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Innovative designs and concepts help us to chart a better picture of our future. Since we have thousands of such projects floating all over blogoshpere, Electrolux invited entries for home appliance ideas for the next 90 years, in honor of the Electrolux 90-year anniversary. Out of 900 submissions from 50 countries, only eight finalists are shortlisted. Themed “Designs for the next 90 years”, the aim was to create thoughtfully-designed products that will shape how people prepare and store food, wash clothes, and do dishes over the next nine decade. Since living green is the need of the hour, most of the designs are shaped for eco-friendly existence in the future. Every design is simply out-of-this-world and reading about them motivates me to hop on the time machine and fast forward to 90 years from today. Most of them revolve around water conservation but the one that caught my fancy the most is the Teleport Fridge by Dulyawat Wongnawa, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand. His concept, “Teleport Fridge”, teleports food, eliminating the time and distance a person has to travel to buy fresh groceries or products from a store or farm. Using touch-screen technology as the interface for the teleportation process, the Teleport Fridge simply teleports food to compartments in its refrigeration and freezer units. Such a futuristic system can help to reduce or eliminate carbon footprints.

The Naturewash by Zhenpeng Li and Renew by Louis Filosa are the most promising waterless washing machines of the future.

Penghao Shan intends to counter the water shortage problem with Water Catcher. It is a flying rain catcher and water purifier.

Le Petit Prince by Martin Miklica is a robotic greenhouse designed to facilitate the future exploration and population of Mars.

Rickard Hederstierna’s Cocoon is a cooking device for the next century. Similar to heating popcorn in a microwave, Cocoon prepares genetically engineered and prepackaged meat and fish dishes by heating muscle cells.

Another cooking gadget of the future is Nico Kläber’ Moléculaire. It helps to Print and eat your food.

And after burping over meal cooked in such an avant-garde and eco-friendly manner, its time to wash and stack up the dishes in Toma Brundzaite Bifoliate. This space-saving, wall-mounted double dishwasher that allows the user to put dirty dishes in one compartment and use the other as a shelf for clean dishes.

Anyone interested in coming with me to live in an era 90 years ahead?

[Electrolux Design Lab]

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Ergonomically designed for the disabled and the elderly folks, this electric wheel chair from Japan scores high on appearance too. Veda International Robot R&D Center’s Rodem M1-1 is the product that I am talking about. Priced at $5,300 to $7,500, this wheel chair runs about for four hours on a single feed (charge). Fitted with a joystick accelerator, it can speed up to 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) per hour. The USP of this wheel chair is its well-designed, user-friendly form. Users, immobile or old, can simply mount on it by just sitting on the bed, leaning forward and sliding on to the Rodem M1-1. Such a scooter-looking wheel chair will lure all those who seek assistance in moving about with style. Bet you wouldn’t be able to stop kids too from taking it for a ride, when vacant. Expect to see this good-looking electric wheel chair hit the shelves soon.

[Cnet]

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A study claims that the Amazon Kindle electronic reader is friendlier to the environment than the paper based books. After doing a life cycle analysis, it was found that carbon emissions from electronic books are far lower than traditional book publishing. But yes this is not without the drawbacks! For producing a Kindle, you have to leave out to the atmosphere 168 kilograms of carbon dioxide while it is only 7.46 kilograms for a book. Electronic readers need electricity to run too! Plus there is the growing problem of electronic waste which seems to be forgotten by many. Amazon said that it will establish a recycling program for the Kindle and its battery by mail to reduce electronic waste. Intuitively, the basic conclusion of the Cleantech Group analysis makes sense: the more you reduce your use of paper media in a single electronic device, the less you’ll pollute by harvesting and shipping physical goods.

But as with many proposed advantabes to environmental problems, there are the disadvantages as well. It all depends on how you use the e-reader. If you continue to buy books and print periodicals and don’t recycle the product, the environmental impact could potentially be negative.

[Cnet]

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Koppe has come out with amazing steel oven for a perfecet kitchen experience. Steel clad Boccaccio stoves, made in Germany are stoves that have 8 kW ostensible heat output and a large curved panoramic viewing pane. These stoves are available with primary air regulation and preheated secondary air supply. A smoke vent can be installed on top or behind the stove. The price range varies with the kind of model from $3,565 to $5,187. This Boccaccio stove comes with a side panel and decorative top plate made of soapstone which gives your stove an elegant look.
These series of stoves also offer rotatable Boccaccio stoves which come with summer and winter panels. This stove can be used as a decorative cabinet with a glass shelf during warm months.

