Tag Archives: Gadgets

Finally a power bank you can split into two halves, share with your nerdy pals

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Power banks have long been quite boring, just building on dated designs and old-school functionality. There has not been much innovation in daily driving utility beyond faster charging speeds, port versatility for multi-device support, and larger capacity. That I say because Nimble has created a very clever power bank which solves a very basic problem every one of us has come across. Sharing the accessory with your buddies while compromising your own gadget charging needs.

This is the SharePower battery bank designed to split into two halves, literally. The benefit? Well, quite obviously, the freedom to share the accessory with your pals without having to worry about any inherent compromises. Additionally, if you’re sure only a single half of the 5,000mAh-rated battery bank would be enough for lighter use, you have to carry around less bulk. The two-in-one charger is held together magnetically and measures just 3.05 inches by 2.75 inches with a thickness of under one inch.

Designer: Nimble

In the normal mode, the 10,000 mAh battery bank has two USB-C connectors and two USB-C ports. When it is split up, the braided lanyard opens up to be a USB-C cable on one half, while the other half has a USB-C connector port folded inside. When you share it with someone, they’ll need their standalone battery indicator. Therefore, one half has the customary battery percentage display, while for the other half, the four LEDs (otherwise used to indicate the ports in use) do this task. Power management in the two modes is also handled tactfully for maximum utility. When the unit is joined together, SharePower delivers a charging speed of 35W, while in the split mode, the two separate halves have a 20W charging speed for a single charging gadget, and 15W for two devices being charged.

Quite frankly, I’m not much into power banks, as my charging needs are not that aggressive. Still, this portable accessory seems like a good prospect. At least you have the luxury of a 5,000mAh reserve sitting in the backpack just in case you’re travelling or have a gaming spree on the go. The setup is ultra-flexible to top off things, which makes it highly utilitarian in everyday situations compared to conventional options that are quite bulky.

Nimble SharePower will come in all white finish, along with two translucent Liquid Crystal Edition hues – blue and pink – for the uber nostalgic feel. The power bank sits flush in the category of gadgets where the first thought is “why didn’t anyone think of this before?” Priced at $80, the useful accessory is one for every nerd, and surely on my Wishlist as well. You can buy it right away from the official online store, as well as Apple stores.

The post Finally a power bank you can split into two halves, share with your nerdy pals first appeared on Yanko Design.

The Handheld PC That Becomes a Gamepad, Keyboard, or Knob Panel

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The handheld PC market has gotten surprisingly competitive in recent years. Devices like the Steam Deck and ROG Ally have proven that people genuinely want powerful computers in their pockets, but they’ve all settled into roughly the same formula: a fixed gamepad layout and a fixed identity as gaming devices. Getting any serious work done on them usually means plugging in a keyboard and calling it a compromise.

The CG Deck takes a different approach. Rather than locking itself into one form factor, it’s built around swappable input modules that let you physically change what kind of device it is, depending on what you need it to do. Snap on the gamepad for gaming, switch to the 64-key keyboard for writing, or reach for the 11-key rotary knob module when precision matters most.

Designer: Mogozen

The module system is split into two types of slots, primary and secondary, which accept different kinds of attachments. The primary slot handles the bigger input options, like the gamepad controller, keyboard, or knob module. The secondary slot is where something like a trackball mouse module goes. Over 30 additional modules are already in development, opening the door to configurations nobody has really tried before.

Running the whole thing is an Intel N150 processor paired with up to 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM, which is enough to handle productivity workloads, light creative tasks, and indie gaming without breaking a sweat. The 5-inch IPS touchscreen runs at 1024×600 and peaks at 1,000 nits, which keeps it readable in brighter conditions. It also outputs up to 4K at 60Hz via HDMI 2.1 when a bigger screen is nearby.

The battery is made up of three 18650 lithium cells totaling 10,500 mAh, good for roughly eight hours of use and charged via USB-C. Connectivity is unusually generous for a handheld of this size, with built-in Wi-Fi 6e, Bluetooth, and a full 1GbE Ethernet port, plus two USB-A 3.0 ports, a USB-C port, and a MicroSD card slot built directly into the chassis.

Beyond swapping the controllers, the internals are expandable, too. An M.2 slot accepts NVMe SSDs in 2230 or 2280 form factors via PCIe 3.0, there’s a module slot for 4G LTE cellular connectivity with a NanoSIM, and a PCIe expansion port opens the door to external GPU attachments for more demanding workloads. x86 architecture means it runs anything, from Windows 10 and 11 to any Linux distribution you prefer.

What makes this even more interesting is that everything about the CG Deck is open source. Schematics, firmware, and design files will all be available on GitHub, so tinkerers can build their own version without waiting for the commercial release. A Kickstarter is currently in the works for those who’d rather not solder their way through it, and a waitlist is already open on the Mogozen website.

The engineering prototype is working, though it’s still being refined before it’s ready for a wider audience. Future shell designs include options with picatinny rails and LEGO-compatible brick plates, suggesting that physical customization goes well beyond the input modules alone. The overall concept is unusual enough to feel genuinely novel in a category that’s started to feel a bit predictable.

The post The Handheld PC That Becomes a Gamepad, Keyboard, or Knob Panel first appeared on Yanko Design.

A Wireless Clip-On Mic With AI Noise Cancellation for Under $50 Sounds Ridiculous. Here’s Why It Works.

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The modern smartphone has set a remarkably high baseline for video quality, and its built-in microphone is surprisingly capable for casual use. But for creators who need their voice to cut through ambient noise, reach across distance, or maintain consistent clarity on the move, phone audio quickly reveals its physical limits. This is the complex mindset of the budget-conscious creator: they won’t spend money on a dedicated camera unless it’s dramatically better than their phone, and they certainly won’t carry a separate microphone unless it delivers a sound that is fundamentally impossible to capture with the device already in their pocket. It has to solve a problem, not just offer a marginal improvement.

This is the precise challenge the Saramonic Air SE is designed to meet. It justifies its space in a creator’s bag by breaking the physical limitations of a smartphone. Its core function is to get the microphone off the camera and place it exactly where it needs to be: clipped discreetly to a collar, just inches from the speaker’s mouth. Thumb-sized and weighing just 5 grams, the mic wears almost unnoticed on camera. It operates across 200 meters of wireless range, delivering crystal-clear, detailed 48kHz/24-bit audio while an AI engine actively removes up to 40dB of background noise. Snap it back onto the charging bar and it instantly becomes a handheld mic, ready for interviews. At $49 for the USB-C version, it’s positioned squarely as an entry-level system built for mobile-first creators and content teams who need professional capabilities without the professional price tag.

Designer: Saramonic

Click Here to Buy Now: $40 $50 ($10 off, use coupon code “YD20”). Hurry, deal ends in 48-hours!

