HTC One

Full Metal Body

Front Facing Speakers

Technology is advancing so fast that new phones come our nearly every month. Still, there was one that caught my eye and I had to get my hands on it. As soon as my contract allowed me to, I set my self up with an HTC One.

I have always been a fan of HTC phones due to their high quality standards and beautiful designs. This time they went beyond anything I expected. This time, with the HTC One, they chose to go with a rounded full metal back and glass front. The real beauty of it, though, was the amount of gaps or lack-thereof  gaps. When you hold the phone in your hands, it feels natural and sturdy.

HTC didnt stop their with their amazing prowess for design. With the One, they went against convention and put the two speakers on the phone. Not only that, they put them on the front. I had been waiting a long time for a phone company to do this. Often, I would find myself holding my other phones in odd ways just so I could hear my media. This was the simple solution. It makes more sense to have the speakers in the front in the first place. Now with these powerful dual speakers, I never have any issues listening to my music and movies.

Bike/Pedestrian Lanes On CPP Campus

The pictures above show the recently painted lanes meant to separate cyclists from pedestrian at Cal Poly Pomona. I have been using the path in these pictures for about five years and I can definitely tell that there is a big difference in pedestrian traffic now that these lanes are in place. When I say traffic, I don’t mean that the area has become congested. I mean that the flow of students and staff has become more organized.

At Cal Poly Pomona, there are a lot of people riding skateboards, longboards and bikes. Often, they are not traveling very cautiously. I’ve seen a couple of accidents myself and the damage done can be quite bad. These lanes are a simple solution to separate ordinary pedestrians from those on wheels. Not everyone on campus follows the simple directions of the lanes, but the vast majority seems to understand what they are meant for.

I can only wish that people payed more attention to the bright red signs also posted around campus where wheeled traveling is forbidden.

Pedestrian Sidewalk Safety

While I am an avid skater and bus rider, I often find myself walking to my destinations. And even though I take proper measures when traveling about, I have been hit by a car on more that one occasion. This is why I take pedestrian safety quite seriously. Lately, I have been noticing these weird bumpy mats on sidewalks are popping up on more and more pathways. They are usually grey or yellow in color, but have appeared in red in some areas. At first I didn’t know what they were for. I thought them to be a nuisance since they made it more difficult to skate to my destinations. Then, a friend of mine informed me of their true purpose.

These bumpy mats are known as “detectable warning surfaces.” They can will normally be found on the ramps that connect the roads with the sidewalk crossing areas. Their purpose is simply to inform cyclists and other pedestrians of the merging between pavement and sidewalk. This prevents loss of control when transitioning between them.

After hearing this, I became more appreciative of them. They are easy to spot and help prevent accidents. The trouble they give me is nothing compared to the safety they provide and I’m quite glad somebody thought of something so simple and intuitive.

Poster Art by Olly Moss

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

This week another collection of artwork caught my attention. Like the Godzilla posters noted before, they are movie posters and again they contain hidden images. Still, they are different in a way that is hard to describe. Unlike the Godzilla posters that can seem a bit cluttered, these posters meet you with simple color pallets and clean lines. The black in the images stand out, but do not detract from the overall image. Again, though, you will find that these posters are meant to capture the viewers. Each poster has hidden qualities and faces. They literally and figuratively have many faces hidden within them. The poster Howl’s Moving Castle, for example, has many hidden details in the darker colors. The castle is very apparent, but look closely and you will see the many details of the terrain. You can even spot the scarecrow underneath. Then look to your left and to your right and take note of the cloud lines. There you will find the young protagonist in the film and the witch who cursed her.

Each poster is a different experience. I highly recommend that you head over to Olly Moss to see more of this amazingly eye-catching and creative artwork.

Godzilla Poster Art By Phantom City Creative

The Godzilla series of films is one of my favorite and it’s always interesting seeing artwork created for them. In this case I found a couple of poster made by . What I found unique about the design of these posters was that they did not have a direct image of Godzilla itself. Instead rubble and smoke were used to create outlines of Godzilla that the viewers can identify.

I loved how they instantly caught my attention even though the actual depictions of the monster were somewhat hidden. They definitely do their jobs as movies poster. The viewers have to look closely to discover that the rubble and destruction are all they are looking at. They are examples of great design and creativity in movie posters.

You can see more of their work over at Phantom City Creative. There they note that the poster indeed was meant to be a teaser for the new film. The producers had in fact approached PCC with the task of creating movie posters that did not have the actual monster in them.

