Mac mini wooden organizer stand uses a mini tambour door to hide your stuff

The Mac mini and its more powerful cousin, the Mac Studio, offer an Apple computing experience that prioritizes flexibility and your desk space over functionality you might not even need. Its compact form allows you to place it anywhere you want while also offering the freedom to connect any kind of monitor, keyboard, or peripheral you need to get done. At the same time, however, the mini PC form factor doesn’t have enough space to keep all these external devices always connected, and you will often find yourself repeatedly attaching and detaching bits and pieces as you work. Over time, these dongles, cards, and whatnot start to pile up and make a mess on your desk, which is where this handmade wooden organizer and riser comes in, offering a uniquely elegant solution to keep those tiny objects out of sight and out of mind.

Designer: Kostiantyn Andriiuk

Although Apple designed the Mac Mini and Mac Studio to stand on their own, there are some desk setups and designs that require elevating these minimalist boxes a bit higher. In fact, their small bodies make it easy to place them on top of anything, but that doesn’t mean they’ll look good on it unless that “thing” was specifically made for the mini Macs. This handcrafted riser is made to match the dimensions of the Mac mini and elevates the metal box not just in height but also in style.

Made from Cherry and Alder veneers, the wooden stand exudes a warmth that contrasts with the cold silver exterior of the Mac mini while also perfectly complementing it at the same time. Both pieces carry an air of elegance, despite their different materials and creation processes. While the Mac mini is mass-produced in a factory, each piece of this wooden riser was measured and crafted manually.

The most interesting part of the riser, however, is the drawer inside that’s hidden behind a tambour door. Unlike a simple organizer that exposes its container for everyone to see, you have to slide the row of vertical slats out of the way first before you can pull out the drawer. The mechanism offers functionality that doesn’t take away anything from the design’s aesthetics, a philosophy that is perfectly in line with Apple’s own approach to designing products.

The design for this unique and distinctive tambour organizer stand is fortunately available for everyone to follow, but the painstaking process will probably scare all but the most seasoned makers. That said, it could be a source of inspiration for other accessory makers to make their own spin on the idea, especially the brands that pay a lot of meticulous attention to details, materials, and finishes that would perfectly match an Apple product.

The post Mac mini wooden organizer stand uses a mini tambour door to hide your stuff first appeared on Yanko Design.

Apple’s second-generation Pencil is just $79 right now

Apple's second-generation Pencil aimed at artists and creators is on sale at close to the lowest price we've seen. You can now grab one for $79, a full 39 percent ($30) off the regular price. That makes it an easy buy if you have a compatible tablet and are looking for Apple's Pencil model with the widest array of features. 

Apple designed the second-generation Pencil specifically to work with the iPad, and it's the best stylus you can snap up for the company's tablets. It offer low latency, along with a double-tap feature that you can customize to switch between preferred tools. Other features include tilt sensitivity, pressure sensitivity and what Apple claims is "pixel-perfect precision."

One big advantage that the second-gen Apple Pencil has over its two siblings is wireless charging, as it attaches magnetically to the side of a compatible iPad while it recharges. You'll need a relatively recent iPad Air, iPad mini or iPad Pro, but the magnetic charger on the side of those tablets gives you an easy way to stow your stylus while powering it. You don't have to think about cables, or buy a case with a pen slot.

If you don't need all the second-gen model's features and want to spend a bit less, Apple's Pencil (USB-C) is also on sale for $70 (11 percent off), near it's all-time-low price. It offers the same precision and magnetic mount, but lacks pressure sensitivity, wireless charging and the double tap drawing tool feature.  

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This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/apples-second-generation-pencil-is-just-79-right-now-112551674.html?src=rss

Intel AI Everywhere to be showcased at MWC 2024

Intel AI Everywhere

Intel is set to unveil a series of AI-driven technological advancements at the upcoming MWC Barcelona 2024, which are expected to have a significant impact on network, edge, and enterprise technologies. These new developments from Intel are designed to improve performance, modernize infrastructure, and contribute to environmental sustainability. The event will provide an opportunity for […]

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The world’s thinnest foldable phone gets a Porsche Design makeover

When Honor's Magic V2 first showed up some seven months ago, we were left impressed with its sub-1cm folded thickness. The company has since picked up where Huawei left off and joined forces with Porsche Design, with the first result being a special edition foldable phone, the "Magic V2 RSR" ("RSR" stands for "RennSport Rennwagen," which translates to "racing sport racing car"). Porsche fans may recognize several attributes here that pay homage to the automotive brand, including the iconic agate gray along with a flyline running down the middle of the body — supposedly resembling the Porsche 911's hood. The rear camera island has also been upgraded with a dark titanium frame to go with its bolder trapezoidal redesign.

