Business partners Karen Coombes and Karen O’Neill came up with the idea and took the concept to Dragon’s Den in 2009. As the product drew more attention it won new fans in the form of British figure skating champion Mathew Parr together with the Dan Whiston, the winner of ITV’s Dancing On Ice program.

As well as being enjoyable to use, the skates offer a great way to keep fit, burning an estimated 500 calories per hour.

The launch of Off Ice Skating took place in Broadgate Circle near London’s Liverpool Street Station, where a performance by Dan Whiston and Hayley Tamaddon was enjoyed by a large crowd. A free public off-ice skating fitness session was then given by Dan Whiston.

Applied Product Design has brought a great deal of concepts to market. The combination of technical skill and experience in a variety of markets has uniquely equipped our team to develop a range of products. We are also able to carry out high end manufacturing – both here in the UK or by using our manufacturing connections in China.

If you are looking for a partner with whom to bring your concept to market, get in touch with us today.

LONDON– Evolve Media, the industry’s most exciting and stylish custom media server manufacturer from the United Kingdom, announced today the launch of their all new embedded software media servers designed for integration into the connected home. The new software platform, dubbed ‘PRIME’, brings advancement through Windows Embedded Standard 7 technologies to its award winning products, including the lifeStation, lifeStream and lifeStream mini.

Building upon the award winning ‘life’ range of media server products, the new Evolve PRIME platform is one of the world’s first range of media server products based upon the Windows Embedded Standard 7 platform. Windows Embedded Standard 7 delivers the power, familiarity and reliability of the Windows 7 operating system in a highly customizable and componentized form for embedded devices.

David Simpson, Managing Director at Evolve, comments

“With the release of PRIME powered products, Evolve has furthered its commitment to providing all encompassing media servers with class leading ease of use, performance, reliability, specifically designed for the specialised custom installation and quality hi-fi markets.”

“We are excited to have a strategic relationship with the Microsoft Windows Embedded team. The investment and commitment Microsoft has made in the Windows Media Center functionality within Windows Embedded Standard 7 is outstanding.”

The Evolve ‘life’ range of products deliver an unrivalled AV experience for today’s connected home, not only ensuring interaction and compatibility with consumable media and associated devices, but also promoting the use of new technologies and control surfaces through simple upgrade paths to existing base equipment.

“As well as being delighted with the tremendous experience we’ve had and continue to have working with the Microsoft Windows Embedded team, we at Evolve understand how important the ‘back-end’ is to providing high quality products that meet the demands and needs of today’s consumers,”

stated Charlie Mertz, Commercial Director at Evolve.

“The incredible flexibility of the Windows Embedded Standard 7 platform has allowed us to create PRIME, an essential suite of services and applications that work in perfect harmony with established, robust features, such as Windows Media Center, enabling us to deliver the highest quality media experience in the connected home.”

The Windows Embedded Standard 7 platform has allowed Evolve to take advantage of key development and commercial drives such as the Shared Source program, embedded tools allowing a faster time to market, minimising development costs, and pay as you go licensing, all key to successes in higher end markets where volume is lower than mass retail, but where the experience from initial purchase, to installation and after sales support, is paramount.

Mertz continues:

“The PRIME platform allows us to integrate the very best that the AV world has to offer. Our products are primarily aimed at a high end market where quality and performance are givens. The experience our customers receive should continue for many many years to come, and with PRIME we can easily employ shared source techniques to bring upgrades to our products quickly and efficiently. Our customers currently enjoy the highest possible level of home entertainment performance, with control options and features that ensure that their investment into Evolve technology is a solid one. We’re delighted to go to market with a high-end Windows Embedded Standard 7 AV platform, and look forward to a bright future with the Evolve products. I’m sure all who see the product at CES 2011 will be suitably impressed!”

“Microsoft is pleased to work alongside Evolve Media in providing reliable, high performance AV servers, such as the PRIME platform, to create a seamless, integrated and connected media device,” said Mark Pendergrast, senior product manager for Microsoft’s Windows Embedded business. “Our collaboration with Evolve Media leverages the Windows Embedded Standard 7 platform to present consumers with a rich and engaging home entertainment experience, and furthers our commitment in helping manufacturers build innovative devices of all types.”

