Author Archives: JC Torres

Google Pixel Fold 2 display might be even bigger, according to a leak

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After MWC 2024 last month, it was clear that foldable phones aren’t going anywhere despite previous prophecies of doom. Samsung is obviously very much in the running, and Honor is pulling out the stops as well. Google is the one brand that is believed to be a bit over the fence, especially in the direction it will be taking its Pixel Fold in. There are already some expected big changes in design, but the changes might be even bigger than expected, literally. According to the latest rumor, the Google Pixel Fold 2’s screens will indeed be bigger, but they will actually be a lot bigger than previously cited, and this change could have significant repercussions for the rest of the foldable phone’s design.

Designer: Google (via Ross Young)

Although foldable phones are marketed as phones that can turn into tablets, the reality is that they can only turn into mini tablets that are even smaller than the iPad mini. This is mostly due to the requirement that these devices should still be usable as normal phones, something that’s actually near impossible if you fold a 10-inch tablet in half. Not unless you can actually fold it in three, which is what Samsung might be doing soon.

In the meantime, however, phone manufacturers have to work within that limitation, and Google will apparently be pushing the boundaries with its second-gen design. According to the newest unofficial information, the Google Pixel Fold 2 will have an external “Cover Screen” size of 6.29 inches and an internal main display of 8.02 inches. Considering the first Pixel Fold had sizes of 5.8 inches and 7.6 inches for those same screens, that’s a rather big jump in terms of screen size. For comparison, the iPad mini has an 8.3-inch screen.

That size increase won’t just be for the sake of bragging, though, as it will definitely affect the usability of the device. Yes, you will be able to enjoy more content or a less cramped space, but that could come at the cost of being bigger to hold in one hand, especially when folded as a phone. There’s also the matter of bezel size, which the Pixel Fold was notorious for. Either way, it won’t be the compact foldable that many people actually loved, so Google might lose some fans but gain others.

Unfortunately, the source didn’t confirm the other two big changes rumored for the Pixel Fold 2, particularly the aspect ratio and especially the camera design. The latter might prove to be the more controversial change for Google’s once-beautiful design, especially if the hardware upgrade doesn’t exactly warrant that change. The screens for the Pixel Fold 2 will reportedly go into production next month, so an announcement won’t be far away.

The post Google Pixel Fold 2 display might be even bigger, according to a leak first appeared on Yanko Design.

Google Pixel Fold 2 display might be even bigger, according to a leak

Posted on by

After MWC 2024 last month, it was clear that foldable phones aren’t going anywhere despite previous prophecies of doom. Samsung is obviously very much in the running, and Honor is pulling out the stops as well. Google is the one brand that is believed to be a bit over the fence, especially in the direction it will be taking its Pixel Fold in. There are already some expected big changes in design, but the changes might be even bigger than expected, literally. According to the latest rumor, the Google Pixel Fold 2’s screens will indeed be bigger, but they will actually be a lot bigger than previously cited, and this change could have significant repercussions for the rest of the foldable phone’s design.

Designer: Google (via Ross Young)

Although foldable phones are marketed as phones that can turn into tablets, the reality is that they can only turn into mini tablets that are even smaller than the iPad mini. This is mostly due to the requirement that these devices should still be usable as normal phones, something that’s actually near impossible if you fold a 10-inch tablet in half. Not unless you can actually fold it in three, which is what Samsung might be doing soon.

In the meantime, however, phone manufacturers have to work within that limitation, and Google will apparently be pushing the boundaries with its second-gen design. According to the newest unofficial information, the Google Pixel Fold 2 will have an external “Cover Screen” size of 6.29 inches and an internal main display of 8.02 inches. Considering the first Pixel Fold had sizes of 5.8 inches and 7.6 inches for those same screens, that’s a rather big jump in terms of screen size. For comparison, the iPad mini has an 8.3-inch screen.

That size increase won’t just be for the sake of bragging, though, as it will definitely affect the usability of the device. Yes, you will be able to enjoy more content or a less cramped space, but that could come at the cost of being bigger to hold in one hand, especially when folded as a phone. There’s also the matter of bezel size, which the Pixel Fold was notorious for. Either way, it won’t be the compact foldable that many people actually loved, so Google might lose some fans but gain others.

