Curve.ie

Bugle - A take anywhere amp for iPhone

2012-10-10T23:22:00.000+01:00

Enjoy your music louder with the Bugle

The Bugle is a natural acoustic amplifier for your iPhone that fits snuggly over the speaker, acts as a stand and makes your music sound better and louder.

A great solution for bringing anywhere and requires no batteries. Just chuck it in your bag and use it for music at the park, for watching a film, or for sharing a youtube video.

The Bugle is available to buy here

The Best shots from Kings Of Concrete 2012

2012-08-31T13:40:00.001+01:00

Suddenly it was the time of the year again when the biggest and best urban sports event King's Of Concrete took place again, this time in a new location in Grand Canal Dock.

We were there to photograph the goings on and had a great weekend capturing the sports and checking out the tall ships that were also in Dublin for the weekend.

Here are some of the best shots from the festival and you can see the full album here

What we've been up to...

2012-08-31T13:14:00.001+01:00

Ok, so it has been a long time since we've been on the blog here. This is just because we have been very busy. Since our last update about our new studio, we have in fact moved again, and so, this is kind of another new studio post.

We have been busy developing our 3D printed product range which you can check out here

A lot of our time recently has also been taken up with our client work where we are working on a number of varied projects. Sadly we cannot reveal these yet, but keep an eye out.

We have also since launched a revamped site which features Curve Creative and Curve Photo and is simply called www.curve.ie

NEW STUDIO!!!

2012-04-10T19:07:00.002+01:00

We have been insanely busy for the last month working on a bunch of projects, keeping up with out Curve products and also sorting out, doing up and moving in to our new studio!

For us this is a huge move. As a start-up finding your first real space is a major milestone and before now we have been design nomads moving around a lot and working wherever suited. Now our work has a home and we have a place to call work. Now we can craft the studio into an inspiring work (and play) place and it has already began to evolve as we work within in and fill it with things!

Some photos below for you to take a peek into our new environment and although still a work in progress we hope to show more to you soon on here and in person.

I heart my iPad... First generation

2012-03-11T17:32:00.000+00:00

All the talk recently is about the New iPad. All of the other talk is about how people need to upgrade from their iPad 2s. I'm sure the new retina display wielding iPad is gorgeous, especially for such a visual device. As a photographer I think it will probably be the best device around for displaying your portfolio and showing off lovely hi res shots, perhaps something from the new D800. The new processor also, I'm sure is excellent and there's nothing better than faster deceives and being able to handle content better and deal with more powerful apps such as the new iPhoto which by the way looks gorgeous. (It makes me think apple should buy adobe and have a play with photoshop and Lightroom. That auto photo recognition system that shows you all of the similar looking photos is ace!) As for the camera on the new iPad, well if you're one of those people who uses the iPad as a camera then I'm sure you'll appreciate this new lens and sensor, likewise for the 1080 video. I'd imagine there will be some feature films this year entirely shot and edited on an iPad. Watch out for them. As a photographer though I've never seen the appeal of taking photos on an iPad. I love my iPhone especially the 4s, the new 8mp camera is intense, but I think the iPad is a consumption device and Apple are just trying to change this with the new camera and 1080 video and new GarageBand apps etc. I've tried using the iPad for content creation however, and it's clumsy. It is just awkward to do things on when it would be much simpler on a Mac. I am typing this on an iPad and I think I'd be finished by now if I was on my laptop, but I'm watching the rugby and was using my iPad and thought about writing this post so here we are. I am only typing this though, I will add the pictures in later on my laptop as doing that here takes just two many steps for such a small task.