The Evolve ‘life’ range of products consists of the lifeStation, the lifeStream, the lifeStream mini, and the lifeStore home server. Control options are vast thanks to the lifeControl software that runs on all the products, and interfaces are readily available for major home control systems as well as popular consumer handheld devices. Whether the need or desire is a single room media server system, or a large multiroom AV solution, Evolve media have the products to fit.

The lifeStation has recently been awarded ‘Best Buy 2011’ What HiFi magazine December 2010, for media servers up to a value of £5,000 thanks to class leading performance with all media such as Blu-ray, DVD, CD, digital music and video formats, as well as comprehensive online content capabilities and support for multiple languages. Using only the very best hardware components and advanced software techniques, the Evolve ‘life’ products bring media to life, reaffirming their living appliance status, and ultimately becoming a trusted member of the family at home.

As far as entertainment hubs go, the new Evolve LifeStation has to be the pick of the bunch. We found the project challenging as the end product speaks for itself; the LifeStation is a media server the likes of which few living rooms have seen before.

The new high-end device brings together the various elements of your digital world; playing and ripping Blu-rays, storing your digital music and images and slotting into a multi-room set up with ease. The striking design and top-notch build quality only hint at the cutting-edge technology contained within. The Evolve LifeStation has the ability to record 4 channels simultaneously (2 free view and 2 digital satellite), boasts support for Dolby True HD and DTS HD audio codecs (therefore connectable to a 7.1 channel speaker system), allows you to transfer all the major audio file types, and enables users to store CDs, DVDs and Blu-rays on its hard drive – for instant access.

If the generous 750Gb of storage isn’t enough, owners have the option to expand by a further 4TB or even 20TB, by adding one if the LifeStore add-ons. But the excitement doesn’t stop there. A free app means this can all be controlled by iPhone, Touch and iPad, and later this year a software update will enable Evolve LifeStore owners to watch 3D movies in their full stereoscopic splendour.

The Evolve LifeStore has been developed with the expertise of Applied Product Design, and has been manufactured in high end facilities in the UK. The Evolve LifeStore is one of the latest products that has benefitted from Applied Product Design’s long standing experience in bringing products to market, drawing on a wealth of in-house expertise and manufacturing contacts.

Summary of Project:

David Simpson from Passive Technologies approached Applied Product Design to assist in the design and launch of a new brand of media equipment called Evolve. The aim was to launch several different models, each with a unique set of features, enabling their customers to create their own multi-room, multi-media system. System capabilities had to include the recording, storing and playing of Blu-rays, DVDs, images and CDs, together with the ability to watch and record satellite TV and radio. The result was four Evolve products, the LifeStation, the LifeStream, the LifeStream Mini and the LifeStore server.

If you would like to know how Applied Product Design can help bring your idea to market in the same way, get in touch today.

The shiny, flashy nature of the Surviva Jak – due to the fact it is made of aluminium covered PET – raised a few eyebrows among festival goers at this year’s Rockness Festival, where the BBC took the Jak. The fashion conscious were a little wary of the jacket’s cyber-feel, but ultimately warmed to the product’s heat keeping qualities.

Anyone who’s ever found themselves lost or caught short without enough warm layers, is likely to see how beneficial this item might be. If you missed the Roadtests, you can watch it at bbc.co.uk/dragonsden.

Products such as this are what make Applied Product Design tick; we love to see a new item that addresses a very real problem. In many instances products combine both visual appeal and functionality – the Surviva Jak may not tick everyone’s boxes on the visual count, but it certainly is highly effective at warming up a cold body. If you believe you have the next game changing piece of product design, get in touch with Applied Product design today, and discover how we can help make it a reality.

The fetching and rather unique design of the Windancer has evidently caught the eye of the book’s editor, with its combination of looks and functionality. This piece of product design is noiseless, highly efficient and compact – addressing some of the key issues that have turned off potential wind power users in the past.

