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25 Mind-Blowing Gadgets
February 18th, 2008 in Monday Inspiration | 102 Comments
Few weeks ago we’ve presented a number of innovative gadgets, devices, designs and concepts. Unless explicitly specified, none of them has been officially released or produced yet, and none of them is currently available for end-users. But what about existing products? What about innovative designs which are already available in stores and can be bought straight away?
As part of our monday inspiration series we present 25 mind-blowing gadgets and devices which are already available today. Among them you’ll find loudspeakers, turntables, TV sets, furniture, laptop sleeves and further accessories. Please notice: most of them aren’t cheap at all, and many of them cost over $10,000.
You might want to take a look at
- the article Innovative Designs and Devices which covers innovative, futuristic gadgets, devices, designs and concepts, and
- further articles from our Monday Inspiration series.
BeoLab 4 PC
BeoLab 4 PC is a no-fuss version of the popular BeoLab 4, optimised to bring outstanding stereo sound to the desktop. All it takes is a mini-jack cable from your computer, portable music player or any other source with a headphone jack. Price: $990.
Bowers & Wilkins Zeppelin iPod Speakers
Zeppelin is an integrated iPod speaker system from Bowers & Wilkins. Zeppelin fills a room with stereo sound and deliver a pretty unique musical performance. Simple yet effective design. Detailed CNET review. Price: $599.
Retro Sixties Radio
A sexy green “Sixties” AM/FM-radio, with a nostalgic style, power LED indicator and adaptor jack (3 x AA batteries not included) which is also available in pink.
Philips Aurea
Philips Aurea is a 42″ Flat TV with Pixel HD and Ambilight Spectra. The sensorial halo of Ambilight Spectra creates a new dimension to the viewing experience. The Active Frame extends the light and atmosphere of the image outside the screen in a kaleidoscope of colours. Philips promises: “you feel fully immersed in the images, viewing becomes a more intensive experience than you could ever imagine.” Price: £3000.
Sound Speaker System 500 XL
500 XL is a pretty unusual loud speaker system. “Sometimes bigger IS really better, especially when it comes to sound. That’s why we took a puny pair of earbuds, put them in Fred’s highly technical Way Big machine, and created 500XL - it’s 500 times the size of the original! How great will these look on your desktop alongside your mp3 player or PC?” Price: unknown.
Turntable Rega Planar 78
Known for its tonearms, Rega makes a fine range of turntables including the Planar 78 — a mono turntable that only plays old-old-old-school 78s. The highest care has gone into the design, which uses Rega’s ultra-low-vibration state-of-the-art rigid-mounted motor assembly. The platter is metallised, giving good mass and accuracy. Price: £224 - £3,850 excluding arm. [via Wallpaper]
Alpha TV Love
Alpha is a TV set composed of two slender elements joint by a frame in chrome tube within which the special wirings are pulsing. A choice which comes from the rejection of the assumed bidimensionality of common LCD screens, always supported by a cumbersome pedestal, and which focuses on a new layout with the capability of containing the space required by electronics and DVD player. Price: unknown. [via Wallpaper]
Lunch Bags
The same oilcloth that covers your kitchen table can transport your children’s lunches — or your own — in leak-free style. These reusable lunch bags will cut back on waste since they can simply be washed with a damp sponge (oilcloth is not washing-machine safe). Use a single pattern for the whole bag, or cut out complementary patterns or solid colors for side panels. You can attach small Velcro tabs to hold the bags closed, or clip the tops with colorful wooden clothespins.
KEF Muon Loudspeaker System
KEF Muon loudspeaker is fabricated from super-formed aluminium, which uses a similar moulding process to vacuum forming. It uses malleable sheets of heated alluminium to achieve otherwise impossible shapes. Price: $150,000.
MX Air: Rechargeable Air Mouse
MX Air: on your desk, advanced laser technology is supposed to provide you with precise tracking and instant response. In the air, innovative Freespace motion sensing transforms hand motions into responsive cursor controls.
