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I don't think staircases get much cooler looking than this Floating Staircase. I mean, look at it! It's magically sprouting from the wall with a minimum of materials! I love it. Then again, it looks horribly dangerous. I mean, ignoring...
POSTED Monday, May 12, 2008
Making your coffee with a pre-measured pod is about the quickest and easiest way to satisfy that caffeine jones, and Tassimo, one of many offering those powerful single-serve bursts of java goodness, teamed up with Bosch for a significantly...
POSTED Monday, May 12, 2008
This First Light lamp might looks like some sort of contraption from an alien hair salon, but it's actually an eco-friendly lamp that doesn't need to be plugged into provide a warm glow. Instead, much like a grandfather clock, it...
POSTED Friday, May 9, 2008
What do you want from a lamp? Light, right? Maybe good looks? With Ralf Zoontjes's Luxalive lamp, you've got all that, but also a friend — one that's maybe a little needy. The Luxalive reacts to your position to...
POSTED Friday, May 9, 2008
What if you could control everything in your home with a little handheld gadget? That's what this universal remote by David Chacon got us thinking about, with its roomy screen — a nerve center right in your pocket. Simply...
POSTED Friday, May 9, 2008
There's certainly no shortage of odd, annoying, beautiful and unusual places to store books, but we’re betting you never thought a bookshelf could also function as a internet-connected, live-updated display. Prepare for enlightenment, because WaSnake has four panels on...
POSTED Thursday, May 8, 2008
It's certainly a serious undertaking, but this how-to mod for turning an unused phone jack in your wall into a super-secret hidden data storage compartment is pretty awesome. You'll need to really get your hands dirty and know what you're...
POSTED Thursday, May 8, 2008
This Multimedia Coffee Table reminds me of that spoof video mocking Microsoft Surface, the table-size PC you can now find at AT&T stores. In that vid, a narrator describes how amazing it would be to look at maps —...
POSTED Thursday, May 8, 2008
I think I'd be perfectly happy decorating my apartment solely with objects from my child hood. I'd be even happier if they were all video-game-related objects because, frankly, video games played a pretty serious role in my childhood. That's why...
POSTED Thursday, May 8, 2008
Ever get that feeling that you could fix anything if you just had the right tool? Oh, you do? Bad news, my friend. You're that guy — a blundering handyman just like Tim "The Tool Man" Taylor — and...
POSTED Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Sony’s already into the digital picture frame biz, but now it busts out one that’s truly useful. The Canvas Online VGF-CP1 leaps into the next level with its Wi-Fi connectivity, opening up way-cool possibilities such as automagically showing your...
POSTED Wednesday, May 7, 2008
Typically, a Do Not Enter sign or symbol is enough to deter folks from trying to enter a room. But what about people who don’t read English? Or who grew up in the wilds of Alaska and don't understand...
POSTED Monday, May 5, 2008
Summer's almost here, and it’s warm enough to throw open the windows, letting the fresh air in. Don’t forget to put up those window screens to keep the bugs out. But that's not all good. Not only do those...
POSTED Monday, May 5, 2008
As a Manhattan apartment dweller, any type of living plant that enters my domain tends to have a pretty short life span. Between lack of light, and my own neglectfulness, I can offer the kiss of death to even...
POSTED Sunday, May 4, 2008
We like the Orbit clock. By using circular hands, it emphasizes that time isn't just a linear progression of events — more of a big ball of wibbly-wobbly timey-wimey stuff, a point of view shared by our favorite Time...
POSTED Friday, May 2, 2008
This is about as fancy as toilets get. Kohler calls this sculptural throne the Fountainhead, which make sense — Navy guys would recognize that “head” nomenclature, and yeah, it has the equivalent of an enormously powerful (but quiet at...
POSTED Thursday, May 1, 2008
Because Japanese homes are typically small, you'll seldom find a dryer accompanying the family washing machine, thus resulting in a sea of clothesline-dried laundry covering entire neighborhoods. The archaic practice of drying one's clothes outside--even in the winter, rain and...
POSTED Thursday, May 1, 2008
With most lamps, we try to hide the cabling away somewhere out of sight to let the design of the lamp be the center of attention. But what if the cabling is the lamp? What then, smart guy? That's just...
POSTED Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Putting your dirty dishes into a dishwasher to clean them only to move them again to a cupboard for storage, is a pretty inefficient system when you think about it. At least that's what University of Montreal in Quebec...
POSTED Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Foosball is just one of those classic games that just about everyone enjoys. I mean, everyone enjoys it as long as they aren't playing with jerks who use spinnies. Everyone know using spinnies is cheating and can break the paddles....
POSTED Wednesday, April 30, 2008
What better way to decorate your arty abode during wartime than hanging up this Cuckoo Bunker Wall Clock by Joseph Barakat for Diamantini Domeniconi? That little bird out front is one brave soldier, wearing only the flimsiest of helmets...
POSTED Wednesday, April 30, 2008
It’s impossible to concentrate without being comfortable. That’s the idea behind the unambitiously named Daybed, a lounge-workstation design concept by Humanscale that blends in with the rest of your chic furniture around the house — if your house is...
POSTED Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Toothpaste tubes are so inefficient. Whenever we throw a tube out, we feel like we're wasting about a week's worth of paste. It seems like a shame, especially now that toothpaste costs 4 bucks a tube (Tom's of Maine...
POSTED Friday, April 25, 2008
This Teuco Sorgente bathtub is pure class, but you'll essentially need to build your bathroom around the thing to get the desired effects from it. That's because it sits flush with the floor, meaning you need to dig down below...
POSTED Friday, April 25, 2008
Your lights, air conditioning, electricity, gas — it all comes at a price. Whether you've settled in as a homeowner or you're still dormin' it up, the excess energy you use and the waste you don't recycle hurts more...
POSTED Friday, April 25, 2008
When you think ring tones, you may not have a doorbell in mind, but why not? Now our quest to have Captain Picard’s doorbell sound in our very own abode has met with success, with a product that can...
