Top 10 face masks including the world’s first emotional LED mask to help you stay safe in the third wave

In 2020 face masks became an integral part of our outfits. We may forget our smartwatch or even our smartphone, but forgetting our face mask? That’s a major no-no. And just when we thoughts our days of religiously wearing masks every day were slowly fading away, the Omnicron variant emerged in all its glory! With whispers of a third wave and an upcoming lockdown slithering in the air, it’s time we get prepared for such a scenario. And if you’re going to be bulk stocking face masks, then we have a whole variety of super innovative ones for you. Face masks have come a long way from the typical N95 design we had all grown so accustomed to. From the world’s first emotional LED mask to a mask with an in-built mic and speakers – these face mask designs will have you going gaga over their smart and futuristic tech! It’s a new era of face masks, and we’ve curated the best of the lot for you.

1. The Qudi Mask

The world’s first emotional LED mask was unmasked at CES 2022 by Qudi. Consisting of translucent eye goggles and an attached mouth coverage, the mask includes 199 smart LED pixels. Equipped with seven modes, each boasting different LED displays, the mask even contains a robot mode. The robot mode expresses six emotions such as love, smile, shocked, confused, angry, and a cat face as well! The demo mode is quite interesting since it allows the mask to alternate between 12 built-in animations! Whereas the equalizer mode enables the mask to respond to the volume of music being played. Pretty cool, no?

2. The Airable

The Airable is, at least on paper, a rather slim AR-headset-shaped device with air vents on the forehead facing downwards, and a clear plastic visor to prevent the gust of wind from blowing directly in your eyes. One could easily imagine that the Airable has a built-in filter of its own, which ensures that the air curtain only blows pure air (another research paper debates the use of ionized air to kill viruses instantly). Sounds pretty great on paper, and I definitely hope a team of designers and engineers are building or prototyping such a device.

3. The Venta

The Venta mask separates the conventional face mask into three simple parts. A transparent shield, two replaceable filters, and the head strap. Designed to highlight your expression, the mask comes with a flexible transparent TPU cover, with two air filters plugged into the side, working almost like a pair of gills on either side of the face. The air you breathe enters and exits through these filters, ensuring you inhale clean air, and exhale without letting respiratory droplets out into the atmosphere. While the mask is currently in its developmental/conceptual phase, one would imagine it comes with some sort of anti-fog coating on the inside that ensures the transparent mask doesn’t mist up on the inside with your breath. The filters also automatically change color when they need to be replaced, making it easier to know when your mask needs a fresh set of filters so that you’re always breathing clean air.

4. The Razer Zephyr

This face mask concept showcased a glossy, waterproof, and scratch-resistant shell, transparent by design to allow for lip-reading, and made from recycled plastic. The main attraction is the two circular ‘Active Ventilation’ discs that sit on the sides of your mouth and hold the reusable N95 filters that give a 95% filtration efficiency. As Razer says, “The Razer Zephyr is not a medical device, respirator, surgical mask, or personal protective equipment (PPE) and is not meant to be used in medical or clinical settings. It is not tested specifically against the COVID-19 virus but offers the same functionality and adequate protection due to its 99% BFE rating.”

5. The MaskFone

The MaskFone is a smart face mask equipped with wireless earbuds and a built-in microphone. It enables you to talk on call, or listen to music while you have your mask on! The mask also features control buttons, so you don’t really need to pull your phone out. MaskFone’s breathable and washable fabric also ensures that it lasts a lifetime! You can also add replaceable PM2.5 and N95/FFP2 filters to the mask for an extra level of protection.

6. The PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier

LG announced the latest version of the PuriCare Wearable Air Purifier (that’s an odd naming convention) that had three fans and a couple of HEPTA filters to keep most pathogens out. The new face mask has a smaller and lighter motor and built-in microphones and speakers. The latter helps in automatically amplifying the wearer’s voice when talking, courtesy of the VoiceON technology. For that matter, the techno Razer Project Hazel face mask has a similar tech to make communication easier. The improvements on the LG PuriCare don’t stop there as it weighs just 94 grams now and has a 1,000mAh battery with a recharge time of two hours.

7. The Blocc

Think of the Blocc as a helmet visor sans the helmet, fashionable enough to be worn on its own, and FDA-registered for daily use. Made from scratch-resistant fog-resistant clear polycarbonate, the Blocc is as easy (and as comfortable) as wearing a pair of spectacles, and protects your eyes, nose, and mouth—the main pathways to infection—from direct droplets, sprays, and splashes. Two temple stems suspend the Blocc by your ears while a nose-bridge allows the visor to rest comfortably against your nose and roughly an inch away from your face. The face shield itself is made from the same polymer as actual helmet visors (and even riot gear) and is engineered for crystal-clear, distortion-free visibility, allowing you to see through it with ease

8. The Airhead Mask

 The Airhead Mask was designed to play a pivotal role in that future. It comes with a slim, lightweight design that looks just as compact as a regular face mask, but under its hood lies a nanofiber filter that provides clean, 99% pure air directly to your nose and mouth. The mask’s overall design is focused on the people who’d like to be able to breathe clean air even with an active lifestyle. Designed by a group of passionate cyclists who wanted to stay healthy, Airhead was made to be a lightweight, ergonomic mask that provided clean, purified air directly to your nose and mouth while you worked out or just went about your day.

9. The Umai Facemask

Ruitao Li developed the Umai Facemask, a silicone face covering with a breathing valve, air filter, and small mouthpiece slot that can be used to eat and drink while wearing the mask. Users can fill their bottles with their preferred beverages and say goodbye to airplane dry mouths. The removable straw can even be swapped from Umai’s water bottle and used to drink from another one. Umai Facemask’s breathing valve and air filter also make wearing a face mask feel a little more comfortable. Powered up with a type-c charge, the air filter ensures that the air you’re breathing in is clean and fresh, while the breathing valve circulates the air inside the mask to avoid the damp humidity that comes with conventional face masks.