Anyway, I was talking with Alan the other day about the new iPad and made the point that if the first gen iPad was still Apple's current iPad I think it would still be the tablet marker leader. It got me thinking about the new iPad. It's lovely, so is the iPad2 but it's mostly the same as the original. I'm using the original, I got one maybe 10 months after it came out. I loved it. A groundbreaking device that was changing how we interact with digital content again! Then the iPad 2 came out and as far as I was concerned it was no different to the first one. They had put a camera on it. Big deal. It was slightly thinner, so what?!, my iPad isn't fat. What else was different? I can't remember. But I had no desire to upgrade. Now the new iPad is out. Ok, so it has that new gorgeous screen, but after that I don't know why anyone would upgrade. It's put on weight! (not that that matters, but I expected more from apple!) and yes it's faster, and so is the ipad2, faster that is than my first gen iPad. But my iPad isn't slow. To the contrary in fact. I still love how I can zip around using the multi touch gestures from app to app. I use my iPad on a daily basis for Flipboard mainly and other content consumption apps along with Dropbox, twitter and some web stuff. I can't imagine using it to edit videos on or take photos however. That's what cameras and computers are for. Like I said before, the original iPad is still better than the other tablets on the market and I'm happy for Apple that everyone wanted the newer iterations but I'm totally happy with mine. Besides, people should be taking more of a stand and using their "old" devices for longer. The 1st gen iPad was only released in 2010! But yet, it will soon be forgotten by Apple. The same went for iPhones. The iPhone 3g, only four years old is totally forgotten by way of iOS updates etc. The 3gs won't be far behind. Don't even mention the original iPhone. As an industrial designer I fully understand the need for companies to create new iterations of products to stimulate markets but that doesn't mean the older stuff is useless!

Ok, I know I went slightly off topic there but let me rant. As far as iPads go, i love my generation 1 iPad. It is iconic, it started the tablet revolution, I love the flat edges and the curved back. Photos look amazing on it's screen and it performs perfectly in every day life. I will not be forgetting it any time soon, as long as Apple doesn't decide to stop supporting it with software, although sadly it has already started to happen. The new iPhoto iOS app is not available for iPad1, it's for iPad 2 and new iPad only. sad face :-(

Photography and Design. Creative cousins.

2012-03-08T15:19:00.000+00:00

At Curve Creative a lot of our passion for creativity was grounded on a love of photography. We wanted to nurture a creative studio where design and photography go hand in hand. As creative cousins, design and photography have so much in common and so many areas where crossover expertise is highly beneficial. Having a good knowledge of the rules of making a great photograph such as the rule of thirds, framing, lead in lines, etc. lend a lot to a designer when laying out a photo book or graphic design project. Even the ability for the designer to know a technically great photo and to know how to treat it properly when cropping so as to not damage the effect of the photo is a skill that is essential today where so much depends on decent images.

Vice versa, for a photographer to also be a designer brings with it great advantages. Not only can the photographer pre-visualise when shooting what is going to be required of a photo later at the design stage in terms of composition, leaving space around the edge of the subject, even leaving dead space for copy or shooting multiples of the same scene from different vantage points to give choice at the design stage but the photographer then also has the experience of the shoot and of being there at the time to know the photos that really matter when it comes to using them in the design.

As industrial designers we are also very aware of the relationship between products and photography. Obviously we want our products and designs to look as good as possible online and in print so for this we need great photos of them. Often it is very important to show a product in an environment or in use to communicate it's meaning or target market. This is where a strong photo can mean the difference between gaining interest or a product going unnoticed.

Industrial designers also benefit from a knowledge of photography when it comes to product or concept visualisation. Using 3D CAD models and rendering software designers can create photorealistic digital images of their designs. Through this the designer has access to a virtual photography studio where lighting can be controlled, environments can be selected and altered, and controls which simulate adjusting values on the virtual camera to capture the scene can be set. Essentially it is the same as using a camera, focal length can be set, aperture, exposure and position of camera can be adjusted to achieve a perfect exposure and composition. This is where a hands on knowledge of photography can help the designer to create great images on the computer.

Following our belief that a strong relationship between the arts can enhance and benefit each art individually we are introducing Curvephoto. www.curvephoto.com

This is now the photography department of Curve Creative. We have always taken our own photos in house for projects and we have also worked as professional photographers individually beforehand. Now we are bring this all together into Curvephoto to offer our professional photography service to you, along side our design services. We have developed our new site where you can look at examples from our portfolio of photographic areas that we like to cover.

We would love if you have a look and also think about how photography affects your field too. We believe great photography can have a benefit for most businesses not just creative ones.

www.curvephoto.com

Introducing the Headbuddy, a sports band for Apple headphones...