POSTED Thursday, April 24, 2008
Here's a toy set I could see buying the kids just so you can sneakily enjoy them yourself. The Dueling Space Marines Copter Set is a pair of astronaut-shaped remote controlled fliers that battle one another using infrared lasers. You're...
POSTED Wednesday, April 23, 2008
You'd like to take a step towards a "green" lifestyle by growing your own herbs and flowers. After all, indoor plants help clean your air, and any food you grow at home puts you one step closer to eating...
POSTED Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Does your air freshener look too conventional? Just sitting there on the wall, slowly dispensing its fragrance, never getting noticed? That's not what a fun-loving rebel like you wants. No, you want Noseroma "exhaler" — a powerful wall-mounted scent emitter...
POSTED Wednesday, April 23, 2008
A light bulb that runs on solar power? Not quite… the Bulb Solar Lamp is more of a bulb-shaped nightlight that glows in the dark. Not people who would tolerate their idea being thwarted by the simple fact that...
POSTED Monday, April 21, 2008
Spring is here. For most of us, that means shorts and sunglasses. For anyone with a pool, however, it's time to bust out the skimming net and get to work clearing leaves from the water's surface. The Solar Breeze...
POSTED Monday, April 21, 2008
You work hard; you deserve some relaxation at the end of the day. And while hiring a personal masseuse might be the best way to do that, you aren't the King of France or anything. You can't afford such fineries....
POSTED Monday, April 21, 2008
...but for your average (read hefty) American, the Rotator by Ron Arad is a total nonstarter. There are some design concepts that probably should have been abandoned at the concept stage, and I would suggest that The Rotator falls...
POSTED Saturday, April 19, 2008
Spring has sprung and the grass is growing like weeds. Those of you with sizable acreage want to get that lawnmowing job done fast, so you’ll be interested in the Excalibur 3874, which according to its creator Dixie Chopper...
POSTED Friday, April 18, 2008
If you’ve spent the past decades pruning and cultivating those spectacularly small bonsai trees, here’s the perfect finishing touch: CrashBonsai, a tiny smashed car, wrapped around that tree, just like in real life! Artist John Rooney painstakingly crushes, melts...
POSTED Friday, April 18, 2008
Who's the target customer for the Abyss Light? I'm guessing anyone obsessed with pearls, seeing as the circular strip of LEDs looks just like a strand of 'em. And fans of sculpting might get a thrill out of the...
POSTED Friday, April 18, 2008
What if you could have an entire room wallpapered in flexible, paper-thin light? Maybe you could even control that light’s color and intensity in different areas. That's the goal of General Electric researchers (disclosure: GE owns DVICE's parent company,...
POSTED Thursday, April 17, 2008
Leave it to Kohler to call a faucet a “new. life. form.” But this fixture for your kitchen really is different. The Karbon Faucet articulates from a compact pole-looking thing into a long arm that reaches right where you...
POSTED Thursday, April 17, 2008
Summer is coming! If you're too cheap for air conditioning and too stubborn to sleep with no sheets and a fan on, I have a solution for your very particular problem: the BedFan. It's a fan that blows cool air...
POSTED Thursday, April 17, 2008
We the Brits were crazy about tea, but some French aficionados are giving them a run for their money. Two young French designers have created a self-stirring teacup. It's a glass, actually, and it has a ceramic ball at...
POSTED Thursday, April 17, 2008
There’s something appealing about seeing objects from your operating system's desktop appearing here in the real world. Take advantage of that two-worlds-collide irony with the Icon Clock, a 3.5-inch wall clock made of plastic resin and available in the...
POSTED Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Who knew a New York City “Walk/Don’t Walk” sign could function as a chair in your living room? Like some other chairs we’ve seen lately, this one doesn’t look too comfortable, but it’s unquestionably unique. Its stern lit-up admonitions...
POSTED Tuesday, April 15, 2008
This chair, by Brazilian artists Fernando and Humberto Campana, is pretty much the opposite of the Outlaw Chair. It's cute as can be and looks like one of those DIY projects that you probably wouldn't want to bother making...
POSTED Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Washing things using water is so last century. If you want to clean your things in the most futuristic way possibly, you need to use ultrasonic waves. In order to do that, you'll need a Coway SWV-08AM megasonic cleaning apparatus....
POSTED Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Say hello to the Stihl Yard Boss and goodbye to whatever's on the other end. The Yard Boss comes standard with a pick tine cultivator that'll aerate and shred the frail bodies of the living dead, loosening up their...
POSTED Monday, April 14, 2008
Now this is just weird. The “How High the Moon” chair, named after that classic Duke Ellington song, is made of expanded nickel-plated steel mesh and covered with epoxy (hopefully to make it more comfy than it looks). The...
POSTED Monday, April 14, 2008
What better way to tell Mom how much you care than to give her an alarm clock for Mother’s Day (May 11) that reminds her of all that time she spent waiting on you? Take your pick of a...
POSTED Monday, April 14, 2008
Ever wanted to see how it feels to go through one of those transporters on Star Trek? Stepping into the Illumination Shower might be as close as you can get right now. With a doughnut-shaped light above you emitting...
POSTED Friday, April 11, 2008
If you’ve ever had an aquarium in your bedroom, you know there must be some truth to the research that shows your blood pressure is lowered by the sight of fish swimming by. The $199 Sega Private Ocean Interactive...
POSTED Thursday, April 10, 2008
Ikea is converting the Kobe Portliner Monorail in Japan into an innovative showroom in preparation for the launch of its store location at Port Island. Lucky for the display, it's beauty will be fleeting - Ikea will only run...
POSTED Thursday, April 10, 2008
In America, drinking a lot of whiskey is a good way to mess up your liver. In Japan, it gets you a free robot. America: 0, Japan: 1. Japanese brewing house Suntory is giving away robots to get the...
POSTED Thursday, April 10, 2008
The Smellovision and Smellophone are two concepts that have been around for many, many years, but have never really gotten off the ground. Why? Probably because they're terrible ideas— what if someone sent you a really gross message? The...
POSTED Thursday, April 10, 2008
Humidifiers aren't the sexiest gadgets in the world. For the most part they're pretty utilitarian, just doing their jobs and not making much effort to look pretty in the process. That's not the case with the Humydo Humidifier. This...