10. The Maasc

What sets the Maasc apart from your surgical grade mask or the N95 mask is its patented BreatheEase™ Fan which provides you with a breeze of purified air inside your mask. Unlike most masks that require you to breathe extra hard to pull air through those filters, Maasc does it for you, giving you both filtration and breezy comfort without that familiar stuffy feeling. The fan, which sits right in front of your face, pulls air from the outside and pushes it through the Maasc’s replaceable filter system.

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This fashionable smartwatch keeps track of your sleep and the air quality in your room

While most wearables are more focused on what you do when you are awake, this smartwatch is more concerned about getting the best sleep that you can.

Smartwatch sales have exploded in the past two or so years, eclipsing even the older smart fitness band categories, thanks to a sudden interest and obsession over personal health. While it’s good that people are now more conscious about staying active even at home, exercise, movement, and even diet don’t complete the whole fitness picture. Sleep plays an equally important role in staying healthy, and this smartwatch is just as concerned about that as it is with the rest of your body, including the air you breathe in at home.

Designer: Heyok Shin

Most smartwatches these days do keep track of sleep quality or length, but mostly as an afterthought. Sleep, however, is a critical part of our health, and length isn’t the only relevant metric to keep track of. In fact, different people need different amounts of sleep, so there’s no one size fits all recommendation. The ZOS smartwatch tries to take the mystery out of sleep management and analyzes sleeping habits in order to recommend better sleeping times and conditions. It also has features like smart alarms and even ASMR audio recordings to help induce sleep.

The ZOS smartwatch concept doesn’t exactly look like your typical smartwatch, especially with its elongated screen. It is, however, designed for maximum comfort since you are supposed to be wearing it even in your sleep. The choice of magnetic straps and leather material was made with that in mind, ensuring the wearer’s wrist won’t be irritated in the middle of the night, disrupting their sleep.

Sleep management is actually just one-half of the ZOS smartwatch’s purpose. The other half ties into the designer’s other concept, the CLOSSY air purifier and plant care cabinet in one. This smart home concept product can analyze the quality of air inside a room and keep an eye on the plant that will also help purify the air. While these pieces of information can be seen from a smartphone, the ZOS smartwatch is imagined to be the perfect companion for the CLOSSY product.

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Modular power bank concept uses a series of wireless snap-on battery ‘bookmarks’ to give your phone 30 hours of charge

Battery Pods is a smartphone charging system comprised of a smartphone charging case and magnetic battery strips to supply your smartphone with 1400mAh worth of charge.

Everyone needs a charger, but no one wants to carry one around. Battery packs are bulkier than your smartphone and wire chargers depend on an outlet to actually work. So the question of how our phones will get battery remains. PS Design Studio, known for conceptualizing smartphone accessories, tried their hand at a solution with Battery Pods, magnetic battery strips that charge your phone by attaching to an accompanying phone case.

Similar to the battery pack of Airpods, Battery Pods come in a convenient carrying case that charges on the go. Complete with seven battery strips, each Battery Pod comes with enough battery to keep your phone charged throughout the day.

To get your smartphone all charged up, Battery Pods comes with a removable phone case that latches onto your phone and leaves a landing strip where the battery packs can magnetically attach. Once the stirp to attached to the phone case, users can charge their smartphones on the go.

Each battery strip comes stocked with 1200 mAh, which, on a full charge, typically gives you 6-7 hours of phone usage time. The actual charging phone case comes with 3000 mAh worth of charge, giving you up to 30 hours’ worth of phone usage.

Conceptualized in an array of different colors, each battery strip keeps a color of its own, making it easier for users to decipher which battery strips have been used and which could still supply some charge.

Designer: PS Design

Seven magnetic battery strips fill the Battery Pods’ charging basin.

An accompanying phone case leaves a landing strip where the magnetic batteries can attach.

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This collection of biodegradable Christmas decor was designed to combat the waste produced during the holidays!

Winter With is a Christmas-themed collection of biodegradable home decor and accessories such as candles, side tables, and mugs.

While is Christmas is one of the most beloved holidays celebrated across the globe, it also creates a whole ton of waste. Whether it’s from indoor decorations, gift wrap, or tree ornaments, we collect a good amount of trash during the holiday season that only ends up in the landfill come the new year.

Designer: Jinwook Lee


While too much waste is never a good thing, no one wants to skimp out on the joy that comes with decorating the house with festive decorations for Christmas. Designer Jinwook Lee conceptualized a collection of biodegradable Christmas decorations and accessories called Winter With to scratch our holiday itch without hurting the environment.

Describing the collection’s origins, Jinwook explains, “There have been numerous incidents in 2021, but I think one of the most serious problems is the environmental problem…the plastic, which is thrown away too easily compared to huge plastic consumption, is causing animals to suffer and the environment to be destroyed at a faster rate than ever.”

In response, Jinwook designed Winter With, a Christmas-themed collection stocked with decor and accessories, from candle holders to side tables.

Inspired by the sight of falling snow, Jinwook’s Christmas-theme home collection is made entirely from recyclable and biodegradable plastics. Since most holiday items are used only for a short period of time before being discarded, Jinwook aimed to solve the issue of hard plastics ending up in landfills by the end of the year. Comprised of six different items, Jinwook’s Winter With collection will bring the holiday spirit to every home.

