Ask Engadget: best Bluetooth headphones for audiophiles?
We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is from Christopher, who wants to brave the world of Bluetooth cans for his daily rounds. If you’re looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
“Yeah, okay. ‘Audiophile’ and ‘Bluetooth’ don’t go together, but I’d really like a good pair of Bluetooth cans to use with my iPhone. Naturally, we’re talking about headphones / cans rather than earbuds, ideally with track control buttons, a microphone and noise canceling — but what I’m after is clean, beautifully reproduced audio above anything else. What can you suggest for less than £300 ($455)?”
Engadget’s resident audiophile is a Klipsch evangelist, so it’s probably best to start by talking about its Image One Bluetooth headset. It’s £199 / $249 and comes with A2DP and aptX for high-quality audio, and we’re fairly sure the company wouldn’t put its name to a headset unless it was sure it was half-decent. Still, if you’re sure you want to max out that headphone budget, then for £259 / $399, you can get Parrot’s Phillippe Stark-designed Zik cans, which come with noise cancellation, jawbone microphone and touch-sensitive controls. Then again, we can only offer you so many suggestions before we open this question up to the folks in the peanut gallery — so what do you peeps down there think?
Filed under: Portable Audio/Video
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Super Bowl 2013 ads: Samsung, Best Buy, BlackBerry and… Zombies
So, catch the big game on the, er, internet? Or, if you took our advice and used more traditional hardware, you may have caught Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd trying to outdo each other to become Samsung’s “Next Big Thing” promoters (only to be trumped by LeBron James), or a BlackBerry Z10 user turning a tanker truck into rubber duckies. Other tech ads included Best Buy’s “Ask Amy” with Amy Poehler in full-on adorkable mode, Sony’s cinematic PlayStation God of War teaser and a pair of skeevy / cleverish Godaddy ads. We also got a sneak peak at the trailers for Iron Man 3 and Zombie apocalypse / Brad Pitt starrer World War Z. Finally, Star Trek: Into Darkness launched another teaser, which notably featured the debut of the Apple Store’s “AppStore.com” short link. All-in-all, pretty weak sauce compared to last year, in our opinion — but you can decide for yourself after the break.
Filed under: Home Entertainment, Samsung, Sony, RIM
View full post on Engadget
Ask Engadget: best video baby camera?
We know you’ve got questions, and if you’re brave enough to ask the world for answers, then here’s the outlet to do so. This week’s Ask Engadget inquiry is from Berry2Droid, who wants to geek-up monitoring his first-born. If you’re looking to ask one of your own, drop us a line at ask [at] engadget [dawt] com.
“My wife and I are having a baby soon and need a video monitor. We’d like it to be compatible with our Android phones, rather than having a separate screen in the package. We’d also like some sort of visual aid as my wife is deaf so she would need some sort of other signal. If there was any ability to add additional cameras, that’d also be great. Thanks for your help!”
We could certainly point you in the direction of Samsung Techwin’s Video Baby Monitor or Y-Cam’s offering, both of which are infrared-and-internet capable cameras that pump the picture straight to your mobile device. We came a little unstuck on the visual warning element for your wife, however, but that’s why we’ll turn this question over to our faithful group of commenters to see if their knowledge stretches further than our own. Dear friends, help out a lovely couple as they embark upon the majestic (albeit fraught) journey of parenthood and provide some wisdom in the comments below.
Filed under: Cameras
View full post on Engadget
The Best and Worst Identities of 2012, Part V: Worst of the B-Side
The worst logos on the B-Side are below, and it’s not a pretty sight. This concludes our lists. Back on the 7th with regular posts. A happy new year to all.