POSTED Wednesday, April 9, 2008
This Isolé IDP-3050 is one smart power strip. It can detect your presence with its outboard infrared sensor. When you leave the room, it cuts power to six of its eight outlets, keeping those multi gigawatts from seeping out...
POSTED Wednesday, April 9, 2008
We all know that the current generation of light bulbs are woefully inefficient, sucking up juice and not converting all that much of it into light. So what are we going to replace them with? Well, we know there are...
POSTED Wednesday, April 9, 2008
Does your cat like to hang out on your laptop keyboard while you're typing? Or maybe she prefers to use you as a jungle gym while you're trying to get work done. Whatever your feline's favorite perch, you'd probably...
POSTED Wednesday, April 9, 2008
The Rainpod, by designer David L'Hôte of France, takes a cue from ol' Momma Nature on how to water lawns: with rainwater. Working like a rain barrel, the conceptual Rainpod collects water in a large tank and, standing taller...
POSTED Tuesday, April 8, 2008
Let's face it — tweezers aren't typically used in spots that get a lot of light. Not a bad idea, then, to install some LEDs on a pair of tweezers, which Moree did to create Extract. The lights are...
POSTED Tuesday, April 8, 2008
OLEDs are a much-buzzed about new way to produce light that requires very little energy and can last for years without needing to be replaced. While there are still a number of setbacks to overcome before they reach the point...
POSTED Tuesday, April 8, 2008
I'd say that rugs are some of the last objects around to be updated with modern technology. After all, what upgrades do rugs require? They just need to lie on the ground and be pleasing to the eye. That's about...
POSTED Tuesday, April 8, 2008
While I can certainly understand how frustrating it can be to live in a tiny apartment, something tells me that this TurnOn Multi-Functional Spinning Wall isn't the best solution to the problem. I mean, yes, it's quite inventive, and I've...
POSTED Monday, April 7, 2008
Ever wish you could live in the world presented by a good book? With the Space Book by designer Jin-Hui Kim, you could. Each page of the oversized pop-up book is a different room of a make believe house,...
POSTED Monday, April 7, 2008
Finally, somebody designs a coffee cup that takes into account that human beings will actually be drinking from it. Most mugs have a rim that’s so fat, even a horse’s lips couldn’t keep the coffee from spilling, but designer...
POSTED Thursday, April 3, 2008
Our latest tale of convergence finds our two unlikely heroes, the air ionizer and the CFL lightbulb being forced to work together and achieve the ultimate bright and clean air household. The Viatek Ionic is a 15-watt light bulb...
POSTED Thursday, April 3, 2008
Thank goodness the lovely damsel — let’s call her Dawn — wrapped around this Pole Dancer Alarm Clock remains fully clothed, or else all your lady friends visiting your bedroom might think you’re a bit sleazy. Risking your stellar...
POSTED Wednesday, April 2, 2008
You know something’s up when both Hammacher Schlemmer and SkyMall, the white bread of gadget purveyors, both roll out an “exclusive” product on the same day. This one’s a magic Dust Mite Eliminating Vacuum that both companies claim can kill...
POSTED Wednesday, April 2, 2008
NASA posted up some harrowing news to go along with their daily photo: In a surprising and potentially troubling request, the new space station robot known as Dextre demanded that astronauts refer to it in the future as "Dextre...
POSTED Tuesday, April 1, 2008
The PowerCube 6000 is a standalone power generator powerful enough to offset your home's power needs with green energy. It's also portable enough to keep things running like food carts or temporary kiosks — provided you've got a forklift...
POSTED Monday, March 31, 2008
Have a seat on the Pixel Couch, the perfect place to plant your posterior if you’re wearing a pixel tie. Decorate your walls in a pixel pattern using a few Post-it notes, get yourself a suit to match and...
POSTED Monday, March 31, 2008
I'd like to be one of the first to welcome back the waterbed to the world. Akva Waterbeds' Sound bed is a waterbed with an integrated sound system. We've seen beds hooked up for sound before, but what makes...
POSTED Monday, March 31, 2008
This Full Moon sideboard by Sotirios Papadopoulos is beautiful. During the day it looks like a standard close-up image of the moon printed on the side, but at night it glows brilliantly, just like the real thing, acting as a...
POSTED Monday, March 31, 2008
Have you ever wondered what kind of loo Her Majesty plops her bum on when nature calls? Now that I've planted that unsettling picture in your head, here's what I would have guessed. The very retro Herbeau Creations Dagobert...
POSTED Saturday, March 29, 2008
Here’s another guilt-trip device to remind you of how much power you’re sucking up. This one’s called the Consumption Feedback Switch, and it scares you with a spark that corresponds to the amount of energy it’s consumed. Rarely use...
POSTED Friday, March 28, 2008
Now why hasn’t someone thought of this 360-Degree Mirror before? In the center you have an illuminated mirror, and out its sides pop six panels. Stretch them around your head, and you can see what’s going on back there,...
POSTED Thursday, March 27, 2008
Slide is a different kind of faucet. At first, we thought it was touch-controlled, but no, the top part of it is actually moved backward to both turn it on and regulate its temperature. It’s certainly a clean design,...
POSTED Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Toshiba is working on a new universal remote that's a little different. It's a robot that'll learn how you interact with your house, rather than force you to program it. Let's say you picked up your remote to turn on...
POSTED Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Some design projects make you think, "Who would want that?" while others get you to shout "Me!" if someone would dare ask that question. The Do Swing is one of the latter. Combining a light fixture with a swing,...
POSTED Tuesday, March 25, 2008
This crazy looking object is a lamp that's in the process of knitting its own shade. The contraption at the top is the lamp, and when it's activated at floor level it begins slowly spinning and knitting a shade for...
POSTED Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Here’s a wall clock that gets all its power from the sun. Charge up its batteries once a year, and it’s good to go, staying accurate by syncing up with the atomic clock. Besides looking way-cool and protecting you...
