Dimple

Dimple is a very basic and unique idea in that it adds functionality to the modern world with older technology everyone knows.

Dimples are peel-and-stick buttons for your smartphone. They are NFC enabled so they need no batteries and actually communicate wirelessly with your smartphone. Their purpose is to add mechanical buttons to touch devices.

On a basic level the Dimples are pretty. They don't make a smartphone look gross, unless you plaster them all over it. They are also very simple. They're just 1 or 2 buttons that you assign to particular apps or windows. They're elegant in that respect

But their function is what makes them worthwhile. Dimples can be programmed to open apps, take a picture, or do any number of other things. This is great because in a world that is focused on limiting taps and effort it still takes a click of a home button and then the selecting of the app to take a picture. A Dimple could reduce that to one press. Dimples actually function as a physical shortcut button.

The folks that make Dimples realize that in the touch screen world, the device is a throwback. But that is kind of nice. While the use of a finger on a touchscreen may be more natural to learn, but the experience is offset by having a piece of glass between you and the "button/icon" you are pressing. Its like the difference in experience between an e-reader and book. Dimples help to make the digital world physically interactive, it adds texture and physical feedback to device use while at the same time reducing the effort of getting to certain apps.

Dimples also add a bit of customizability to a smartphone. Now people can tailor the hardware of their device a little, which has never been possible. This concept of physical add-ons that improve the device can be expanded in many different directions other than Dimples.

Overall, Dimples are a great idea that improves our modern glassy world by letting us add our own buttons where we want them.

The Zippo Lighter

The Zippo lighter is an icon. But how did it become that? Simply because it has so many characteristics that separate it from the normal lighter. A perfect combination of form and function. Whether you smoke or not, the Zippo is a design to respect.

Let's start with the experience. When you use a Zippo you hold the smooth, metal rectangle in you hand. It shines and feels rugged and sturdy. When you flip the cap you get the signature "Clink" sound that is unique to Zippo lighters. Then when you light it, the flame comes from the silvered chimney and can't be blown out by the wind. You light your cigarette and then, "Clink" it's closed and you slip the sleek box back into your pocket.

The Zippo is a sensory experience. The look and the feel make it seem valuable to the user and the "Clink" sound makes it have a personality apart from the average lighter. In fact, it was that "Clink" that helped to build the brand of the Zippo back when it was created in 1933. A Zippo was a piece of fashion that drew attention to itself.

But the Zippo is also incredibly practical. Because of its means of creating a flame and protecting it, (i.e. a wick and the special chimney) it is the best option available. The function is as good as the form.

The Zippo is one of those few designs that is so complete that it is difficult to find fault with any of it. It is a piece of style as well as an effective tool. If Apple where to make a lighter they would make the Zippo.

The Tile

The Tile is a new way to find things. It is a a small Bluetooth tag that can be connected to things like keys, laptops, and wallets so that you never forget or lose those items again. Tile which completed a crowdfunding campaign in 2013 will be shipping in the summer of 2014.

The Tile is pretty slick. That is is the way to describe it. It almost looks like a product that would be launched by Apple. It is a sealed tag that does not have battery replacements, (when it dies you buy new ones) and a is a sleek white. A very unobtrusive design, compared to old style keyfinders.

The app itself is nifty. When looking for something users simply pull out their smartphone and use the app to be directed to where the tile is, based on distance from the tile. As you get closer you can have the Tile beep to give its final location. If you forgot an item somewhere, the app records the last GPS location of that item so you can always go back and find it.

But where the Tile app really comes into its own is when something is stolen or completely lost. When this happens the user can mark the item as lost then every other Tile user can basically search for it with their phone. So you essentially create a networked radar to find the lost item. If someone's phone detects the item then you are sent a message as to its last known location.

There is one possibility of Tile that, if it doesn't exist already, (Tile didn't present it in any of their material) should be added. Instead of just helping the user find an item, Tile should stop them from ever being lost. This could be done through a passive mode of when the users phone gets more than some distance away an alert is sent telling them that they are forgetting something. This kind of functionality could keep a lot of flashdrives from being left in computers and keys on tables.

Overall, the Tile is an nifty piece of hardware, and while the software has neat features it needs expanding.