The impossibly compact design makes it a marvel of engineering but also a testimony of how much discreetness matters to Saramonic’s core audience. The transmitter measures 28.5 x 17 x 13.4 millimeters, roughly thumb-sized, and weighs 5 grams. That makes it among the most compact in its class—significantly smaller than most entry-level wireless systems. When clipped to a collar or shirt, it genuinely disappears on camera, solving one of the oldest visual compromises in video production. The modular charging bar is the real design story here, sized like a lighter and engineered to magnetically house two mics and a receiver for easy carry. Everything you need for a two-person recording setup fits in your pocket. Dock a transmitter onto the bar, power it on, and it doubles as a handheld interview mic. Two form factors, one object, no adapters or workflow interruptions. The magnetic connection is strong enough that the bar feels natural to hold, weighted specifically for that second use case. Saramonic calls it “Clip It. Hold It.” and the simplicity of that statement captures exactly what makes this system different.

The Air SE’s noise cancellation represents Saramonic’s first-ever true AI system, trained on over 700,000 noise samples across 20,000 hours of audio. Unlike traditional ENC (electronic noise cancellation), which only handles steady ambient sounds like air conditioners or distant traffic, this AI engine identifies and separates voices from complex or sudden noise in real time. It runs in two modes: Weak at -15dB for natural-sounding environments where you still want some atmosphere, and Strong at -40dB for genuinely loud scenes like street shoots or crowded events. A single press on the receiver toggles the feature on and off. The companion app handles three EQ presets (Vocal Boost, High Boost, and Bass Boost) that let you fine-tune your vocal tone effortlessly, plus mono or stereo output selection and gain control. It’s plug-and-play simplicity with easy controls, approachable enough that a beginner can use it without touching settings, and flexible enough that someone with audio experience can dial in exactly what they need.

The technical fundamentals are solid in ways that matter for real-world use. The Air SE captures 48kHz/24-bit high-resolution audio with an 80dB signal-to-noise ratio and 120dB max SPL, preserving details with an ultra-low noise floor. The built-in limiter with -12dB safety track prevents distortion in unpredictable situations, recording a backup channel the whole time. If your main track clips because someone suddenly shouts or laughs too close to the mic, the safety track has you covered. The transmitter runs for about 6 hours on a single charge, and with charge-while-record capability through the modular bar, you get up to 28 hours of total runtime. That’s enough for a full day of street interviews or event coverage. The receiver draws power directly from your phone via USB-C or Lightning, so there’s no separate battery to manage. The plug-and-play design means seamless smartphone use from the moment you connect.

Saramonic is offering two configurations – the Air SE-01 at $49 includes a USB-C receiver and works with modern iPhones, Android devices, computers, and select action cameras like the DJI Osmo Pocket 3 and DJI Action 4. The Air SE-02 at $69 adds a Lightning receiver for older Apple hardware. Both kits include two transmitters, the charging bar, furry windshields, magnetic clips, a carry bag, and a USB-A to USB-C cable. That’s a complete field recording setup in one box, no additional purchases required. Competitors like the DJI Mic 3 and Hollyland Lark systems start around $150, making the Air SE’s price positioning genuinely aggressive for mobile content creators, streamers, and interviewers who need affordable wireless audio with outstanding value.

The Air SE is available now through Saramonic’s official store with free worldwide shipping, a 15-day return window, and a 2-year warranty. For creators who have been making do with phone audio and wondering if a dedicated wireless mic is worth the investment, this is a system designed to answer that question definitively. Pure, natural-sounding voice with powerful noise cancellation, ultra-light portability, and broad compatibility with mainstream smartphones and tablets, all in a package that fits in your pocket and costs less than most creators spend on a single camera accessory.

Click Here to Buy Now: $40 $50 ($10 off, use coupon code “YD20”). Hurry, deal ends in 48-hours!

The post A Wireless Clip-On Mic With AI Noise Cancellation for Under $50 Sounds Ridiculous. Here’s Why It Works. first appeared on Yanko Design.

“Exoskeleton Mouse” Gives Each Individual Finger Its Own Ergonomic Saddle

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The history of mouse design is essentially a history of addition. More buttons, more weight options, more RGB zones, more surface textures, more software profiles, more reasons to spend three hundred dollars on a peripheral that still cradles your hand in the same closed-shell geometry Bill English built in 1972. The ergonomics conversation in particular has produced some genuinely thoughtful vertical mice and trackball revivals, but even those radical-seeming pivots keep the fundamental assumption intact: that a mouse is a body, and your hand rests on top of it. Psudoku, a maker and keyboard enthusiast whose work lives on GitHub, decided that assumption was the problem.

Kotinos is what a wireless mouse fossil looks like, the skeletal trace of an input device after everything non-essential has been removed by time or intent. An open 3D-printed scaffold rises from a flat base, each branch terminating in a small saddle pad matched to a specific fingertip, with the HSK Pro mouse internals sitting completely naked at the center of the lattice. Hand size and paddle geometry are both configurable through OpenSCAD scripts, meaning the fit is genuinely personal rather than averaging across a bell curve of palm measurements.

Designer: psudoku

The structural logic here is closer to a finger splint or an orthotic brace than anything in the Logitech catalog, and that framing is deliberate. Traditional mouse shells work by distributing contact across the entire palm and finger surface, which sounds ergonomic until you realize that it also means your hand is constantly fighting the geometry of a form designed for an average that probably doesn’t match you. Kotinos inverts the relationship entirely. The scaffold contacts only the fingertips, each pad saddle-shaped to cradle the distal phalanx rather than the whole finger, and the palm floats free of any surface entirely. Whether that produces genuine relief for RSI sufferers or just relocates the pressure points somewhere new is a question only long-term use can answer, but the premise is at least architecturally honest in a way that most ergonomic marketing copy never manages to be.

The construction photographs suggest multi-jet fusion 3D printing for psudoku’s own unit, that characteristic fine-grained grey surface that reads almost like sandstone in photographs, though the OpenSCAD source files mean any hobbyist with a resin or FDM printer can generate their own version. The exposed internals are genuinely striking in person: purple PCBs, a teal scroll wheel housing, ribbon cables and red wiring running between struts, all visible through the open lattice like a dissection model. There’s no attempt to prettify any of it. The aesthetic is pure function, which ends up being far more visually arresting than another matte-black gaming peripheral with aggressive chamfers and a glowing logo.

The files are free, the build is approachable, and the only real donor hardware you need is an HSK Pro mouse to gut for parts. Psudoku suggests applying fabric tape on the contact points to give the Kotinos mouse a more natural, comfortable feel. Because the Kotinos only touches you at the fingertips, those few contact points carry all the sensory weight that a conventional mouse spreads across your entire palm. If the saddle pads feel rough or cold or slightly wrong, there’s nowhere else for your hand to escape to. For a mouse built from struts and exposed circuit boards, that kind of tactile warmth might be exactly what keeps it from feeling like the medical device it occasionally resembles.