See also:
Part I: The Best
Part II: The Worst
Part III: Most Liked Friday Likes
Part IV: Best of the B-Side
No. 12: Gildan
|
N/A |
|
|
|
|
|
Someone somewhere decided that the thing worth keeping the most about this logo was the swoosh impaling the “A”.
|
On Execution (310) |
5% |
25% |
70% |
|
|
|||
No. 11: Turkish Basketball Federation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
“A” for effort in turning the crescent moon into a basketball hoop but that typography is out of control ugly.
|
On Execution (279) |
49% |
33% |
17% |
|
|
|||
No. 10: Tucson Electric Power
|
N/A |
|
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|
|
Bland as a blackout and crappy as a swoosh.
|
On Execution (258) |
2% |
15% |
83% |
|
|
|||
No. 9: Simmons Bedding Company
|
N/A |
|
|
|
|
|
If their mattresses are as uncomfortable as their logo looks I would rather sleep on a bed of nails.
|
On Execution (419) |
7% |
26% |
67% |
|
|
|||
No. 8: Prague Zoo
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The concept is kind of interesting but the execution is a whole lot of scary.
|
On Execution (388) |
3% |
9% |
88% |
|
|
|||
No. 7: National Weather Association
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|
In contrast to the old, the new logo is a masterpiece but it’s still one hot mess of giant raindrops and awfully justified typography.
|
On Execution (284) |
18% |
38% |
44% |
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|
|||
No. 6: Maxis
|
N/A |
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|
I love evolutions but not one where it goes from human back to ape, like this one.
|
On Execution (623) |
22% |
30% |
48% |
|
|
|||
No. 5: Visit Indy
|
N/A |
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|
Visit Indy? Based on this logo, no thanks.
|
On Execution (412) |
19% |
34% |
47% |
|
|
|||
No. 4: Orlando Venues
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|
The old one was bad from left to right. The new one is an improvement in the typography but that monogram is like the poor man’s Möbius strip.
|
On Execution (473) |
31% |
45% |
24% |
|
|
|||
No. 3: Big Commerce
|
N/A |
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|
I literally have no idea what the “B” is supposed to be and the “Sell more” handwritten tagline is laughable.
|
On Execution (306) |
20% |
24% |
56% |
|
|
|||
No. 2: Asian Paints
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|
When you need to show someone an example of bad use of gradients show them this logo.
|
On Execution (285) |
11% |
32% |
57% |
|
|
|||
No. 1: Melbourne Tigers
|
N/A |
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|
The 1970s called and they DO NOT want this logo back.
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On Execution (388) |
3% |
9% |
88% |
|
|
|||
Don’t forget to cast your vote about this post online
View full post on Brand New
The Best and Worst Identities of 2012, Part IV: Best of the B-Side
This one is pretty simple: We took the twelve projects that got the higher percentage rates from all Friday Likes this year and put them in order.
See also:
Part I: The Best
Part II: The Worst
Part III: Most Liked Friday Likes
No. 12: Tulsa International Airport
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N/A |
|
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|
Including this in a “Best” list is as surprising to you as it is to me, but it’s an example of a swoosh approach done right and in the appropriate context.
|
On Execution (442) |
49% |
44% |
7% |
|
|
|||
No. 11: Panchero’s Mexican Grill
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|
First, just look at the before logo. That’s just horrible. The new one may not make Paul Rand squeal with glee but it’s got bounce and texture and flavor.
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On Execution (272) |
45% |
46% |
9% |
|
|
|||
No. 10: Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
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|
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|
A simple, straightforward evolution. Plus, how can you not like kids holding hands?
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On Execution (238) |
23% |
51% |
26% |
|
|
|||
No. 9: Campaign Monitor
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|
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|
Great improvement on the type and a cute icon that is part e-mail, part crown, and part “M”. Not bad.
|
On Execution (227) |
39% |
49% |
12% |
|
|
|||
No. 8: Say Media
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|
It’s rare to see a serif nowadays so it gets points for that, but it’s also a really clever and well crafted wordmark.
|
On Execution (385) |
67% |
27% |
6% |
|
|
|||
No. 7: Reading Fightin Phils
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|
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|
|
|
You had me at “ostrich”.