2012-02-23T12:35:00.000+00:00

Apple's headphones are great. Stylish, iconic, there when you need them. But we like to run and our Apple headphones don't.So we went about creating a simple and affordable solution that meant we could use our existing Apple headphones in a more effective way while running.

The result was the Headbuddy. Just loop your apple headphones into the sports band and you're ready to go. The earbuds are held securely in such a way that retains the sound quality whilst providing a surprisingly comfortable fit, one that is arguably more comfortable than the traditional way of using earbud headphones.

Works great with the new Nano or shuffle. Just clip on and go.

The Headbuddy is made from super strong, flexible, polyamide plastic. It is 3D printed in this material and each one is printed specially when ordered. The channeled design allows the cable of the Apple headphones to wrap around the frame and the earpiece slots hold the ear buds tightly. The flexible design fits overs the ears and holds snug to your head feeding the remainder of the cable down your back or over your shoulder.

The Headbuddy is specifically designed for iPod and iPhone headphones. Others might work, we haven't tried all of them yet!

You can buy the Headbuddy here on Shapeways

Nanolet Unboxing

2012-02-01T22:57:00.000+00:00

Hey, we just got a box of new Nanolets today in all the pretty colours! Check out our unboxing video!

NANOLET - iPod Nano Bracelet

2012-01-16T19:28:00.000+00:00

Introducing the Nanolet. A 3D printed iPod Nano Bracelet. Designed as an alternative to all the other watch straps available for the Nano, the Nanolet is a one part 3D printed product.

Get one for yourself here from shapeways

The Nanolet has been getting a lot of attention recently, you can check it out here

Cpt. JACK

2012-01-07T16:08:00.003+00:00

Happy New Year!

We're starting 2012 with a new product. Cpt. JACK is a pirate flag designed for and inspired by iPhone jailbreaking. Users who install the pirate software on their iPhone can now display this pirate flag in their headphone jack. Also works with any other device with a 3.5mm jack. We think it's really nice when you have your phone or iPod on a dock.... check out below. Purchase Cpt. JACK here

more images after the jump...

Universal Design Challenge 2011

2011-11-23T22:12:00.001+00:00

Recently myself and Alan were invited to take part in the Universal Design Challenge in Tullamore. The Universal Design Challenge is a two day competition for design teams to create a new Universal Design. It is operated by the Centre for Excellence in Universal Design at the National Disability in collaboration with the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design, Royal College of Art.

This year the theme was Everyday Consumer Products.

Teams of 6 competed over 24hrs to come up with new product concepts based in universal design. Teams were a mix of final year BSc, MSc and up to one year graduates from Product and Industrial Design courses across Ireland.

Myself and Alan were both selected to be team leaders which was a good start to the competition as now we could really fight it out. This was interesting as we are used to being on the same team when it comes to design so this was almost like a civil war.

Alan's team came up with a concept for a modular bag system that can be tailored to suit your exact needs for any given day. My team ended up looking at the use of keys on a daily basis and designed a pod for your keys that allows them to be easily located and used instead of fumbling around with small keys.

Check out more of our designs and some more photos from the event below... photos courtesy of Jack from Mint

You can see the official blog from the event here

EDC - Every Day Carry

2011-11-21T23:16:00.000+00:00

A number of months ago I stumbled across a blog that featured photographs and lists of the things that people carry with them each day. Everyday Carry is simple in principle, viewers send in photographs showing what items they carry on their person on a daily basis and the photos are posted for everyone to see and discuss.

Everyday Carry or EDC, to quote the description given on their site,

Everyday Carry, or EDC, generally refers to small items or gadgets worn, carried, or made available in pockets, holsters, or bags on a daily basis to manage common tasks or for use in unexpected situations or emergencies. In a broader sense, it is a lifestyle, discipline, or philosophy of preparedness.

EDC is seemingly becoming a trend amongst some people and it is being taken very seriously with enthusiasts upgrading their carry to be prepared for any circumstance. Looking through the entries on the site I began to develop an interest in the concept and despite the affinity towards carrying guns (it is an american site) it was very interesting from a designers point of view to see what people were carrying with them on a day-to-day basis.