POSTED Monday, March 24, 2008
When you're in bathrooms of dubious cleanliness, at the Port Authority say, or at a rest stop McDonald's, we bet you sometimes flush the toilet with your foot. No harm in that. But what if you never, ever want...
POSTED Monday, March 24, 2008
Jeez, we use a lot of energy we’re not even aware of. Here’s a design concept by Shane Ellis and Terry Brown that’ll lay on the guilt, glowing red when those wall warts are sucking power. The more energy...
POSTED Friday, March 21, 2008
It's quite the feat that we have gone this long as a civilization without a gadget like this being developed. Sure, the toilet seat hasn't been around that long, but now that it is here to stay we need...
POSTED Friday, March 21, 2008
Taking long, lazy showers might be a great way to relax, but it's also a huge waste of water. Getting a friendly reminder that you're being a water hog is what this conceptual Eco_Drop shower is all about. The idea...
POSTED Friday, March 21, 2008
Got something heavy that needs moving? Don't want to break your back? Appliance Rollers may be just he thing for you. As you can see in the picture to the side, Appliance Rollers fit just right under a refrigerator to...
POSTED Friday, March 21, 2008
As a technology writer, I'm often asked what gear I've chosen to open my metaphorical wallet on. In many cases, though, my choices aren't necessarily the best in their class. For instance, I got cheap and bought a 50-inch...
POSTED Thursday, March 20, 2008
This Wasup concept is a combo of a washing machine and a toilet, reusing the water that cleans the clothes in the washer to flush the toilet. It's a smart idea, as no one cares what's in the water they're...
POSTED Thursday, March 20, 2008
Designer Jean Hong has a vision for the Ultra-Mobile PC (UMPC), and it’s taken the form of Pix-L, a device that serves as both alarm clock and bedside browser. Notice how you can prop up the mini-screen for reclined...
POSTED Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Bang and Olufsen make some pretty crazy remotes, but so far none of them creates the illusion of floating above the coffee table. And as far as we know, none controls the television without you having to touch it....
POSTED Wednesday, March 19, 2008
While some lights are designed to help you read a book, this Butterfly Lamp by Japanese design studio Vinta takes a page from a book's shape instead. It easily allows you to adjust how much light is in an area...
POSTED Monday, March 17, 2008
A new alarm system uses scent instead of sound to wake people in the event of a fire. Packed with spray cans full of wasabi "perfume" (perfect for ladies surrounded by men who can't take a hint), the irritation...
POSTED Monday, March 17, 2008
There’s something powerfully appealing about a wall-mounted fireplace, and this one has a subtlety we haven’t seen before. The Safretti Gaya fireplace places a billowing torch-like flame on your wall, adding a dramatic decorative flourish to your pad while...
POSTED Monday, March 17, 2008
Artistic beauty and toilets don't normally go hand in hand, but why not? We've seen all kinds of artistic add ons for your tech devices, so why not one for this somewhat older tech device that we each use...
POSTED Sunday, March 16, 2008
Combining the delicate beauty of a Japanese bonsai tree, with the practicality of a battery powered mantle clock, the Bonsai Gear Clock is perfect for someone like me who can't even keep a cactus alive for long. Despite their...
POSTED Saturday, March 15, 2008
R2D2 may be about as cute and cuddly as droids get, so I have no problem when kids choose to relate to his human qualities. However, when fully grown adults like Artoo to the point where they are willing...
POSTED Saturday, March 15, 2008
The Maplemap is a particularly snazzy lamp that was created by Frederic Guibrunet. Guibrunet doesn't sound like a Canadian name, but there is a good chance he is from the northern tundra as his lamp is constructed of maple...
POSTED Friday, March 14, 2008
Keep this Thomson Symbio phone next to your bed, and it’ll play you music and wake you up in addition to making Internet phone calls. The VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) phone wirelessly connects to a service such as...
POSTED Friday, March 14, 2008
The Glo pillow isn't the first time someone has tried to turn a pillow into an alarm clock, but this method sounds much better than others. The Glo pillow turns on an embedded LED 40 minutes prior to the...
POSTED Thursday, March 13, 2008
Designer Alvin Aronson, a student at the Rhode Island School of Design, created a unique clock that we’d really like to see right here in our own abode. Made of wood and Dupont Corian (a material usually used for...
POSTED Thursday, March 13, 2008
As the first hints of spring creep up into our consciousness, grill designers are getting ready for the upcoming barbecuing season with some creative concepts. Here’s what the outdoor grill of the future might look like, a pendant hanging...
POSTED Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Is your closet looking a little… static? Your clothes just hanging there, never moving, no excitement? The Plane Hanger adds a taste of motion to your storage. Shaped like a silhouette of a 747, the black-painted wood hanger shows...
POSTED Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Hannah Schardt of the Washington Post says that the "Geo Phyzz" bath bomb by Lush made for one of the best bath experiences she's ever enjoyed — but there's a catch. Lush's bath bombs are only good for one bath...
POSTED Tuesday, March 11, 2008
The Single Person Cooker is is portable kitchen — everything about its design helps you cook on the go or in a tight space. It's lid is actually a cutting board, and the unit has a space for cooking...
POSTED Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Finally, here’s an alarm clock smart enough to sense your reaction to its plaintive and intrusive morning cry. Designer Joel Escalona put together Seven, a concept deemed clever enough to win a Volvo for Life Design Award. It wakes...
POSTED Monday, March 10, 2008
Here's a novel idea that we don't quite understand: a nightlight that holds your glasses, bedside reading, and cell phone. It even has a hole in back so that you can wire your cell phone or iPod charger right...
POSTED Monday, March 10, 2008
Right off the bat looking at this photo I'm going to say it's a bad idea. Not that having a fire pit built into a coffee table isn't really classy and unique looking, but something about putting fire in something...
POSTED Friday, March 7, 2008
Here’s a design concept that uses nanotech teamed up with photovoltaics to make windows that light the night using organic LEDs (OLED). Winner of a Dyson Student Award, Lightway uses panels shaped in a style that harkens back to...
POSTED Friday, March 7, 2008
It may not impress any of the ladies, but if there is one good way to start out a day it's with an overly cheesy clock singing prayers in your direction and that is what the Lord's Prayer Singing...
