Light Your Space and Be Unique

Vintage is in! Retro anything seems to attract attention. For some of us we flashback to our younger days. Others that are too young just think retro equals cool. More unique creations pop up on the market every day. Creative types seem to be looking at what many of us consider ‘old and trash bound’ and turn it into functional products, some even gadget-y. Wish I could say I was that creative!

If you are looking for a way to stand out and charge your gadgets take a look at BOSS Lamps. A creative Canadian electrician decided to put his knowledge to use in a fun way. After acquiring a variety of parts and pieces, scraps and salvage, a line of lamps with special flare have been created. BOSS Lamps offer a sort of industrial looking retro feel for a 40W bulb. The charging station versions include a socket and two USB ports to make it not only stylish, but functional. Available to ship in the US and Canada, BOSS Lamps run from $68 to $92 and are being sold directly on Etsy. So if a combo lamp/charging station makes sense for some table in your life, take a look at a more unique solution.

A Smartphone’s Sensing Companion

Ever run into a product and just say “I wish I was smart enough to think of that”? Yep, found one. Aside from lacking any knowledge about the topics, experience with NASA and a doctorate in who knows what, perhaps you or I could have come up with this innovation. But George Yu and Variable Technologies beat us to it. As our smartphones continue to control and guide more parts of our lives it makes sense to incorporate necessary job functions and even life-saving functions into the phone’s capability.

Pen Sized Scanner

You know, the scanner is one computer peripheral that you wish you had purchased when you didn’t need it, only to find yourself ringing up a mate late into the night, asking him whether he could open up the doors of his home so that you can drop by and perform that necessary scan. Older scanners of yore tend to be large, bulky and noisy – not to mention slow, of course, but it is a good thing that modern day technology has ushered in the age of miniaturization, shrinking down what was once rather large scanners into a pocket-friendly form factor. Case in point, the $124.95 Pen Sized Scanner.

The Pen Sized Scanner works as its name suggests – this is a ballpoint pen which allows you to leave your John Hancock on important documents, while also being able to laser-scan documents in a jiffy. The scanning bit is handled by a high-precision auto-focus lens, where it is accompanied by a 5-megapixel sensor that has been integrated into the pen itself, letting it scan letters, recipes, or important documents at 2048 x 1536 pixel resolution. Whenever you press the shutter button down halfway, a visible red laser will be projected to frame a document, as it focuses on the image automatically before snapping a photo. Sporting 1GB of internal memory, it is good for up to 1,000 scanned pictures in JPEG format and also being able to hold 1,000 1-minute voice memos in WAV format. A single hour’s charge offers up to 300 scans if you’re interested.

Grill – Come Rain, Shine or Snow

Whether you are in the midst of Summer or in the depths of Winter enhancing your grilling never hurts. Some continue grilling all year round. Others play it more conservative and just look forward to warmer months. Brookstone offers a couple of tools that empower you to keep on grilling – regardless of the elements. And they now ship internationally.

Who Is At the Door? Check Your Phone.

Crowdfunding has to be one of the biggest buzz words of the last year. Kickstarter and Indiegogo really put a different spin on how to create a product. Unfortunately, many good products don’t achieve funding goals. A new type of crowdfunding site began to emerge to help move these unfunded projects along, give inventors more infrastructure and feedback while also protecting buyers. Christie Street does just that and took on a product that is now funded and slated to launch this summer.

DoorBot looks to be a next generation example of how our phones continue to integrate into and control parts of our lives. DoorBot is a wireless video doorbell that links through your home network to your phone or tablet. Included on the device are a video camera and doorbell. Rather than ringing in the house, DoorBot will ring the app on your device when activated. Whether at home or away, you will immediately see who is ringing. And similar to when a call comes in, you have the chance to speak to them or ignore them. In addition to not missing instructions for delivery people or friends dropping by, DoorBot provides a perfect deterrent for warding off unwanted solicitors. And it can even help you give an illusion that you are home to not encourage thieves.

A few months ago we wrote about Lockitron, which enables you to lock and unlock your door remotely. Combined with DoorBot you can remotely see who is at the door and choose to let them in (or not!). Shipping in July, DoorBot on its own runs $189, Lockitron$179, or sign on for the DoorBot/Lockitron combo offered on Christie Street for $339 – and enter the world of remotely controlling access to your home or business.

Bionic Vision with Cybernetic Contact Lenses

What if contact lenses could not only help you see better, but deliver directions, news, email and weather reports directly to your eyes? The technology is already here, according to a report by Babak A. Parviz, a bionanotechnology expert at the University of Washington. Tiny components like LED lights, tiny antennae and special circuitscan be embedded into the polymer of a typical contact lens. A small portable device would process the information, and the lenses could even be used to measure and process information about the user’s health.

Flexible Customizable Laptop Concept

An eBook reader, full-size tablet, tabletop presentation screen, desktop computer and conventional laptop all in one… it might sound impossible, but designer Tommaso Gecchelin’s MacBook Touchdoes it all. Theoretically, that is – the integral part of the design that allows such flexibility, called the iSpine, relies on technology that doesn’t exist yet. But the idea has potential, and it’s a tantalizing possibility for anyone who has ever daydreamed about such an achievement in multi-functionality.

18-Button Computer Mouse

If you wonder why on earth a computer mouse would need 18 buttons, perhaps the Warmouse OOMouse isn’t for you. But those who see the potential of this customizable little gadget will be able to save a whole lot of time by packing tons of functions into the press of a button. It’s designed to be used with Open Office, but could also be used with other applications.