I thought I'd do one of my own. An industrial design student's carry. I decided to go beyond the normal format of showing your personal carry and delve deeper into what I have in my bag as a designer. This moves onto another trend of "What's in your bag" or WIMB where people show the contents of their bag and often the bag and the owner. This allows a very interesting insight into what people all over the world use every day. WIMB is a growing trend also and is very relevant on flickr with groups dedicated to it here and here along with a very specific group for users showing what they keep in their camera bags which is especially interesting to me as a photographer and a photography equipment nerd.

I did the photo above around the time when I originally discovered the Everyday Carry blog and I blogged about it at the time albeit on my own blog (which is suffering now since I am updating the Curve blog!) I am including some of the write up from my last blog after the jump. . .

Recently stumbled across this blog EVERYDAYCARRY … (when i say stumbled across, I didn’t actually STUMBLE across it, I think I was actually reading ZITE at the time (which is awesome by the way) and there was a featured post from EDC there). Anyway, browsed through this blog a bit, noticing everyones attraction to knives and guns… but ignoring that over compensation it was very interesting to see the things that people carry on a day to day basis and what they consider preparedness. Especially as an industrial designer this was interesting. Anything to do with people’s habits and things that people do with products and what products they use interests me. But anyway, I realised I was quite similar in terms of preparedness as people on this blog. I have previously done a “What’s in my bag” before, a while ago…here. Thought i’d do a new one, going along the theme of EDC and thinking about the posts on EDC where most people post only things they carry in their pockets or on their person. I have divided the image up and have a section of on my person and then the rest in the bag. I had the camera set up so i shot a quick video of assembling everything into a nice neat order.

The Future is Going to be Amazing!

2011-11-13T13:57:00.001+00:00

A few years back I nearly fell off my chair. I was watching a nanotechnology video about a new waterproofing technology. The results were breathtaking, I had never seen anything like it before, but unfortunately the technology was only for military applications and I never heard anymore about it. Now years later, when nanotechnology hype has died down, a new video has emerged that implies a consumer version of that very same technology. The technology is described as superhydrophobic, and like all good technologies, it comes in a spray can.

Imagine what this means for products. Having clothes that never soil, trainers that stay clean, a white shirt that repels red wine, self drying draining boards! The possibilities are endless and its not just water resistant but it can be anti-bacterial, anti-corrosive, even anti-icing! To me thats just mind boggling. For example, you could have roads that are never wet, always clean, and never have a spot of ice on them. That maybe an extreme example, but nevertheless the product those seem to have countless applications. Check out www.neverwet.com for more info.

Another product technology I came across years back was this amazing spatula. Watch and enjoy.

Social Media is not a fad

2011-11-11T10:20:00.001+00:00

If you ever thought sites like facebook, twitter, itunes were a fad, you maybe be wrong. Of course the sites themselves might change but soical media is far from being a fad. In fact it may be the most important thing since the Gutenberg press. Watch the above video by Erik Qualman if you have any doubts.

Kick-Ass Renders by Raul Gonzalez Podesta

2011-11-10T11:21:00.001+00:00

Admit it. If the title of this post didn't include 'render', you would have no idea that the above image is the work of Raul Gonzalez Podesta and his skills with a computer. His renders are enough to make you envious and down right inadequate. They match and surpass their photo counterparts. Raul has taken product imagining to a whole new level, nearly over refining them to an over the top level.

Even Raul's simplistic approach to an exploded view is very refreshing. The line work is neat and demonstrates the design intent clearly with out getting bogged down in engineering. Any design student should take a look at some more of Raul's images, below I have posted some of my favourites.

It's an iron! But doesn't it look like something you would want to own!

This last one is one of my favourites! The light setup is ridiculous, the reflections and attention to detail are superb. If anyone is interested, I believe Raul uses Rhino 4 with V-Ray

Go on, check out the rest of Raul's stuff over on coroflot.

Dublin Web Summit

2011-10-29T11:54:00.000+01:00

For the last few days the Curve Creative team have been at Dublin Web Summit. We were responsible for a lot of the design for the conference and were also covering the event over the two days. Below are a selection of photographs to give a taster of the what we shot. There are many many more to come which will show up here and on the Dublin Web Summit Facebook. Make sure to check back soon.