Unfortunately, the source didn’t confirm the other two big changes rumored for the Pixel Fold 2, particularly the aspect ratio and especially the camera design. The latter might prove to be the more controversial change for Google’s once-beautiful design, especially if the hardware upgrade doesn’t exactly warrant that change. The screens for the Pixel Fold 2 will reportedly go into production next month, so an announcement won’t be far away.

The post Google Pixel Fold 2 display might be even bigger, according to a leak first appeared on Yanko Design.

True full-color night vision goggles turns night into day with AI

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There are 24 hours in a day, but almost half of those remains shrouded in mystery and, in some cases, fear. The darkness of the night makes us feel a little less secure because we can barely see anything, especially in areas away from bright city night lights. It’s an almost literally different world that’s just begging to be explored and enjoyed, provided we can see safely and adequately. Night vision cameras and equipment do shed some light on the subject, but they paint the world in dull shades of gray that make it impossible to actually enjoy the experience. That’s where the AKASO Seemor Night Vision Goggles come in, revealing the beauty and wonders of the night as if it were daytime, with some help from AI.

Designer: AKASO

Click Here to Buy Now: $189 $302 ($113 off). Hurry, less than 72-hours to go! Raised over $655,000.

You need light to see things, and that’s true for both our eyes as well as the cameras that turn light information into the beautiful images and videos we enjoy. Of course, there isn’t much light at night, so cameras need to either add more lights or use a different kind of light. This is why most night vision cameras, including security cameras, only see the world in shades of black and white, because the light that they get is only enough to see the forms but doesn’t have sufficient color information.

Ultra-low Light Full-color Night Vision

Fortunately, we have come to a point where what can’t be fully accomplished in hardware can be enhanced by software, particularly with artificial intelligence. The AKASO Seemor Night Vision Goggles is, in fact, the first of its kind to harness the power of AI for this very purpose. Labeled as “AI-ISP,” the technology integrates advanced AI algorithms with the binoculars’ Image Signal Processing (ISP) to enhance image and video quality. The result is a breathtaking view of the night in true full color, with rich hues and 99% color reproduction that blows any night vision camera out of the water. It accomplishes this without requiring more lights that would have disturbed the serenity of the night world and chased nocturnal creatures away.

Of course, AI can only use what it’s given, and the AKASO Seemor, fortunately, has solid foundations, starting with a large 1/1.79″ CMOS sensor that can “see” even with weak light. The more light it can gather, the more data the AI-ISP has to work with in order to create that magical experience of seeing the night in color. The visual range of the Seemor goggles is also mind-blowing, allowing you to spot human or animal movement 1,640 ft (500m) away or identify the outline of buildings that are 3,280 ft (1km) in the distance. All these stunning scenes can be recorded in high-resolution 4K, both for photos and videos, ensuring that those enchanting nighttime memories will be preserved in as high a quality as you saw them with your eyes.

The AKASO Seemor Night Vision Goggles isn’t just powerful, it is also simple and convenient to use. Built-in 2.4GHz Wi-Fi lets you connect to your smartphone both for remote monitoring of what the goggles see as well as fast transfer of photos and videos. Two 3,200 mAh batteries give you up to 8 hours of uninterrupted enjoyment, and two 1/4 nut ports at the top and bottom of the Seemor let you easily mount the device on tripods or even helmets. Whether you’re trying to observe the mysterious creatures of the night, chasing down urban legends, or simply trying to discover beauty in the darkness, the AI-powered AKASO Seemor True Full-Color Night Vision Goggles opens your eyes to a whole new world you could never see before.

Click Here to Buy Now: $189 $302 ($113 off). Hurry, less than 72-hours to go! Raised over $655,000.

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Dasung introduces a portable color E Ink monitor for eye-friendly computing anywhere

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We have become very dependent on our computers, including the ones we keep in our pockets, but these powerful devices come with very harmful impacts on our health and lifestyle. Never mind the poor posture and negative social practices we develop through the use of computers and smartphones, even the very screens we look at affect not just our eyes but also our sleeping patterns. E-paper displays like E Ink have long been praised for their eye-friendly technology, but the old generation of these screens were so bad that they were good only for text that barely changes, like those in books. E Ink has thankfully evolved significantly over the years to the point that you can now have a portable monitor that combines E Ink and color to give your eyes a break when using laptops or smartphones.