Switches Physical Affordance

Light Switch

Cooling Unit Switches

Every time we enter a room, we are met with at least one physical affordance. When you enter a room and find it without light, the first thing you reach for is the light switch. Because lights in are usually operated by switches, you know there are usually two options: on and off. The physical design of the switch doesn’t give you any other choices. Buttons work in the same manner and in several European countries you will find that instead of switches, they have buttons.

Dials, on the other hand, let you know that they is more than just two options. They usually come in a circular shape that lets you know that you have to turn it to make a choice. Because dials give you more options that buttons and switches, they are often used for things like thermostats, air conditioners, and stoves. In both cases, the physical shape of the object we interact with gives us an idea of what it does.

Mouse Physical Affordances

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

Designs of computer mice vary drastically, but one common thing that the peripherals tend to share is the design efforts made to make them ergonomic and easy to use. Making mice ergonomic is a difficult task to take on as different people have different preferences and needs, yet the designers of the mouse above seem to have done a pretty good job. The mouse above was designed for right handed people and that aspect can easily be identified by looking at the shape of the sides of the mouse. The left side is indented in such a way that is comfortable for the users thumb. Buttons are also set up on the left side to make them easily accessible.

These qualities found on the mouse can also be considered physical affordances. Physical shape design tells users that this mouse is meant to be held in your hand and not just any hand; your right hand. The buttons on the left are meant to be clicked on using your right thumb. Once you put your hand on this mouse, you will find that your other fingers just fall into place. One finger falls on each one of the mouse triggers.

Not everything on the mouse can be understood just by looking at its physical qualities though. For example, the scroll wheel on this mouse has a click that isn’t identified by any physical marker. Maybe there is still some room left for improvement in the computer peripheral field.

The Health Ride isn’t so Healthy

If you’re ever exercising, its usually to stay in shape or be more healthy. Well, the other day I discovered a very unsafe exercise machine, the Health Ride. This seemingly harmless machine was far from being safe.

The first thing to note on the machine would be the lack of a back support with the seat.the second thi.g to note with the contraption was how terrible the grip on it was. It is hard to keep your hands situated on the handles. This meant that if you ever lost grip and slid back you would fall abd hit your head(as I did).

Using this health ride was a terrible experience and increased the overall danger when exercising. If it had a back rest or usable handles, this would be an entirely different type of review. If you have one of these , please dispose of it as your experience might be very much like mine.

Yoga Mat

I’ve taken several yoga and stretching classes before and find that one of the most useful tools in those environments is the yoga mat. It has a simple design, but it does its job properly. If your doing a lot of exercise this is one tool that will definitely make things more enjoyable.

So what is a yoga mat? A yoga mat is generally a mat made of grippy, textured material. Often times they will be made of PVC/vinel, rubber, or jute. I have even seen some made of organic cotton materials. Aside from different types of materials, yoga mats also come in different grades of thickness. Its always good to try out different thicknesses before buying your own as it will make your experience all the more enjoyable. The texture and material, then, are what decide how sticky your mat is. Again, this is something that can be left too personal preference. In then end what  you end up with is something that will reduce any slipping, or impact pains when doing exercise.

Because a yoga mat is just that, a mat, you will usually find it rolled up into a cylinder like shape. This makes transportation and storage a breeze. Often, the yoga mat will even come with its own strap for securing and carrying it. It beats having to carry around mats like those you find in gyms and it makes the exercising experience a lot less painful.

HTC Blinkfeed

One of the my favorite apps that I have is HTC Blinkfeed. Now, this isn’t an app that you can just go and install on any android phone. its is an app/widget that is unique to a couple of HTC phones like the One, One Mini, and Desire. The application is like a home page for all of your social networks, news, entertainment, friends, photos, and even music updates. Before I gave the app a try, I thought that I would hate the thing immediately. After testing it out, however, I found that it was extremely useful and part of that usefulness came from the design.

The home screen of the Blinkfeed application presents you with tiles that summaries the latest relevant updates. Swiping from the left brings you your topics of interest(like those listed above). For example, I have Gizmodo, The Verge, and a number of other sites added. Through this menu, you can easily search for topics, manage a reading list, and edit what you want to show up on the home screen.

As mentioned above, the app lets you set up a reading list. Should you ever find that you want to read something at a later time, you can save it for later by tapping on the tile and then tapping read later. This will add it to your reading list for later access. Its a simple way for you to keep yourself updates.

The other design aspect of this application that I really like is the ability to share articles and updates quite easily. Rather than tapping read later, you tap share and choose which media you would like to share the topic through. For example, you could post something on Facebook for your friends to see.

I have to say, I usually hate applications like this that centralize your updates(like Google’s Newstand), but this app was easy to use and worked flawlessly. I now use it on an hourly basis.