This reprinting of the NASA Graphics Standards Manual ($79) celebrates this outstanding identity system, which was used from 1975 to 1992. Recreated for public use for the first time from the personal copies of the original designers, Richard Danne and Bruce Blackburn, it covers the logo, placement, color schemes, and other design standards that helped capture the imagination of a generation and make the American space agency a lasting, iconic part of our legacy of exploration. Included are scans of Danne's personal copy of the original manual, a forward from Danne, an essay by Christopher Bonanos, reproductions of the original NASA 35mm slide presentation, and scans of the 'Managers Guide', a follow up booklet distributed by NASA. Each copy is individually wrapped in a foil static shield, adding even more nostalgic rocket-age flair to this iconic design reference.
The Playdate ($149) is an all-new handheld gaming system, that I'm sure you'll want to get your hands on. It has a 400 × 240 black and white display, a d-pad, A+B buttons, a pause button, and, most interestingly, an analog crank that flips out from the side, providing a completely novel control element. The hardware was built in collaboration with Stockholm-based Teenage Engineering, while the games will be delivered wirelessly once a week. The games will be developed by world-class talent. The system will include the first season (12 weeks) of games and will be available for pre-order later this year, with shipments beginning in 2020.
It was made in the good old USA with a sustainable sourced rift walnut plinth and weighing in at only 11lbs. The U-Turn Orbit Special ($549) is a beautiful centerpiece for any home and audio setup. The turntable not only slick but also takes the sound up a notch, with a clear acrylic platter that provides detailed playback and an external belt drive that eliminates motor noise and ensures speed consistency. Features include an OA2 gimbal tonearm, a cue lever for easy tonearm operation, a built-in pre-amp, and an award-winning Ortofon 2M Red cartridge with an elliptical diamond stylus. The Orbit Special also comes with an AC adapter, RCA cables, a dust cover, a felt mat, and a 2-year warranty from U-Turn
Google has just combined its Nest and Home divisions, creating Google Nest that encompasses all the company's smart home efforts. It does makes sense that their first new product would be a combination of both Google and Nest. The Google Nest Home Max Smart Display ($229) combines elements of the Google Home Max speaker, Google Home Hub display, and Nest Camera into a single package. It has a 10" HD display, a 6.5-megapixel camera, stereo speakers with a dedicated sub-woofer, and Google Assistant built in. Thus it can act as a controller for other smart devices in the house, a video chat station, a speaker, and if you want, a mini TV. Shipping later this summer 2019. Check out more info on Google.
Content and shared content mostly comes in vertical form which makes it a little more difficult for horizontal screens. Samsung has an T.V. that can solve that problem. Samsung aims to fix this with the Sero ($1,600). This 43-inch QLED display sits on a floor stand that allows it to rotate from horizontal to vertical as needed. NFC makes beaming content from a phone or tablet simple, and built-in 4.1-channel, 60W speakers provide surprisingly robust sound. It launches exclusively in South Korea this May. Would you want one of these T.V.'s?
The Capcom Home Arcade ($290) touts its full-size controller as a selling point. Indeed, the logo-shaped console has competition-class Sanwa JLF-TP-8YT sticks and OBSF buttons built-in for a pleasantly authentic arcade experience. It includes 16 classic arcade titles, including Street Fighter II, Final Fight, Ghouls 'n Ghosts, and Mega Man: The Power Battle. It also offers the single-cord convenience of HDMI and has built-in WiFi for connection to a worldwide leaderboard. You can pre-order now and will launch October 25, 2019.
Tycho has just dropped a new single track "Easy" and it's name gives you just that. An easy feeling.
Scott Hansen also known as Tycho had to say: "Easy is about coming to terms with my past and defining a clear vision moving forward. It's a comforting voice that reminds you not to get so lost in the work but to take it easy and enjoy the ride. Easy is the bridge to the future." This is a great way to think when listening to this track. It starts out slow and then hits you with nostalgic feels of Tycho with a chilling vocal, which is a great edition to this track. Looking forward to Tycho's new album, which should be dropping soon. (TBA). In the meantime, enjoy the track and the official video below.
Ikea and Sonos have designed a table lamp and WiFi Speaker in an invisible like design. The Ikea x Sonos Symfonisk Table Lamp ($179) helps eliminate clutter, while offering sound quality similar to that of the Sonos One. In addition, two of them can be paired together as a stereo pair or used as surround speakers with a Sonos Beam, Playbar, or Playbase, creating a near-hidden home theater sound system. It arrives, alongside the bookshelf model, due to come out in August 2019.
Gone are the days of buying a new gaming console every few years. With Google's Stadia platform, the data center is your console. It provides near-instant streaming of games at 60 frames-per-second in up to 4K HDR quality across laptops, desktops, phones, tablets, and TVs with a minimum of 25mbps connections. While it works with existing controllers, a special Stadia controller will offer a direct WiFi connection to the cloud for easier screen-to-screen transitions, a dedicated streaming button. Just one of the many ways the service will tie into YouTube and give a dedicated Google Assistant button with special help options specifically for Stadia games. Arriving later this year, with further details, including pricing, expected this summer.