POSTED Friday, March 7, 2008
While it would be all fine and dandy to get all of our renewable energy from romantic sources such as the sun and the wind, those two methods aren't efficient enough to get the job done. You need to supplement...
POSTED Thursday, March 6, 2008
You've got tons of outlets in your house, naturally, and they're plenty useful when you have stuff plugged into them powering things. But what about those empty sockets? Why let them go to waste just because you don't have electronic...
POSTED Thursday, March 6, 2008
When I first saw the Robo Vacum, I knew I had the next big USB gadget for the world to drool over. I quickly looked over its features: robot-shaped, movable arms, crumb compartment (so stay away from liquids), pop-open top...
POSTED Thursday, March 6, 2008
Ever hear of a wood-burning stove with a memory? That’s what Pi-Ko by Austroflamm has, but it’s not going to remember how hot it got yesterday — no, nothing like that — it retains heat and keeps radiating warmth...
POSTED Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Those Russkies have a great sense of humor, making this bar of Gmail soap. Whether it’s for sale or not, it’s an accurate symbol of the free Google email service, scrubbing your electronic missives of spam, offering a clean...
POSTED Wednesday, March 5, 2008
You too can be an energy star with this illuminated concept designed by Efrain E. Velez for the Core 77 2008 Greener Gadgets Design Competition. Of course, as with any earth-saving measure, the Krank Lamp’s energy has to come...
POSTED Wednesday, March 5, 2008
When fancy-pants champagne purveyor Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin ordered up an arty vase from the London Institute of Contemporary Art, creator Oscar Diaz took a roundabout route toward showing off the French company’s signature yellow color of its booze bottles....
POSTED Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Is your furniture pissing you off? Have an old couch that stands out too much? Some retro table that thinks it's the center of attention? Put all your furnishings in their place with the Brass Knuckle Chair. Nothing says,...
POSTED Monday, March 3, 2008
Okay, okay, this may not actually be able to kill aliens unless the aliens are very susceptible to anti-bacterial pressurized steam, but this device sure does look like something that would be used to kill an martian or two....
POSTED Monday, March 3, 2008
You’ll be murmuring erstwhile hipster phrases such as “oh, wow” when you fire up your RelaxStyle Room Palette Effect lamp, projecting images of undulating waves onto your ceiling for your relaxation and entertainment. Harried stockbrokers might like the feeling...
POSTED Friday, February 29, 2008
No room for your big, beautiful Victorian floor lamp at home or work? No worries, now there is a solution for your studio apartment or tiny cubicle or office with the Tall & Tiny sticker. This isn't so much...
POSTED Friday, February 29, 2008
It's not surprise that Samsung has decided to yet again put a touch of class on a seemingly classless home appliance. First it was laser printers, but now it is something even more ordinary like anti-bacterial air conditioners. The...
POSTED Friday, February 29, 2008
The purpose of a digital photo frame is too look at it as it shows pictures, right? So what happens when the digital photo frame is capable of looking back? The universe could possibly collapse in on itself, or...
POSTED Friday, February 29, 2008
If you're going to get a fish tank for your home, you might as well get one that is totally awesome and shaped like a bomb. That's exactly what this MK-84 Aqua Bomb Fish Tank is: a completely self contained...
POSTED Friday, February 29, 2008
There's no question that we like to go fast. Even when we're just sitting still, we prefer to do it with some speed. Sound like a contradiction? Not if you have yourself an Accelerate sofa, crafted to mimic the...
POSTED Thursday, February 28, 2008
The Ex-Pò is a concept vacuum that designer Alice Rosignoli came up with back in 2005 and, in this day and age where some vacuums look like locomotives, we appreciate how compact it is. Looking a bit like a yo-yo,...
POSTED Thursday, February 28, 2008
Nothing says "I'm rich" quite like having a bowling alley in your house. There's one in the White House, there's one in Daniel Plainview's house in There Will Be Blood, and now you can add your humble abode to that...
POSTED Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Shower technology is definitely an area that has been neglected over the years. Shower time is one of the best times of the day, so why not put bright minds to work developing products like this five-headed spinning shower...
POSTED Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Sometimes the smallest measures make the biggest impact. These TOP waste bins are designed so that they can hook up to one another and form a more powerful trash-collection train — an easier way to sort garbage than if you...
POSTED Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Q, the letter, confounds you in Scrabble. Q, the character, amuses you in James Bond. And Q, the subway line, frustrates you in Brooklyn. Now, Q, the fan, can keep you cool in the summer. Swiss designer Carlo Borer...
POSTED Wednesday, February 27, 2008
At this point we are pretty familiar with every possible way to magically transform simple bread into wondrous toast, but in addition to the toaster phone we can finally start decking our our homes in our favorite food. This toast...
POSTED Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Need a little Zen boost in your life? May as well go with something portable — and easy to power up. The Enso Clock is a small digital clock designed to give Zen travelers and yoga heads a kinder,...
POSTED Tuesday, February 26, 2008
We love vases that look like tanks and lamps that looks like potted plants. Why live in a household filled with ordinary-looking objects? That seems to be the question posed by Pylones, a store that sells everyday objects that...
POSTED Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Yes, I know you hate cleaning up your apartment and sweeping is a bore, but you're just going to have to get used to it. That's especially true if "inventions" like this Ceiling Track Broom are as good as...
POSTED Tuesday, February 26, 2008
Next time you find yourself with too many guests and too few chairs just combine the two. The Strap-On Chair by designer Annika Schmidt affixes easily to the human body by way of leather straps, and the two working models...
POSTED Monday, February 25, 2008
So a series of most probably regrettable events has transpired and now you find yourself stuck with a baby, who can't seem to look in the same direction for more than two seconds and drools every which way from...
POSTED Monday, February 25, 2008
Nasty germs, look out. Here comes another weapon against you and your creepy bacterial and microscopic friends. It‘s the Raycop anti-bacterial vacuum, now available in the U.S. and shining its ultraviolet light on all things small and dangerous. Adding...