The post “Exoskeleton Mouse” Gives Each Individual Finger Its Own Ergonomic Saddle first appeared on Yanko Design.

PowerA x Meridian Project X-Ray controller boasts interchangeable aircraft and helicopter controls

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Gaming controllers are going beyond their generic functionality to cater to the needs of gamers, and more importantly, the titles being played on the favorite console. Gamepads loaded with specific functional controls are built to enhance the level of in-game realism and provide tactical advantage in certain situations. Take, for instance, the AAA flight simulator titles that are better experienced with dedicated gaming gear, or if you value portability, with a gaming controller.

Honeycomb Aeronautical’s Echo Aviation Controller  designed primarily for the Microsoft Flight Simulator on PC and Mac, demonstrates how gamers can enjoy the cult favorite title with the same level of accuracy as the dedicated gaming gear, which at times can be bulky. PowerA, known for its gaming accessories in collaboration with Meridian GMT, who pioneer in advanced flight simulation hardware, has announced the Project X-Ray controller, an advanced gamepad at FlightSimExpo 2026 in St. Paul, Minnesota. The two brands have similar ambitions from this collaboration, as it gives flight sim fanatics even more freedom to explore their alternate passion.

Designer: PowerA

The flight deck controller combines the advanced level of controls for airplanes, as well as helicopter controls, into a single unit, courtesy of the modular interchangeable elements. Depending on which game you are playing on your PC or Xbox Series X | S, the controller can swap throttle, faceplates, and flaps for delivering a deeper level of simulation. PowerA and Meridian manage to do this while retaining the familiar form factor of a controller, which in itself is a feat. As per Nicki Repenning, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Meridian GMT, “Flight simulation enthusiasts are passionate about authenticity, immersion, and control. By partnering with PowerA, we’re combining Meridian GMT’s expertise in advanced flight simulation hardware with PowerA’s ability to deliver innovative gaming experiences at scale.”

This versatile flight system controller has all the major controls on board, including a throttle lever, flaps, landing gear, rotary trim knobs, and radio buttons. The controller swaps the D-pad of a normal gamepad with dedicated autopilot controls. The gaming accessory still misses the back view controls, but that is not a deal breaker in any way. Depending on the setup you choose – airplane or helicopter controls – the matching faceplate makes the gamepad look absolutely perfect in varied color themes. The Xbox button at the familiar top position suggests it should be compatible with the Microsoft ecosystem on PC titles as well.

According to Matt Hiler, Sr. Director of Marketing and Strategic Partnerships, “Meridian GMT’s deep flight simulation expertise, combined with PowerA’s decades of global accessory experience, helps bring authentic, approachable, and exciting flight control to more players.” That’s important because the Project X-Ray controller, still in development, could be a game-changer for flight sim games that otherwise required a dedicated set of accessories to have the complete experience. There is no word yet on the pricing or availability of the controller, but it sure is an interesting gaming accessory.

The post PowerA x Meridian Project X-Ray controller boasts interchangeable aircraft and helicopter controls first appeared on Yanko Design.

8 Japanese Kitchen Gadgets & Tools That Make Dad Feel Like a Michelin-Star Chef This Father’s Day

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There’s a reason Michelin-starred Japanese kitchens don’t look like the ones you see on American cooking shows. No plastic cutting boards. No thin-gauge nonstick pans. The tools themselves carry the weight of centuries of refinement: cast iron developed over generations, blades sharpened to tolerances measured in fractions of a millimeter, clay vessels fired in kilns with thousand-year histories. These eight tools bring that level of kitchen confidence home.

Japan’s approach to cookware has never been about accumulating tools. It’s about choosing the right one and understanding it deeply. The best Japanese kitchen gadgets don’t ask you to cook faster or easier. They ask you to cook better, with more presence, more attention, more respect for the ingredient. For a dad who cooks with intention rather than convenience, these eight pieces are the kind of upgrade that changes how a kitchen feels to work in.

1. Precision Ceramic Sashimi Knife

Raw fish demands knife performance that metal blades, for all their centuries of refinement, struggle to deliver. The Precision Ceramic Sashimi Knife represents the convergence of Japanese craftsmanship and advanced materials science, creating a blade twice as hard as stainless steel, with sharpness that lasts 200 times longer than conventional edges. The single-bevel design emulates the classic yanagiba with a concave back, reducing friction for effortless, drag-free cuts. The lightweight ceramic construction enables extended use without hand fatigue, while the advanced material requires minimal maintenance and virtually eliminates sharpening routines.

The cutting experience transforms sashimi preparation from a technical challenge into a flowing motion. The exceptional sharpness preserves delicate fish texture and cell structure that duller blades tear and compress. The friction-reducing concave back allows the blade to glide through ingredients with minimal resistance and maximum control. The lightweight design enables the precise, continuous strokes required for proper sashimi cutting without the arm fatigue associated with metal blades. The ceramic material doesn’t impart metallic taste or oxidation to delicate seafood, keeping every flavor entirely clean.

Click Here to Buy Now: $300.00

What We Like

  • The ceramic material maintains sharpness 200 times longer than conventional steel blades
  • The non-reactive material prevents metallic taste transfer to delicate seafood

What We Dislike

  • The ceramic blade, while exceptionally hard, is more brittle than steel and requires careful handling
  • The specialized design focuses on sashimi and delicate work rather than general-purpose cutting

2. Nagatani-en Iga-yaki Donabe

The donabe is arguably the single most important vessel in Japanese home cooking, and the Nagatani-en Iga-yaki version is the one professionals reference when the subject comes up. Made in Iga, Mie Prefecture, from clay drawn from ancient sediment layers unique to the region, the pot’s porous walls absorb heat slowly and distribute it evenly, creating conditions that braise meat, steam vegetables, and cook rice in ways that modern stainless steel and ceramic-coated vessels simply cannot replicate. There is a textural depth to food cooked in a donabe that registers immediately.

Nagatani-en has been crafting donabe in Iga for generations, and the design reflects that continuity. The textured clay exterior and smooth interior create a vessel that reads as a sculptural object as readily as a cooking tool, something worth leaving on the stovetop between uses. Available in the US through TOIRO Kitchen, where each piece is individually checked before shipping, it arrives ready for first use after a simple initial preparation. For a dad who treats cooking as a practice rather than a task, the donabe reframes what a pot is capable of entirely.

What We Like

  • The porous Iga clay distributes heat with remarkable consistency, transforming braises, steaming, and rice cooking
  • The design is as much sculpture as cookware, worthy of staying out on the stovetop between uses

What We Dislike

  • Requires a short initial preparation process before first use to condition the clay
  • Not compatible with induction cooktops without a separate converter plate

3. Iron Frying Plate

Western dining creates an artificial separation between cooking vessel and serving dish, transferring food from pan to plate in a ritual that cools ingredients and adds cleanup steps. The Iron Frying Plate eliminates that middleman: the frying pan is your plate, the plate is your frying pan, collapsing cooking and eating into a seamless experience. Crafted from rust-resistant mill scale steel with a detachable wooden handle, this cookware brings out superior flavors and textures while reducing the barriers between preparation and enjoyment. The uncoated surface comes ready to use immediately, requiring no seasoning or special preparation rituals.