Designer: Dasung

E Ink devices are getting larger and more complex as seen with the variety of color E Ink readers moonlighting as powerful Android tablets now available in the market. Despite their benefits in terms of comfort and power savings, E Ink screens are still significantly slower and show considerably fewer colors than even the most basic and cheapest LCD panel. That’s why selling an E Ink monitor for regular computer use sounds almost outlandish if not impractical, but that’s exactly the proposition that Dasung has been making with its line of Paperlike Color E Ink monitors.

The new 12-inch Paperlike Color takes that idea to a whole new level by making that E Ink monitor portable. It has a 12-inch screen that has an impressive 2560×1600 resolution, but only if you’re viewing black and white (or grayscale) images and text. The E Ink Kaleido 3 technology that it uses is able to display only 4,096 colors and usually at half the resolution, so it won’t exactly be mind-blowing. Of course, that’s the price to be paid for a screen that won’t tire out your eyes, at least not as much and as often as regular monitors.

The Paperlike Color (12-inch) also has other benefits, like an extremely light and slim profile made possible by having no battery at all. E Ink uses very little power, only when changing what’s being displayed, so it won’t drain your laptop or phone too much. Then again, if you will be using it like a regular monitor, that means content will be changing a lot, which would nullify this benefit and possibly produce visual artifacts. That said, companies that use color E Ink have strategies to address and improve the speed performance, but not to the same level as LCDs and OLEDs.

And therein lies the biggest question mark on this curious design, whether the benefits far outweigh the costs, both figurative and literal. Reading mostly static content and text is definitely more pleasurable, but it will only make sense if you use it on the side as a second monitor for your laptop. But then, it won’t really help you give your eyes much of a break if you’ll be using the laptop’s regular screen most of the time anyway. The E Ink monitor could be a nice external display for your smartphone, but that would run into the same limitations as color E Ink eReaders today. And with Dasung’s typical pricing, the Paperlike Color (12-inch) will probably be out of reach for many computer users, limiting it to a few enthusiasts who might find a place for it in their workflow.

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Moto G Power 5G (2024) is a budget phone with surprising tricks up its sleeve

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Although a lot of the attention, and probably sales, are poured on high-end premium smartphones, the range of devices and designs is far wider than what you might see represented in media. There are, of course, products designed to be more affordable, though they unsurprisingly have to cut some corners when it comes to features. Sometimes, however, there are a few that seem to rise to the challenge of providing more for less, incorporating designs and features you wouldn’t expect from their price tags. The new Moto G Power 5G (2024) seems to be one of those, packing a few pleasant surprises that could put the device on people’s maps.

Designer: Motorola

The Moto G has been Motorola’s budget line for many years, and that family has a few members designed to cater to very specific needs. The Moto G Power, as its name suggests, is focused on delivering solid battery life, at least more than your average smartphone. The 2024 iteration of this phone isn’t any different, bearing a 5,000 mAh pack you’d only see on more expensive models, but that’s only half of its appeal.

A large battery would normally mean longer charging times, which is why a 30W TurboPower charging feature is more than just a nice-to-have; it’s a necessity. This year, however, Motorola went the extra mile and added 15W wireless charging for convenience. It’s definitely not the fastest wireless charging technology, but how many $300 smartphones can you name that even have any wireless charging support at all? That immediately makes the Moto G Power 5G (2024) more notable than any of its peers, but it doesn’t stop with the hardware features either.

This new Moto G Power also comes with a faux leather back, an attempt to make it look stylish despite its price point. Granted this synthetic leather can sometimes look tacky, though it seems to be simple and elegant, at least based on Motorola’s marketing materials. Again, it’s not exactly a groundbreaking feature, but one that is rarely seen on budget designs.

That said, the phone doesn’t have much to boast about when it comes to performance, though it’s not exactly an underdog either. It packs a 2.2GHz MediaTek processor with 8GB of RAM, a 50MP main camera paired with an 8MP ultra-wide shooter, and perhaps to audiophiles’ delight, a 3.5mm headphone jack. And if the Moto G Power 5G (2024) is still a bit too much for your wallet, Motorola is also launching the $200 Moto G 5G (2024) with slightly less powerful features, no wireless charging, but the same fancy faux leather design.

