BMW Group Designworks USA has branched out into gaming computers, and their new "Level 10" PC tower concept for Thermaltake is a doozy. And like most Designworks project, beyond the eye-candy factor is a combination of philosophizing and functional-izing:
The inspiration for this approach the design team took right from the computer worlds themselves - expressiveness, virtual townscapes and futuristic game components served as orientation for the arrangement and the look of individual components.
Each high-quality component featured by the "Level 10" concept is enclosed within its own protective case, rendering it not only an integral part of the design but also guaranteeing interchangeability and transportability.
The concept also has an aesthetical answer to the physical necessity for best possible cooling, this also being associated with the virtual world of the gamer. The asymmetric arrangement of the robust vertical heatsink and the horizontally located individual components creates a strong architectural statement, clearly revealing the powerful cooling characteristics of the Thermaltake Gaming Tower.
The Level 10 was on display at CeBIT, but there's no word as to when this might hit store shelves.
No matter how much we progress as far as technology is concerned, we always look back towards retro stalwarts for inspiration in the designing field. NVDRS Tape foxes around in the Cassette Tape construction but is actually a digital player. Deceptive looks aside, the player continues to follow the 45/60/90 minutes norm, holding 10/15/20 select songs in digital format; uploaded via USB.
Charging it depends how good are you at …you guessed it…rotating the spools! Rotating the second hole of the tape charges the kinetic battery. An LED light indicates the power status: Green-full charge; Amber- Medium Charge; Red- will die out any moment.
Designers: Stefano Pertegato, Massimiliano Rampoldi, Eloisa Tolu, Francesco Schiraldi & Giovanni Mendini
The I-Quad uses tile shaped LED electronic boards held together by a simple frame and interacts with external devices via USB or wireless. Each tile is capable of a low-res, almost dot matrix-like resolution. Essentially anything can be displayed across these tiles; from communication, entertainment, even ambient lighting.
I like the idea in concept. Wireless connectivity makes it quite useful say if I wanted to leave a note to a family member - a few key strokes on my computer and voila, message appears on the board. I’m not keen on its size because it seems unnecessary. A smaller board with a far more dense pixel resolution would have been much more intriguing to me.