Santa is a match holder made from biodegradable plastic that appears as a micro-sized Santa hat with a Russian doll-inspired build. Initially appearing like a cute Christmas decoration, when users lift the hat of Santa, a pool of matches and striking surface is revealed. Winter With also features three different types of candles: Candle Ball, Leaf & Fruit, Red Shoe, and Woodbark.

Whereas the Candle Ball is a candle disguised as an ornament, Leaf & Fruit, Red Shoe, and Woodbark come with candle holders inspired by different winter scenes. Snowball is a trio of Christmas mugs that appear like stacked snowballs and Slope is a biodegradable plastic table built in the image of snow-covered slopes.

The Candle Ball appears like a traditional ornament but features a wick for candle lighting. 

Winter With features an array of different candles inspired by holidays scenes. 

The Tree accessory is a trio of Christmas mugs that stack together like snowballs.

Woodbark is made from copper, a type of metal that’s partly made up of recycled material.

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Top 10 Apple MagSafe Accessories that are the best investments of 2022 for tech lovers

The arrival of the iPhone 12 and 12 Pro models was accompanied by the reinvention and return of MagSafe, and it became an instant hit! There is a great sense of satisfaction, in my opinion, to have things just stick to your phone. Be it a pair of earphones (maybe that’ll be the next generation of AirPods) or have your phone just conveniently stick to a charging pad – it’s almost like magic! The reintroduction of the MagSafe led to a whole new world of accessories being unleashed! Designers and creatives were racing to create a whole range of products for the repurposed MagSafe. And we’ve been loving every bit of it! From a UFO-inspired MagSafe charger to a MagSafe car mount that doubles up as an air freshener – there’s a MagSafe accessory out there for your every need. And, we’ve curated a bunch of products that we truly believe are worth buying and investing in. This army of accessories will truly amp up your Apple experience!

1. The Fjorden

The Fjorden turns your iPhone into a hybrid DSLR. It physically snaps onto the back of your iPhone, giving you analog camera controls including a two-stage shutter button, a jog dial, a zoom slider, and even an extra multi-function button you can use to do stuff like trigger the flash. The overall form is comfortably tactile and grippy (and comes with the same texture found on cameras) and orients the buttons in a way that’s intuitive and easy to use (so you don’t have to sprain your thumb to reach the shutter button while holding your phone with the same hand). Moreover, the actual physical buttons allow you to use the camera with gloves on, an understated-yet-impressive upgrade to the iPhone camera experience).

2. The UFO MagSafe Wireless Charger

For geeks who want more than just a standard MagSafe charger for their den, the UFO MagSafe Wireless Charger will be the preferred choice. This cute-looking accessory for the Apple ecosystem is currently just a concept design, but we want to see it make it to the shelves. It’s like a UFO riding on the back of your iPhone 13 minus, all the shenanigans of gimmicky gadgets. The accessory is minimalistic in form and doesn’t go overboard with the spaceship design. UFO MagSafe strikes on first look and doesn’t fade away like other flashy accessories. In fact, it grows on me every time I have a glance at the realistic renders to churn out this write-up.

3. The Snapods

The Snapods by Scendo are a pair of TWS Earbuds that come with a flat case that snaps right to the back of your phone. Building wonderfully on the capabilities of the MagSafe feature introduced in the latest iPhones, the Snapods make carrying earphones convenient. Just snap them to the back of your phone and you’ve got yourself a pair of earphones that are easy to store, quick to access, and hard to lose. The case’s design is inspired directly by where it’s located. Made to sit against the back of your phone, the Snapods case comes with a flat, wedge-shaped profile, making it easy to slip your phone into your pocket. The slim case doesn’t just dock the earphones, it charges them too, giving you an impressive 45 hours of playtime.

4. The Chargepuck

The Chargepuck acts as a replacement for the wireless charging dock or mat you’ve probably got lying on your desk or somewhere at your bedside. Instead of being a static device that sits plugged into an outlet forever, the little puck sits attached to your iPhone and comes with its own retractable cable that lets you plug it in anywhere. The Chargepuck isn’t a battery pack (it doesn’t have its own battery inside it), but rather, it’s a charging apparatus that sits attached to your phone and lets you charge three devices at the same time.

5. The NUMBER ZERO

The NUMBER ZERO’s design comes with a clever bit of consideration that’s often overlooked by other companies. The mount’s design was created to look good even there’s NO phone mounted on it. Rather than just use that opportunity to slap a massive piece of branding onto the mount’s design, the NUMBER ZERO comes with a neat little kinetic animation that’s powered by the wind from the AC. The mount comes with a variety of animations to choose from, all of which feature a rotating element that’s powered by the wind coming off the AC vent at the back. The air from the vent pushes a series of gears that then cause the kinetic animation to gently rotate, allowing the NUMBER ZERO to look eye-catching even when the phone isn’t mounted in place.

6. Chau

Chau is a wireless charger that can be either mobile or stationary. Much like wireless chargers already on the market, Chau comes in two parts: a wireless charger and its charging dock. The charging dock can be plugged into any outlet and features two charging stations for Apple products. The raised charging station holds the auxiliary charger in place so users can either leave their phone to charge on the dock or dislodge the auxiliary charger from its magnetic port and charge on the go. Working from home, we don’t have all of the supplemental charging accessories that fill up the office and our appliances with juice. Chau is designed especially for new WFH circumstances, where we move from one room to the next with our iPhones in tow and our chargers left behind. With Chau, our iPhones can always have access to some extra battery juice.

7. The Gomi Wireless Mag Charger

With an output of 15W, the charger matches the power delivery of Apple’s own MagSafe Charger, albeit with a sustainable twist. The Gomi Wireless Mag Charger works with all wireless-charging enabled devices, allowing you to charge your phone, AirPods, and any other devices you may have. Its MagSafe compatibility works with iPhones 12 and future MagSafe models, allowing you to snap your phone right in place, aligning the wireless charging coils perfectly for uninterrupted charging.

