Category Archives: Konsum

Sirin Labs – The 14000 $ Smartphone Called Solarin

Side-Fire-Black-Carbon-DLC-930x615 SOLARIN-Flat-Front-with-UI-and-Notification.0Privacy on your phone is pivotal for many. Siri Labs has just launched a smartphone for the bargain price of 14000 $.

Sirin Labs was founded in 2013 by Kazakh entrepreneur Kenges Rakishev, Israeli venture capitalist Moshe Hogeg (the same guy behind Yo and Mobli), and former McKinsey consultant Tal Cohen. The mission? To create the Rolls-Royce of smartphones — an advanced device that combined “the highest privacy settings, operated faster than any other phone, [and was] built with the best materials from around the world.” The company had raised a $25 million “seed” round a couple of years back, followed by a chunky $72 million round just last month.

Solarin promises “the most advanced privacy technology, currently unavailable outside the agency world,” and has partnered with KoolSpan to integrate chip-to-chip 256-bit AES encryption, similar to what the military uses to protect communications. It’s activated via a physical security switch on the back of the phone.

Solarin also sports a Qualcomm Snapdragon 810 processor, comes with support for 24 bands of LTE, and promises “far superior” Wi-Fi connectivity than standard mobile phones. It also has a 23.8-megapixel rear camera and a 5.5” IPS LED 2K resolution screen.

TrendEngel thinks that this is one step too far and unless your name is Trump or Obama this is just money down the drain.

Your iPhone Can Be A Real Camera – Moment Makes It Possible

moment_2-1200x0Seattle startup Moment is about to take its high-end smartphone photography lenses to the next level. Not only has the three-year-old company raised $3 million in its latest round of funding, it’s also announced a brand new partnership with Apple to sell its premium $180 Mobile Photography Kit at 50 Apple stores across the United States.
Founded by Marc Barros and brought to life on Kickstarter, Moment is continuing to carve its name as one of the few manufacturers of premium after-market lenses and photography accessories for smartphones.
Moment-Lenses-for-Smartphones-alternate-imageRight now, the company offers three individual lenses – Wide, Tele, and Macro – each of which attach to a “DSLR-like” case that turns your iPhone into a far more versatile camera setup.

A la carte, Moment’s lenses sell for $100 a piece, while the three case options range between $50–$70.

 

Urb-E – The Future of Urban Commuting?

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We all want to imagine that the vehicle of the future is a solar-powered flying car … But there’s a more pragmatic alternative already on the market today that clues us into what’s coming next for transportation. Debuting in prototype-form at CES a few years ago, the URB-E is finally ready for the spotlight.
urb-e-black-label-frontBuilt in Pasadena, California by american designer  Grant Delgatty and German car designer (Porsche) Sven Etzelsberger. The Urb-E costs 1500 Dollar and has come a long way since the first model was presented in 2014. Check it out.

Watch the review on mashable:

Undercover – The Fashion Lovers Brand Is Fresher Than Ever

Jun Takahashi is the founder and head designer of cult Japanese label ‘Undercover’ – a label that is hotter than ever – 26 years after it’s been founded. Born in Kiryu, Gunma prefecture, Japan in September 1969, Takahashi studied Fashion Design at the Bunka Academy of Fashion. During his study period, he founded the ‘Undercover’ brand 1990 with his friend and classmate, Nigo (who heads the inconic Japanese streetwear label ‘A Bathing Ape’).

143822576610 PCL-14382257569The brand really began in 1993 when Takahashi and Nigo opened a store called Nowhere in the trendy Tokyo district of Harajuku. Undercover began to take off after the opening of Nowhere; therefore Takahashi and Nigo opened another shop in Aoyama (fashion district in Tokyo). Soon enough, Takahashi was seeing his designs on the catwalk in Tokyo and later in Paris. The brand’s punk and street-style look have propelled Takahashi in the fashion world and he continues to see success with his Undercover brand today. The designs are  the essence of japanese cool.
1416542954sue15ss_img969 PCL-1416543010sue15ss_img976Undercover has won countless awards and been praized by other fashion designers including Miuccia Prada and Rei Kawakubo. The pieces are hard to get and in high demand.

