This CES content is sponsored by BestBuyOn.com. Thanks, Best Buy!!! 
Truly one of the awesomest booth design discoveries in my first few minutes at CES, Joby’s newest iPad case Ori is so inspired by Origami, that they tapped THE origami guru, Robert Lang to help them make a stop motion origami video, as well as this gorgeous booth structure! The structure is an absolutely mesmerizing geometric multifaceted modular origami piece made up of 112 19.75” square sheets, one side mirrored, one side white. Each pyramid ends up about 12” per side, and the overall sculpture is 80” x 48” x 18”. It took about 2 days of folding and assembly! And they shipped it over WHOLE in a crate! Both Robert and the guys at Joby were kind enough to even send over making of pics… so check out not only booth pics and the stop motion video on the next page, but see it from a single folded piece to getting to the show floor as well!
p.s.
Interesting how this piece and the Polaroid mirrored tessellation are similar…
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tech - 01.08.11 -
This CES content is sponsored by BestBuyOn.com. Thanks, Best Buy!!! 
Bluelounge launched their new Nest for iPads. Continuing along their motto of “Simple solutions to daily problems, transforming the most everyday item into objects of desire,” they have designed a simple little tray with a grippy edge and a little slide out lip to hold your iPad any which way. And being a functional tray, it ca hold your tchotchkes as well! In their usual fashion, there is a happy color palette to pick from! See how it works on the next page…
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Polaroid’s booth had some lovely design details this year. Just to get it out of the way first, let’s acknowledge and move on from the whole Lady Gaga creative director and the grey label products press event. Ugh. Anyhow, what i liked over at their booth are the weird geometric mirrored tessellation growth protruding from within, their use of what looked like black painted raw wood which was a great contrast to the techy textures, and fun graphic design! Oh, and their huge polaroid framed screens really made me want one in my office flipping through NOTCOT.org posts! Take a peek at the details on the next page…
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On unexpected discoveries at CES, deep in the Victorinox booth, amongst the excitement of their adorable new USB drives (love the Presentation Master)… my jaw dropped a little when i spotted a case of something so different tucked away. Freshly arrived with the Victorinox CEO, Carl Elsener yesterday, their team barely had information on this new design collaboration that just arrived! Luckily, Carl was kind enough to passionately explain the story behind this gorgeous new design collaboration. The Victorinox Tomo (meaning friend in japanese) is a beautifully designed and packaged minimalist knife by Tokyo designers, Abitax! The packaging is made of molded recycled paper, just like egg cartons! (But the Swiss variation, which is apparently a thicker, denser version than our American ones.) Apparently, Abitax was smitten with Victorinox Swiss Army Knives, but wanted something even more streamlined, so they designed not only the product concept, but also the packaging, before proposing it to Victorinox. They even have 14 colors they wanted to launch with, but initially we will see 7: Red, White, Blue, Green, Pink, Yellow, and a lighter Minty Green. The handles are in a matte, hard plastic feeling nylon, and seem perfect for everywhere from design stores as small gifts, to customizable corporate gifts. There is a Victorinox logo subtly pressed into the handle, as well as one on the exterior and interior of the packaging. You have to see more of the packaging and product up close on the next page!
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tech - 01.07.11 -
This CES content is sponsored by BestBuyOn.com. Thanks, Best Buy!!!
Syfy at CES! Giant sphere. Moving panels. So. Much,. Purple. And you can go inside! How could i resist? And then instead of staring at the barely clad girl dressed like a video game character i probably should know… i was staring at how the tracks worked to keep the sphere panels shifting… Also, the pictures don’t do it justice without seeing it in motion, so made you a little video on the next page too…
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There’s an iLounge at CES… it’s exactly what you’d imagine, mac fanboy overload. And a lot of eames chairs. And retro-modern furnishings… like this HOUSE that Griffin Technology built! So fun to look at, yet totally embarrassing to encounter. It’s pretty and fun like a doll house, but the UX of it practically wasn’t so good. Like i’ve known and loved Griffin for years… yet i got up to the house, and up close embarrassingly asked who the booth was for. At which point i got a very matter of fact and standoffish “Griffin” as the response. Oops. My bad. As i looked around trying to figure out how i missed that… the house was so hard to enter, and the products so hard to see/access… that it wasn’t even until i backed up fully i could properly see their sign that said Griffin high above the house! But from a design perspective, the booth was an inspiringly adorable change to the usual layouts… i just wish it wasn’t at the expense of showing off the products. There were even a few i was dying to see from the press releases in person, but they made it so difficult, i’m sad to admit i gave up, and decided it was more fun to enjoy their architecture! See more pics of the house on the next page…
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AR.Drones have come a long way since they mesmerized us at CES with their amazing iPhone controlled flying machine last year… that was in a huge net on the show floor… well this year, they have a great space outside! And it’s definitely had me watching, mesmerized, wondering how i’ve managed not to give in to one of them yet. Or TWO… you can even played augmented reality shooter games with them now… (see the video on the next page to make sense of it)… see more pics on the next page of them in action. It’s hard not to want an iPhone/iPad controlled wifi AR qudricopter!