8. The Magnetic Dual Powerbank

Dubbed a ‘wireless charging sandwich’ by The Verge, the Magnetic Dual Powerbank from Zens is quite literally the ‘meat’ in this equation, i.e., it brings all the flavor! The wireless power bank comes with not one, but TWO charging coils, located on either side of the device, letting you simultaneously charge two devices at a time. Zens’ Magnetic Dual Powerbank comes with an internal 4,000 mAh battery that’s good for 1.5 full smartphone charges. The power bank is MagSafe compatible on one side too, allowing you to easily snap your iPhone to it without worrying about alignment. The other non-magnetic side is good for your AirPods, or potentially even a second smartphone (if you’re that kind of person).

9. Iván Antón’s Apple TV 2021 Concept

In this vein, designer, Iván Antón has come up with an Apple TV 2021 concept, which comes with a wall plug built-in. Now that’s full marks for the compact build, but the practicality is debatable until we have something like this to use. Taking nothing away from the vision, I’m impressed with the concept of Apple TV’s ability to interact with Siri without the need of a remote. Furthermore, the new concept also integrates the MagSafe charger into the Apple TV unit, so the compatible remote can now be charged conveniently by sticking it to the back of the set-top box.

10. The Bellroy Mod Case

The Bellroy Mod Case gives your iPhone an aesthetic and functional makeover, cladding it in a grippy, non-slip leather robe that feels great to the touch, along with a snap-on card wallet that holds as many as 3 cards at a time. Designed to work with the MagSafe feature, the case + wallet comes in 4 leather-tanned colors, with a flex polymer bumper around the edge of the case, and a microfiber-lined inner to protect your phone and cards from getting scratched or damaged. The Mod Case goes beyond Apple’s leather cases with its eco-tanned, full-grain design. It highlights the leather’s wonderful grain, elevating the iPhone with its premium choice of material. The case supports Apple’s other MagSafe accessories including its wireless charger and is purpose-built to snap on Bellroy’s Mod Wallet.

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Wearable health monitoring gets stylish with these rings that can potentially watch your glucose

If smartwatches and fitness bands aren’t your thing, then something more discreet like this smart ring could still keep you on top of your health.

Although fitness trackers have been around for years, recent events have caused a surge not only in interest but also in sales. The arrival of smartwatches also made it easier for people to keep tabs on their bodies, and the Apple Watch’s plethora of health monitoring features have become the gold standard for these wearables. Not everyone, however, is willing to part with their favorite timepiece, and wearing a rugged-looking fitness band might clash with their preferred fashion style. Fortunately, there are companies already putting a ring on health, and Movano might have the most stylish one to rule them all.

Designer: Movano

Admittedly, there aren’t that many players in this smart ring market, at least the ones that are intended to keep track of health rather than giving wearers some techno-magical powers to control devices. The most notable of this bunch is perhaps Oura, but its style and size definitely don’t appeal to everyone. That’s where the Movano Ring comes in, offering an alternative that specifically caters to women that prefer something less conspicuous and even fashionable.

It’s easy to mistake the Movano Ring as a fashion accessory rather than a health tracker, coming in Gold, Silver, Copper, and Black colors. The open-loop or twisted design gives it more personality while also ensuring that it can adjust to any finger size. More importantly, you won’t see the bare electronics underneath, unlike on the Oura, at least if product renders are to be believed.

 

Movano’s wearable isn’t just a pretty face, though, and it promises the staple features you’d find on larger wearables. That includes measuring heart rate and heart rate variability, sleep, respiration, temperature, blood oxygen levels, steps, and calories. It correlates this data and transforms them into information and advice that most people will be able to understand, rather than having to rely on charts and graphs to try and make sense of all the figures.

The one thing holding back the Movano Ring is its availability, which might not happen until later this year. That does give it enough time to get FDA approval for some of the features that require regulatory clearance first. Even while preparing its first product, the young startup is already settings its sights high, putting resources into R&D for non-invasive glucose monitoring and cuffless blood pressure measuring, which could quickly put it ahead of the competition.

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Top 10 Apple Watch Accessories of 2021

Nightwatch Magnifying Apple Watch Charging Dock

Currently, the Apple Watch is the most popular watch globally, and this honestly doesn’t come as much of a surprise when you consider the number of people you see jogging or walking on the street with their Apple Watch armed on their wrists. In celebration of this one-of-a-kind watch, and in anticipation of what its latest version may unveil, we’ve curated a collection of nifty accessories that will perfectly complement your beloved Apple Watch. From the most inventive Apple Watch charging dock you’ll ever see to an accessory that lets you wear your Apple Watch as an armband for an improved workout experience – we’ve put together a range of diverse and interesting Apple Watch accessories that even hardcore Apple lovers will go gaga over!

1. The NightWatch

Nightwatch Magnifying Apple Watch Charging Dock

Nightwatch Magnifying Apple Watch Charging Dock

The NightWatch is a pretty simple accessory that enhances your Apple Watch’s abilities. It doesn’t come with its own charger but will let you hook your Apple Watch’s charger into it. Once assembled, you can easily slide your Apple Watch into its unique design, and that calibrated glass lens on the front enlarges the screen like a magnifying glass would, making numbers much more visible when your watch is in Nightstand mode. It comes with a patented system that even lets you tap the glass surface to ‘wake’ up your Apple Watch’s display, so you can read the time clearly… and when your watch’s alarm begins ringing, special acoustic channels designed in the NightWatch charging dock’s base help amplify your watch’s audio, making that alarm much louder. The NightWatch, unfortunately, doesn’t have a snooze button, so you’ll need to pull the smartwatch out of its dock to stop or snooze your alarm!

