Category — Office Gadgets

For the man who must at all times, know the time, in at least six different timezones…the Icelink 6Timezone Snow Collection.

Now that the endless speculation surrounding the 3G iPhone has finally ended, the only question that remains unsolved is how you will play on your new iPhone while at work without being exposed as a worthless slacker.

Well, just turn it into a book!

via unplggd

Aside from the fact that you would look like a massive geek by working on one of these, I think it would actually be pretty awesome.  The VisionStation by Elumens is a low-cost 3D viewing system that creates a sense of space and depth through a fully immersive 160° display screen.  Depending on the quality of the screen resolution, this could be a great solution for people who get claustrophobic sitting in their cubicles.  Just imagine being able to do your work while enjoying the sensory illusion of being at the beach.  Get bonus points by placing a rotating fan behind you to get the feeling of a soft wind breeze on your neck.

via CoolHunter 

I wouldn’t mind testing out one of these concept Glass Touch-Keyboards from designer Kong Fanwen.  The keyboard is made of a etched sheet of glass, a camera, and a light source, so when you type the camera translates the point of contact on the glass to a corresponding letter command.

via Gizmodo 

Apple’s highly anticipated keynote at WWDC took place this morning to a sold out venue. The main topic of interest was of course the new 3G iPhone, which will be in stores on July 11th.

So what can we look for in the new iPhone? Appearance wise it remains similar to the original, but with thinner edges, a glossy black plastic back, and a flush headphone jack. It will be significantly cheaper this time around at just $199 for the 8GB and $299 for the 16GB (with a 2-year contract of course). Feature-wise the 3G network connection tops the list, allowing for much faster internet browsing. It will also come with a new feature called MobileMe, which automatically syncs your email, contacts, events, and photos with the phone. It comes GPS enabled, and even features a GPS assisted social networking feature from Loopt that allows you to see which of your buddies are nearby. Also, get ready for more third-party applications than you can handle, as Apple will be shipping “tools used internally to build iPhone Apps”. A dozen great applications were also demoed at the keynote, Sega’s Super Monkey Ball, and an auction tracker from Ebay. In terms of battery usage the iPhone will have 300 hours of standby battery life, 8-10 hours of 2G talk time, 5 hours of 3G talk time, 7 hours of video, and 24 hours of audio.

Firmware 2.0 will become available in July, and will be free for current iPhone owners, and $9.99 for iPod Touch owners.

I am pleased to announce that I have finally discovered a way to combat the notoriously annoying Office Drummer. Who is this Office Drummer you ask? The Office Drummer is that person who just so happens to be located in the cubicle next to you. The person who spends half the day tapping their fingers on the desk as they ponder menial tasks, without even a hint of regard for your sanity. These people create senseless rhythms by tapping their feet against the cubicle divider while simultaneously rolling their fingernails against the top of their wooden desks.

Although I am usually a very upfront person, when dealing with instances like these, I typically enjoy playing the passive aggressive card, which is why this Waiting Machine Finger by Chris Eckert is all too perfect for getting back at the Office Drummer. While I have never had the patience, or dexterity to beat the tappers at their own game by doing my own tapping, this automated finger tapper is guaranteed to do the trick. Check out the video below!

If you happen to be searching for an appropriate birthday gift for a female colleague at your office, then look no further. Every man knows that both chocolate and diamonds are a sure bet to gain the favor of a womans affection, so why not give her both by combining the Diamanta Mouse with Michael Sholk’s Chocolate Keyboard.  Absolutely perfect if said female colleague happens to share your immense interest in Warcraft.

As you may recall, I recently gave some tips on how to apply Feng Shui to your cubicle, one of which was to add a plant to your desk to symbolize the growth of success. Well I took my own advice, but sadly I have not had much success taking care of it. Between all the phone-calls, emails, staff meetings, and last minute projects, I keep forgetting to water the plant. Which is why I am rooting for this Digital Plant Pot concept by Junyi Heo to materialize. It diagnoses your plants health by measuring soil conditions, temperature, humidity, and water levels. It will even drain excess amounts of water! As with anything that is awesome these days, it is USB powered. More pics after the jump!

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Like many other young and foolishly ambitious working professionals out there, I am constantly on the lookout for new ways to squeeze more productivity out of my day. Despite the fact that I already spend 9 hours in front of a computer per day at the office, plus another 3 or 4 at home, I have been waiting anxiously for a revolutionary new product that would allow me to send just a few more emails per day, without sacrificing my biological necessities like food, and occasional sleep. Well luckily for me, it appears that my wait has finally come to an end. Japan’s Thanko is now offering the water resistant plastic laptop sleeves, which allow you to finish that important PowerPoint presentation while you shower! Best of all, its conveniently priced at ¥1980 (appx. US$20), so theres no need for you to spend hours trying to modify one of those Ziploc freezer bags!

All joking aside, I can see how one of these might come in handy while traveling, but why not just use a laptop case?

TechnaBob via OhGizmo

Apple recently filed a patent for a device-covering solar film that could be used to charge an iPod or iPhone via exposure to sunlight. The patent also includes the use of photovoltaic cells stacked underneath the devices LCD touch screens to maximise surface area exposed to the sun, a technology similar to one recently patented by Motorola. While it might seem like a good idea at a glance, and not to mention applausable from an eco-friendly perspective, I can’t help but wonder how practical the feature would be for the average user at this time since the thin solar cell film required for the initiative is currently not efficient enough to provide a proper charge without leaving your device in the sun all day, which is just a tad bit too far away from the safety of my pocket for my own comfort…plus don’t they usually say to keep electronics out of the sun? Then again I’m all for finding new sources of energy, and solar powered devices are all the rage these days, so lets hope that Apple manages to turn this into something viable.

Engadget via DVICE