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Touchscreen iMac like the Microsoft Surface Studio hinted by Apple patent

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Apple products have always been hailed by designers, and its computers have long been the tool of choice for many digital content creators, especially graphic artists. None of those computers, however, have ever sported a touchscreen, even one that supports the Apple Pencil, an irony that isn’t lost on many digital artists. This means they have to settle for external drawing tools or, for some more daring users, mods that combine MacBook internal with a drawing tablet. A Mac that can instantly be used as a digital canvas is definitely going to be an artist’s dream, and based on a patent that Apple has filed, that dream could still become a reality, and it already has the perfect design for that.

Designer: Apple

Apple M3 iMac

Apple might have plenty of reasons not to put touch screens on iMacs and MacBooks, but those reasons are starting to drop one by one. It might not want to muddle the lines that separate its Macs and iPads, for example, but you can already run touch-based iOS apps on Macs for years now. And it’s not like it’s lacking the technology to make it all possible, as proven by the highly successful iPad Pro and Apple Pencil.

A patent unearthed by Patently Apple reveals that the company has indeed, been toying around with that idea, though it’s not exactly surprising given how many ideas tech companies patent all the time. Admittedly, the patent’s focus is less on the touch screen itself but more on the stand and hinge mechanism that would let you tilt and even pull the whole iMac down to the desk’s surface, making it more comfortable for artists to draw on. It’s an instant display tablet without having to buy an expensive Wacom or switch to a different technology from the one you might already be familiar with.

As weird as that idea might sound, it has actually already been done before and with surprising success. The Microsoft Surface Studio pictured at the top is one of the company’s unexpected hardware champions, quickly endearing itself to content creators. It is almost exactly what Apple’s patent describes, an all-in-one computer with a stand and hinge that lets you tilt and turn it whichever way you need to, and it comes with a touch screen, too!

Microsoft Surface Studio

It’s not hard to imagine how such a feature could be a game changer for artists on Macs, making their workflows more seamless. Of course, it’s far too premature to get excited over this patent, because tech companies also have a tendency not to implement even a fraction of the patents they hold. And given Microsoft already has an implementation of this design, it might still come down to a legal battle if Apple does decide to push through with a touchscreen iMac since it filed the patent years before the Surface Studio came out.

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Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 could return to an old 2014 design

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Smartwatches are undergoing a bit of an identity crisis at the moment. Although the likes of the Apple Watch have cemented their image as wearable health monitors, smart rings have started to steal the spotlight and threaten their position. After all, if you could keep track of most of those health metrics and still wear your favorite stylish watch, you’ll probably ditch the smartwatch in a heartbeat. Some smartwatch makers, especially those from luxury brands, have decided to just call it quits, while others are trying to come out with new features that smart rings can’t match or fresh designs to interest buyers. Samsung might be of the latter camp, with rumors of its impending return to a square design that could end up looking like an Apple Watch imitation.

Designer: Samsung (via SamMobile)

Although Apple’s square smartwatch design has probably become iconic by now, the first generation of smartwatches that predated the Apple Watch all had a blocky shape. That was more due to the limitations of display technologies at that time rather than a deliberate design choice. The first round smartwatch, the Moto 360, was actually infamous for its “flat tire” screen precisely due to that technical reason.

That didn’t help the cause of smartwatch brands that were trying to appeal to buyers. It may have not exactly been the shape itself but the way the smartwatch bodies looked bulky and clunky that turned people away from an accessory that aimed to replace stylish and luxurious timepieces on your wrist. Fortunately, that industry did get the hints and round smartwatches became almost the de facto design, especially after fashion and luxury brands started playing the game.

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

Samsung Galaxy Watch 5

According to an insider report, Samsung might be shifting the design in the opposite direction, embracing a square design instead of the round watches it has been carrying for years. It’s not that Samsung hasn’t done square smartwatches, just that it hasn’t done those since the Gear 2 and Galaxy Live from 2014. It’s unknown whether Samsung will implement that change in the Galaxy Watch 7 or if it will wait for another iteration. Presuming, of course, this scoop is correct.

The Apple Watch and its many clones have proved that square doesn’t have to be boring, and Samsung might indeed be aiming for such a visual appeal. It won’t come as a surprise, however, if the next Galaxy Watch ends up looking like an Apple Watch, which is sure to earn the ire of long-time fans and the ridicule of critics. Then again, it could probably do worse and adopt the exact same design as its 2014 smartwatches, which, besides being square in the idiomatic sense, is also very flat, also in the idiomatic sense.