2. The ActionBand

While we use our Apple Watches outside of the gym, keeping an eye on our workout’s progress with activity tracking always helps to push our limits. Designing a new wristband made specifically for working out with your Apple Watch, Apple-inspired design group Twelve South created the ActionBand, a sweatband that can hold your Apple Watch. When working out, our grips make all the difference. So when sweat comes into play, a tight grip around dumbbells, barbells, and kettlebells becomes harder to maintain. No one wants to lose out on activities that might close our rings though, so Twelve South developed a solution.

3. Bellroy’s Apple Smartwatch Straps

Bellroy Leather Strap for Apple Watch

The smartwatch straps from Bellroy come with a durable elastomer base for comfort and to prevent slipping, but are then finished off with a wonderfully eye-catching eco-tanned leather top. The leather-elastomer blend gives the watch the best of both worlds. The leather brings back the watch’s most trusted strap material, giving the watch an authentically classic appeal, while the elastomer base on the strap prevents it from slipping on your wrist. Since the Apple Watch’s main hardware is fairly heavier than most regular watches, it succumbs to the effects of gravity, which is why having a rubbery base to the strap helps. A texture on the underside also promotes breathability, so the strap never makes your skin feel sweaty.

4. The ActionSleeve 2

Apple accessory designer Twelve South has released the ActionSleeve 2The ActionSleeve 2’s unique design ensures the Apple Watch Series 4 (and later) always remains in constant contact with the body, so there is no discrepancy in tracking parameters on the Fitness app. Most of us would prefer wearing the Apple Watch in its default position and deem the band worthless. In fact, that would be the case until you want to put on a pair of boxing gloves! The ActionSleeve 2 armband is meticulously designed to give people more flexibility to keep using the Apple Watch when an activity or sporting gear may restrict wearing it on the wrist or lead to discomfort. “If you’ve ever changed your Apple Watch band, you already know how ActionSleeve 2 works: 1. remove your current Apple Watch band, 2. push the Apple Watch “body” into the back of ActionSleeve 2 and 3. strap ActionSleeve 2 on, tighten and go. Your screen, crown, and button remain fully accessible and functional.” Twelve South explains.

5. The WristCam

With all the possible goodness – health and fitness tracking and everything – Apple Watch cannot click pictures standalone, it remotely triggers the iPhone to pull off the trick. This is where the Wristcam steps in, giving Apple Watch the ability to click pictures by itself. The front-mounted 8MP camera can shoot images in 4K resolution while recording videos in Full HD. The selfie camera can be used for video calling – or either camera for live-streaming. The Wristcam comes with its own 8GB of storage and a battery good enough for a day’s fun. According to the company, the Wristcam is water-resistant up to 1-meter, it connects to the Apple Watch over Bluetooth Low Energy, and with the iPhone via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

6. Satechi’s Magnetic Dock

Like all of Satechi’s products, the USB-C Magnetic Charging Dock comes with Apple-certified MFI charging and works across all generations of the Apple Watch. The dock plugs right into the side of the iPad Pro or the MacBook Pro, although you could just as easily use it with any power bank too. The sleek aluminum design does a pretty good job of blending in with Apple’s design language, while inbuilt magnets securely hold onto your watch as it charges, allowing you to dock your iPad on a stand without worrying about the watch slipping or falling off. Neat, eh? Maybe you could even use it as a small extended display too, running a timer, your clock, or the weather app right beside your screen as you work or browse the web!

7. The 2 in 1 Apple Devices Charging Stand

Inspired by the daily sunrise, industrial designer Taesung Yoon has thought of the 2 in 1 Apple Devices Charging Stand (yes, that’s the name of this accessory) that does what it says. Designed after feedback from the data-driven research and realizing what people actually want in their unified Apple charging stand, this accessory has been cleverly designed for form and function. The charging stand’s vertical stance with a slightly arched top means that the iPhone sits comfortably without the fear of accidentally toppling it over with an accidental shove. Likewise, the possibility of using it for watching multimedia content is also there. The same port is used for charging the AirPods Pro when needed. Right behind this port is the space for setting up the Apple Watch for refueling in style. So, you can charge your iPhone and Apple Watch at the same time.

8. The Omnia Q5

The OMNIA Q5 is a nifty docking and charging station that replaces your drawer of cables. Designed as a slick, compact dock that can fit on even the smallest night-stand, or the corner of your work-desk, the OMNIA Q5 lets you organize and charge all your Apple gadgets at once, supplying the right amount of power to each one of them to charge them rapidly and simultaneously. Designed to be an integral part of your ecosystem of Apple products, the OMNIA Q5 acts as an organizer for your gadgets. It docks them in individually assigned areas (so they’re always neatly arranged) and charges them too – wirelessly for the most part, except the iPad which needs a cable with USB-C input.

9. The Wristfit

Elago’s products are just sensible and help you use your Apple products more efficiently. Take for instance the Wristfit, a band for your Apple Watch that lets you conveniently dock your Airpods in them too. At the time of their release, the Airpods were criticized for being too ‘easy to lose’. This spawned a wide variety of products like the Elago Airpods strap that helped you secure your expensive earpieces in place, eliminating the danger of losing them. The Wristfit is another such ‘sensible’ product that simply gives you the ability to dock your Airpods on your Apple Watch. Keeping them in a place that’s easy to access, the Wristfit secures the Watch around your wrist, and the Airpods right on the strap like a sort of holster for your earphones. Push them right in when you’re not using them and you won’t have to worry about them at all.