Deco Lounger
Fortress Seating’s stylish Deco Lounger loveseat splits in two. Supersized at 72 inches wide and 60 inches deep, the Deco Lounger can be pushed together to accommodate one loving couple or one sprawling TV viewer—or split into two parts for those times when you want a little more personal space.
Proclaim Speaker DMT-100
Fortress Seating’s stylish Proclaim Speaker DMT-100 has pivoting arms which allow the DMT-100’s midrange and tweeter enclosures to be moved up, down, forward, backward, and side-to-side. They’ve done away with rectilinear speaker cabinets altogether. Price: $25,999.
Credits: Techgadgets.in, Hemagazine]
Nokia Prism
Nokia Prism is a mobile phone adorned with bold geometric patterns, beveled surfaces and vibrant color accents. Price: $250.
On/Off Mug
“At plain sight On/Off Mug is a standard black mug as they come a dime a dozen and in big white letters it say OFF. Nothing fancy, but once you add the hot beverage of your choice, the mug changes color and is turning white and in big black letters it states: ON. Dishwasher safe of course!” Price: $25. [via Neatorama]
Drink Selector Mug
Drink Selector Mug allows you to define your preferences just on your mug. Twist rings to reveal your choice of drink and your milk and sugar preferences. Among available options: Decaf, Mocha, Tea, Latte, Cappuccino, Herb Tea, Hot Chocolate, plus various further options to get your morning drink just the way you like it. Price: $23.99.
9 to 5 Laptop Sleeve
At last! 9 to 5 Laptop Sleeve is a laptop sleeve that you can bring with you to corporate America. Designed with a heavy duty vinyl and padded with 1/4 fabric backed foam. Flannel lining may vary depending on availability. Price: $40.
Laptop Hideaway
Laptop Hideaway is made to sit on the floor next to your couch (or bed, chair, or desk). It keeps your laptop protected, easy to reach, and hidden away from view. Works with 15.4-inch laptops-both widescreen and standard. $49.99.
Dynamic Life Shirts: Proximity Effect
You both wear these 8-Bit Dynamic Life shirts, and the closer you get to each other, the more hearts light up on your chest. Its default state has two hearts a-glowing, displaying that special place she has in your heart even when you’re far away. Get within hugging distance, and the removable animated decals go nuts with all six hearts a-blazin’. Price: $25. [via Dvice]
Tik-Tak Clock
Tik-Tak Clock: “I wanted to express time differently – with a decorative impact as well as a practical function. The powder coated shades of grey give depth to the piece, whilst the red second hand emphasises time’s continual movement.” Price: £89.00 [via Watchismo]
Squeezebox Duet
Squeezebox Duet is a network music system. It allows you to play songs stored on your PC, tune in to Web radio stations, or connect to online services such as Pandora and Rhapsody. Plus, the multi-room controller with 2.4-inch color display and scroll-wheel navigation enables you to browse, select, and play music from the palm of your hand. $399.99.
BTC Dual Monitor 150 DS
BTC 150 DS is a dual monitor both of which is flexible enough to change its position according to your needs. Price: unknown.
Logitech Di-Novo Mini & Di-Novo Edge
“All you long-time diNovo loving fans can take heart — Logitech’s finally given a major overhaul to our favorite ultraslim, tactile, stylie keyboard and mouse. The new diNovo Edge (which runs on Bluetooth, of course) finally fixes some of the long standing issues we’ve had with the keyboard, including having an integrated battery (plus dock / charging cradle, much like Logitech’s mice have long since had — a single charge should supposedly last two months), light-up function keys that show which key mode you’re in.”
PieLamp + Bookshelf
Pretty colorful and unusual design solution — for a lamp and a bookshelf. Price: unknown.