POSTED Monday, February 25, 2008
Choosing a desk for your office is important; it sends a message about what kind of person you are to everybody who enters. If you want that message to say "I'm a gigantic nerd!" then you really can't do much...
POSTED Monday, February 25, 2008
Those who love toast will probably be disappointed by the Toaster Phone. After all, if you want to express your reverence for baked bread through your telecommunications (and there's nothing weird about that, bro), then you'd probably want to...
POSTED Monday, February 25, 2008
Soaking for a spell in the bathtub is a wonderful way to melt away the stresses of a long workweek. So is curling up with a good book. Unfortunately, the two rarely go all that well together, as it generally...
POSTED Friday, February 22, 2008
Any one of these couches from the Tête-à-tête (or "head-to-head") collection by Soma Sofa will have your company scratching their heads about just how to sit on them. Just take a look at the Flamenco above, which looks like someone...
POSTED Friday, February 22, 2008
Why insult your guests when they want to know what time it is? Just nonchalantly show them a quarter of the clock face and they can certainly figure out the rest. Some clocks have no numerals at all, so...
POSTED Friday, February 22, 2008
This Tank Vase attempts to project an image of peace and solitude in a world filled with killing machines, or something of that sort. It may be trying to make a tasteful message, but really this tank vase is...
POSTED Friday, February 22, 2008
Here we have an octopus-shaped juicer, an elephant doubling as a dustpan and a squidy scrub brush. Depending on who you are, you may look at these cute animal-themed household tools in different ways. Trendy youngsters may want to pick...
POSTED Friday, February 22, 2008
Regular light bulbs, your days are numbered. That's because cheaper, more efficient LEDs are here to make lighting a much more attractive affair. Just take a look at these LED spotlights. They stick on whatever surface you want and run...
POSTED Friday, February 22, 2008
The days when the dream of taking a Star Trek-like ultra sonic shower to wash off the grime may be far off in the future, but for now you can experience the sci fi magic in real life courtesy of...
POSTED Friday, February 22, 2008
Now you can dock with the Space Station without even leaving your desk. This one's even cleaner-looking than that hodgepodge of glorified tin cans floating in low Earth orbit, and it actually has a purpose. Imagine that spaghetti bowl...
POSTED Thursday, February 21, 2008
It's time to step up into the modern age, Huck Finn. Put down that whittling knife and take a gander at the Craftman CompuCarve, a fully automatic carving machine. The CompuCarve is capable of carving most soft materials includes...
POSTED Thursday, February 21, 2008
What's the matter with these chairs and that table? Designer Benjamin Hopf has somehow frozen them in time, falling apart before your very eyes. Not to worry — their construction is still sturdy enough to hold you up either...
POSTED Thursday, February 21, 2008
Meet Mr. P, a man who usually has no shame. He will go around strutting all of his stuff for the world to see, except in this case. Mr. P is a bit shyer with his lamp. A conveniently...
POSTED Thursday, February 21, 2008
Usually changing the shape of a bookshelf means getting out the hammer and plywood. Not so the Elastic Bookshelf — this simple idea loops a stretchable belt around two pegs, providing plenty of possible configurations. Pop in a piece...
POSTED Thursday, February 21, 2008
Those inventive Italians have dreamed up another unusual design, this time in illuminated flowerpots to light up your life. Biosfera is ready to accommodate any plant, and if you put cool-running compact fluorescent bulbs inside, your plants might like...
POSTED Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Not to be outdone by the spy camera desktop printing calculator, Spy Techs has this seemingly normal clock radio available for $500. What makes the radio so expensive is the included and hidden black and white spy camera. The...
POSTED Wednesday, February 20, 2008
We are all so petrified of germs, we turn to the highest tech to get rid of them, every last one. But that's not going to be easy. In sheer numbers, there are 20 times more creepy crawlies in...
POSTED Wednesday, February 20, 2008
The Amazing Water Clock doesn't want your batteries or power from an outlet — it's asking for a glass of good ol' aqua, or any liquid really. Once filled up, the Water Clock's LCD display will show you the time...
POSTED Tuesday, February 19, 2008
A Virginia Tech student has won the Greener Gadget Award for a clever LED lamp that gets all of its power from gravity, which is a seriously renewable resource. Working kind of like a grandfather clock that needs to be...
POSTED Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Are you constantly at war with time? Is keeping to a schedule for you not unlike a neverending struggle between mythical beasts, forever locked in combat over the passing moments? We have just the timepiece for your violent metaphors...
POSTED Monday, February 18, 2008
What happens when you mix the talents of an elite fashion designer and a major household product manufacturer? You get The Wind, the Dyson DC16 handheld cleaner. Looking more like a Buck Rogers meets Prince and the Revolution mashup than...
POSTED Friday, February 15, 2008
Dear Vonage, I've been meaning to tell you this for over a year, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I mean, you've been such a cheap date, costing me about $19 per month compared to those...
POSTED Friday, February 15, 2008
Just like man's best friend, this Dog Lamp will faithfully sit wherever you happen to place it, ready to illuminate a room at a touch from your hand. Instead of flicking a switch, you pat the lamp's touch-sensitive surface at...
POSTED Friday, February 15, 2008
You know how you whittle and whittle away at a bar of soap until it's so small it eventually slides out of your hands and down the drain? If you had a Soap Bank, you'd save all of those slivers...
POSTED Friday, February 15, 2008
Designer Marta Antoszkiewicz unifies table and chairs with Kitchenette, a smoothly rounded set that hides away its four chairs when you're not using them. While it might look a bit like a painted cardboard box, its construction is sturdy...
POSTED Thursday, February 14, 2008
Who cares what the neighbors think? Let's build a house that looks like a snail shell! That's just what a Mexico City couple did, with the help of the astonishing imagination of those wild and wooly architects at Senosiain...
POSTED Thursday, February 14, 2008
That beautiful image you see above isn't a painting or a Photoshop. No, it's an actual fish tank. Created by George and Steven Lo of Aqua Forest Aquarium in San Francisco, these "Nature Aquariums" are built using real plants to...