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Govee RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2 Review: Helping Your Creativity Really Shine

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PROS:


  • Highly flexible material for creating any shape or pattern

  • Minimalist design with black or white options to match your decor

  • Impressive lighting options and AI-generated effects

  • Easy customization with new Shape Mapping function

CONS:


  • Very difficult to reposition or modify after it's installed

  • Wi-Fi connection only supports 2.4GHz network band

RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

With a more flexible design and powerful customization options, the Govee RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2 offers a powerful tool for everyone to express their designs in dazzling colorful lights.

Smart lighting is one of the easiest ways to get into smart homes. Often you simply have to screw bulbs or plug lamps in, connect them to your phone, and you’re instantly able to control them remotely or through automated schedules. That kind of smart light is practical and convenient but not exactly impressive, nor does it let you easily create the lighting atmosphere that you want without investing heavily in multiple expensive products. If you really want to jazz up your space and dazzle your guests or viewers, you’ll want something like programmable string or rope lights to leave a lasting positive impression. Govee just launched its latest product in that category, the RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2, promising better build quality, more extensive customization, and more intelligent smart features, so we put this second-gen smart rope light to the test if it can really become our kaleidoscopic paintbrush to brighten up the room with our creativity.

Designer: Govee

Click here to Buy Now: $99.99

Aesthetics

Right out of the box, you can already tell that the Govee RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2 is a class above your typical string light. You don’t see any braided cords or LED “bulbs.” Instead, you have a roll of tubing that looks clean, simple, and very bendable. It has a minimalist aesthetic that looks appealing even when the lights are turned off. Even better, Govee now offers black and white color options so that the rope can match whatever motif you have going. Of course, the actual area where light shines through is a translucent white surface, so you’ll still have to take that into account when designing around walls and furniture.

When the lights do turn on, the Govee Neon Rope Light 2 becomes a dazzling array of colors. With an astounding 420 of these RGBIC LEDs split into 42 zones, there is not a single inch that can’t be painted in a hue of your choosing. The lights are bright, not bright enough for being the main light source but perfect for setting the mood or adding accents to a room. And the sheer amount of effects you can use will never grow old.

The most impressive part about the RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2’s appearance, however, is not the product itself but what you can make out of it. Thanks to an even more flexible material, you can easily design almost anything you want with the rope, from seemingly random patterns to carefully planned outlines of objects. This kind of flexibility, literally and figuratively, can inspire the artist in you, turning your wall into a canvas and the rope light into a brush paint of hundreds of colors.

Ergonomics

You won’t be holding the Govee RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2 whenever you use it, but you will naturally need to handle it when you’re installing it in the first place. It’s important for that process to be as easy and painless as possible, and Govee has thankfully ensured that it will be the case. Compared to its predecessor, this second-gen rope light is 14% more flexible and 14% lighter, key traits for something you’ll be bending a lot to your desired shape.

What all these mean is that you have more freedom to let your creativity loose in turning the rope light where you want it to go. Yes, you still have to mind the proper way to bend the rope light, but it’s pretty much common sense: you only bend it so the light is actually facing outward. The included bend clips that help the rope retain its shape have the same “outward bending” design, though neither the clips nor the rope actually stop you from bending it the wrong way, much to your own peril.

Despite its flexibility, the rope light won’t stay in that curved shape for long, so you’ll need to stick it with the built-in adhesives on its back. The good news is that these adhesives are extremely strong so you won’t have to worry about the rope going out of shape. The bad news is that they’re so strong that you won’t be able to easily remove them if you need to make changes. This means you have to be extra sure and careful that you have the final design you really want before you start sticking it to a surface. Hopefully, Govee will be able to come up with a more flexible solution someday that will let you reposition and reshape the light more easily.

Performance

Govee’s RGBIC LED technology has been impressive from what we’ve seen in previous reviews, and the Neon Rope Light 2 is thankfully no different. There are two variants of the rope, one in 10ft/3m length and another in 16.4ft/5m, which is our review unit, with 42 and 70 segments of light, respectively. For the 5-meter rope, there are an impressive 420 LEDs running its length, with as many as 84 LEDs per meter. As with any Govee RGBIC product, you can control each of those segments separately, though you’ll most likely be doing it through lighting effects and scenes anyway.

If you want to do things a bit more manually, Govee also has a nifty feature that makes the process a lot easier. With the app’s Shape Mapping mode, you can take a picture of your rope light design with your phone’s camera and then select which color goes to which segment, giving you full control of the composition without having to guess which part of the rope corresponds to which part of your design. Whether you’re going the full automated route with AI or exercising complete control over every LED, the Govee RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2 gives you the tools you need to express your design in a burst of color.