10. Nisbet’s Apple Watch Packaging

Inspired by the packaging design for the iPod, Nisbet adopted a clear and transparent package for the Apple Watch as well. The transparent packaging comes in two parts, one protects the screen of the watch, whereas the other part forms a protective layer around the strap. But here’s where it becomes interesting, the packaging of the strap has been designed in such a way, that you can slide it on and off! This allows you to try on straps of different styles, letting you mix and match, till you settle on a combination that you like. You can try on the various packaged straps on your hand, so you can see how they would actually look on you! The clear protective layer ensures that no one actually ends up touching the straps, and they are in pristine condition, preventing them from getting dirty or contaminated before they are even sold (especially useful in these COVID-19 times).

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This quirky iPhone stand can turn you into a wiz at assembling IKEA furniture

What if you something that could make your phone stand on its own and build you a chair? Would you slap that on the back of your phone, no matter the odd looks that you might get?

Our smartphones have become our unwavering and loyal partners in everything we do these days, even for those that would have normally required some physical work. Sure, your phone can’t bake you a pizza, but it can let you easily order one. It won’t magically build a desk for you, but IKEA might be just a few taps away. Ironically, there are some basic things that smartphones can’t do, like stand upright on their own, especially when you want to enjoy a long movie without developing gorilla arms. Fortunately, phone stand accessories do exist, but this Workingman’s Sword offers something unique to those who prefer to get down and dirty with their hands. It turns out, it actually does help you put together that IKEA desk you just bought!

Designers: Chaoze Zhong and Chang Wu of Wild Zoo Design Studio

“Workingman’s Sword” definitely doesn’t sound anything like a phone stand or something related to phones at all. Designers Chaoze Zhong and Chang Wu from Beijing-based Wild Zoo Design Studio got their inspiration from the samurai’s katana or sword. Just as those ancient warriors carried their swords anywhere they went, this “stand” is a tool that a working man or woman would bring with them everywhere their phone is. Fortunately, you don’t need a license to carry this accessory.

The stand is actually made of two parts: a standard M4 Hex Wrench and a four-directional connector with matching hexagonal slots. The connector attaches to the back of your phone or its case, while the wrench can go into any of the holes and in any direction or position. Well, almost any position since you’d still be limited by the hexagonal shape of the slots.

The Workingman’s Sword is like the Swiss army knife of wrenches, at least for Allen key or hex wrenches. The M4 is apparently the most commonly used size for wrenches that are used to assemble furniture these days. The stand ensures that wherever the working person goes, he or she will have one of the most common tools ready to put together a chair, desk, drawer, or anything else.

Of course, it’s also a multi-angle smartphone stand that depends on where and how you put in the shorter end of the hex wrench. You do have fixed angles defined by the connector’s holes, but it at least covers most of the positions you’ll need when trying to prop down your phone on a desk or the ground. And unlike most stands, you’re not limited to only one side since it supports both portrait and landscape orientations.

You will definitely love or hate the idea of affixing an industrial tool on the back of your phone all the time. Then again, the people that would want to have a hex wrench within reach won’t be your typical smartphone user anyway. It might remind some of the notorious Pocket Protectors that the geeks of the past were ridiculed for, except this one caters more towards those who love DIY projects and assembling furniture.

It won’t win any beauty contests, for sure, especially when you’re essentially sticking a piece of plastic or resin on the back of your phone and attaching an L-shaped metal tool to it. Then again, we’ve also seen stranger things that people slap on the back of their phones. Admittedly, there are also many ways to pimp up at least the connector and make it look less out of place on a phone’s glossy rear. With the growing number of IKEA furniture or its equivalents in homes today, the Workingman’s Sword offers one thing that most phone stands can’t, and that’s a way to impress your friends with your mad assembling skills in an emergency.

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Top 10 AirPods Accessories of 2021

My AirPods are one of my prized Apple possessions! I use them multiple times in a day, whether’s it’s for calls, to watch videos during work breaks, or to listen to some pumped-up tunes during my evening jogs. You’ll find them around me almost all the time. I’m sure there are other AirPods addicts in the house, and for those individuals, here’s a collection of AirPods accessories that we swear by! From a sleek AirPods Max charger that doubles up as a magnetic stand to an AirPods Pro case shaped like a camera – these nifty product designs will completely elevate and enhance your AirPods experience. They serve as the perfect sidekick to your AirPods, either by taking the best care of them, boosting their functionality, or making sure you never lose them again. These are a must-have for all AirPods fanatics!

1. Power1

Power1 takes portability and functionality to a new level giving you a system that’s doubly useful because it doesn’t just charge and protect for your iPhone… it charges and protects your Airpods too and ensures they are always with you and ready for use. Designed as an evolution of traditional battery cases, Power1 not only holds an extra battery but also manages your Airpods like no other system. Armed with a proprietary design, Power1 comes with two modes. One, where it charges your Airpods only (up to 30 times on a full battery), and a second mode that charges your Airpods as well as your phone, giving both gadgets full advantage of Power1’s 3000mAh internal battery. Power1 uses its intelligent power monitoring system to see which device is running low on charge, supplying power to them accordingly. Using its USB-C port, when you plug Power1 into an outlet, its priority charging feature kicks in, routing power to your phone and Airpods first before charging its own internal battery.

2. The Max Stand

The Max Stand has a simplistic elegance that you’d almost expect from Apple before you realize that Apple’s solution for storing the headphones when not in use is a weird handbag-esque object that most people wouldn’t really want to carry around on display. The Max Stand, on the other hand, is simple, nondescript, and highlights the product it’s charging – making the AirPods Max look like an ornament on your desk that you can easily pick up and wear when you need it.