Windows Morph Into Balconies – Really

windows-that-tunr-into-balconies-bloomframe-by-hofmandujardin-2 windows-that-tunr-into-balconies-bloomframe-by-hofmandujardin-4Dutch Architecture and design studio HofmanDujardin have developed an innovative window that morphs into a balcony at the push of a button.
The award-winning design has progressed beyond the prototype phase and is currently in production with the first models slated for select apartments in Amsterdam.
The balcony was engineered by French manufacturer Kawneer France and consists of durable, all-weather materials. Watch the video.

Stumptown – Sellouts or Coffee-Gods?

stumptown-cold-brew-coffeeWhen legendary New York coffee brand Stumptown was sold to Pete’s Coffee last year the reaction in the social media hemisphere was drastic:
“Sellouts”

“Everyone is for sale at the right price.”

“It’s a sad day. Another Starbucks story in the making. Great for the owners but bad for the coffee quality.”

“what the effing hell. is nothing sacred?”

“Scratch stumptown off my list of coffee places to go. It’s been nice knowing ya’.”

“This is a travesty.”

Well, the truth is, Stumptwon does produce TrendEngels favorite coffee in the US and the cold brew available in select super markets in the US makes any european cold coffee product look stupid. Fact.

Rock The Shack – This Is What We Dream About

rock-the-shack-cover rocktheshack_web_2 Rock the Shack takes us to the places we long for. For the first time in the history of humankind, more people live in cities than in the country. Yet, at the same time, more and more city dwellers are yearning for rural farms, mountain cabins, or seaside homes.
These kinds of refuges offer modern men and women a promise of

rocktheshack_web_2 what urban centers usually cannot provide: quiet, relaxation, being out of reach, getting back to basics, feeling human again.
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Rock the Shack is a survey of such contemporary refuges from around the world—from basic to luxury. The book features a compelling range of sparingly to intricately furnished cabins, cottages, second homes, tree houses, transformations, shelters, and cocoons. The look of the included structures from the outside is just as important as the view from inside. What these diverse projects have in common is an exceptional spirit that melds the uniqueness of a geographic location with the individual character of the building’s owner and architect.

Brennivin – The Drink for the Tough Guy

547f442c2a3d21fa285cc2d8_unusual-liquor-brennivin-iceland The caraway flavored aquavit has been a favorite among Icelanders since 1935, and is continuing to gain popularity around the globe. This is really strong stuff. Made from fermented potato mash and flavored with caraway seeds. The name Brennivin, which literally translates into English as “burning wine,” is also known locally as “black death.” With a name like that how could one not be intrigued? More and more bars around the world carry Brennivin. Finally.
While modern Iceland is known for nightlife, the country has had a temperance tradition since the early 1900s. Prohibition was enforced 1915 through 1921 for wine and until 1935 for alcohol. Surprisingly, beer was prohibited until 1989. According to my bartender, on the first day that beer was legalized, more than 350,000 bottles were sold — more than the entire population of Iceland.
It turns out that Brennivin’s lethal nickname stems from the temperance movement. In an effort to scare consumers, the Icelandic government placed a skull and crossbones logo on all liquor bottles. With its stark black label and skeleton, Brennivin became known as “black death.” brennivin-image0Today, the label sports an outline map of Iceland in lieu of a skull.

Novesta X Universal Works – The Summer Shoe from Slovakia

novesta_navyNovesta x Universal Works Star Master Navy are the summer shoes you need.
Hand made in Slovakia, they use only natural materials processed by the same machinery used in 1939.
Universal Works brings strong colorways for a casual and eco friendly shoe. This beautiful shoe is giving Converse and Vans a run for its money. Not as adolescent and more grown up – overall more beautiful.

The Witness – What a Game – Puzzling

jonathan-blow-the-witness-game-wallpaperThere aren’t too many video games these days captivating the imagination of TrendEngel these days. The Witness is a remarkable exception. You awaken, alone, on a strange island full of puzzles that challenge and surprise you. You can’t remember who you are, and you don’t remember how you came to be here, but there’s one thing you can do: explore the island in hope of discovering clues, regaining your memory, and somehow finding your way home. The Witness is a single-player game in an open world with dozens of locations to explore and over 500 puzzles to solve. This game respects you as an intelligent player and it treats your time as precious. There’s no filler; each of those puzzles brings its own new idea into the mix.

For the most part, its themes weave themselves beautifully throughout the gorgeous world and wide variety of puzzles, but even when it breaks subtlety in favor of a more heavy-handed approach to exposition, it never detracts from the truly fulfilling moments The Witness offers in terms of solving its physical puzzles and unlocking its deepest mysteries.