Bed with Built-In TV, Movie Screen & Video Games

Not only is the slick HiCan bed super cozy and modern, it’s also equipped with everything you need to spend the rest of your life as a media-consuming blob – or at least, be extremely entertained on sick days. This all-in-one bed and entertainment center has a pull-down projection screen, integrated gaming system, built-in lights, and even a control panel that allows you to control your home’s window shades and lighting. The price tag of 42,000 Euro puts this amazing piece of furniture firmly in daydream territory for most.

No Longer Sci-Fi: Wireless Electricity

Imagine being able to place your electronics anywhere you want, with no regard to whether there’s a power outlet nearby. It would cut a whole lot of clutter and eliminate hazards to children, pets and clumsy adults. Somehow it seems like wireless electricity should already be a reality, but there have always been obstacles in the way. However, engineers at MIT  have worked out the kinks and wireless power could be in our homes as early as 2011.

Cybernetic Reading Through Implanted Device

When you come across a word you aren’t familiar with, perhaps you just skip it over or go through the trouble of looking it up in a dictionary or online. Wouldn’t it be so much easier if you could just place your finger over the word and magically hear its definition and pronunciation in your ear? Incredible as it seems, the Touch Hear concept would do just that, minus the magic part. An implanted device in the fingertip recognizes the characters while another device in the ear relays the information. It’s still just a concept, but it could be a viable future option – particularly for blind readers.

Best gadgets for the kitchen: Kitchen 

accessories to buy in 2013

Best kitchen gadgets to help you cook up a storm

1. Best Grills: Philips Avance Taste Infusion

This glorified barbecue lets you infuse your meat with lovely smoke, wine and herb flavours via the reservoirs at the back. Only the middle of the grill has the heat for proper charring, though the edges still come out very tasty.

Price: £95 | Link: philips.co.uk

2. Best Grills: George Foreman Family Grill & Melt

Fat drains smartly into the drip tray on this lean, mean, etc machine, whilst your meat sears beautifully in between scorching hot plates. It’s a tad on the small side though – maybe George Foreman’s “Family” isn’t any too peckish.

Price: £70 | Link: georgeforeman.co.uk

3. Best Grills: Russell Hobbs 3 in 1

This capable budget offering sears furiously and can be opened out for one-sided grilling, or used as a press. Features are limited beyond that, and it’s the only one here whose non-stick plates are not removable.

Price: £35 | Link: uk.russellhobbs.com

4. Best Grills: Tefal XL health grill

Tefal’s griller has a manual thermostat, but is still hot enough to get a proper sizzle on. Whether you open up the grill hotplate-style or use it conventionally, there’s loads of room for meat and veg. Ugly but effective.

Price: £90 | Link: tefal.co.uk

Future Gadgets: Hottest concept tech of 2013

This month's hottest tech visions

 January 2013: Ka-mu-ra

This tiny snapper designed for Japanese retailer Muji aims for simplicity both in its form factor and in use. With two touch interfaces that you can interact with via finger gestures, the button-less camera uses an accelerometer to recognise which of the surfaces you are using to avoid confusion. Specs-wise there’s an 8-megapixel sensor with LCD flash, mini USB charging support and 4GB of built-in storage.

Designer: Forrest Radford

 May 2012: Circle printer

The words 'printer' and 'sexy' don't generally go hand in hand, but if they looked a bit more like this “courteous printer” we’d happily invest more time and money in one instead of waiting to do our printing at work instead. Swirling the paper around a vertical drum the finished print out arrives at the bottom of the bucket design and with minimalist looks shouldn't take up too much of the computer area in your house.

Designer: Yang Jae Wook

 May 2012: Facebook Phone UI

Reports of Zuck’s attempts to break into the smartphone-making business has once again surfaced and it’s not taken long for someone to second guess what the Facebook founder could have planned if the latest stories prove true. This mock-ups suggests that the social networking wonder will be deeply integrated into the operating system and largely inspired by design of the existing smartphone app. All we ask is that it’s not called ChaCha if it does land.

Designer: Jay Moon

 May 2012: Acer smartphone concept

One day maybe Acer will make a smartphone that will be universally loved and maybe it will look something like this gorgeous-looking concept. The Android 4.0 smartphone with two ‘chins’ uses the lower one to display icons and apps and the other dedicated to the camera. Available in a variety of colours, Hsus suggests the phone would feature the latest quad-core chip processor technology. Let’s hope Acer are keeping an eye on these slick designs…

Designer: Dan Hsus

 April 2012: iPad Mini

With rumours of Apple releasing a smaller version of the iPad swirling around the net, it’s no surprise that a few people have gone to the effort to illustrate just what it might look like. These pictures give a good idea of the size difference we can expect if speculation is anything to go by, which still isn’t a huge difference when compared to the iPhone sitting alongside it. And if you want an even better idea, Ciccarese Design have made a printable paper version of the 7.85 iPad for you to hold in your eager hands.

Designer: Ciccarese Design

. April 2012: Halo

We particularly like Halo. Not just because the concept product is incredibly stylish, but because we can also see it being extremely useful. Halo is a small electronic business card, built like a very tiny tablet. The diminutive device stores and displays a copy of your business card just like the physical version, then all users have to do is touch their Halo with someone else’s and their cards will be exchanged. Saves sifting through those piles of tattered cards on your desk.

Designer: Fitorio Leksono

 April 2012: Rieul-Useful

When’s a yacht not a yacht? When it’s pretty much a floating home. The Rieul-Useful comprises of two floors: the top consists of two bedrooms, a lounge and kitchen; the bottom is a private dock with space for a single hull yacht up to 15m long. The whole thing has a very art deco look to it, and perfect for those who want the life at sea without skimping on the luxury amenities.

Designer: Hyun-Seok Kim