Design Week Ireland 2011

2011-10-25T22:50:00.001+01:00

One of Ireland's most notable events and one that's very relevant to us is the Irish Design week. The line up of events is due to kick off next week. Starting on the 31st of October the events run from the North of ireland to the very South and continue to the 6th. From Belfast to Cork, and everywhere in between, the island will be playing host to range of activities that cater to all ages. Even we are getting involved!

'Design Week is still a young event but this year’s programme with over 60 individual events shows just how much potential the week has and how, in the coming years, it can help enhance Ireland’s reputation for creativity and innovation'

Two designers from Curve Creative are traveling to Tullamore to participate in the Universal Design Challenge. There they will work collaboratively within groups of designers to produce product ideas and solutions that encompass a universal user.

One interesting event takes place in the Dublin design shop, Designist, and features two designers from Designgoat. The event takes place over the week and will involve different activities, most notably the designers are going to spend the week designing a new product in the shop with feedback from the Designist's customers, that will ultimately be produced and then sold at the shop.

This week goes along way in helping Irelands pitch to for World Design Capital 2014. Events like these bolster our reputation as a design leader. Check out the video below for Pivot Ireland pitch:

For a full range of events you can visit www.designweek.ie

iPod is ten

2011-10-24T11:27:00.001+01:00

The iPod. A device that has changed the world, created cultures, defined a generation, influenced a new society is now ten years old. Originally slated, no body thought the iPod would catch on. How wrong they were. I don't need to go on to say anymore about the success of the iPod. Everyone knows.

But now, ten years on people are moving on from the iPod with it's predecessor the iPhone. It's kind of sad really. The original iPod, which became the iPod classic, is exactly that, a classic. A design icon. I was just old enough to experience and remember the beginning of the iPod revolution. I can't imagine being a kid today and not having been around for the first iPod. Kids today are coming in at iPod 6th gen or more and have no idea where the iPhone came from.

For a product that is ten years old and has gone through numerous iterations the iPod isn't all that different from when it started life. Even the design of the packaging for the original iPod is very similar in style to the current packaging. Nothing seems out of date. Timeless from the time it was released. This is the incredible thing about Apple. They always seems to know exactly what is going to happen down the line, they know exactly what is going to be the next big thing and then they get there before any other company has begun to real what is happening.

Apple hasn't killed the iPod classic as of yet, it is still available in the Apple Store. However there haven't been any updates to it for a long time, it's never mentioned anymore. There really seems to be a trend of moving completely to touch screen devices. I am not against this, but I don't look forward to the time when the Classic is discontinued. Ten years is a long time, but the iPod still seems young. Even the early models are still fresh and better looking than most other current portable music players. The 3rd Generation iPod for example, my personal favourite, the precursor to the click wheel revolution, although touting extra 'buttons' above the touch sensitive wheel; the all white facade, white wheel (unlike later models), backlit buttons and no moving parts on the front give it a beautifully clean appearance only matched by the simplicity of recent buttonless shuffle.

The iPod plays music, and in a world moving towards completely integrated multi-use devices it is becoming harder for single use devices to find a home. This is clear when we see the new direction of the iPod family with the touch and the new nano becoming more featuristic. Don't get me wrong, I love my iPhone, it's practically indispensable now, even for listening to music, but perhaps in some ways I am becoming more like my Dad and want to just hang on to the simple things that just work well. There is nothing better than carrying your entire music collection with you and just being able to tune out with it no-matter where you are. The next big thing is going to be storing your entire collection in the cloud and dragging down the songs you want, caching locally for offline playing. This is nice and works great for multiple devices and social integration etc but there is something still to be said for simple offline devices that just do what they are supposed to. I suppose offline devices are becoming pretty archaic now really, perhaps Apple should refresh the classic one more time, but then again it might be kinda awkward trying to use an internet connected iPod with only a scroll wheel for navigation.....hmmm.

Anyway, Happy Birthday iPod. It's a pity Steve wasn't able to see the iPod to ten.