The boundary-blurring design creates intimacy with your food that standard plating disrupts. Eggs sizzle on your breakfast table, fish arrives still crackling from the heat, and vegetables steam visibly as you lift your fork to your mouth. The immediacy preserves temperature, texture, and visual drama that dissipate during transfers. The detachable wooden handle attaches and releases with one hand, transforming cookware into serveware in seconds. The rust-resistant mill scale steel develops natural non-stick properties through use without chemical coatings. The design invites slower, more attentive eating, pacing yourself with a vessel that retains heat and presence throughout the meal.

Click Here to Buy Now: $69.00

What We Like

  • The cook-and-serve design preserves temperature and texture better than transferred plating
  • The one-handed handle attachment provides seamless transitions from stove to table

What We Dislike

  • The hot serving surface requires careful handling and might not suit households with young children
  • The iron construction adds weight compared to standard plates

4. Benriner Super Mandoline Slicer No. 95

The Benriner has been the vegetable slicer of record in professional Japanese kitchens for decades, made in Yamaguchi Prefecture with an edge quality that made it standard equipment long before Western food media caught up. The No. 95 Super Benriner is the larger professional model, featuring four ultra-sharp Japanese stainless steel blades covering uniform slicing, julienne, and fry-cut work at a price that makes it one of the few genuine bargains in serious kitchen equipment.

Where most mandolines frustrate cooks with inconsistent blade adjustment and loose mounting, the Benriner holds its settings reliably cut after cut. Katsuobushi shaved paper-thin, daikon cut to near-translucent rounds, cucumber ribboned for sunomono: the cuts that separate restaurant-quality Japanese food from home attempts are largely a function of this tool.

What We Like

  • Four interchangeable Japanese steel blades handle everything from paper-thin slices to julienne cuts with professional-grade precision

What We Dislike

  • A cut-resistant glove is essential for safe use, and one isn’t included with the slicer
  • Can feel slightly unstable when processing larger produce without the finger guard properly seated

5. Hinoki Essence Cutting Board

Cutting boards in Western kitchens lean toward two extremes: hard plastic that preserves knife edges but feels clinical, or soft wood that comforts hands but dulls blades. The Hinoki Essence Cutting Board achieves the balance that Japanese cypress is renowned for: medium hardness that offers resistance without damaging knives. The majestic hinoki wood naturally resists mold, while the water-resistant silicone coating penetrates wood fibers to prevent damage. The gentle, rounded shapes and integrated handle provide both aesthetic grace and practical functionality for hanging and hygienic drying.

The cutting experience on hinoki transforms knife work from task into sensory practice. The wood provides satisfying feedback without the harsh impact of hard surfaces or the mushy give of soft materials. The natural aroma of cypress adds olfactory dimension to food preparation, creating an atmosphere that plastic and bamboo cannot replicate. The integrated handle facilitates hanging storage that promotes air circulation and drying. The water-resistant treatment extends durability without coating the surface in synthetic films. The gentle curves blend naturally with contemporary kitchen interiors while honoring traditional Japanese woodworking aesthetics. Paired with the ceramic sashimi knife, this is the right surface for the right blade.

Click Here to Buy Now: $75.00

What We Like

  • Hinoki’s medium hardness protects knife edges while delivering satisfying, precise cutting feedback
  • The natural cypress aroma adds a sensory quality to prep work that no synthetic material can offer

What We Dislike

  • Wood requires more care than plastic, including occasional oiling and thorough drying after washing
  • The premium material comes at a higher price point than most cutting boards on the market

6. Oku Knife

Every knife you own lies flat on the table. That’s not a law of physics, just a 400-year-old habit nobody bothered to question. Scottish metalworker Kathleen Reilly questioned it during a residency in Tsubame-Sanjo, Niigata Prefecture, one of Japan’s most celebrated metalworking regions, and the answer was Oku: a table knife with a folded handle that hooks over the edge of a plate or wooden board, holding the blade elevated entirely off the surface.

The knife is made by craftspeople in Tsubame-Sanjo using techniques refined over four centuries, from domestically produced high-quality stainless steel. The paired wooden boards come from Karimoku Furniture, Japan’s leading wooden furniture maker, using sustainably sourced Japanese forest wood. For a dad who cooks with intention, Oku adds something most kitchen tools cannot: a design that creates dialogue between cultures, between Eastern arrangement philosophy and Western dining conventions, and between the object and whatever surface it is placed on. Nothing else on the table will look like it.

What We Like

  • The folded handle elevates the blade completely off the table, keeping the cutting edge cleaner between uses
  • A genuine cultural collaboration between Scottish design sensibility and 400-year-old Japanese metalworking craft, with a story worth telling at the table

What We Dislike

  • Availability is through the designer’s studio rather than a mainstream retail channel, which takes more effort to source
  • The concept-forward design is purposefully singular, working as a table knife rather than a multi-purpose kitchen workhorse

7. Suribachi and Surikogi Set

Grinding in Japanese cooking is fundamentally different from crushing. The suribachi achieves that distinction through its ridged ceramic interior, where scored grooves catch and shear ingredients rather than simply pressing them flat. Making gomadare sesame sauce, the kind that appears in cold noodle dishes and spinach salads at high-end Japanese restaurants, depends entirely on this action: sesame seeds releasing their oils through friction against the ridges rather than being pulverized against a smooth surface. No Western mortar produces this result or this texture.

The suribachi and surikogi set from Akazuki comes in three nested sizes, made from unglazed ceramic with the traditional scored interior that defines the tool. The wooden surikogi pestle grips the ridges effectively without damaging the bowl. For a dad who already cooks Japanese food with confidence, this closes the last gap in most Japanese-inspired home kitchens. For one who is beginning to explore the cuisine properly, it introduces a grinding technique that changes how sauces and dressings taste from the very first use.

What We Like

  • The ridged ceramic interior releases oils and extracts flavor from seeds and aromatics in ways no smooth mortar can replicate
  • The nested three-piece set covers different ingredient volumes without requiring multiple tools

What We Dislike

  • The ceramic bowl requires careful handling and won’t survive a drop onto a hard floor
  • Developing a consistent grinding rhythm takes a few sessions, particularly when working with sesame seeds

8. BALMUDA The Kettle

Temperature is one of the least visible but most consequential variables in Japanese cooking. Dashi performs best within a specific heat range. Green tea becomes bitter above 80°C. BALMUDA The Kettle approaches precision temperature control with the same seriousness that Tokyo-based BALMUDA brings to every product it makes: a minimal design language wrapped around functional performance that makes the object as intentional to look at as it is to use.

