The Best Product Designs of 2006

conq writes "BusinessWeek has made available IDSA's annual list of the best designed products of the year." From the article: "The Talking Tactile Tablet system allows visually impaired individuals to access graphic imagery they otherwise would not be able to enjoy. Instead of using Braille, which the majority of visually impaired people do not read, users hear audio descriptions of each component of an image. Key considerations of the design were ease-of-use, ruggedness, cost and providing a pleasing aesthetic experience, namely how the product feels."

Before We Announce the Best of 2006...

[RoadDoggFL]

Should we let it finish first?

As a firefighter...

[ModernGeek]

...those rescue tools look like they would break easy, especially whenever the main focus seems to be that they are updated to match the companies new style. Anything like that in the fire service is going to be all charred and nasty looking after 6 months of use no matter how much you clean and degrease/regrease it. Rescue tools need to be ergonomic for about 2-3 firefighters to hold them, not one person like the design seems to imply. Oh, and number 34, who is going to run with a flashlight?

Surveillance Dome Camera???

[truthsearch]

Surveillance Dome Camera? Are they kidding? These have been popping out of the ceilings of retail stores for many years. Are they getting recognition for painting part of it silver?

I stopped scanning through the list after that.

Not new...

[jdray]

Number 16, the self-erecting tent, is an exact duplicate of the PopTent. My wife and I have had one for years and love it. They were featured in the (bad) movie Congo.

Furthermore, they award Lenovo for a cheeseball "all in one" design desktop when the tried and true iMac (flatscreen model) has been around for two years or more? Who are these people?

Wait, so Lenovo gets in the top 10...

[ral8158]

And no Mac does? Where have these people been?

Is this supposed to be objective

[Bryansix]

Because it seems like these people are in bed with Panasonic and Kodak. Both Panasonic devices that I have seen (a laundry machine/dryer, and a refrigerator with a pullout drawer) have competition from LG and many other manufacturers and do not have features that really set it apart. The two Kodak models are interesting in design but definetely not the best out there. I'm starting to wonder how usefull this list is if you can just buy your way in because your product looks cool.

Dull

[Leolo]

I flipped through all the designs. While many of the products ideas seem cool, the implementations are dull. Dull as in grey grey grey grey and more grey, with some black highlights if you are lucky.

What are these designers afraid of? Are they scared of evoking an emotion? Even the house [marmolradzinerprefab.com] they laud is grey.

May we have some colour, please?

Comment removed

[account_deleted]

Comment removed based on user account deletion

Visually impaired and illiterate?

[Frantactical Fruke]

As far as I know, learning Braille is an essential part of the education/rehabilitation of visually impaired people in Europe. What do they teach in America, if a "majority of visually impaired people do not read" it?