Tag Archives: square

Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 could return to an old 2014 design

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Smartwatches are undergoing a bit of an identity crisis at the moment. Although the likes of the Apple Watch have cemented their image as wearable health monitors, smart rings have started to steal the spotlight and threaten their position. After all, if you could keep track of most of those health metrics and still wear your favorite stylish watch, you’ll probably ditch the smartwatch in a heartbeat. Some smartwatch makers, especially those from luxury brands, have decided to just call it quits, while others are trying to come out with new features that smart rings can’t match or fresh designs to interest buyers. Samsung might be of the latter camp, with rumors of its impending return to a square design that could end up looking like an Apple Watch imitation.

Designer: Samsung (via SamMobile)

Although Apple’s square smartwatch design has probably become iconic by now, the first generation of smartwatches that predated the Apple Watch all had a blocky shape. That was more due to the limitations of display technologies at that time rather than a deliberate design choice. The first round smartwatch, the Moto 360, was actually infamous for its “flat tire” screen precisely due to that technical reason.

That didn’t help the cause of smartwatch brands that were trying to appeal to buyers. It may have not exactly been the shape itself but the way the smartwatch bodies looked bulky and clunky that turned people away from an accessory that aimed to replace stylish and luxurious timepieces on your wrist. Fortunately, that industry did get the hints and round smartwatches became almost the de facto design, especially after fashion and luxury brands started playing the game.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

According to an insider report, Samsung might be shifting the design in the opposite direction, embracing a square design instead of the round watches it has been carrying for years. It’s not that Samsung hasn’t done square smartwatches, just that it hasn’t done those since the Gear 2 and Galaxy Live from 2014. It’s unknown whether Samsung will implement that change in the Galaxy Watch 7 or if it will wait for another iteration. Presuming, of course, this scoop is correct.

The Apple Watch and its many clones have proved that square doesn’t have to be boring, and Samsung might indeed be aiming for such a visual appeal. It won’t come as a surprise, however, if the next Galaxy Watch ends up looking like an Apple Watch, which is sure to earn the ire of long-time fans and the ridicule of critics. Then again, it could probably do worse and adopt the exact same design as its 2014 smartwatches, which, besides being square in the idiomatic sense, is also very flat, also in the idiomatic sense.

The post Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 could return to an old 2014 design first appeared on Yanko Design.

This versatile furniture concept features a sliding grid system that saves and creates space!

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Square to Square is a versatile furniture system for the modern home built on an internal and external sliding grid mechanism to save and create space.

Squares are known for the versatile nature of their shapes. It’s said that Le Corbusier saw squares as “the most refined and pure form in nature,” as young designer Kyungseon Nam puts it. Setting out to design a furniture system concept based on the multidimensionality of the square, Nam developed Square to Square.

Initially structured as a solid block, functional as a table or ottoman, Square to Square can turn into a full dining table or workspace setup. Built around an internal sliding grid system, Square to Square transforms from one configuration to the next with seamless transitions.

Square to Square’s initial form is divided between four quadrants that contain their own internal sliding grid system with hidden pull-out shelves and integrated cushioned booths. Positioned on top of an external sliding grid system, the hidden booth components of Square to Square can be pulled from each quadrant to reveal a four-person dining table setup.

Then, from each corner booth, a lower cushioned shelf can be pulled out to provide a resting place for your pets or even your feet. Each quadrant also contains spring mechanics that unload an elevated desk space that could function as a standing desk or raised shelf. Underneath the spring-loaded desk space, Nam incorporated a storage compartment where goods can be stored even when the optional desk space isn’t raised.

Taking advantage of the square’s chameleonic creative possibilities, Nam was able to conceptualize a multifunctional furniture system that not only saves space but creates space. Transforming from a solid, blank cube into a live-and-work space that also doubles as a dining area, Square to Square is the versatile and space-saving furniture system for the modern home.

Designer: Kyungseon Nam

The post This versatile furniture concept features a sliding grid system that saves and creates space! first appeared on Yanko Design.

Make Your Own Rubik’s Cube Inspired Wooden LED Light

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Inspired by the classic look of a Rubik’s Cube, Instructables user blueboxes has created a step-by-step guide for building your very own mini light cube, a wood and acrylic cube that glows along all the seams between the smaller cubes. I can already imagine myself staring at it when I can’t fall asleep at night.

The cube is constructed of 26 smaller wooden cubes with pieces of cut acrylic between each (all held together with superglue), with no cube in the center of the bottom or middle layers so you can insert the LEDs and power cord. Blueboxes mentions following his tutorial will create a cube light that’s about 6.6cm square (a traditional Rubik’s Cube is 5.6cm square), but the design can be scaled up or down to your liking.

I’m going to build one with color-changing LEDs and paint all the exposed wooden sides to resemble a Rubik’s Cube even more. Or accidentally glue my head to my workbench. Either way, my wife will just be happy I spent some time in the garage so she could watch her shows in peace.

[via Instructables]

Chase takes on Square with its own contactless payment system

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JP Morgan Chase is clearly eager to compete with Square in contactless, app-based store payments. It just launched a Chase-branded Business Complete Banking account with a QuickAccept feature that promises simpler (and crucially, faster) payments for...