3. The Snapshot Case

Elago Snapshot Apple AirPods Case with AirTag

The Snapshot case for the AirPods Pro comes with a camera-shaped design that neatly houses an AirTag inside the faux camera lens. Aside from looking like a tiny little point-and-shoot, the Snapshot protects your AirPods Pro from physical damage as well as theft. The all-silicone design helps absorb shock, while still enabling wireless charging… and the fact that you’ve now got an AirTag strapped to your AirPods Pro makes it really easy to use the Find My feature to track the exact location of your earphones.

4. The Chargepuck

The Chargepuck acts as a replacement for the wireless charging dock or mat you’ve probably got lying on your desk or somewhere at your bedside. Instead of being a static device that sits plugged into an outlet forever, the little puck sits attached to your iPhone and comes with its own retractable cable that lets you plug it in anywhere. The Chargepuck isn’t a battery pack (it doesn’t have its own battery inside it), but rather, it’s a charging apparatus that sits attached to your phone and lets you charge three devices at the same time.

5. Antón’s redesigned AirPods Pro Case

Antón’s redesign turns the Apple AirPods Pro case from something that looks like a ‘box of floss’ to a really classy-looking ‘chewing-gum-stick dispenser’. The rounded-box shape gets ditched for a taller and sleeker capsule shape, with lids on both ends, allowing individual earpieces to fit into each end of the case. Sure, the redesign presents some structural issues – like where would one place the Qi charging coil or the battery, but what Antón’s concept really provides is a sense of variety, while sticking to Apple’s design philosophy of building sleek products. The redesigned AirPods Pro case also fundamentally changes the UX of the AirPods. The two separate openings house the left and right earphones, and while they do that, they also hint at behavior that’s common within the AirPods user community of using just one AirPod at a time to maximize battery life.

6. The Air Omni

The Air Omni’s biggest defining feature is that it comes built to dock the iPad too, which should honestly be given the same status as the iPhone, Watch, and AirPods… after all, the iPad is a mobile device too. Designed for not just charging but docking too, the Air Omni comes with a dedicated pop-up wireless charging hub for your Watch, specified wireless charging zones for your phone and AirPods, and a stand that lets you dock the iPad vertically and charge it via a cable – all while complying with Apple’s MFi charging standards. The docking zone’s unique design is truly innovative as it shapeshifts to let you alternate between docking your iPad as well as your iPhone.

7. iPhone 13 Pro-esque triple camera module

This idea presents a flip iPhone with iPhone 13 Pro-esque triple camera module comprising an 8K capable pro-action camera. The flipping device has a curved touchscreen Retina display and the discussed camera module on the outside – split over the two halves separated by a durable hinge. The cute box-like design – when it’s folded – actually hides a pair of newly designed AirPods Pro mini in a cozy housing for each earbud.

8. The Genki Audio Lite

Designed as a sleeker upgrade to Genki’s Bluetooth adapter from 2018, the Genki Audio Lite is a tiny, plug-and-play Bluetooth module that fits right into your Nintendo Switch Lite, allowing you to connect Bluetooth earphones and speakers to your gaming console. The Genki Audio Lite’s tiny size adds a great deal of functionality to the already capable device. You can now use your TWS earphones, AirPods, or even the AirPods Max with it, allowing for a portable, private gaming session. The Genki Audio Lite comes with Bluetooth 5.0 and is equipped with aptX™ high fidelity low latency codecs that provide lag-free audio while you game.

9. Zens’ Magnetic Dual Powerbank

Zens’ Magnetic Dual Powerbank comes with an internal 4,000 mAh battery that’s good for 1.5 full smartphone charges. The power bank is MagSafe compatible on one side too, allowing you to easily snap your iPhone to it without worrying about alignment. The other non-magnetic side is good for your AirPods, or potentially even a second smartphone (if you’re that kind of person). The power bank is perfect for all your on-the-go charging needs, although it comes with its own flip-out kickstand for when you’re working at a desk and want your phone angled towards you.

10. AirFly Pro

Twelve South has come up with their AirFly Pro. A wireless headphone adaptor, AirFly Pro is “the missing link between wireless headphones and wired headphone jacks.” It lets you connect your AirPods, AirPods Pro, or wireless headphones of any brand to devices (lacking Bluetooth connectivity) with a 3.5mm headphone jack. The dongle allows two people to listen to music or watch a movie, making it a splitter! You can finally share/watch things wirelessly with your friends if you’ll share the same taste in entertainment that is. The AirFly Pro also connects with the Nintendo Switch, enabling you to listen to the audio using your favorite wireless headphones while playing your favorite game!

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Holme and Hadfield Watch Deck Review

The advent of smartwatches may have made it feel like we only ever need one timepiece, but not everyone has subscribed to the hi-tech wearable trend. And even with a smartwatch, there will always be a place for more traditional watches, especially those from luxury brands. Some even have two or more of these, and it often becomes a worry and a chore to organize them inside boxes with tiny pillows. Holme and Hadfield has designed a way to keep some of those watches organized while putting them up for display. But are the Watch Deck and its siblings the best way to take care of your luxury timepieces, or are they just pretty faces?

Aesthetics

Watch collectors and serious watch owners are probably familiar with traditional watch boxes. They keep your watches organized and protected, but they aren’t exactly flattering. They are often also cumbersome to use, requiring a multi-step process to remove a watch and then put the cushion back inside the box. The Holme and Hadfield Watch Deck does away with all of that and lets you showcase your favorite watches when not in use.

The majority of the Watch Deck is made of wood, from the box itself to the holders to the drawer. The company describes it as a sturdy “medium-density fiberboard” material that will withstand the test of time, with proper care, of course. The three available finishes of Oak, Walnut, and Black all look elegant and perfectly fit any classic timepiece you choose to put on top.