[Appliancist]

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Buggatti Veyron which was selling like hot cake among the who’s who is now is going to fight a case, Barry Zekelman wanted to a Buggatti Veyron 2009. He paid a whooping amount of $1.55 million but days after Bugatti told him they weren’t building one and so he demanded a refund but it’s been eight months and he has got none. He’s now filing a suit to get his money back. Having placed his deposit of $427,935 in full last December he was looking forward to get his new car when a few days later he was sent an email by the selling agent in Troy, Michigan he would not be receiving his 2009 Bugatti Veyron in Italian red ever because they weren’t making any more.
Bugatti offered a 2008 model instead of his ordered 2009 which he would definitely not accept. Barry Zekelman decided that now he did not want the car and demanded his money back which he has yet not received. He’s had to file a lawsuit naming Bugatti in quest of a complete refund and all court and lawyer fees. It’s surprising that a leading car manufacturer could do something like this.

[Jalopnik]

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If you are fond of wearing Louboutins then don’t be surprised if I tell you that now you can eat them too. Louboutin X Ladurée special edition macaroons have been introduced by Louboutins, the French shoe maestro. Louboutins collaborates with King of French Patisserie Ladurée to come up with a collection of scrumptious macaroons. The Christian Louboutin macaroons come in boxes of six which not only taste good bit also look good. The box is printed with designs of Louboutin’s famous shoes.
The Christian Louboutin is prepared by Louboutin and Ladurée’s pastry chef Philippe Andrieu and come in flavours of fig and date. These limited edition gift boxes are available from 11 September at Ladurée Harrods and Burlington Arcade Gallery.

[Luxury-insider]

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Gucci has come up with ‘division’ high heel over-the-knee platform boots to flatter your feet and give you the most elegant look.These Gucci shoes are made of black leather, black patent leather, and black stretch leather. These shoes have a special inside zip closure so the zip does not show from out making it look impeccable. The size of the heel is 4.1″ heel with a 1.4″ platform. These shoes look so pretty you cannot but stop looking at them. Wherever you wear them you are sure to attract attention of one and all. These stunning shoes come at a price tag of $2950.

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Ergonomically designed for the disabled and the elderly folks, this electric wheel chair from Japan scores high on appearance too. Veda International Robot R&D Center’s Rodem M1-1 is the product that I am talking about. Priced at $5,300 to $7,500, this wheel chair runs about for four hours on a single feed (charge). Fitted with a joystick accelerator, it can speed up to 3.5 kilometers (2 miles) per hour. The USP of this wheel chair is its well-designed, user-friendly form. Users, immobile or old, can simply mount on it by just sitting on the bed, leaning forward and sliding on to the Rodem M1-1. Such a scooter-looking wheel chair will lure all those who seek assistance in moving about with style. Bet you wouldn’t be able to stop kids too from taking it for a ride, when vacant. Expect to see this good-looking electric wheel chair hit the shelves soon.

Via - [Greenlaunches]

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You can expect a designer home to boast of some of the most aesthetically designed pieces of furniture as well as appliances. And one thing that is a common sight in most designer or plush homes with lavish interiors these days is a designer radiator. So if you too wish to turn your home into a designer pad, investing in a stylishly designed radiator is definitely a must for you. And no radiator not even the Zehnder Dualis radiators can match the design standards of the Honey radiators. Like the name suggests, these Honey radiators boast of a honeycomb design pattern which is made up of irregular shaped steel plates. Each steel plate is individually powder coated in a range of complementary colors, prior to being hand mounted on to a tubular radiator. Buyers can pick their choice of color from white, cream, grey or red.
Whichever color you choose, these amazing Honey radiators are sure to turn into unique pieces of décor. The price varies according to the models and ranges between £4,290 ($6960) and £6,200 ($10,060). To order them click here.

[TheRadiatorCompany]

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Call me vain or just plain fashionable, but one thing that I can’t resist on splurging on is a good pair of sunglasses. And if the good pair has glitter and glamour as an added U.S.P. you can expect me to cash in my card right away. And rating high in all these categories is this chic pair of sunglasses from Emilio Pucci. The oval shaped sunglasses have crystal embellished frame that will make sure you glitter and shine as you walk on the beach or go for a drive in the hot sun. Besides the beautiful crystal pavé detail, these sunglasses have graduated smoke lenses and a designer signature on each arm. Glamorous and simply stunning, these fashionable sunglasses will make sure you dazzle and shine wherever you go.
The chic sunglasses measure approximately 16.5cm / 6.5 inches horizontally and 7.5 cm/3 inches vertically in size. Interested fashionistas can get them for $860 here.