BALMUDA’s attention to proportion is visible in the kettle’s structure: a wide base tapering to a narrow, curved gooseneck spout engineered for controlled, targeted pouring. This matters for precise dashi work, for pour-over preparations, for the temperature discipline that separates a thoughtful Japanese home cook from someone following a recipe. The Kettle is not a generic appliance that happens to look elegant. It’s an object designed to make a daily preparation ritual feel considered, which is exactly what Japanese kitchen culture asks of every tool it produces.

What We Like

  • The precision gooseneck spout allows controlled, targeted pouring for dashi, tea, and any temperature-sensitive preparation
  • BALMUDA’s build quality and visual design make it as worthy of display as of daily use

What We Dislike

  • The premium brand carries a price considerably higher than functional alternatives with comparable temperature control
  • Some home cooks may want more granular degree-specific settings than the kettle’s range provides

The Gift That Gets Better Every Time He Cooks

Japanese kitchen tools don’t compete with each other for drawer space. They each occupy a specific role with such precision that using the wrong version becomes apparent the moment you try the right one. This collection covers that full range: the tools that produce results no substitute can replicate and the surfaces that make everything they touch perform better. Together, they build a kitchen that takes cooking seriously from prep board to serving vessel.

Father’s Day gifts often end up used once and forgotten. The tools here don’t work that way. A donabe improves every time it’s fired. An Oku knife perches at the edge of every plate it touches, carrying the weight of four centuries of craft. A hinoki board holds the character of every preparation made on its surface. These aren’t purchases. They’re the beginning of a cooking practice that rewards attention for years.

The post 8 Japanese Kitchen Gadgets & Tools That Make Dad Feel Like a Michelin-Star Chef This Father’s Day first appeared on Yanko Design.

These 5 Speakers Are So Beautiful They Could Hang in a Museum – and They Actually Sound Amazing

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For years, high-end audio meant choosing between performance and aesthetics, often leaving enthusiasts with bulky, utilitarian “black boxes” hidden in corners. Function ruled, and beauty took a backseat, even as the music demanded more from its equipment.

Today, a quiet revolution is reshaping audio, as Statement Speakers redefine both sound and design, turning the speaker into a sculptural presence. By merging electronics with artistry, these creations prove that high-fidelity sound need not remain unseen. Here’s how new-age speakers command attention, inviting the ear and the eye to experience music in perfect harmony.

1. Geometric Shapes in Audio

Modern speakers are increasingly embracing geometric shapes, moving beyond traditional rectangles to bold, sculptural silhouettes. These forms aren’t just aesthetic as they define the speaker’s character, presence, and identity in any space, making each piece a functional statement of design.

The geometry also serves an acoustic purpose. Cones, pyramids, and other angular profiles create natural chambers that distribute sound evenly, producing immersive 360-degree audio. From every viewpoint, the speaker resembles a refined sculpture in glass, metal, or other materials, merging art and technology.

The Tresound Mini is a compact desktop Bluetooth speaker that refuses to be just another black box on your desk. Its cone-shaped silhouette is sleek and architectural, merging minimalist aesthetics with purposeful form. TRETTITRE, the emerging HiFi brand behind it, bridges traditional audio quality with forward-thinking design, making the speaker feel as much like a modern sculpture as it does a high-performance audio device.

Beyond its striking profile, the Tresound Mini rethinks the desktop experience. A bamboo fiber carrying bag doubles as sustainable, protective packaging, enabling true portability without sacrificing style. Every detail, right from the geometric form to the tactile materials, reflects careful consideration of function and environment.

2. Sound Wave Design

Some of today’s most provocative speaker designs aim to make the invisible visible, transforming sound waves into tangible forms. Fluid, rippling surfaces trace the frequencies of audio, giving physical shape to what is usually only heard. These designs turn the act of listening into a visual experience, inviting the eye to follow the rhythm of music in real time.

By capturing the motion of sound in materials like polished resin or aluminum, these pieces become sculptural embodiments of the music they produce. The result is hardware that’s as lively and expressive as the music, combining art with high-quality sound.

Loopen, a sculptural speaker concept from Design by Joffey, reimagines how sound can look and be experienced. Its bold cobalt-blue form features concentric circular loops radiating from a central speaker driver, creating a visual echo of sound waves in motion. These loops are not merely decorative as they form the structural framework, supporting the speaker while emphasising its sculptural identity. A minimalist oval base and two slim uprights keep the design light, while simple, flush-mounted controls preserve the clean lines. Every element is functional, from the geometric layout to the tactile finish, making the product immediately understandable without explanation.

Compact and thoughtfully proportioned, Loopen is designed for personal spaces like desks or bedside tables, offering both visual and acoustic engagement. By turning audio into a tangible form, the speaker bridges technology and design, giving users an object that delivers clear sound, structural integrity, and aesthetic impact.

3. Slim Décor

Ultra-thin speakers are redefining the idea of “hidden” audio. No longer tucked into corners or walls, these sleek panels are designed to be seen as much as heard, blending effortlessly with minimalist interiors. Inspired by modern wall art, they turn speakers into visual statements.

Disguised as slim frames or textured canvases, they use advanced vibration technology to deliver powerful sound from profiles barely an inch thick. Perfect for “less is more” interiors, these speakers combine gallery-worthy aesthetics with exceptional audio performance, showing that elegance and sound quality can coexist seamlessly.

The DIYR speaker includes an ultra-thin, flat-panel design that transforms the entire surface into a vibrating diaphragm, producing immersive sound while appearing more like a decorative panel than a traditional speaker. At first glance, it’s easy to forget it’s even an audio device. This approach allows the speaker to blend seamlessly into interiors, be propped against walls, or act as a space divider, while delivering rich, evenly distributed sound that fills the room rather than projecting from a single point.

Beyond its striking appearance, the DIYR speaker combines intuitive assembly with high-quality engineering. Using exciters on a 4mm cardboard membrane, it creates a diffuse, ethereal sound profile powered by a 40W amplifier, 40Hz–20kHz frequency range, and a 7,200mAh rechargeable battery. Bluetooth 5.1 and aux connectivity add flexibility, while customizable surfaces let it double as functional, stylish décor.

4. Earthy Design

Some of today’s most innovative speakers are crafted from ancient, natural materials. Sand, concrete, and minerals are reimagined to create housing that is sustainable and acoustically precise. The natural density of these materials dampens unwanted vibrations, producing clear, balanced sound that preserves the integrity of the music.

Visually, these earthy, textured designs resemble artifacts from desert landscapes, adding a grounded, tactile quality to modern interiors. By combining advanced audio technology with raw, organic beauty, designers are creating speakers that feel timeless.