POSTED Thursday, February 14, 2008
Here's a universal remote that can do it all. The Universal KP-900 Wireless Keypad resides on the wall for controlling your house's lighting, blinds, thermostat, and security systems, and then you can pick it off its wall bracket and take...
POSTED Thursday, February 14, 2008
The future will soon arrive. The House of the Future is coming back to Disneyland, and this time around, Microsoft, HP and LifeWare will be paying the bills instead of Monsanto, which originally sponsored the first House of the...
POSTED Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Forget all those tacky TV stands you've seen at Best Buy. This simple and adjustable TV Easel by Swedish designer Axel Bjurström, on display at the Stockholm Furniture Fair last week, takes a familiar form and applies it to...
POSTED Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Moving is pure pain, mostly because we humans have this habit of acquiring so much stuff that when it comes time to move homes getting all our crap from one place to another is an enormous undertaking. But what if...
POSTED Tuesday, February 12, 2008
Why do I know that these amazing lamps are not gadgets? It's because the creator, Maurizio Lamponi Leopardi, is so adamant about saying that they are not gadgets. The Lamponi lamps are constructed out of vintage materials. These lamps...
POSTED Monday, February 11, 2008
For me, microwave ovens are for popcorn and baked potatoes, but the iWave Cube wants a spot on your desk. The iWave Cube microwave is the size of a big tissue box, measuring 1 cubic foot, so while it...
POSTED Monday, February 11, 2008
Decanting is such a pain. Do you really want to wait fifteen minutes to an hour for your tannin-filled red wine to aerate? It's one thing if you have a beautiful decanter, but most of us just want to...
POSTED Monday, February 11, 2008
With so many concept toasters out there, we're always happy to see a toast innovation that actually exists. This toaster has futuristic elevator-style doors that open to receive the slice of bread, then close while toasting is in progress....
POSTED Monday, February 11, 2008
Settle back in the AquaFit 19DT for a relaxing soak in its hot tub, or mosey on over to its other side for a vigorous aquatic workout. It 's so versatile, you can either outfit it with the exercise...
POSTED Friday, February 8, 2008
Nothing says "I'm a mature and stable adult" like a love of food fights. And as such a mature and stable adult, I can't resist showing you these awesome Zing! Food Fight Weapons. Sure, they might look like fancily-designed silverware,...
POSTED Friday, February 8, 2008
Being able to play the piano well is an impressive feat, but one that takes years of hard work and practice to do, not to mention a bunch of natural talent. If you're too lazy or just plain too...
POSTED Friday, February 8, 2008
Oregon Scientific's TimeLight is an atomic clock with a twist: It shows you its weather forecast in living color. For instance, if there's a sunny day coming up, it'll show you a corresponding icon in bright red. If it'll...
POSTED Thursday, February 7, 2008
While we're big fans of the PowerSquid surge protector, here's another approach that also makes sense, appropriately named Socket Sense. Not only does its outlets expand to accommodate those pesky wall-wart power adapters, the receptacles are also situated at...
POSTED Thursday, February 7, 2008
You can't get a lot simpler than the One line clamp lamp by Ora Ito unless you just hang a lightbulb by a string. Even the Inch Lamp is overly complicated compared to this design. The One Line clamp...
POSTED Thursday, February 7, 2008
Just in time for the looming global recession comes Bandai’s Bubbly Bubble Bath, a product that allows you to literally bathe in cash. The fake cash comes in the form of ten chemical tablets that expand into 100,000 yen...
POSTED Thursday, February 7, 2008
Make fun of that friend of yours who got busted last weekend by giving him this Police Alarm Clock, scaring him out of bed with siren noises, that familiar flashing blue light, and a realistic-sounding threat from the cops....
POSTED Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Dutch designers Ward Huting and Gerard de Hoop are the duo behind the Fire Table. It may be a coffee table, but the Fire Table looks more like hard drive platters and a very contemporary campfire. An area in...
POSTED Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Master craftsman and PC case builder Jeffrey Stephenson just rolled out his latest design called Pico Bayard, a combination mini PC and digital photo frame that mimics the art deco design of classic French Bayard clocks. The gorgeous design...
POSTED Wednesday, February 6, 2008
There are so many objects in our homes that have designs that we take for granted as being the only way something can exist, it's always refreshing to see someone reimagining something previous only seen in boring forms. Take this...
POSTED Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Florian Krautli's magnetic curtains design is something that makes interior designers queasy. The idea behind these curtains is to allow the owner to shape the curtains however desired, thus providing the perfect amount of light, separation and such. Then...
POSTED Wednesday, February 6, 2008
Who knows what the next day's weather will bring, but this Wireless 7-day Weather Forecaster will give you a fairly accurate estimation. This $199 device gets its National Weather Service data free from the same frequency used for portable...
POSTED Tuesday, February 5, 2008
So you’ve got a mouse gun and a hair-dryer gun, and you’re wondering what to add to your arsenal next. How about a spice gun? I doubt you’ll see these in action in Michelin restaurant kitchens, but for adventurous...
POSTED Tuesday, February 5, 2008
Toaster ovens are so multifunctional, but many argue that they just don't toast bread that well. Additionally, firing up that whole tiny oven for one piece of bread is pretty energy-inefficient— for the most part slot-loading toasters use less...
POSTED Tuesday, February 5, 2008
The Alimtox "Detoxifying Unit" works like this: Put unit in basin. Fill Basin with water. Immerse feet in basin. Proceed to get grossed out by all the putrid and disgusting stuff that supposedly gets drawn out of your body thanks to the ions generated by the zinc electrodes in the detoxifier. Bravely, our own Vanessa Rae volunteered for the foot-washing detox technique.
POSTED Monday, February 4, 2008
Don't you hate those times when you just want to shoot some guns but don't feel like driving to a shooting range? It's the worst! I mean, you don't have the time to drive around when you've got hot, angry,...
POSTED Monday, February 4, 2008
Remington’s new PowerMower will make you the greenest mower on the block, and turn your neighbors green with envy. It’s a new cordless mower that uses battery power to give you an hour of clean-energy, guilt-free mowing. Of course,...