|
On Execution (293) |
52% |
25% |
23% |
|
|
|||
No. 6: Madison Public Library
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|
|
|
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|
|
This could be for any library in the world — including Bedrock — but MPL got it and they got it good.
|
On Execution (2,796) |
53% |
35% |
12% |
|
|
|||
No. 5: Meebo
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Slightly ambiguous and simplistic but there is more to it than meets the eye: Make sure you see the follow-up post that shows “Mee” and “Bo” in action.
|
On Execution (323) |
31% |
51% |
18% |
|
|
|||
No. 4: Republic Records
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Confident, big type that looks like a flag. Dig it.
|
On Execution (293) |
30% |
47% |
23% |
|
|
|||
No. 3: Pocket
|
N/A |
|
|
|
|
|
The name change is great and the super simple icon and typography serve as one of the better examples of the über-friendly trend.
|
On Execution (314) |
45% |
46% |
9% |
|
|
|||
No. 2: Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra
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|
|
|
|
|
|
We did see a lot of overlays in 2012 but this one was one of the nicest and overlay-est. The super Pentagram-ish serif typography also helped.
|
On Execution (2,796) |
31% |
43% |
26% |
|
|
|||
No. 1: Stockton Ports (Alternate)
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|
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|
|
|
Sure, it’s Popeye-ish but (A) Popeye is awesome and (B) dude, it’s an asparagus as a bat, an asparagus running with a bat, and an asparagus and a bat tied with a rope on the shape of an “S”. This is just too much fun.
|
On Execution (252) |
76% |
16% |
6% |
|
|
|||
Don’t forget to cast your vote about this post online
View full post on Brand New
The Best and Worst Identities of 2012, Part III: Most Liked Friday Likes
This one is pretty simple: We took the twelve projects that got the higher percentage rates from all Friday Likes this year and put them in order.
See also:
Part I: The Best
Part II: The Worst
77% → No. 12: 7TV
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|
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|
|
xxx. See full project.
These stills would make Wes Anderson proud. See full project.
77% → No. 11: KJ Theatre
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|
Project not real, but the emotions in those apostrophes sure bring some drama and comedy. See full project.
77% → No. 10: Baby Best
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|
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Best baby castles ever. See full project.
80% → No. 9: 4seven
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Peekaboo I see you, Mr. Seven. See full project.
81% → No. 8: JJ’s Red Hots
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Hot dog with character. See full project.
81% → No. 7: Bluebeard
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A pirate worth pillaging for. See full project.
82% → No. 6: Woodshed
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You don’t want to be left alone in this cabin. See full project.
83% → No. 5: Top Hops
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Beer with typographic taste. See full project.
83% → No. 4: The Great Catering Company
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TAstiest watercolor ever. See full project.
85% → No. 3: J&J Chips
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These chip bags can signal me home anytime. See full project.
91% → No. 2: Rob Clarke
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Curvy curves. See full project.
92% → No. 1: Domino’s Pizza Box
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|
A reason to order pizza just for the box. See full project.
Don’t forget to cast your vote about this post online
View full post on Brand New
The Best and Worst Identities of 2012, Part II: The Worst
Time to dish out the worst of the year. Some for their execution, some for their concept, some for their strategy, some simply because the stars didn’t align in their favor in 2012.
See also:
Part I: The Best
No. 12: The Brooklyn Nets
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|
By now it’s no secret that I personally do not like this logo. But despite evidence to the contrary I am not 100% stubborn and I can see the appropriateness of the approach and the result. I wish it were executed in an actually competent manner and I guess it could probably be worse. My inclination was to put this logo higher up in the Worst rankings but by giving it the No. 12 spot I acknowledge that my dislike for it is more personal than thoroughly rational.
|
On Primary Logo (2,796) |
17% |
27% |
56% |
|
|
|||
|
On Secondary Logo (2,756) |
20% |
37% |
43% |
|
|
|||
|
On Apparel (2,754) |
28% |
39% |
33% |
|
|
|||
No. 11: Stedelijk Museum
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|
A few readers claimed that I just didn’t get it or didn’t see the genius in this. Maybe I don’t and I can live with that. What I do know is that I can’t look at this and not shiver.
