Until someone designs a product that never needs to be charged, and therefore never needs a cable to connect it from device to outlet, the tools that organize our micro-USB and 30-pin charger messes are the difference between clutter and sanity. The other attribute we should think about is style. There are many cheap, plastic spring-loaded cable winders that I found are prone to winding into a ball that looks like a cat fiddled with it. On the other hand, there are products like the Roll Up Travel Charger from Restoration Hardware. Continue reading →

If you’re an avid photographer like me then you know sometimes you need a tripod to take that perfect shot. Whether it’s low light conditions, shooting videos or anytime you should keep your shutter open just a little bit longer – a good tripod will do the work.

When considering photography gear, there are a lot of tripods out there which are usually quite expensive and not too comfortable to carry while on the go. Meet the GorillaPod by Joby – One of the most flexible, compact yet super stable tripods out there. Continue reading →

I always wear my headphones when I ride my bicycle. And I cycle around a huge, traffic-swollen city: New York. I’m usually worried on some level that I’ve disabled an important sense; it’s important to hear to be safe on a bike in New York City. But do you really want to just listen to the taxis beeping at you and rumbling, down-shifting delivery trucks instead of your favorite song?

With mechanics I don’t completely understand, but I am nevertheless excited for, earHero headphones allow you to manage your distractions without risk of accident. Continue reading →

What on Earth is 4K? It seems like there is no end to screen resolutions, and they get sharper and sharper. I wouldn’t be surprised that at some point TV screen resolutions get so clear that something will happen to our physiology. Until that point, it’s exciting to see what technology companies engineer to improve visual clarity.

Leave it to television standard-bearers Sony to push this impressive 4K into popular electronics. The term refers to a screen resolution of 4096 x 2160 pixels. Confusing? Put another way, 4K is four times our current high-definition screen resolution, 1080p. Continue reading →

Sitting down to read a book is a simple activity, a behavior like drinking a glass of water. Whether you’re patient enough to stay seated and finish a chapter is different. But reading a book is basically a two-step process: take book out of bookcase; open binding and read. The Kobo Mini, a compact version of the Kobo Inc.’s eReader, seems to emphasize this “it’s easy to read” principle, only in electronic form. Continue reading →

Power cables are abundant and cluttering. The number of our devices grows, and meters of wire accumulate. Laptop speakers are too weak, and really clear, durable speakers are too big. Desks tend to take up too much space, and their size seems disproportionate to their function. Either they were just excited to experiment with the idea, or La Boite Concept was thinking of all these impediments to the modern workspace when they designed the LD120, a laptop desk and speaker system combination. Continue reading →

Bose is well known for obsessive, scientific attention to sound quality. Their various products, speakers, stereos, headphones, and home theater systems all tend to trump whomever is the competitor. And as important as sound is to personal enjoyment, Bose moves into the sonic arena of the outdoor backyard barbecue arena. Continue reading →

When I caught a glimpse of the new ZTONE earphones from i-mego, I had to take a second look. Their unique award-winning design features custom-molded ear gel that form-fits and locks in your ear, delivering the perfect fit, sound quality, and style. You have to listen to it to believe it. Continue reading →

These days, interaction with computers seems to be based on swipes and pinches. Less and less we hear the plunky typing associated with standard keyboards. If we’re typing anything, it tends to be silent, our fingers rapping on a tablet screen. A little late to the tablet and touchscreen tech world, but nevertheless transforming their business to fit the new technology, Microsoft designed the Wedge, a mouse with an exceptionally minimalist form made for Windows 8’s touch technology. Continue reading →

If most design trends didn’t already make it clear, our future is flat. Not boring, that is, but flush, full of industrially designed products admiring the sharp square and smoothness of the untouched surface of a lake.

The new DesignLine TV from Philips is a companion to this flatly designed future. Consisting of a single sheet of glass, when turned off, the DesignLine looks more like a spotless window than a television. Because of its sleek form, the DesignLine can be arranged just about anywhere in a room and look attractive. Continue reading →