At Applied Product Design we love to see innovations such as this, especially when such products contribute to the solving of some of the world’s major problems. Products that aim to answer some of the key problems of the future have an even greater chance of success. If you have a concept for a piece of sustainable energy equipment – or indeed any other type of product that meets a demand – get in touch today.

One controversy that has dogged the new offering from Apple, though, is the suggestion that if the set is held a certain way, the antenna is covered, preventing reception. This could be a major stumbling block for the corporation, but in response, it seems to have been working on a patch that will correct the issue.

Problems of this kind are not uncommon in the world of product development, but it does demonstrate just how important testing new products is. While it might seem expensive, in the long run, being thorough could save a great deal of money. Here at Applied Product design we work hard to ensure such issues with new products do not happen. If you have an idea for a product that you think there’s a market for, get in touch with us today to see how we can help realise it.

The result is undeniably impressive – an appliance that seems to have the same aesthetic value as a piece of beautifully designed furniture. Combining the practical with the visually attractive is not always easy, but it seems that Samsung have done a good job here.

A key part of the design is the effect that the blue light has on those around the refrigerator; the designers sought to create a calming, energising feel to the fridge – something that such a humble kitchen appliance might not normally be associated with.

Here at Applied Product Design we also aim to combine aesthetics with functional design – something we have been doing for a very long a time and with substantial success. If you are developing an idea – or need help developing one – that you think fills a gap in the market, get in touch with us today to see how we can help.

The idea of the shelf or shelving unit is often imbued with rigidity and bulkiness. We don’t often find that our shelves are particularly easy to transport – but the Zinfandel changes all that. The product is a highly flexible grid in which rigid boxes can be inserted. This design enables the owner to essentially create their own shelf space – making it is as large or small as they wish. Most importantly, perhaps, is the ability to fit the shelving unit into any space necessary.

It is this kind of flexible thinking that excites Applied Product Design, where we love ideas that push the boundaries of accepted product development. And of course this means you have to try new things, apply innovative thinking. As Einstein said, “If we knew what we were doing, it wouldn’t be called research, would it?”

If you have a product design concept that you think could excite the market, why not get in touch with Applied Product design. You may find it a lot easier than you thought to get your ideas off the ground. Our highly experienced team will help guide your idea from a rough concept through to something that actually works, something you can actually see – and ultimately, something that people can actually buy. If you’re looking for a ‘can-do’ attitude, look no further than Applied Product Design.

But a new take on this legendary piece of product design has been developed by Stuart Karten Design (SKD) and Starkey Laboratories, Inc, aimed at addressing these issues. Starkey’s S Series behind-the-ear (BTE), with its Sweep Technology, enables the wearer to adjust their hearing aid with just the sweep of a finger. The entire bottom edge of the hearing aid’s spine area is touch activated. This control area is ten times larger than traditional volume controls, and five times bigger than the usual memory button size.

This ground breaking piece of product design from SKD and Starkey just shows how much the very latest technology can help make people’s lives better; not just for entertainment, good product can be utilised for the noble cause of medicine too.

Here at Applied Product Design we’re always interested in working with people to develop new ideas. No matter what sector you wish to target, you’ll find that at APD that we have expertise in both electronics as well as aesthetic design, the key ingredients in making your ideas a reality.

The series, which offered one lucky designer the chance to spend a 6 month stint at Philippe Starck’s design school in Paris involved 12 British designers. Ilsa won over Starck with her innovative walking aid – Flo. Following her time with the famous French designer, Parry returned to Liverpool and established her own design agency – Rethinkthings. Her new product is being stocked by Firebox.

Isla and 5 of the other contestants displayed some of their work at 100% Design last month. Suggesting that she’s enjoying the freedom of her own agency, the designer said ‘I am excited by the prospect of freely exhibiting what we personally believe to be innovative solutions, without the agenda of the TV producers and the Starck team to overshadow our imaginations’.

Here at Applied Product Design we only too happy to talk with people who have an original idea that could be developed into a marketable product. We have extensive experience in developing concepts of all kinds into highly sellable pieces of product design, so why not contact us and see how we can help you?