The Magic V2 RSR retains the same dimensions, measuring 9.9mm thick when folded and 4.7mm when opened, ensuring it remains the world's thinnest foldable phone. The extra decoration adds 3 grams over the base model, reaching 234 grams (about 8.25 oz) which still beats the likes of the OnePlus Open, Samsung's Galaxy Z Fold 5 and Google's Pixel Fold, largely thanks to Honor's mix of titanium alloy and proprietary steel in its hinge design — this is apparently certified to last for at least 400,000 folds. As a bonus, the Magic V2 line's 5,000mAh battery capacity is larger than the competition, thanks to its more energy-dense silicon-carbon cells. The trade-off here is the missing wireless charging, but you do get 66W of wired fast charging, which takes around 50 minutes to go from zero to 100 percent.

The Magic V2 RSR is still powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 processor, but with storage option limited to just 1TB to go with the 16GB of RAM. The rest of the spec sheet is identical for both Magic V2 variants. For displays, you get a 7.92-inch 2,344 x 2,156 foldable OLED screen (with a barely-noticeable crease) and a 6.43-inch 2,376 x 1,060 exterior OLED display, with their brightness going up to 1,600 nits and 2,500 nits, respectively. For audio, this Android phone comes equipped with "IMAX Enhanced" stereo speakers, whereas phone calls leverage the device's three-mic system for better voice reception. As is the case with most foldables, the fingerprint reader is integrated into the side-mounted power button.

The rear "Falcon Camera System" consists of a 50-megapixel main sensor, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide shooter and a 20-megapixel telephoto camera (2.5x zoom), whereas a 16-megapixel punch-hole selfie camera sits at the top of both screens. Both the rear and front cameras support up to 4K resolution for video recording.

It should come as no surprise that the Magic V2 RSR boxset packs some extra goodies, namely an active stylus, its own carrying case and a spare 66W charger. The special protection case is wrapped in a stitched dark gray vegan leather, though compared to the normal version, it's missing out on a kickstand — a feature I struggle to live without when it comes to foldable phones.

The cases for the Magic V2 RSR and its stylus.
Photo by Richard Lai / Engadget

Like the base model, the Magic V2 RSR will also be headed to global markets, though the prices are under wraps until MWC later this month. For reference, the Magic V2 RSR retails for 15,999 yuan or about $2,220 in China, but expect a huge bump for international pricing. The regular Magic V2 — only available in 512GB flavor for international markets — is priced at £1,700 ($2,140) in the UK and €1,999 ($2,150) in Europe, but the China version and Hong Kong version (also international firmware) cost around $1,400 only. It's no wonder that some savvy consumers would rather import smartphones from overseas, despite the lack of local warranty services.

This article originally appeared on Engadget at https://www.engadget.com/the-worlds-thinnest-foldable-phone-gets-a-porsche-design-makeover-104537565.html?src=rss

Easily build no-code AI Agent automations using drag-and-drop with Flowise

create AI Agent automations using no-code building platform

Imagine a world where the power of artificial intelligence (AI) is at your fingertips, even if you’ve never written a line of code. That’s the promise of Flowise, an innovative platform that’s making waves by allowing users to create AI agents with ease. With its intuitive drag-and-drop interface, Flowise is opening doors for those brimming […]

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What to Expect From iOS 17.4 (Video)

iOS 17.4

Apple’s latest software update, iOS 17.4, is poised to bring a host of new features and improvements to your iPhone, offering both functionality and security enhancements that cater to a diverse user base. If you’re curious about what’s in store with this update, you will be pleased to know that it addresses everything from app […]

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Google Gemini vs. Google Assistant

Google Gemini

In a new video from In Depth Tech Reviews, we get to look at how Google Gemini compares to Google Assistant. In the ever-evolving landscape of digital assistants, two notable contenders stand out for their unique capabilities and applications: Google Assistant and Google Gemini. A meticulous comparison conducted on the Pixel 8 Pro sheds light […]

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Microsoft Flight Simulator Dune Expansion announced

Flight Simulator Dune Royal Atreides Ornithopter

Microsoft Flight Simulator has introduced an exciting new feature for fans of both aviation and the iconic Dune series. This latest update, which is available at no extra cost, coincides with the highly anticipated release of Dune: Part Two, premiering in theaters and IMAX on March 1, 2024. The highlight of this expansion is the […]

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How to create laser engraving depth maps from AI generated images

convert AI artwork into depth map for laser engraving

The world of design and manufacturing is witnessing a significant shift with the introduction of artificial intelligence (AI) into the realm of 3D laser engraving. The ability to create a wide range of amazing designs and concepts in just a few minutes is reshaping the capabilities of manufacturing for small businesses and enthusiasts. If you […]

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