Bonus: Home Theater
No, it’s not for sale, but it should be! The music engineer Jeremy Kipnis sure knows his entertainment. His gigantic home entertainment system is not only filthy posh, it’s actually quite a bargain for US $6 million. The picture elements alone are composed of a Sony SRX-S110 Professional Video Projector with a 4,096-by-2,160 resolution and the Stewart Snowmatte 1.0 Gain Laboratory-Grade Motion Picture Screen stands at a mammoth 18 x 10-foot which is nearly equivalent to an actual theater screen viewed from the balcony!” [via BornRich]
Bonus: Computer and Coffee On The Go
The Yuno PC is a new personal computer concept designed to help you get the most out of your morning without holding you back or constraining you to a desktop PC. Everyone has their own routine, what they read, watch, listen to, and of course drink. The Yuno PC mug incorporates all the important morning alerts such as weather, time, traffic, stocks, and more on its touchscreen display. You can also display your own images as a screensaver if you just want to relax. It lets you enjoy the morning the way you deserve to, stress free and highly caffeinated.
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David (February 18th, 2008, 2:43 am)
Awesome selection of technology and some great innovative ideas in there too :D
Andrew E (February 18th, 2008, 2:47 am)
Nice! I want them all
Marc (February 18th, 2008, 2:48 am)
This is a great selection of gadgets. Thanks a lot :)
gr8pixel (February 18th, 2008, 2:55 am)
lol… awesome stuff!!!
psd2markup (February 18th, 2008, 2:55 am)
the on/off mug is very cool for your desk, the proximity t-shirt is a perfect gift for you and your girlfriend, and the loudspeakers are the perfect gift for my home :D So, my birthday was on February 14 and u haven’t gave me anything :D
chandan (February 18th, 2008, 2:59 am)
asesome again
Gerd Wippich (February 18th, 2008, 3:01 am)
Some really cool stuff. But I’m not sure if I want weather, time, traffic, stocks with my morning coffee – traffic and stocks give the stress I search to avoid…
Zul (February 18th, 2008, 3:11 am)
The second picture under the KEF Muon Speakers is not the KEF Muon. Its the Steinway Lyngdorf Model D - another very expensive and very good sound system I’ve had the pleasure to listen to.
imaginepaolo (February 18th, 2008, 3:18 am)
Beauiful list, i want them all, now!
Link [www.imaginepaolo.com]
hongkiat (February 18th, 2008, 3:23 am)
I’ll take the 500xl speakers :-)
mee (February 18th, 2008, 3:40 am)
Coool, like a best of Gizmodo ;-)
superxtian (February 18th, 2008, 3:53 am)
so cooool stuff
Sacha (February 18th, 2008, 3:57 am)
Nice selection, but it sounds like you just copy paste the press release or another website’s text. It’s no big deal, but in the interest of transparency maybe you could add quotes around each blurb ?
If the text is actually written by smashing magazine staff then never mind.
John (February 18th, 2008, 4:15 am)
Aurea is interesting.
pickupjojo (February 18th, 2008, 4:22 am)
Nice stuff, I like it!
(you can check my blog, there’s a lot of things like that)
John (February 18th, 2008, 4:22 am)
Aurea is interesting. I’d love to watch my movies with ambient lights ;)
Peter (February 18th, 2008, 4:31 am)
Those massive headphones and on/off coffee cup are seriously cool.
Peer Wandiger (February 18th, 2008, 4:43 am)
Very interestiing list of gadgets. I would love to have some of these. The dynamic life shirts are nice. Must be a bestseller on valentines day. But i love the Proclaim Speaker. They are looking so great.
ronnie (February 18th, 2008, 5:47 am)
Is there like anyone in the world who likes the Nokia Prism design?
web design, almog , media design (February 18th, 2008, 5:48 am)
This is just cool !!!
Scherii (February 18th, 2008, 6:24 am)
Great list! Thanks!
btw: It is called _Philips_ xD not Philis..
ben requena (February 18th, 2008, 6:31 am)
Typo in “Philis (Philiips) Aurea” Headline.
Helen (February 18th, 2008, 6:59 am)
OMG! Those are amazing! Laptop accessories and the mug are favourite! Unbelievable!