|
On Concept (2,062) |
23% |
16% |
61% |
|
|
|||
|
On Execution (2,045) |
17% |
13% |
70% |
|
|
|||
No. 10: Senac
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|
While the icon might get a passing grade the typography is simply some of the most horrendous letterforms crafted this century — and that’s counting 2009′s No. 1 Worst logo, Bing.
|
On Icon (1,075) |
12% |
38% |
49% |
|
|
|||
|
On Typography (1,075) |
7% |
15% |
78% |
|
|
|||
No. 9: NFL Media
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|
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|
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|
|
The Terminator called, it wants its typography back.
|
On Execution (745) |
5% |
22% |
73% |
|
|
|||
No. 8: State Farm
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|
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|
I really wonder if, at any point in this redesign process, no one ever asked “Doesn’t the logo look like eggs?” Especially considering how many questions like this you hear in an identity project like this. The logo went from serving a purpose — framing the three insurance offerings (auto, fire and life) — to mere, meaningless decoration.
|
On Icon (1,040) |
8% |
33% |
59% |
|
|
|||
|
On Typography (1,011) |
16% |
53% |
31% |
|
|
|||
No. 7: Island Air
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|
This was the right idea: a lei and friendly type. Unfortunately the lei looks like something you would pick out of a Google Image Search line-up and the all-black typography is anything but friendly, islandic, or airy.
|
On Icon (875) |
9% |
36% |
55% |
|
|
|||
|
On Typography (862) |
7% |
33% |
60% |
|
|
|||
|
On Livery (833) |
9% |
35% |
55% |
|
|
|||
No. 6: Czech Republic
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|
|
|
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|
|
Employing a social media behavior as part of a pun-y name to brand a country is not a good idea.
|
On Concept (1,630) |
13% |
24% |
63% |
|
|
|||
|
On Execution (1,491) |
9% |
38% |
53% |
|
|
|||
No. 5: National Restaurant Association
|
N/A |
|
|
|
|
|
If there is a case to be made that there is no such thing as bad swooshes just bad designers, this logo isn’t it. And its introduction video further proves that swooshes are not meant to be used for anything except for logos that depict saturn.
|
On Icon (759) |
3% |
12% |
85% |
|
|
|||
|
On Typography (733) |
6% |
49% |
45% |
|
|
|||
No. 4: Galavisión
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|
|
|
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|
|
The end — in this case an abstract “G” — could potentially justify the means, but these weird forms and cheap, 3D extrusions are just too clunky to be justifiable. To make matters worse, the typography is almost the same as that of its parent company, Univisión, yet it’s different in all the wrong places.
|
On Icon (748) |
9% |
36% |
55% |
|
|
|||
|
On Typography (745) |
8% |
35% |
57% |
|
|
|||
No. 3: Arby’s
|
|
|
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|
|
A picture of roast beef inside the cowboy hat would have been better than the flavorless sans serif that they stuck in there to replace the Western type. Add to that the pedestrian extrusion to the hat and you have a real downer of an upgrade.
|
On Execution (3,544) |
1% |
5% |
94% |
|
|
|||
No. 2: eBay
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|
|
|
|
|
|
To be fair, there is nothing inherently wrong with this wordmark. It’s not as graphically offensive as many of the other logos and identities above but it ranks for me at the bottom of the pile for potential wasted. To have such a playful logo to build upon and to arrive at the equivalent of dry oatmeal is too depressing. Bonus (if you can call it bonus): the identity launch had some of the most gratuitous concept and prototype images that didn’t even attempt to approach believability through competent Photoshopping.
