Time for another round of apps that cover the spectrum of your beloved mobile device, be it iPhone, Android or Windows! The Weekly App Smack is the best of new or updated design and productivity apps (and maybe a couple of fun ones, too) for the busy design or engineering professional and this week we have a list sure to make you more efficient. Do you have an app suggestion that has made your life easier or changed up your workflow? Let us know in the comments below or send it into tips@www.solidsmack.com. Hit it! Word Flow Keyboard “Word Flow for iPhone, a Microsoft Garage project, is a blazing fast…
As any true LEGO fan will attest to, the real fun of the plastic brick toys exists somewhere in the process of unboxing a model and attaching the final piece. For Porsche fans, the latest release from the toy brick maker will give you 2,704 opportunities to appreciate that process. For their latest LEGO Technic model, the LEGO design team turned their attention towards building a “life-like” replica of the iconic Porsche 911 GT3 RS with a build sequence modeled after the real-life vehicle’s assembly process. Yes – this brick building process is modeled entirely after what goes into bringing the $175K supercar from the factory to the streets. Heck,…
Back on April 1st, a video hit YouTube that featured a drone outfitted with a chainsaw that flew/cut through everything from snowmen to treetops. Of course, it had some scratching their heads, wondering if it was staged or completely fake. While the idea of a flying chainsaw seems disturbing to some, it turns out the ‘KillerDrone’ is indeed real, very cool, and every bit as disturbing as it appears.
As a UX designer, Tobias Eichenwald believes we’re on the cusp of a shift that will move us away from generic Graphical User Interfaces to a new generation of Natural User Interfaces that engage multiple human senses including gesture, speech, haptic, visual interfaces and more. He is also the co-founder of Senic, a new hardware and software company whose aim is to do exactly that: create revolutionary new tools for working, creating and playing naturally in the digital world. “People have developed a love-hate relationship with their computers and smartphones. They love technology for the ability to learn, express and share yet hate it for its impact on health, relationships…
The consumer 3D printing landscape has changed dramatically since MakerBot Industries stormed onto the scene in January of 2009. While any new company can expect its fair share of ups and downs, navigating the rocky road of lofty consumer expectations for 3D printers – combined with a surge of competitors from nearly all corners of the globe – has proven to be a significant challenge for the Brooklyn-based company. Yesterday, despite having just announced the sale of their 100,000th 3D printer, the company said that they will no longer be manufacturing their own hardware. In a post published on the MakerBot blog, CEO Jonathan Jaglom said that the company will…
This week’s Spotify-powered SolidSmack Radio Playlist knocks you in the pop sockets with head-boppin’ groove tuneage to help propel you through the work week in style. Whether you find yourself inking markers until they’re dry, grinding material through a bandsaw or working that 3D geometry all day, consider these tracks as a tool for your process. This week we’ll start things off with “Blue and Green” from the one and only Miles Davis and work our way through some Bob Dylan, Nicolas Jaar, Air, Little People, Portishead and others before wrapping up with “Vicious” from the late Lou Reed. Have suggestions? As always, let us know what you listen to,…