João Cunha (February 18th, 2008, 8:39 am)
Yees. Thanks fo the excelent ideas presented here. In these days is very important to create interesting creative advertising items and this article just gave me a few ideas to develop. thanks again, you are smashing.
cssbit (February 18th, 2008, 8:42 am)
Oui je trouve que ces produits sont trés utiles
bravo
John (February 18th, 2008, 8:48 am)
I like the bookshelf / lounger. The $6 million home theater is so practical.
Jordan Reed (February 18th, 2008, 9:25 am)
My favorite has got to be the On/Off coffee mug.
Hashim (February 18th, 2008, 9:38 am)
I like that idea of Hearts in T shirt, sexy chicks in that monitor post :D
iExercises (February 18th, 2008, 10:11 am)
wah! those are some amazing gadgets I would love the logitech di novo :D
Brian (February 18th, 2008, 10:13 am)
Available today? Not the 500 XL speakers, as far as I can see. What a tease.
jbast56 (February 18th, 2008, 11:07 am)
Way Cool!
Tim (February 18th, 2008, 11:13 am)
Awesome collection! For a trading addict like me - that ON/OFF coffee mug just did it! Buying one online now!
Shane (February 18th, 2008, 11:36 am)
The Laptop Hideaway - that seems like a good idea - I’m constantly propping my Laptop and Macbook up against the end of the sofa.
I prefer most of the others though - but budget doesn’t permit me to splash out!
Tony (February 18th, 2008, 12:09 pm)
The 500x Desktop earbud speakers will be 39.99$, it looks like they are coming soon.
Ben (February 18th, 2008, 12:22 pm)
A turntable to play 78, that’s what i need.
Januária (February 18th, 2008, 1:05 pm)
can´t reach on/off mug link. it points to the bags.
very cool and hot mug!
nensondubois (February 18th, 2008, 1:28 pm)
I want that on/off mug and everything else here as well.
Graphic Design Studio (February 18th, 2008, 2:58 pm)
Mine …. mine …. mine ….. mine …. I want … mine …. :)))))))
Super collection
aravind (February 18th, 2008, 5:57 pm)
cooool collection!
but The link to On/Off Mug points to Lunch Bags
Open English (February 18th, 2008, 6:00 pm)
Some of these are really cool, I love the laptop hideaway and I so want one of those shirts. I’m not loving the iPod headphone speakers though.
lily (February 18th, 2008, 7:47 pm)
Thanks for the great and motivating post! I fully agree with you. Do check out Link [www.subconscious-mind.org,] they have a whole host of interesting and helpful articles.
PremiumWP (February 18th, 2008, 8:48 pm)
Cool gadgets. Thanks for the interesting list.
Shalini (February 18th, 2008, 10:23 pm)
A Real fabulous compilation partiularly the sleeve jacket laptop cover and on / off mug!!! Keep posting more such articles! Kudos to the efforts..
Edi (February 18th, 2008, 11:49 pm)
as always gr8 article, gr8 gadgets
PrabhakaranG (February 19th, 2008, 1:07 am)
I would really go with these collections as the best & innovative for human’s daily usage items: On/Off Mug, Logitech keyboard, Laptop bag. Great gadgets. Keep posting more.
Thanks
PrabhakaranG
iguide23 (February 19th, 2008, 7:28 am)
great gadgets, but how much do they cost?
anthonybruno (February 19th, 2008, 8:31 am)
More laptop cases please.
Creativepayne (February 19th, 2008, 8:57 am)
Philips Aurea sounds very interesting
Reginald (February 19th, 2008, 9:30 am)
I really enjoyed this post. I won’t mind getting my hands on the laptop sleeve. By the way, that clock is something else.
evilERT (February 19th, 2008, 10:21 am)
all of them have amazing design… but i agree with reginald that the clock is really something else , just a little bit look is enough to get hypnotized
Matty (February 19th, 2008, 1:51 pm)
haha that’s so cool!
That Coffee gadget is sick!
The Clock is insane!