High-end speakers often evoke black boxes, polished wood, or minimalist Scandinavian forms, but the Econik 1851 by Anton Erbenich breaks all those conventions. This active loudspeaker is 3D-printed entirely from quartz sand, resulting in a textured, almost ancient-looking surface that doubles as a functional acoustic solution. The mineral composition dampens micro-vibrations, ensuring cleaner, more accurate sound while giving the piece a sculptural presence. Its stacked, nearly spherical forms reduce standing waves, and subtle side protrusions create an organic, pod-like aesthetic.

The suspension system is equally deliberate as steel cables hang the speakers from a curved stand, isolating them from surface vibrations and allowing them to float weightlessly in space. With integrated amplification and signal processing, setup is simple. At the same time, the understated sand tones and elegant forms make the Econik 1851 a statement of sophisticated design that is bold and understated.

5. Retro Speaker

For the vinyl-loving audiophile, retro-inspired speakers blend mid-century charm with modern technology. Warm wood grains, tactile brass knobs, and vintage grill cloths recall the elegance of 1970s hi-fi systems, evoking nostalgia without compromising style. These pieces act as functional décor while celebrating the tactile pleasure of classic design.

Beneath their “old-school” exterior, they pack high-resolution Bluetooth connectivity and modern audio performance. This fusion allows listeners to enjoy the sensory satisfaction of vintage hardware with the convenience and clarity of today’s digital sound.

Founded by Etsy co-founder Robert Kalin and NASA engineer William Cowan, A for Ara challenges the conventions of modern smart speakers by bringing ritual and joy back to music listening. Their retro-modern speakers combine eclectic design styles with traditional and contemporary fabrication techniques, creating pieces that feel both timeless and playful. The FS-1 and FS-2 feature two visual components: a base housing the audio drivers and acoustic cabinet, and an upper, phonograph-inspired horn that amplifies sound while evoking the organic shape of a morning glory flower.

Standing 54 inches tall, the FS-1 pairs a slender horn with a geometric base and a 13” front-firing woofer, while the FS-2 amplifies its whimsical character with a boxy, leaf-patterned cabinet and three long-throw 12” woofers. Both deliver audiophile-grade sound without LEDs or metallic detailing, offering an immersive, joyous listening experience that turns audio equipment into art.

When sound transforms into sculpture, the home becomes a gallery. Modern speakers are no longer hidden appliances but are statement pieces that merge high-fidelity performance with visual artistry.

The post These 5 Speakers Are So Beautiful They Could Hang in a Museum – and They Actually Sound Amazing first appeared on Yanko Design.

5 Best Beach Gadgets That Don’t Look Like They Were Designed by a Sunscreen Brand

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The beach has a design problem. Everything made for it arrives wrapped in the same visual language: neon plastic, logos scaled for visibility from twenty feet away, and product names in fonts that suggest the designer’s reference material was a county fair booth. Coolers, chairs, speakers, sunscreen dispensers. The category has collectively decided that beach gear should look exactly like beach gear, and nobody seems to have questioned whether that was actually a good idea.

These five objects have a different point of view. None of them look like they were produced for a promotional photograph on a pier. Each one earns its place through a specific design decision that makes a full day at the beach easier, quieter, or a little more considered.

1. Battery-Free Amplifying Speakers

Every Bluetooth speaker brought to the beach eventually dies. The battery gives out at exactly the moment someone finds the right track, and the rest of the afternoon becomes a negotiation about whether to go back to the car. The Battery-Free Amplifying Speakers remove that problem entirely by having no battery to run out. Sound from a phone travels into the chamber and is amplified through acoustic geometry rather than electronics, with no pairing, no charging, and no indicator light to watch nervously.

The principle is the same one behind a gramophone horn or a hand cupped around a speaker: redirect sound and it gets louder. What lifts these above cheaper versions of the same idea is the internal chamber design, which reinforces rather than merely surrounds the sound. The result is noticeably fuller than the phone alone, and at the beach, where wind and open space work against you constantly, that gain matters more than a battery percentage reading or a firmware update ever could.

Click Here to Buy Now: $179

What We Like

  • No charging means no dead speaker, no cables on the sand, and no quiet dread about how much afternoon remains before the battery is gone
  • Passive amplification means the sound scales with your phone’s own speaker rather than introducing a separate and competing audio character on top of it

What We Dislike

  • The volume ceiling is lower than any powered speaker, so this works for a group around a table rather than a group spread across a wide stretch of beach
  • Performance is tied to the quality of the phone speaker placed inside, which varies considerably from one device to another and is entirely outside the product’s control

2. Camp Snap 2

The Camp Snap 2 is a point-and-shoot with no rear screen, no Wi-Fi, and no ability to see the photograph you just took. You shoot, you download later. What sounds like a limitation turns out to be a relief. Every photograph at the beach currently involves a review session: retakes, angles held for too long, filters applied in real time while the moment moves on without you. A camera that simply takes the picture and closes the subject is a very different tool to spend a day with.

It is 15 percent slimmer than its predecessor, runs an 8-megapixel sensor, and offers six built-in looks through a physical button on the back: Standard, Vintage 1 through 3, Analog, and Black and White. It comes in nine colorways, including several translucent jelly-plastic finishes in Sunbeam Yellow, Tangerine Drift, and Strawberry Splash. It supports 30.5mm screw-in filters for anyone inclined to go further.

What We Like

  • The screenless design removes the retake cycle entirely, which turns out to be the most genuinely useful design feature a beach camera can offer
  • Six filter modes accessed through a single physical button is exactly the right level of creative control for a camera built around the idea of not overthinking things

What We Dislike

  • No rear screen means no way to check framing or whether someone blinked, which requires a real shift in how you think about taking a photograph in the first place
  • The 8-megapixel sensor produces images that are warm and characterful rather than sharp and clinical, which is either the point or the dealbreaker depending entirely on who is asking

3. DraftPro Top Can Opener

The problem with canned drinks at the beach has never been opening them. The pull tab handles that adequately. The problem is everything after: a small hole that warms the drink faster than it should, attracts every insect within range, and forces you to drink in a way that a can was never designed for. The DraftPro removes the entire top of the can in a single motion, leaving no sharp edges and turning any standard drink can into an open vessel with full and immediate access.

It locks onto the rim, cuts around the perimeter, and the lid comes away clean. What you are left with is essentially a metal cup, which changes the drinking experience from a can more than you might expect. A cold brew tastes different when you can actually smell it. A beer drinks the way a beer is supposed to drink. Canned wine, which has always suffered from its own opening, finally gets the same treatment a glass would give it.