As mentioned earlier, the lights are pretty bright, though not blindingly so. The gamut of colors each LED supports is more than enough to cover every hue your eyes can detect, although it does lack the ability to display pure white without a dedicated white LED. Govee has a newer RGBICW that solves that problem, but that’s not available here on the RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2. You’ll have to make do with off-white blended from the combination of red, blue, and green, though that probably won’t be a problem for most use cases anyway.

The rope light’s real strength, aside from its flexibility, can be found in the Govee Home App which is home (pun intended) to all the settings and customization options you can ever want. Connecting the rope light to your phone is easy peasy and is done over Bluetooth, after which you can remotely control the lights without breaking a sweat. If you do want to connect it to smart home platforms, particularly through the new Matter support, you’ll have to do it over Wi-Fi. It should be noted that, like many smart home devices so far, it requires a 2.5GHz Wi-Fi network so 5GHz-only routers will have difficulty making that connection.

Govee provides a huge library of effects for the Neon Rope Light 2, including 12 Music Modes that can sync to the beat of music, and 64 Scene Modes with preset settings to cover a wide variety of occasions, seasons, and moods. Things get really interesting with the arrival of the AI Lighting Bot this March, which will let you harness the power of generative AI to create new effects not included in Govee’s catalog. Simply give it a prompt with specific elements, situations, and even brands and it will scour the Internet and its database to come up with the (hopefully) perfect combination that delivers what you asked for.

Sustainability

Like with string lights, the Neon Rope Light 2 suffers from the problem of becoming significantly less usable once LEDs start failing. Yes, you can probably live with one or two blank spots, but they’re there forever with no option to replace them individually. In fact, one of the Neon Rope Light 2’s greatest strengths, its clean and simple tubing, is also its greatest weakness in this regard. You can’t easily access the LED’s inside anyway, let alone repair or replace them. Your only recourse, in the final analysis, is to ship them for repairs or, worse, buy a new rope. Either way, that involves removing the rope light from its installation, which can be a laborious process.

As for the materials used for the RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2, we can perhaps presume that Govee is using standard synthetic materials like silicone. Yes, the material is lighter and more flexible now, but it’s not more sustainable. As Govee grows, we hope to see more efforts from the brand toward this aspect, especially since its products will be filling the market and homes.

Value

String lights try to offer a way to illuminate a path or shape, but they can only do so much in actually forming that shape. Worse, because of their inherent design, they’re often better off hidden from view so that their presence only becomes known once the lights turn on. While there will always be uses for string lights, the Govee RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2 delivers something new, different, and mind-blowing. It gives you the creative freedom to design your own lighting masterpiece without too much effort.

The more flexible and lighter material of this 2nd-gen rope light enables owners to really bend the light to the shape they want, and the impressive performance of Govee’s RGBIC LED technology really outshines the competition. Best of all, the Neon Rope Light 2 has a mind-blowing assortment of effects, from the upcoming AI-generated Lighting Bot to the easy-to-use Shape Mapping feature. All of these for an equally impressive price tag that makes the experience accessible to everyone.

Verdict

RGB lighting was once considered the domain of gamers who prefer dark corners just to show off their neon-lit equipment, but everyone has now grown to appreciate what a splash of color can do not just to brighten up a space but also to create a mood, amaze, and entertain. Many RGB lamps exist for that purpose, but the majority of them force owners to design around the lamps instead of having the products cater to their needs. Fortunately, Govee has the perfect solution to fix that problem.

The Govee RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2’s upgraded flexibility allows you to “draw” on a wall or around furniture, giving you complete freedom to create the design that you want. An impressive library of effects from the Govee Home app lets you create the light show of your dreams, whether with the upcoming AI Lighting Bot’s assistance or with full control using the Shape Mapping tool. We wished it was just as easy to remove the rope light and create a different design as it was to install it the first time, but it’s a minor consideration that could happen in future versions of the product. All in all, the Govee RGBIC Neon Rope Light 2 delivers a very powerful tool for letting your creativity shine, literally.

