Ask HN: What are the best-designed things you've ever used?

Google maps on iPhone 1. Even with Edge network speeds and without proper GPS, an online map in your pocket with pinch zoom was simply a gamechanger. Everything was intuitive to use and the virtual keyboard worked better than anyone expected. Behind the scenes, I understand it was due to a predictive algorithm.

If you think about it, airplane toilets. Small and efficient. They tend to have a clear design cue to know how to push open the door. The door lock also turns on the light, so it’s almost impossible to accidentally leave the door unlocked.

Frequenter suitcases. Only available in Japan, they have completely silent, user-replaceable wheels. The one I have is exactly the largest possible carryon size for most airlines.

Anker 45W usb-c GaN charger. It’s not much bigger than a standard iPhone charger. Overall a bit smaller since actually, since the power blades fold inside which is a nice touch. I just travelled for a month. I brought only this charger, one lightning cable and one usb-c cable. It was good enough, with a little bit of foresight to swap things out, to keep my all of my work and personal stuff charged (2 MacBooks, 2 iPhones, Nintendo switch, mouse and usb-c shaver). Made possible by the standardization of usb-c. It’s a bit of a nightmare for all of the various incompatibilities for data transfer and video but for charging it’s great!

GPS in cars, in Japan. They are usually slow and have terrible UIs. But, they usually give a picture perfect view of which lane to be in, even showing you the highway signs exactly as they appear in reality. And even 10+ years ago, a highway radio system broadcasts traffic conditions and (I think) highway toll information to the GPS units.

3M command strip hooks. Essential for home renters and have a clear indication of how to remove them.

Ski boots with a walk mode. At the lower end they let you walk easier but may be a bit less stiff. At the high end, they let you choose between touring mode and downhill mode, barely have a stiffness penalty and as a bonus let you walk easier. If you have a budget of under $800 don’t even try high end ones on because they are impossible to not buy. These are interesting to research too because it turns out there are only a handful of high end ski boot designers in the world and some of them are on the ski boot forums to answer your questions.

My biggest one is AirTags. They seem to be completely unadvertised recently, probably because when they first came out there was discussion about privacy. Like AirPods, you just open them and they sync and start working.

They are cheap for what they are, I got 8 of them and put one in every bag I use. I’m a forgetful person and have left many things behind over the years.

So far I’ve conveniently been able to find stuff I’ve left in another room, which is nice and once was alerted when I left my suitcase in one of the main stations in Paris. I got the alert that I left it behind well before I got on my train without it.

When I demo them to people, they are usually blown away when they realize they work anywhere there is an iPhone nearby. Not only near my iPhone.

I also put one in expensive shipped items for work. Has been great to be able to see where stuff is. It works reliable to things show up on the tarmac as soon as a cargo flight lands.

They're a $100 pair of headphones. By the time you break the cable you can ask yourself: "Do I get a higher end pair of monitors like an Audio Technica set? Do I just slap down another benny for a second pair?"

That's literally the cost-to-good ratio you're looking at: They're so good that a super common mod I've seen is to replace the cable with a [$4 mini-xlr connector](https://www.redco.com/Redco-TB3M.html) once you kill the cable, which will be about 10 years from when you buy it. They're so good for the cost that you can easily justify slapping down $100 for a new pair delivered next day from Amazon. They're cheap enough that these things are what I've seen medium-end museums put in for a good, durable headphone to play media with. Looking to mix a few tracks on the cheap? Absolutely tolerable to mix against. Need headphones for the sound guys at that event? Got you. Need cans for the DJ whose ATH-m50s got dunked on? Keep a few pairs of these and nobody will complain in a pinch. Need something that has the range for field recordings from birds to heartbeats? MDR-7506 will do you just fine.

They're also everywhere. I once saw a bucket full of them on a movie set. I've seen stacks of them in college sound rooms. Sound folk on a TV station set? Right there. Radio engineer? Yup. Talk show host? Probably.

They're not the best headphones in the world. There are people who will fight to the death over which Grados with which DAC and amp and what not will give you the best sound. But even they will concede that "I need decent headphones for under a c-note that will last me" can easily be filled by the MDR-7506.

I think you can still use the old by following this URL: https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/h/

Outerknown Pacifica jacket. It's not often you see extraordinary looking fashion from the land of the stars and Stripes. Mostly I wear European brands. I remember falling in love with it and buying like the last one. Too bad that other than its amazing design it has little going for it. There were a bunch of loose threads on mine and it felt kind of itchy. But I still have it and when I wear it it often gets noticed. https://www.gearpatrol.com/style/a505232/outerknown-fall-201...

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