Most of all the other ones are awesome too! :)
Jason Reed (February 19th, 2008, 2:32 pm)
Some pretty cool stuff, definitely some far fetched ideas. Weather updates on my coffee mug would be awesome but I have to say totally impractical.
On the other side of the coffee spectrum, that ON/OFF mug is awesome!
EdsKeizer.nl (February 19th, 2008, 2:42 pm)
I like the Sound Speaker System 500 XL, Tik-Tak Clock and the On/Off Mug. Great list.
joe (February 19th, 2008, 4:44 pm)
I checked out the link for the home theater system. I can’t imagine where they happened to hide all the wiring. In one pic, you can see the back of the speaker where the wires are supposed to go and voila!, there are no wires hooked up to it.
Marlyse Comte (February 19th, 2008, 9:15 pm)
Cool gadgets! Especially fun I thought the heart T-shirt and the on/off coffee cup.
Jason Dugmore (February 20th, 2008, 3:40 am)
What about the Macbook air?
Dan Loffler (February 20th, 2008, 6:35 am)
You guys are losing me. I don’t visit SM for this, if I want cool gadgets I’ll go to gizmodo.
Dan
douglas pine (February 20th, 2008, 8:58 am)
true, the 500xl speakers are a funny visual gag. we’ve all see them a hundred times, earlier this year on the interblog. sadly, they don’t seem to be available for sale. the awful photoshop composite is a dead giveaway of their vaporwareness. the dilbert laptop case is just plain gay. if it were constructed from actual shirts etc, it’d be a different story. vinyl? poor choice. thanks, china.
d. pine
ps-do what you do best…create unique and useful content. leave the novelties and executive toys to fingerhut or skymall.
smashpOp (February 21st, 2008, 10:00 am)
omg! ill buy the 500XL speakers if i have the chance! :D
Keeling (February 23rd, 2008, 12:25 am)
The PieLamp is my favorite. A matching light switch cover with a customizable color key would be a nice add-on : )
BOOBERRYBOO (March 2nd, 2008, 5:05 pm)
SWEEET I LOVE ALL THESE AND WANT THEM ALLLLLL
Aaron (March 3rd, 2008, 7:31 pm)
Awesome stuff! And by the way, I’m a spelling nazi: It’s “for sale,” not “for sell,” and “caffeinated.”
Martin (March 6th, 2008, 10:13 am)
The book shelf is realy blowing my mind ;-)
Tyler (March 8th, 2008, 10:44 pm)
What the…? That stuff is like WOAH.
trya (March 10th, 2008, 7:14 pm)
the stuffs really great! i want it all soooo bad;)
Pablo (March 11th, 2008, 7:30 am)
Bad taste technology…:-S
david (March 11th, 2008, 7:47 pm)
Oh! I really like the Dynamic Life Shirts. How romantic :)
nope (March 18th, 2008, 11:01 am)
All of this Shite is useless garbage. Honestly, useless, stupid garbage. Where the feck are the jet packs, super lasers and all that gid darn shite I cannot even fathom!
This is all weak. So very weak. Mind blowing gadgets? These are typical bourgeois trinkets. Mind blowing? Really? Honestly?
All of the time and money that went into this crap would be better suited elsewhere. Sickening. Everyone here is a peasant, wtf are you doing praising this?
Darren T. (March 18th, 2008, 11:06 am)
This stuff is iceberg cool!
MReilly (March 18th, 2008, 12:03 pm)
I couldn’t agree more. This list is like a parody - there is not one single item on this list I would even take if given to me for free, let alone pay money for. “Mind-blowing” - yeah, right!! Mind blowing in the sense that you realize how shallow and pathetic your mind would really be if you actually coveted any of this stupid BS.
Whenever I hear anyone complain about the idiotic consumer culture in this country and how people are being conditioned by large marketing corporations to buy nonsense products they don’t need, I’ll be sure to refer them to this site to help confirm their claims.
Thomas J (March 20th, 2008, 4:56 pm)
A retro 60’s radio is “mind-blowing”? Lame.
pakDe (April 15th, 2008, 12:08 am)
awesome