Fiskars - keeping up the brand?

When a company starts to gain size, daughter companies and additional product categories, the problems in keeping the product portflio in tact start to form. This and pirate-copies about the products create a challenge for a consumer.

I found these. -Please somebody tell me that the restaurant made a quickfix and these are not in the market!

Mie -clothes from Lapland

This weekend the theme was all about our user experience team visiting the north. We went all the way up to Karigasniemi. Somehow we ended up talking about could you live up here as an designer.. -And the visit to Tivoli in Rovaniemi added a flavour to this conversation:
Mie is a clothes-line based on the very same idea. I have to say that I appreciate the values they work by. And the print 'Kemijärvi Night Train"-is one of my favorites.
Read their story from their site.

Loota - social networking with virtual content by physical means?!

My dear friend portugalilainen and rest of his group is at 1st Riga International Young Designers Biennale with their Nokia Only Planet consept, Loota.

In my opinion that was one of the greatest inventions for a social networking where a virtual and physical content and objects are being intertvined. I would like to see if they have come up with a design for that, but while waiting news you can watch a video about the consept:



See also an open blog Exploring creativity, by Portugalilainen.

Pylon surround speaker

Pylon is a high quality speaker with unexpected shape and changeable textile cover on all sides. Speaker breaks the barrier between the technology driven design and home environment. Speaker is designed by Perttu Luomala.

-Around the cabinet, four metal rods are used to create the unexpected shape for the textile cover.
-Changeable and washable textile covers the speaker on all four sides. User can tune the speaker into any interior or atmosphere. The four piece textile serie called Elo is designed by Eija-Riitta Vähämaa.
-Terminal is placed at the bottom of the speaker, and the wires can be lead conviniently to any of the four directions, making it possible to place the speaker even in the middle of the floor.
-Speaker is based on single Tangbang element and the cabinet design relies on transmission-line principle, which makes it possible to reach frequences down to 60Hz.

Habitare 2007 - opening tomorrow

The official opening of Habitare 2007 is tomorrow. Lots of work done and a great department accomplished. Thanks for all the participants.

Come and see yourself how it looks inside the grey and stoned fasade. Lapin Yliopisto at Ahead! -area in Hall 5.

Receipt guarantee

Posted from N73 through Flickr

Since the lack of extra time during last two weeks, I ended up having a take away pizza from Kotipizza. There's a good campaign against the grey economy on the box. -You get your money back, if you don't get a receipt..
 Take a note next time you eat in your local pizzeria what is their practice with the cash register. -Does it really print a receipt ;)

(Edit; photo location changed)

Pylon -surround speaker at Habitare furniture fairs

Habitare 2007 will be held at Helsinki at 20.-23. of september.
Our department from university of Lapland is also participating. Earlier today I heard that one of the early prototypes is featured on university web pages ;)

Unfortunately the article is available only in Finnish, but have a look at other designs too.
Codesigner for the textiles, Eija-Riitta Vähämaa and I hope that you come and visit Ahead-design area in Helsinki Fair Centre hall 5 to see how the design Really came out like.. Other interesting object might be Grandma's Revenge, by Mikael Heikkilä

The idea for the design of Pylon speaker relies on combining everyday living with new technology.
Pylon is a high quality speaker with unexpected shape and changeable textile cover on all sides. Speaker is wired from the bottom, and wires can be led to any of the four directions, which makes it highly suitable for surround speaker. With changeable covers speaker can be tuned into any interior, either to be bold or almost invisible. Textile covering all sides, speaker can be placed even in the middle of the floor. The four piece textile serie called Elo, is designed by Eija-Riitta Vähämaa.

Introduction to User Experience

Marjut had linked an introduction to user experience design onto her blog Matkalla. Since I've had similar conversations as Marjut, I find this really helpful, despite that it uses iPhone as an example.

Sony bio battery uses sugar to generate electricity

Consumer electronics companies have studied using glucose to energize their gadgets for some time, but Sony seems to be one of the first to provide some results.
Check the video from their site.
-Anyway it's absolutely great if we could get rid of massive use of different kind of batteries.

Configuring Windows wireless connection

Sometimes when repairing windows (it must count as a hobby) you end up in quite contradictive situations. Maybe most of these situations are related to internet connections.
Here Windows tells that everything will be fine after I can connect to internet. -Yes, I know that. That's the reason why I'm trying to fix it..
-Just put the article on my system!

Why mobile keyboard is below the display?

Posted from N73 through Flickr

I've been wanting to have a reversed phone for a long time. I cannot see why it couldn't be possible.
In the regular layout, with the hands of taiga- region dweller, it's nearly impossible to reach the lowest keys like C.

VR - green image of rail transportation vs. bikes

It is coming increasingly difficult to take your bike on a train at times of InterCity and Pendolino.
While old express trains can take bunch of bikes as freight at the rate of 9€, typical InterCity can take only 3 bikes at the same rate - accompanied by the passangers.
On Helsinki area commuter trains the bikes are a headache for both other passangers and bikers with the price of 3,60€. On my opinion taking bike with you could be free - if only VR facilitated trains with hooks, to lift the bikes up.

Actually those three bike places in IC-trains use kind of complicated hooks, but the actual system is terrible. There's no intuitivity nor proper guidance. The good thing is, that it locks your bike (needed?) and gives your money back - if only you end up sticking your finger into right hole.