Scott Amron is a kick-ass designer

2011-10-23T18:26:00.001+01:00

Scott Amron's is one of those designers that makes you want to slap yourself in the face. Some of his concepts are so plain obvious you really have to ask yourself why no one has ever thought about them before. I have stumbled over his ideas on various sites before but it wasn't until recently that I found out these never-been-done-before-ideas were coming from the same guy.

His concepts range from coat hook light switches to carabiner keys. I urge you to have a snoop around his site and see what else you can find. Keep reading to see some of my favourites.

The cigarette stub magnet is pretty cool. You can buy a pack of 3 on his site

I'm sure Ben will like this one. Scott is taking orders for these but i'm not quite sure if they will work with any lock.

And finally this clever idea, although I can imagine this one creating a bit of a mess in the wrong hands.

Be sure to check out Scotts site for more clever ideas @ http://www.amronexperimental.com/

IDI Best of Graduate Design 2011 / IDI Awards

2011-10-22T15:47:00.003+01:00

There is still time to catch the IDI Best of Graduate Design Exhibition. It is open till November 5th in the NCAD Gallery. Make sure to check it out to see a selection of works from across all of the design colleges in Ireland with some of the exhibitors up for awards in this years IDI awards this Thursday in the Sugar Club.

You can check out the IDI Awards here

Planned Obsolescence - The Light Bulb Conspiracy

2011-10-21T12:35:00.004+01:00

Planned obsolescence is one of those evil things companies do to make you keep buying their products. Now someone has made a movie about it!

First of all for people who may not be familiar with with this concept, planned obsolescence is when companies intentionally give their products a shortened lifespan so you will come back and buy the newest version. The main example given in Cosima Danoritzer's 'The Light Bulb Conspiracy' is the light bulb, where planned obsolescene is a main factor in the manufactures business plan. By drastically shortening the lifespan of the light bulb they can guarantee the consumer will keep coming back to buy a new one.

The synopsis

Once upon a time... products were made to last. Then, in the 1920s, businessmen were struck by an insight: "A product that refuses to wear out is a tragedy of business!" Ever since then, manufacturers have been engineering their products to fail.

This film tells the story of Planned Obsolescence, showing how long-lasting light bulbs were suppressed by a secret cartel and how ladder-proof stockings disappeared without trace. Modern electronics come equipped with inbuilt 'death-dates', sending them to the landfills before their time.

But consumers have started rebelling, to save the planet and the economy...

Danoritzer's film highlights other examples of planned obsolescence, namely Apple's iPod battery controversy but the film maker doesn't stop there. The environmental impact of this planned obsolescence is also highlighted via the mass piles of disregarded electronics that manage to end up in China's landfills.

At first glance planned obsolescence does seem wrong but then we have to ask ourselves what would happen if we had products that lasted a lifetime? If lightbulbs lasted forever would lightbulb producers be able to sustain themselves? You may argue that it would thin out the industry leaving only the strongest producers but then would this be anticompetitive?

I'm not too sure if theres a solution that benefits everyone but I do believe that products should have the longest lifespan possible. This would be a natural choice for light bulbs but then for the likes of the iPod the same rules dont apply, we are still going to want to upgrade to the newest iPod.

We live in a society that constantly wants new things but there will be never that appeal for lightbulbs. A lightbulb is a functional product but then maybe a solution would involve a company making a desirable one, one that we show off to our guests, that is a status symbol. Maybe in the future we will replace lightbulbs not because we have to but because we want to.

http://www.facebook.com/TheLightBulbConspiracy

Lytro - The Impossible Camera

2011-10-21T12:14:00.000+01:00

We are intrigued by the new Lytro Camera. Lytro suggests a radical change to the way we will take pictures from now on. No longer will we need to assure our pictures are in focus before we snap the shutter. Lytro allows you to adjust the focus afterwards. The idea of never having blurry photos again is tempting but at the same time will this take away an essential element from photography. Will this change the art in a way that it truly won't matter what you capture at the time, you can just fix it later? Despite the sleek design we are dubious about this new direction for digital photography. We love photography at Curve and although this is an incredible advancement in photography tech we don't really hope that it catches on too much. This kind of technology will probably be great in your mobile phone for snapping pictures of friends or on a night out when you don't want to spend time focusing and making sure the picture worked, but for pros we're not sure if this will be desirable in cameras. The idea of having a level of control that means you can refocus your shots afterwards does seem like it would be super useful, kind of like the level of control brought about by the introduction of shooting in RAW, however...