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When a luxury mobile phone like the $310,000 Vertu Signature Boucheron phone makes its foray into the market, a cheap rip-off is definitely not far away. Impersonating the beautiful diamond studded phone that was limited to just eight pieces is this cheap $700 version. Resembling the exquisite phone in every possible way but lacking the originals class and elegance, this rip-off is aimed at all those who crave for a luxurious lifestyle but can’t afford one. No original diamonds and rubies adorn the rip-off handset that boasts of features like 262k true color TFT display, GPRS/WAP capability.
The impersonator can also be used both as an MP3 music player and an MP4 video player. And you can also forget about the digital camera (which is a prominent feature of the original phone). A tacky phone, it is definitely not something we approve of here on Luxurylaunches. This phone is definitely not your ticket into that elite social circle that you have been dreaming of being a part of. If anything it will only reduce your chances of ever becoming a part of this elite group.

So if you are a true luxury seeker, we suggest you stay as far away from rip-offs as possible.

[Chipchick]

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The Frankfurt Motor Show this September promises to be a grand affair with some of the world’s most well known brands unveiling their latest designs and concepts. So besides the Ferrari Italia 458, automobile enthusiasts visiting this show this year will also get a glimpse of BMW’s new Vision EfficientDynamics concept. The concept car which will be unveiled at this exhibit sets the theme for a series of upcoming BMW road cars and brings to light BMW’s preference for a lighter, less heavy, more aggressive look. BMW uses a diesel-electric hybrid system with the engine up front, driving the rear wheels through the M3’s Getrag double-clutch six-speed gearbox. The engine consists of two electric motors and boasts of 163 horsepower and 214 lb-ft. of torque.
One of the two electric motors drives the front wheels under acceleration and the other helps the diesel engine out by adding its torque to the rear axles. The motor for the rear wheels produces only 33 horsepower but has 214 lb-ft. of torque while the front motor produces more power (80 horsepower), but less torque (162 lb-ft.).

The battery pack powering the electric motors is a Lithium-ion unit which sits inside the chassis tunnel and weighs 187 lbs. The battery has 98 lithium polymer cells which generate 364 Volts and can store 10.8kW/h of electricity. Besides being charged by a plug-in from normal 220 Volt/16 Amp systems in two-and-a-half hours, the battery in BMW’s new concept can also be charged as the car is running from the engine and from regenerative braking. What is more, BMW claims this amazing car weighing just 3,075 lbs. produces 356 horsepower and 590 lb-ft. of torque and reaches the 62mph mark in just 4.8 seconds. The car is also capable of running as either a pure diesel or a pure electric car, where it gets a range of 31 miles before the diesel offers another 400 miles of driving on its 6.6 gallon tank.

BMW Group’s new design boss, Adrian von Hooydonk has also used the Vision EfficientDynamics to experiment with acres of glass, an all-new interior concept. At 181 inches long, the slinky concept car has four seats and is 74 inches wide and 48.8 inches tall. Sure to be a show stopper, this new concept will surely fascinate spectators at the Frankfurt Motor Show.

[Leftlanenews]

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Winning the Red Dot Design Award only reaffirms the faith of the manufacturer in his priced creation. Besides that, it also boosts the morale of the winner when he realizes that his creation is approved by and has won accolades’ from some of the industry’s best. So, one can only imagine how jubilant independent watch maker Stepan Sarpaneva was when he was awarded the Red Dot 2009 Communication Prize for his Sarpaneva Korona K3 Black Moon timepiece. The beautiful timepiece draws its inspiration from the bleak Finnish winter and is distinguished for its moon phase indicator. The distinctive relieved dial allows the entire moon phase cycle to be perceived, including the elusive period of the new moon. The exquisite timepiece has a hand-engraved face on its dial which echoes the expression carved into the oxidized silver moon discs.
The unique Korona K3 Black Moon timepiece boasts of a 4mm stainless steel case covered by a black DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coating. Powered by a self-winding Soprod A10 movement which has been modified by Sarpaneva for the moon phase complication, this extraordinary timepiece is sure to appeal to every watch collector. The central winding rotor is in stainless steel with a white gold mass for added weight while the power reserve is 42 hours, and balance wheel frequency is 28,800 vibrations per hour. Adding to the exquisiteness is the fact that this beautiful timepiece will be limited to just 20 units. Every timepiece will reside in a hardwood case that holds the watch vertically for display. There is also a hand-bound book which comes along with every one of the twenty Black Moon watches. In eerie black and white illustrations, the book presents the tale of Lilith, a seductive she-demon that draws power from the new moon to mesmerize and prey upon unsuspecting men.

The idea of the unique story book along with the unique design and skilled craftsmanship that contributed in making this beautiful timepiece together prompted the jury to choose the Black Moon timepiece as the winner.