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Ok, firstly. OMG. CES is absolute madness as always. Vegas is, well, Vegas. And as you’ve seen in previous years, CES coverage NOTCOT style is a smattering of eye catching design in real life! So first things that tend to grab me (we see the products so early often!) is booth design! First one to just literally suck me in and leave me in awe not wanting to leave… Audi. Wow. In a sea of show floor visual chaos, tucked behind the digital health (i.e. fitness ipad apps and adjustable beds), there is this looming large box of a space, that literally glows… and you just HAVE to walk in… and once in, there’s something almost magical (yet so surreal like you stepped into a scifi in between space) that is SO glowingly white from all sides, geometric facets all around, from the floor and ceiling and walls to the furniture and installations. Showing off their new electric and hyper linked systems, the display was filled with grown men and women with that 5 year old look of wonder. While their keynote promised a dreamy future of technology in automotive… from AR HUDs and e-tron spyder concepts, to autonomously driven Audi TTS… while still stressing that while they want more technology to assist the driver, they don’t want to take away driving from the driver. I can’t deny there is a definite draw to the clean glowing simplicity of their “booth”! See it on the next page!
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food+drink - 01.05.11 -
This week’s Tasteologie and Liqurious roundup is truly sumptuous, brimming with delectable colors and textures. To find out more about each delicious post, click on its image.
This post is the last of three gift guides sponsored by Xfinity. Focused on themes of gifts and gadgets that help us push the boundaries of how and where we watch TV! As usual ~ content is all me, and they’re sponsoring me to do it! And for the official bit: “This post is brought to you by Xfinity from Comcast. Watch all your favorite shows from anywhere with Xfinity TV. The views expressed here are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of Comcast or its partners” 
Ick, feeling sick today, and supposed to drive to vegas in the morning to join in the CES madness that is kicking off! Had hoped to get a few more posts together, but those will have to wait! In the mean time… here’s a look at a few fun ways to watch TV outside, and the devices you need to do it! From picnics and drive-ins in the back yard, to backpacking/camping, to playing out by the pool, to tailgating! So fun how streaming anything to and from just about anywhere is possible these days! See it all on the next page!
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design - 01.04.11 -
2011 has gotten off to a fine start on NOTCOT.org. The first roundup of the year is full of surprises including robotic chickens, xrays of lightning and LED embedded rugs. To find out more about these posts and more, click on the individual images.
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food+drink - 01.02.11 -
Is Mavea new to you? It was to me… looked a lot like Brita? Then i found out the story “Brita started in 1966 when Heinz Hankammer had the idea of optimizing normal tap water. He named the company after his daughter Brita. Its headquarters are in Taunusstein near Wiesbaden in Germany. In 1988,[6] The Clorox Company, based in Oakland, California, entered in a licensing-and-distribution agreement with the German company for North and South America. In 2000, Clorox acquired the sole rights to the brand in North America and Brita agreed to a noncompete clause until 2005. In 2008, Brita returned to the North American market under the brand Mavea.” (via Wikipedia) SO, Mavea pretty much IS Brita, anywhere except North America…
SO, that aside, when a Mavea Elemaris was sent over to me, i was intrigued what was the same, what was different… and the design and quality grabbed me instantly! Particularly this one feature… you can fill it without opening it! Due to a brilliant counter-weighted pod in the cap! Also the handle grip feels great, as well as the soft grip handle and non-slip base. I’m seeing it pop up around the supermarkets like Whole Foods lately, so even though the filters are a different shape from Brita, they are becoming almost as easily accessible. Water tastes great too… but the design details have won me over for this one! See more detailed pics on the next page!
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wearable - 01.01.11 -
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travel - 12.31.10 -
Our final 2010 roundup, comes from our newest site of all, and perhaps the most fun to help us look forward into possibilities for the new year… even though only 2 months old, NotVentures is my daily wanderlust, making it harder and harder to stay put when there are so many places and things to see in the world! I can’t wait to see what adventures await in 2011… and what wonders we’ll all find and share! Please feel free to share places that either spark your wanderlust or that you have visited and would recommend to inspire others!
Just discovered these 
