The Blob VB3, Microliving at its Finest

I was perusing through a design blog and found the Blob VB3, an awesome egg shaped micro living space. It has a bathroom, kitchen (although I can't seem to find it in any of the pictures), a bed, lighting, and tons of storage cubbies. It looks cool.

I participated in an undergrad brainstorming session last week, and one of the topics was microhouses. The project was to build a single person house that could fit on a trailer, and we thought of tons of ways to save space (folding tables, beds, etc.) while still living comfortably. Although the Blob might not account for all of the problems (waste removal, heating/cooling, etc.) we discussed, it still looks like it's a step in the right direction.

Some might say that the exterior is an eyesore, that they couldn't put this in their backyard. I think it has an organic modern shape to it that would look good in any backyard. The Blob VB3 is not going to revolutionize the way people live, but it could open some eyes to the possibilities of microliving and give designers inspiration for the next wave of tiny houses.

The worst iPod accessory ever?

Now it may seem weird that I'm making the first post of a blog called That's the Bees Knees about a deviceI don't like, but I couldn't help it. while I was browsing through the gadgets that were shown at the CES this year, I came upon ION's new line of products. While I can imagine some of these ideas developed through user centered design, I cannot imagine the iType was one of them. The iType is a full sized keyboard that docks with an iPhone or iPod Touch, providing the user with a better typing experience.

I see three main problems with it. First, and most importantly, if you are going to carry around a full sized keyboard, you might as well bring your laptop with you and get its full functionality. While this system is going to be a little lighter than the average laptop, its length and width will be the same and it will only have the features of the iPhone of iPod Touch. The user will have to plan in advance when they might want to use it, as people do when they take their laptops with them, as opposed to users having their phone on them at all times and using it whenever they want.

Tying into the first problem, many of the people who would want a larger keyboard for their phone might have troubles with the screen on their device as well. Although the system is almost the size of a laptop, the screen is still the size of the iPhone. When typing an email or document, the user will have to hunch over (as the iPhone or iPod docks flush with the keyboard) to look at the small screen.

Finally, since the iPhone cannot recognize the keystrokes from the iType, another application must be used while inputting text. Having the extra step of copy and pasting, or sending the content through email, makes the process longer and could mess with formatting.

Although some of ION's other products look interesting and promising, like their cassett tape to mp3 converter or their picture in picture video camera (which records the user as well as the target), I don't think the iType was well thought out or used any principles of human centered design.