Like beauty, sleekness is in the eye of the beholder. It's impossible to define easily, but you know it when you see it. It's that feeling in your gut that says, "I don't know what that thing is or what it's supposed to do, but I want one -- now." Technology started with the basics: what we need is what we get. No frills, just facts. By now, the artistic side has kicked in and we have our choice of colors, sizes, and all the bells and whistles. Here are just a few examples of how glam our technology has become.
This, my friends, is the Bang & Olufsen BeoCenter 2 CD/DVD Player. One of a series of audio components in the company's BeoLiving collection that could make an ordinary living room look like something out of "The Jetsons."
And here we have the Samsung BD-P4600 Blu-ray Player. At just 1.5 inches thick, Samsung's BD-P4600 is the slimmest Blu-ray player on the market. The 18-by-8-inch device mounts on the wall below your flat-screen TV or on a table, pumping full-motion 1080p video and Dolby Digital audio to your display.
The Apple MacBook Air Laptop - The sleekest of sleek. When Steve Jobs pulled this paper-thin, titanium beauty out of a plain manila envelope in January 2008, the gasp could be heard from Cupertino to Kalamazoo. The rest of the laptop world has been trying to catch its breath -- and catch up -- ever since.
And finally I give to you Hillcrest Labs' Loop Pointer Remote. Though it may look like a spacecraft, the Loop can be defined as an "in-air mouse" for your TV. An internal gyro tracks your hand movements, letting you point and click your way around the dial. One thing's for sure: You won't confuse it with the seven other remotes cluttering your coffee table.
When I saw a picture of that Apple MacBook Air Laptop, I was not really sure what that was. I realized it was a computer! Everything in technology seems to be getting smaller. Vinyl records turned into CDs. CD players are now MP3 players. Its only a matter of time until everything gets smaller.
ReplyDeleteThe new technologies that continue to be discovered year after year are almost as unpredictable as what they will look like. At first I thought the remote was a wristwatch and the bluray player looks nothing like a typical DVD player. The CD/DVD player actually seems to buck the trend because it appears to be bigger than many other players which is odd because most technology based items are made to be smaller. Items like these prove that the best advances in technology are coming in the form of entertainment.
ReplyDeleteIt does seem, when it comes to technology “sleek” is the hot new must have. Every type of market is going for the thin and fast as possible look. It is amazing they can make software that small to accommodate the advanced technology of today. This has taken a lot of creativity to come up with these designs. Personally I didn’t think there was anything wrong with the type of TV remote I have now but when I saw the circular one I fell into the mind set of “that’s cool, where can I get one!” I the new sleek shapes would help create a lot more room on desks, counter tops and pockets. It gives technology that cool and classy look which makes every one want it.
ReplyDeleteI am a huge technology nut and the Blu-Ray player and TV mouse are way cool. I didn’t even know they could make a DVD player that small much less a Blu-Ray player. I might have to look into that. The TV mouse looks really sweet. To just point and then click on you TV is amazing. I’m glad you guys like Technology too.
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