Click here to Buy Now: $99.99

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Food compost bin concept turns food waste and cardboard into fertilizer

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Our eating habits have changed drastically over the past years, especially after the recent boom in food delivery services. Unfortunately, this isn’t always for the best as it has encouraged unhealthy lifestyles and increased the amount of waste we produce. Of course, there are services that try to remedy that with healthy food options and more sustainable packaging, but those don’t always result in a reduction of how much we throw out at the end of the day, or even after each meal. Human food doesn’t have to go to waste, especially if it can be converted into food for other living creatures like plants. That’s the idea behind this compositing device that transforms not just your meal but also its packaging into something to keep your plants just as healthy as you.

Designer: Byeonkyu Park

That salad you didn’t finish might come in cardboard packaging, but the moment you throw it in the bin, it stops being healthy for the planet. Sure, both materials will decompose eventually, but not only will that take time, it also misses out on the opportunity to use those for something more beneficial in the long run. After all, they can turn into fertilizer, but only if they’re actually treated in a proper manner, which usually involves taking them to recycling or composting centers.

Toggle is a device concept that lets you cut off the middleman and do all of that at home, and it works by using both edible and inedible parts of your meal delivery. It utilizes “green” materials like food waste mixed with “brown” materials like paper and cardboard or even wood, pretty much the things that your food came in. In other words, nothing is wasted, unless your meal is wrapped in plastic instead.

The device doesn’t simply mix these two groups into some disgusting slosh. One part of the machine has a shredder to reduce cardboard and wood into tiny bits, while another is a grinder that cuts up the food waste. The components are heated to reduce the volume of the waste and turn the mixture into something almost similar to the soil you will dump it on. The result is homemade fertilizer that you can use for the plants you’re growing both indoors and in your backyard.

While the process of handling waste might sound and look icky, Toggle is designed to hide those details as much as possible. In fact, it’s made to look more like a stylish and sophisticated can, just one that deftly handles the food you would have thrown out indiscriminately. In addition to safety mechanisms to protect kids in the house, the concept device is made to look discreet, attractive, and easy to use. It’s meant to encourage a more responsible lifestyle that goes beyond just eating properly, making sure that your plants and the planet can also benefit from your healthier lifestyle.

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Ergonomic Apple Watch band puts the smartwatch on the back of your hand

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We wear watches on our wrists because that’s been the standard design of wristwatches, hence the name, for decades or even centuries. It’s a more convenient design compared to the classy yet antiquated pocket watches, but that doesn’t exactly mean they’re the best design available. For some people, that design can actually cause some pain in the wrist whenever you have to lift your hand and turn it so that you can see that time. That action is perhaps even worse with smartwatches, considering how often you have to do that to see not just the time but other information and notifications as well. That’s the kind of design flaw that this odd-looking Apple Watch “band” tries to address by simply moving the smartwatch from the back of your wrist to the back of your hand.

Designer: ErgonBand

The appearance of this Apple Watch accessory looks a little ridiculous, at least until you hear the reasonable explanation behind its design. The band, which is actually more like a strap, looks like one of those thumb or hand braces that athletes use for protection. The Apple Watch, sans the straps, is locked in place using clips that utilize the standard lugs and is placed below the joint of your thumb.

This location isn’t based on a whim but on how it makes the screen almost always visible without having to twist your wrist. At least that will be the case for people who need to see the watch face while holding something or with their hands swinging in front of them, like athletes doing training or people exercising. In fact, this kind of ergonomic design was made exactly for sports uses, though that doesn’t stop it from being used by anyone interested in a different way to wear a smartwatch.

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While the theory might does sound plausible, there might be a few practical hurdles to such an ergonomic design. For one, waking up the Apple Watch is often done using that twisting gesture, so you’ll have to resort to actually touching the screen or pressing a button to turn on the screen. That defeats the purpose of not requiring your other hand just to glance at information quickly, which ironically makes it a bit less ergonomic in the process.

The other issue is that this kind of band might get in the way of using your hand for other things, especially ones that could make the strap dirty. Most of us are probably unused to wearing such a strap, so there will be some awkwardness and discomfort at the start. The hand-stitched leather material does try to make it a little bit comfortable and stylish, but that might also raise concerns about using it for intense workouts and sports activities. The ErgonBand is admittedly a curious attempt at solving this ergonomic problem, but it might remain just a curiosity rather than a solution that Apple Watch owners can rely on.

The post Ergonomic Apple Watch band puts the smartwatch on the back of your hand first appeared on Yanko Design.