|
On Logo (2,103) |
5% |
27% |
68% |
|
|
|||
|
On Launch Strategy (2,541) |
5% |
25% |
70% |
|
|
|||
No. 1: Comcast
|
Frog (Wordmark) |
|
|
|
|
|
Sneaking in at the last minute for consideration into our list — and taking the least wanted No. 1 spot — was this heretic approach to giving a parent company some prestige by taking one of the most respected and well known icons of our time and wearing it like some piece of jewelry. It’s simple math executives: The peacock = NBC. The peacock ≠ Comcast.
|
On Peacock (1,545) |
6% |
18% |
76% |
|
|
|||
|
On Execution (1,510) |
6% |
34% |
60% |
|
|
|||
Don’t forget to cast your vote about this post online
View full post on Brand New
The Best and Worst Identities of 2012, Part I: The Best
Last year we did the Worst first, so this year we are giving the Best a shot at capturing some of the merry spirit of the holidays. Also different this year, there will be five total lists: Best and Worst of the main opinion pieces, Best and Worst of the B-Side, and Most Liked Friday Likes. These will be posted in these next two weeks. No other posts will be published. We will be back with our regular programming on January 7, 2013.
No. 12: Why Microsoft Got its Logo Right
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|
|
|
|
|
|
Microsoft’s main logo made it to this list not because it’s one of the most inspiring logos of the year but because it’s worth celebrating their gradual approach into it and sticking to their strategy of striving for simplicity. It was also one of the most talked about redesigns of the year with pretty much every major print and online news outlet talking about it.
|
On Logo (3,850) |
41% |
45% |
14% |
|
|
|||
No. 11: Nuts.fun
|
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|
|
|
|
|
Although the logo by itself didn’t win many fans, its application in the packaging and the accompanying, nutty characters drawn by Christoph Niemann had 95% of the audience eating this up by the handful.
|
On Logo (840) |
53% |
42% |
5% |
|
|
|||
|
On Typography (834) |
71% |
27% |
2% |
|
|
|||
|
On Packaging (849) |
95% |
5% |
)% |
|
|
|||
No. 10: Eye Candy, Literally
|
|
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|
|
|
|
The biggest appeal of this project behind the logo and identity was the store itself — a colorful, vibrant cornucopia of childhood delights served up old school and new school — but the graphic approach certainly helped seal the deal.
|
On Logo (671) |
67% |
27% |
6% |
|
|
|||
|
On Graphics (663) |
86% |
11% |
3% |
|
|
|||
|
On Store (670) |
89% |
8% |
3% |
|
|
|||
No. 9: Best Use of Iceberg in a Logo Award Goes to:
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|
|
|
|
|
|
Of all the logos shown in 2012 this was likely the most clever. And coolest. Get it? Iceberg. Antarctica. Cold. Cool?
|
On Logo (2,353) |
87% |
11% |
2% |
|
|
|||
|
On Application (2,269) |
82% |
17% |
1% |
|
|
|||
No. 8: Follow-up: Windows 8
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
While the logo got a harsh reception — both from yours truly and the voters (59% bad) — Microsoft Windows 8 rebounded with a strong package design and a colorful launch across the world that finally gave some life to the product.
|
On Packaging (1,732) |
75% |
19% |
6% |
|
|
|||
|
On Advertising (1,658) |
50% |
44% |
6% |
|
|
|||
|
On Brand Feel (1,676) |
65% |
29% |
6% |
|
|
|||
No. 7: USA TODAY for Tomorrow
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Many companies have tried to pull off the circle-as-logo challenge but none have done it as efficiently and convincingly as USA TODAY with its main blue circle logo that mutates and serves as a canvas for all kinds of editorial illustrations across the newspaper’s sections (sometimes to great effect, other times not so much).
|
On Logo (2,957) |
51% |
33% |
16% |
|
|
|||
|
On Newspaper (2,888) |
80% |
16% |
4% |
|
|
|||
|
On Campaign (2,832) |
73% |
22% |
5% |
|
|
|||
No. 6: Twitter Gives you the Bird
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|
|
|
|
|
|
Embracing the bird full on, Twitter got rid of its silly, bubbly wordmark, and confusing “t” (with Tumblr’s “t”). Drawn super nicely and succinctly, the little blue bird has also been well embraced by users who have taken the time to replace their “t” icons with it.