The transparent cover, however, is almost the complete opposite of the box. Very discerning eyes will be able to tell that it isn’t glass, and that’s actually for better and for worse. The acrylic top removes fears and worries when handling the cover, especially when repeatedly removing it to fetch the watch you’ve chosen to wear for that day. However, it also slightly cheapens the overall impact of the Watch Deck, especially once you realize its true nature, and raises concerns about the product’s sustainability.

There are no metal parts in the Watch Deck or its smaller siblings, at least not that are visible and large enough to affect the quality and operation of the box. No gears or slides to wear and tear over time, and nothing to affect the watches themselves. Even the drawer operates on a simple wooden system, which also has its own set of drawbacks.

Holme and Hadfield’s watch cases blend well with almost any kind of room or furniture thanks to its minimalist design, though there will certainly be instances where its wood and glass motif might clash with some themes. The color option will be a bigger point of consideration when buying a Watch Deck, but one that pleasantly contrasts its surrounding can also work in its favor. After all, what better way to call attention to your watch collection than by having an Oak or Walnut box that visually pops out in the middle of a predominantly black and white shelf?

Ergonomics

The Watch Deck’s simple design is also reflected in its simple use. You really don’t need instructions for this kind of product, and you simply remove the acrylic cover to place or take out a watch for use. Likewise, you pull out the drawer to remove or place a wallet, glasses, and other trinkets inside. What you have to mind, instead, are the physical dimensions of the watch holders and the drawers, which limit what you could place in them.

The wooden watch holder posts themselves were designed with 45mm watches in mind. Watches with smaller or shorter straps might not be able to wrap around the posts properly. Conversely, watches with larger bodies might prevent the case from closing, though some have had luck with 51mm watches inside.

Even with all watches fitting well, there will be some worries that the wooden surface might scratch the watches or that the watches would end up scratching each other. The posts are fortunately spaced apart sufficiently that the watches won’t rub against each other. The smooth finish of the Watch Deck’s surfaces also helps reduce the chances of the watches themselves getting scratched.

The Watch Deck’s drawer is about 12.5 inches wide, 4.4 inches long, and 1.8 inches deep. It’s big enough to fit a regular-sized wallet or eyeglasses and a few other items like a key fob. There are even small compartments inside for rings and coins. The two-piece “Weekender” and single-piece “Daily” naturally have less room inside. The drawer moves smoothly when you pull it but stops completely at a certain point. You don’t have to worry about pulling too far or the draw falling off when transporting the Deck.

As mentioned, these drawers don’t use any metal to stay in place and move, which lessens the number of things that could break or fall apart. Unfortunately, a pure wooden drawer system requires more precision and design to operate smoothly. It is easy for the drawer’s slots to misalign, and, over time, the friction will wear down those wooden points of contact, and it will be difficult to fix this when the time comes.

Sustainability

You would think that a wooden box like the Watch Deck is the ultimate sustainable product, but that’s only half true. Being able to repair or service a product is also part of its longevity. Craftmanship isn’t just about the design but also about the quality of its execution, and Holme and Hadfield’s watch holders raise very important questions.

The lack of metal parts reduces the number of materials required to make the Watch Deck, but it might also make things like the drawer harder to repair when slots misalign, or the wood has worn down. There are even some customer complaints about drawers that weren’t as smooth as they should be right out of the box.

The biggest blemish on the Watch Deck’s face is the one that you might not always see, depending on how clean it is. Hard-quality acrylic is substantially tougher than glass, of course, and it will also last longer. It doesn’t look nor feel premium, though, and it is definitely not one that is easily repairable or replaceable. When it does get deformed, scratched, or broken, there is very little choice but to discard or replace it, and it isn’t the most recyclable material on the market.

To be fair, Holme and Hadfield doesn’t exactly make sustainability an advertising point for its products. Its use of wood is an aesthetic decision rather than one with a mind towards the environment or future generations. At its price point, it’s probably not surprising that the Watch Deck isn’t something that is playing for keeps, but you’d hope that the younger generation of designers would actually try to make a lasting positive impact not just in design but also on the environment.

Value

Assigning value to a product, especially designer products, isn’t exactly straightforward. That said, value shouldn’t be based solely on appearances, something that’s presumed to be the default for these items. Design, after all, isn’t just about looking good, and product design ensures that things also work the way they were intended to, which often means trying to solve a particular problem.

The Holme and Hadfield Watch Deck definitely checks most of the boxes. It looks handsome on top of any room decor. Its minimalist wooden design and clear acrylic case make sure that your watches are the center of attraction. It even has a compartment to hide other possessions from view but still keep them within easy reach.

The clincher is its price tag, which is almost scandalous for something that’s considered a designer item. For less than $100, you get a stylish holder for four of your favorite watches and a chest for everything else. At that price, it’s almost too easy to just buy a new piece if the current one breaks, which is probably why longevity doesn’t seem to be a high priority.

Verdict

While smartwatches are turning age-old wrist-worn timepieces into more hi-tech but utilitarian objects, there is still a great number that sees watches as more than just accessories. Some do treat them as luxury items and symbols of social status, but there are those that see in them the epitome of excellent product design.

The Holme and Hadfield Watch Deck provides a pedestal that shines the spotlight on these timeless tellers of time. Made from sturdy wooden material and fine finishes contrast perfectly with the metallic bodies of the majority of watches, at least the ones you will proudly show off to everyone that pays attention. The choice of acrylic might be a bit questionable from a sustainability standpoint, but it makes the case easier to use and worry-free.

Perhaps more importantly, the Watch Deck is also a testament that great design and great value don’t always have to come with a high price tag. Admittedly, not all watch connoisseurs will be happy with some of the design choices, but Holme and Hadfield clearly wants to deliver the message that living a life by design doesn’t always have to be expensive.

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