POSTED Friday, February 1, 2008
Remember your first hamster? I do—his name was bullet. He died, but that's a different story. He had this amazing modular hamster cage that allowed him to go all over the place for fun and entertainment. Now Octopus Studios,...
POSTED Friday, February 1, 2008
Let's re-consider the light bulb for a moment. Instead of a disposable, soulless compact florescent fixture, why not embrace a re-usable work of art like these dazzling bulbs hand-created by sculptor Dylan Kehde Roelofs? Depending on design, each limited-edition...
POSTED Thursday, January 31, 2008
Eat your heart out, Bob Vila! The tried and true tape measure, which has been a staple of any do-it-yourselfer for more than a decade, is finally going digital. This digital tape measure looks like a fairly standard retractable...
POSTED Thursday, January 31, 2008
Despite all their technology advances that often make the West look primitive, Japanese winters are brutal. The homes are rarely well insulated, and the heating systems are generally limited to a stationary wall mounted heater that doubles as an...
POSTED Thursday, January 31, 2008
Normally I will shun away from any kind of new releases of outdated gadgets, but this is just too amazingly awesome to pass up. Upon first glance this appears to be a simple, yet shiny turkey dinner waiting to...
POSTED Wednesday, January 30, 2008
If you hire a dog walker, how do you know if he’s out and about with your dog, or just sitting around your pad, watching soaps and raiding the fridge? If you need to find out, and a private...
POSTED Wednesday, January 30, 2008
We've heard of a white-hot spotlight, but this flashlight is ridiculous. Manufacturer Wicked Lasers calls this monster The Torch, and the 4100-lumen light packs enough punch to literally set the world on fire, starting up a pile of loose...
POSTED Monday, January 28, 2008
Aquavision already impressed us with its combination LCD TV and heated towel rack, but now the company goes a step further, creating the world's largest waterproof TV for your bathroom. Measuring a generous 57 inches diagonally, it doubles as...
POSTED Monday, January 28, 2008
Toilet tech might sound like a bit of an oxymoron, but we've seen evidence before of Japan's obsession with incorporating as much technology as possible when performing the most basic human function. Toto says that their Neoflush 600 'turns...
POSTED Saturday, January 26, 2008
Despite how much you wish your work day was a never-ending dream, face the facts — it's not. This is your life and I'm sorry to say that it is real, very real. This Whirled Clock may not be...
POSTED Thursday, January 24, 2008
That's not a UFO lighting up your shower stall—it's the Hansaclear Lux, a shower head with LEDs that let you choose a different lighting color every day. The prettiest color-changing shower head we've seen yet, its unique design clearly...
POSTED Thursday, January 24, 2008
You want your home furnishings to be as unique as you are, right? Well, why not take that notion literally by getting a flower vase that's custom-made based on the design of your fingerprint? It's an idea so crazy it...
POSTED Thursday, January 24, 2008
So, on one hand, grass is pretty lame. Yet, on the other, it's a low stress form of vegetation that won't demand too much from you and, when arrayed as artfully as it is with the Sensory Lamp, it...
POSTED Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Want a super fancy fish tank but can't quite afford one that's 80-feet tall? A Canadian company called Aquarium ASP has created the Spacearium, a thin, hanging aquarium that be used as a room divider, lighting element, or for...
POSTED Wednesday, January 23, 2008
If you aren't happy with traditional lamps, what with them being so boring and lacking the sorts of technical doo-daddery that you look for in all of your purchases, you might like this unique Jellephish Lamp. Not only does it...
POSTED Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Sure, it may be Saturday, a day you regularly reserve for reading and catching up on your favorite technology blog, but despite what my editor says, there are better things to be doing with your weekend, like fixing the...
POSTED Saturday, January 19, 2008
The pet obsession in Japan continues to reach epic levels of absurdity. The latest example of this trend comes from the creators of the Cool&Hot comfort pad for dogs. As the name indicates, the pad allows your pooch to...
POSTED Saturday, January 19, 2008
You know the old tale about how talking to plants is supposed to help them grow? I've always thought of that as a lot of rubbish, but a project named Cantaro has flipping the tables and enabled the plants...
POSTED Friday, January 18, 2008
I'm almost positive there are parents out there who would like to box their kids up and ship them somewhere else, and the cardboard crib from the Little Fashion Gallery is kind of giving them an excuse. The crib...
POSTED Friday, January 18, 2008
This Free Lines design concept is for a sort of strange extension cord/power strip hybrid, something that'll allow you to place outlets wherever is convenient for you without leaving tangles of cables strewn about and long powerstrips sticking out from...
POSTED Thursday, January 17, 2008
Dyson vacuums may seem like the best of the best for the bagless vacuums, but Philips is ready to jump into the ring with a canister vacuum that is more powerful and cheaper than anything Dyson has to offer....
POSTED Thursday, January 17, 2008
If you're trying to send a message with how you decorate your home, and that message is "I am a dork obsessed with a thirty-year-old movie," then I have the perfect new piece of furniture for you. It's the Star...
POSTED Thursday, January 17, 2008
Everybody's gotta be an individual these days. People have been raised with their parents telling them their whole lives that they're unique and beautiful snowflakes, so now they think they need to make everything totally unique to them. From iPod...
POSTED Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Furnishing your apartment is half about form, half about function. You want your furniture to do what it's supposed to do, be it comfortably support you while you watch TV or store all your books, but it also needs to...
POSTED Wednesday, January 16, 2008
The Monos modular wall unit by MisuraEmme pretty much gives you space to do anything: it's an entertainment center, a bookshelf (or a space to shelve anything really), and provides plenty of slick lighting for even classier setups like...
POSTED Tuesday, January 15, 2008
If your plant lost all its leaves, turned itself upside down and started emitting a glow from its pot, it might look like J.C. Karich's Plant lamp. I'll let J.C. explain: "As we all know plants get energy from...
POSTED Sunday, January 13, 2008
Sometimes the best inventions are the simplest and most straightforward. The water-bottle humidifier by Sunpentown international (who?) is one of those products. The humidifier's water source? Any old water bottle. Just drop the full water bottle in, plug it into...
POSTED Friday, January 11, 2008