[Vialuxe]

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A study claims that the Amazon Kindle electronic reader is friendlier to the environment than the paper based books. After doing a life cycle analysis, it was found that carbon emissions from electronic books are far lower than traditional book publishing. But yes this is not without the drawbacks! For producing a Kindle, you have to leave out to the atmosphere 168 kilograms of carbon dioxide while it is only 7.46 kilograms for a book. Electronic readers need electricity to run too! Plus there is the growing problem of electronic waste which seems to be forgotten by many. Amazon said that it will establish a recycling program for the Kindle and its battery by mail to reduce electronic waste. Intuitively, the basic conclusion of the Cleantech Group analysis makes sense: the more you reduce your use of paper media in a single electronic device, the less you’ll pollute by harvesting and shipping physical goods. But as with many proposed advantabes to environmental problems, there are the disadvantages as well. It all depends on how you use the e-reader. If you continues to buy books and print periodicals and don’t recycle the product, the environmental impact could potentially be negative.

[Cnet]

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This is an innovative idea from the Department of Energy and Solar Roadways. The roads in the country soak up a lot of sunlight and there is nothing better than converting this sunlight into energy. Solar Roadways just got a $100,000 grant from the DoE to design and build a 12 x 12 foot super-tough solar panel that is being intended to be laid as sections of the road. The panels will also have a layer of low resolution LED lights so they could display changing signage. We all know how expensive regular solar panels are and we are talking about super-tough solar panels because we must not forget that these are going to be used by all types of vehicles and also abusive treatment from the weather as well. Considering all this, don’t you think that this all very far-fetched? According to the company, the entire country’s energy needs can be met if the interstate system was replaced with these panels. Very nice idea but where is the dollars for this? New taxes I suppose!

[Gizmodo]

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Filed under: Wheels

For some people, enough is never enough. Those are out kind of people. They’re also Sportec’s kind of people. The Swiss tuning firm takes a look at the Audi TT RS - the most aggressive sportscar in Audi’s line-up short of the R8 - with its 335hp turbocharged five-cylinder engine and says “that’s not enough”. So they tinkered with the electronic engine control system and coerced another 65 horses out of it to top 400hp, and 400 lb-ft of torque to go along with it. The result? 0-60 in a scant 4.2 seconds. Not too shabby. They’ve also removed the electronic speed limiter to let the TT RS stretch its legs on those derestricted sections of the Autobahn. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg, as Sportec has a whole range of mods in the making for the all-wheel-drive rocket.

Swiss Tuner Sportec Squeezes 400 Horsepower out of the Audi TT RS originally appeared on Luxist on Sat, 29 Aug 2009 16:01:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Fender Eric Johnson Stratocaster has recently come up with his legendary RW Electric Guitar with Case. Eric Johnson’s American made Stratocaster attributes a quartersawn maple neck with bound round-laminated 12 inch radius rosewood fretboard, a 2-piece alder body finished in thin-skin nitrocellulose lacquer and a three-ply parchment pickguard. This Guitar also show’s off pickups voiced by Eric Johnson himself, a custom tremolo block, staggered vintage-style tuners and 2 finish options, Tropical Turquoise and Medium Palomino Metallic. This amazing instrument could be yours at $2,510 . A deluxe blonde hardshell case is inclusive of the price.
The additional features of this RW Electric Guitar are Neckplate with Engraved EJ and Kokopelli, 1957 Style Body Cavities, Deluxe hardshell case, strap, cable and bridge cover.
[besportier]

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Marc Jacobs has come up with this ultra-violet Swarovski crystal and stud embellished satin and leather bag for the woman of poise. This bag features a contrasting suede panel overlay, a leather trim, signature clasp fastening on top, two handles, a chain link and leather shoulder strap, a zip fastening pocket across the front and canvas lining. The cost of this stunning bag is $3,120.
The width of this stunning bag is 16″ / 40cm, height is 10″ / 25cm, depth is 5″ / 13cm and the handle drop is 6″ / 15cm. Carry this new fashion statement to boost your confidence and add a radiant edge to your serious wardrobe.
[net-a-porter]

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Jessica Kagan Cushman takes iconic cuffs to a new level of luxury with this diamond crowned skull cuff. The diamond crowned skull cuff has a flashy crowned diamond skull glittering on top of an authentic silver setting on an ebony-hued wood open-back cuff. The cost of this amazing skull cuff is $3,400. This cuff is a sure buy if you are a lover of scary looking stuff.

[vivre]

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If you are fond of designer watches which will make every eye glare at your wrist then you should definitely have a look at the Lange 31 which is now available in 18kt rose gold version. Both crystals of this time piece are sapphire and it is water resistant to 30 meters. The dial of this fantabulous watch is solid silver with 18kt rose gold hands. Movement is the manual-wind Lange, in-house. The Caliber of this stunning time piece is L034.1 and comes with 62 jewels, beating at 21,600 bph and with a power reserve of 31 days which is nearly 744 hour.

It has been accurately adjusted to five positions, plates and bridges made of untreated German silver, with twin mainspring barrels, balance cock engraved by hand and it comprises of 406 parts. The amazing case measures 46mm x 16mm. The movement measures 37mm x 10mm.
[forums.timezone]

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