Click Here to Buy Now: $59.00

What We Like

  • The DraftPro removes the full lid in one clean motion with no sharp edges remaining on the rim, which is the design outcome every can opener should be working toward
  • Turning any standard can into an open cup changes how canned drinks taste and how you experience them, which is a significant return for something that fits in a pocket

What We Dislike

  • It works on standard-diameter cans only, so anything outside that size needs a different tool, which is worth knowing before the cooler is already packed
  • The removed lid needs somewhere to go, which is a small but real consideration when you are trying to keep a bag organised on a beach with nowhere flat to set things down

4. Wuben G5

Most flashlights are too large to bother carrying and too dim to justify the space they take up when you do. The Wuben G5 is shaped and sized like a lighter, weighs 52 grams, and carries an IP68 waterproof rating down to two metres. It reaches 400 lumens across an 82-metre beam and rotates 180 degrees at the head so the light goes where it needs to go without repositioning the hand. A spring-tensioned clip grips fabric and straps. A magnetic base holds it to any metal surface without additional accessories.

At the beach, the use cases arrive the moment the sun drops: tide pool walks after golden hour, finding something in a dark bag, navigating a car park at the end of a long day, keeping a fire going in the right direction. USB-C charging is hidden behind the rotary tactile switch, a small detail that makes the whole object feel genuinely resolved. At $25, it sits in a price bracket where most comparable flashlights are forced to choose between bright and portable. The G5 does not choose.

What We Like

  • The lighter-sized form factor and spring-tensioned clip mean it lives in a pocket and actually gets used, rather than sitting uncharged at the bottom of a drawer between trips
  • IP68 waterproofing, a magnetic base, and USB-C charging at $25 is a combination that flashlights costing three times as much regularly fail to match

What We Dislike

  • Battery runtime at full 400-lumen output sits around 50 to 60 minutes, which requires some forward planning on a long evening outing if you need consistent brightness throughout
  • The blue-and-red emergency beacon is a feature worth having and absolutely worth leaving alone unless the situation genuinely calls for it

5. Hibear All-Day Adventure Flask

The Hibear All-Day Adventure Flask won a Red Dot Design Award in 2020, carries a five-year warranty, and performs six separate functions inside a single 32-ounce insulated stainless body. The interior is lined with non-breakable glass, which keeps flavours neutral regardless of what goes in. Split the body at its midpoint, invert the top section over a filter, and you have a pour-over coffee kit. The same configuration aerates wine properly rather than asking it to breathe through a small opening in a can lid.

A mesh insert brews tea, infuses water, or cold-brews coffee depending on how long you leave it. A slatted lid converts the flask into a cocktail shaker. A thermal core chills drinks without ice and without diluting them. The silicone tumbler built into the base pops out as a cup and absorbs the impact when the flask gets dropped, which it will. Hibear contributes to 1% for the Planet on every sale. For a beach day that starts before sunrise and ends after dark, this covers all of it.

What We Like

  • The non-breakable glass interior keeps every drink tasting like the drink rather than the vessel, which is the detail that separates this from every other insulated flask currently available
  • One object handling six functions means one fewer item to pack, which is the most honest possible argument any piece of design can make for its own existence

What We Dislike

  • The full modular system involves multiple components that need tracking, cleaning, and reassembling, which adds genuine friction on days when simplicity is the only real priority
  • Most users will settle into two or three functions regularly and barely reach for the rest, which is worth sitting with before committing to the price

The Best Beach Gear Is the Gear That Disappears

None of these five objects look like they were made for a promotional shoot. They were made to do something specific well enough that you reach for them without thinking about it. The amplifying speaker has no battery to watch. The DraftPro changes how a can of beer opens. The Wuben G5 weighs 52 grams and costs $25. The Hibear covers a full day at the beach without asking you to pack anything else around it.

The Camp Snap 2 asks you to look at the beach rather than reviewing photographs of it. That is the through-line: five objects that remove a specific frustration rather than introducing a new feature. The beach already has enough going on. The best gear for it stays out of the way and earns its place by being genuinely hard to leave behind.

 

The post 5 Best Beach Gadgets That Don’t Look Like They Were Designed by a Sunscreen Brand first appeared on Yanko Design.

A Solo Korean Maker Just Built the Writing Device Your Phone Isn’t

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There’s a whole category of people who want to write but can’t quite get there on the devices they already own. The laptop opens, and the browser tab is there. The phone unlocks, and three notifications are already demanding attention. Writing apps exist on every platform, but so does everything else, and that proximity makes sustained focus harder than it should need to be. The answer that the market usually offers is another app, which is the same problem wearing a different hat.

The Micro Journal Rev.6.1 comes at that problem from a different direction entirely. It’s a handmade, clamshell writing device built by a solo maker in South Korea, designed for exactly one purpose: opening the lid and writing. There’s no operating system to navigate, no notifications to dismiss, and no browser to wander into. The device boots instantly and drops you directly into a writing canvas, the way a paper notebook would if notebooks could sync to Google Drive.

Designer: Un Kyu Lee (Background_Ad_1810)

The origin story matters here. The Rev.6 that preceded this model was built in response to a playwright from New York who wanted a device compact enough for cafés and distinctive enough to be proud of. The Rev.6.1 takes that same concept, the same 48-key hot-swappable keyboard and color IPS display, and folds it into a clamshell form that closes flat and slips easily into a bag. Community members who received early units called it a “beautiful final evolution” of the Rev.6 concept, which says something about how iterative this product line actually is.

The keyboard uses Kailh hot-swap sockets compatible with Cherry MX switches, which means you choose the switches that match how you like to type and swap them whenever that preference changes. The 48-key layout ships with two additional hidden layers available for remapping, giving far more input flexibility than the key count alone would suggest. It’s a small but considered detail that treats the physical act of typing as something worth getting right.

Files sync to your personal Google Drive over Wi-Fi, with no subscription fee and no middleman service to depend on. An 18650 rechargeable battery handles power, charging over USB-C, which covers the same standard you’re already carrying everywhere else. The whole device is assembled by hand after each order is placed, which adds a few days to the delivery window but also means each unit comes with a degree of personal investment that mass-produced products rarely carry.

The Rev.6.1 sits in a growing ecosystem of writerDeck devices, which are purpose-built writing machines that the community around them treats more like tools than toys. Compared to polished products like the Freewrite, the Micro Journal is more openly a handcrafted object, with visible maker-culture DNA in its design and ethos. That’s not a limitation; it’s the point, and for anyone who already feels the appeal of a mechanical keyboard or a distraction-free tool, the logic lands fairly quickly.

The post A Solo Korean Maker Just Built the Writing Device Your Phone Isn’t first appeared on Yanko Design.

The 5 Best Tech Gadgets of June 2026

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June has arrived with a lineup that doesn’t bother hedging. Each gadget on this list makes a clear and distinct point: about privacy, portability, or what it actually means to build something for the person using it rather than around them. These aren’t incremental updates dressed up in a press release. They’re objects with real design thinking behind them, built to do something specific and do it uncommonly well.

