminds us of Naoto Fukasawa’s design. It cuts not only papers but also CDs and DVDs. There are two separate boxes inside for each material.There are two colors available: white and green. The size is 291 x 271 x 362mm, and the weight is 6.0kg.The price in Japan is 18,900 yen. The width is only 3.0mm and the depth to the cutter is 44mm, so even babies fingers cannot reach the cutter. Plastic materials are cut into 4 pieces. Inside the dust box. … Continue reading →

It looks like very Mac-conscious design, but it still looks nice and seems very functional. This LED lamp is produced by Balmuda Design in Osaka, Japan, and is available only in Japan at this moment, but they are planning to release it in North America in the summer 2007. According to their website, it is “over 1000 Lux”, “over 50,000h life”, “over 5,500 Kelvin”, “No UV, Heat free”. Source: Balmuda Design