... the control that comes with RAW mirrored the control the photographer has when developing film photos albeit with more precision. Being able to adjust the focus apre-shutter-press has no bearing on traditional photography though and seems alien to the process.

Although annoying, when looking back through your photos from a shoot and seeing some of your shots out of focus, that, at the time you believed were perfect, it's part of the process, it's part of the fun of photography seeing how your shots turned out. If you already know that everything is going to be perfect or completely fixable with your photos when you get home won't that kind of take the fun out of photography??

Despite this, we wouldn't mind having a play with on of these beauties. Already this is the second new camera we have featured that is re-looking at the physical design of the camera body. Hopefully this is the beginning of a trend of really good looking cameras.

Have a play below on a couple of Lytro photos on which you can adjust the focus.

For more info check out www.lytro.com

Dublin Web Summit Oct 27-28th

2011-10-20T16:04:00.000+01:00

Dublin Web Summit is one of the biggest tech events in Europe. Founded by Paddy Cosgrave the Dublin Web Summit has grown at a fast rate over the last year and the upcoming event is to be the biggest yet. Featuring over 100 speakers and 1500 guests with speakers from Skype, Youtube, Facebook, Twitter, Microsoft, Google and many, many more it is shaping up to be an action packed event. We have been doing some work with the DWS team leading up to this event and we are looking forward to seeing it all coming together. For more information check out www.dublinwebsummit.com

Jonas Pfeil's Ball-Camera

2011-10-20T12:22:00.000+01:00

At Curve we love photography and we've always loved the idea of being able to create our own panoramas using something similar to the google street view cameras. This ball-cam student project does exactly this. Designed by Jonas Pfeil the design requires the user to throw the cameras in the air. The ball-cam then snaps pictures on an array of mobile phone cameras at the highest point in its path. These can then be stitched to create a 360 x 360 degree panorama just like street view. The ingenious idea of putting this is a ball also gets around the problem of needing the camera to be high enough to get a good view. We'd love to try one of these out. It would be great to throw around at a big event. Imagine throwing this around the crowd in a football stadium! Hopefully Jonas can gather some interest in this and bring it to market.

You can see more information on his site here and see a video of it in action after the jump.

Steve Jobs

2011-10-20T00:45:00.000+01:00

As a designer I can't remember when I didn't know who Steve Jobs was, for a lot of other people they may not of know who he was but they may well have been using products he was responsible for. After the last few weeks of media saturated with images and articles about Steve Jobs I think the world is much more aware of who he was and what he did. Anyone who uses an Apple product now will have heard the story of the genius behind it.

I have read a lot about Steve over the last couple of weeks. A lot about how he has changed the world, how he was a visionary, an Einstein of our time and other stories of how he was an incredibly hard person to work with. We've heard the good and bad sides to him but that doesn't change the fact that he has had a profound and lasting affect on life as we know it.
Products that he helped shape have changed the way the modern world operates. They have spawned a multitude of other products, companies and services all of which wouldn't exist if Apple had never been. It is interesting (scary) to think where we would be if none of this had happened. Would Google or Facebook exist? Two of the most influential internet companies today brought about by the dawning of the personal computer age. An age heavily influenced by Steve Jobs. Is it possible that one man could have had this much pull on how things have turned out?

In terms of design, it is impossible to ignore the impact that Apple has had on the notion of good design. All of their products are well considered and have the benefit of, in Steve's words, "just working" but I think it goes much deeper than that. Apple's influences have changed the products that millions of people interact with every day. Placing these well designed products in peoples hands has changed how people see design. Apple is bringing good design to the mass public.

I try and think what Steve was thinking when he was at the beginning, starting Apple from his garage. What if he could have had a glimpse of the future and see what Apple would become. Steve Jobs was no doubt an incredible human being. His influence on humanity is immeasurable and will have a lasting effect for a long time to come. He has shown the world what good design can be and has changed the direction of design and personal computing significantly. Thanks for everything, Rest in Peace Steve.

image credit: www.apple.com