What ties them together is a certain kind of intent. The best tech this month isn’t chasing trends; it’s reacting against them: against surveillance defaults baked into operating systems, against album art buried in streaming queues, against mice that collapse your wrist by noon. Whether you carry your work in a laptop bag or your music in a record sleeve, there’s something specific on this list that deserves a closer look.

1. Volla Plinius

Most smartphones arrive with an assumption baked in: that your data routes through Google’s servers, its apps occupy your home screen, and the battery is sealed inside with no user path to replacement. The Volla Plinius pushes back on all three. It runs privacy-first software, ships with a physically swappable battery, and pairs those principles with IP68 waterproofing. It doesn’t ask you to choose between holding your ground and surviving the rain.

The hardware holds its end of the argument. A 5,300 mAh battery supports both 30W wired fast charging and 15W wireless charging, handling most daily scenarios without demanding much thought. For anyone caught between wanting a cleaner digital life and needing a phone that can handle the physical demands of actually living one, the Plinius is the clearest answer the market has offered in a long time.

What we like

  • A replaceable battery on a device that doesn’t sacrifice IP68 build quality to offer it
  • Privacy-first software paired with genuine ruggedness, without the usual compromise on real-world performance

What we dislike

  • Living Google-free requires a genuine commitment to alternative app ecosystems that not every user is prepared for
  • 30W charging is functional but trails the fast-charging benchmarks set by competing flagship devices

2. Portable CD Cover Player

The album cover was never just packaging. For an entire generation of listeners, it was the first thing you saw before the music started, and it became inseparable from the sound itself. The Portable CD Cover Player understands that. It displays the jacket of whichever disc is loaded as part of the listening experience, giving forgotten CDs a place back on your desk and giving the art around them a reason to exist again.

Built-in speakers and a rechargeable battery mean it functions as a standalone piece rather than a peripheral waiting for something else to do the heavy lifting. A wall-mount bracket option takes it further, turning the player into a room feature rather than just a desk object. Starting from $199, it operates in the space where audio hardware and interior design genuinely intersect: for anyone who grew up measuring their taste by what lived on their shelves, this is the right address.

Click Here to Buy Now: $209.00

What we like

  • Album art becomes part of the room rather than a two-inch thumbnail buried on a phone screen
  • Wall-mount capability turns it from a CD player into a considered piece of interior design

What we dislike

  • The $199 starting price is a real commitment for a device competing against streaming software that costs nothing
  • Bluetooth convenience is central to the pitch, but audio purists may want more control over output quality

3. Canon Pocket Gimbal Camera

DJI built the pocket gimbal camera market almost entirely by itself, and for years nobody credible showed up to challenge it. The Osmo Pocket became the default recommendation for vloggers and travel creators wanting stabilized footage without strapping a full rig to their wrist, and DJI knew exactly where that left everyone else. Canon’s newly confirmed pocket gimbal, a compact three-axis setup with a fixed lens and an auto-folding mechanism, signals the company is finally ready to contest that space.

The design addresses portability in a way that feels considered rather than reactive. The auto-folding structure keeps the camera compact enough for a jacket pocket, while three-axis stabilization handles the walking and handheld movement that makes most phone footage feel unsteady. Canon’s optical legacy gives it a genuine argument the moment it ships. DJI has held this category comfortably for years, but a well-executed Canon entry would give content creators a real choice the market hasn’t genuinely offered before.

What we like

  • The auto-folding mechanism takes pocket portability seriously without compromising the stabilization hardware beneath it
  • Canon’s lens engineering brings an optical credibility that drone-first brands can’t claim by default

What we dislike

  • A fixed lens limits creative flexibility for anyone shooting beyond the standard focal length
  • The design is patent-confirmed rather than shipping, so real-world performance still needs to be seen

4. OrigamiSwift Folding Mouse

The problem with most travel mice is that they ask you to shrink your hand into the device rather than the other way around. The OrigamiSwift, designed by Horace Lam, flips that logic. Inspired by origami, it folds to an ultra-thin profile for transit and opens into a full-sized ergonomic mouse in under half a second. At just 40 grams, it’s the kind of object that stops feeling like a compromise the moment you pick it up.

The Bluetooth connection supports the kind of mobile workflow it was built for: a café table, a flight tray, a co-working space with limited surface area. What separates it from other folding peripherals is the discipline in the design. The open position feels like a real mouse, not a travel mouse trying to pass as one. That distinction matters at a proper desk, and it matters even more when you’re trying to get serious work done somewhere that isn’t one.

Click Here to Buy Now: $85.00

What we like

  • At 40 grams with a sub-0.5-second deployment, portability and usability genuinely stop being a trade-off
  • Full-sized ergonomics in the open position means no physical compromise in the actual working configuration

What we dislike

  • Bluetooth-only connectivity may be a limiting factor for users in precision-sensitive or low-latency workflows
  • The folding mechanism, elegant as it is, introduces a hinge point that any road warrior will want to stress-test over time

5. MelGeek Centauri80

The mechanical keyboard market has spent years dividing the people who care about feel from those who care about performance, as though those are mutually exclusive categories. The MelGeek Centauri80 refuses that split. Under its suspended aluminum alloy unibody, which floats within the outer frame to reduce vibration transfer, sits a distributed architecture of six microcontroller chips driving TTC Flip King magnetic switches to 0.125ms latency at an 8000Hz polling rate.

The five-layer gasket-mounted acoustic structure means the sound engineering is as deliberate as the hardware specification. Every keystroke travels through dampening foam and a silicone layer, giving the typing experience a control you don’t often find at this price point. At $299, it positions itself directly against the Wooting 60HE and the rest of the Hall Effect field. For anyone who wanted a keyboard that takes acoustics and responsiveness with equal seriousness, the Centauri80 makes that case without needing to announce it.

What we like

  • 0.125ms latency at 8000Hz polling is a genuine competitive specification, not a marketing talking point
  • The floating aluminum unibody and five-layer gasket mount make acoustic performance a first-class design feature

What we dislike

  • $299 is a meaningful investment in a Hall Effect market with capable alternatives sitting below that price
  • An 80% layout means function row users will need time to adjust before the board starts feeling natural

The Best Tech Isn’t the Loudest. It’s the Most Decided.

The tech that earns its place this month isn’t defined by specs alone; it’s defined by what those specs are actually solving for. A replaceable battery on a privacy-first phone. An album player that gives cover art back its proper place in a room. A keyboard that treats acoustics as a discipline rather than a footnote. Each product here is built around a clear decision about what actually matters, and that intentionality is what separates a useful gadget from a forgettable one.

Design is the most honest form of opinion. The Volla Plinius says your data belongs to you. The Centauri80 says typing should feel as precise as it sounds. The OrigamiSwift says portability and performance don’t have to be negotiated away. The products that make it onto lists like this aren’t the loudest or the most heavily marketed. They’re the ones that arrive with a clear point of view and the engineering to back it up.

The post The 5 Best Tech Gadgets of June 2026 first appeared on Yanko Design.