|
On No More Text (3,594) |
66% |
27% |
7% |
|
|
|||
|
On New Bird (3,609) |
70% |
25% |
5% |
|
|
|||
No. 5: It’s a Sports Nation, we are only Living in it
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The most awe-inspiring identity of the year had to be this, with a single design firm taking on 300 individual logos for the sprawling SB Nation. Individually, some of them weren’t that great, but collectively they demanded nothing but respect.
|
On Execution (1,201) |
89% |
10% |
1% |
|
|
|||
No. 4: Wendy’s Wendy: Cutest 43-year-old
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
The illustration of Wendy could have gone so wrong in so many ways but the chain was able to keep the pig-tailed icon playful, approachable, classy, and, more importantly, not creepy. The typography didn’t fare so well, but we’ll let it slide.
|
On Icon (2,985) |
54% |
34% |
12% |
|
|
|||
|
On Typography (2,939) |
25% |
42% |
33% |
|
|
|||
No. 3: New Theatre on Rotation
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
With a strong, clever logo that blended two “T”s and a diagonal to create a monogram “N”, this identity just built on top of that to create and axis-defined visual language with far too many fun applications.
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On Logo (1,702) |
74% |
20% |
6% |
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On Typography (1,687) |
71% |
27% |
2% |
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On Application (1,704) |
90% |
8% |
2% |
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No. 2: Meet Don Belisario
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Quite possibly the highest scoring project ever on Brand New with 90% or more approval rating across the board, this dapper family of Peruvian roosters, hens, pullets, and cockerels clucked their way into readers’ hearts.
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On Belasario et al. (1,375) |
96% |
4% |
)% |
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On Typography (1,379) |
90% |
10% |
)% |
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On Application (1,372) |
92% |
7% |
1% |
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No 1: From Fiji with Love
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In addition to the link above to the original post you must also see the livery reveal that happened a few months after the logo introduction. The full redesign of this airline ranks as number one this year because it represents the best that a large, important, corporate identity can strive to be: it’s genuine, it’s different, it breaks the rules, it’s efficient, it’s flexible, and, well, it simply looks stunning. Additionally, not only is it a great airline identity but it’s tangentially the best destination brand all year.
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On Icon (1,236) |
74% |
21% |
5% |
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On Typography (1,215) |
57% |
33% |
10% |
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On Livery (1,884) |
92% |
8% |
)% |
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The Camera’s that took the best pictures this year: Check…
The Camera’s that took the best pictures this year: Check out these infographics! via Gizmodo
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Question: Best Approach for Internal Rollout?
I have never made a post like this, where it’s just an open question. But the topic is one that I think (a) many of our readers have plenty of first-hand experience and (b) many others would like to know more about it. The question came in via e-mail and I usually reply myself as best as I can, but this one I didn’t have a confident, comprehensive answer to give so I figured it would be interesting to turn it to you. The question is below (or after the jump). Feel free to comment anonymously if you feel it protects your client or workplace.
In short: What is the best way to go about launching a re-branding to your clients and internal staff?
We are currently looking to update our branding across our 5 companies and have worked through and come up with a new brand and logo that everyone is excited about and behind. My only concern now is the best way to deploy it for maximum effect, to avoid confusion and to have it embraced as much as possible.
Some people in the company are keen to rush it out the door and slap it on everything and have it trickle out uncontrolled.
As the marketing manager I am more of the mind that we should prepare everything (collateral, websites etc) first, ready a media release to inform our clients etc. The issue is one of time, my approach will obviously take longer but I think it will be more effective, but I would like some info to back it up, does it really make a difference or is it best just to get it out there?
Do you have any insight for the best way to proceed as I am doing a bit of research on how to best go ahead and struggling to find anything useful online.
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