Tag Archives: power strip

Wood-enclosed power supply box is designed to be seen

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Power strips and extension cords are now an unavoidable part of modern life. Unless you have custom-designed furniture, there will always be cases when you have too few power outlets or ones that are too far from your desk to matter. Unfortunately, these power supply accessories haven’t exactly evolved in terms of design, or at least most of them still look like appliances from the 90s rather than anything that fits modern aesthetics. Hiding these power sources has become an important part of the so-called cable management problem, which is often a source of tension and headache for some people. There are, thankfully, a few that try to embrace more pleasing designs, like this power supply box that thinks outside the box, pun intended, so that you don’t have stress over hiding it and instead proudly show it off on your desk or shelf.

Designer: OFS

Genuine wood isn’t often used as a material in many electronics, mostly because of its poor thermal handling, making it warp and deform over time due to heat. That and it’s a potential fire hazard, making it unsuitable for many devices. That doesn’t mean, however, that it can’t be used as a chassis or covering in a safe manner, especially if it can significantly change the character of a product from utilitarian to humane.

The Willow Power Supply is one such design that employs the warmth and natural beauty of wood to uplift the image of an ordinary extension cord from a tool to a decorative object. While most power strips and extension cords are painfully hidden behind or even under desks, Willow stands proudly on top. More than just boasting rights, however, this also means quick and easy access to those essential ports for your computer and devices.

Willow is available in a combination of beech or walnut shells and clear or black power boxes, though the best combination is the beech and clear or white box since it clearly brings out the beauty of the wood complimented by the minimalism of the power supply. The box itself has very little detail save for the outlet and ports in front and the braided cord coming out of its back.

While the Willow Power Supply might delight as an aesthetic product, it might disappoint as an actual power supply. There is only one power outlet, one USB-A port, and a lone USB-C port, a very basic and perhaps inadequate number for today’s needs. At $250, it does give off a feeling of being more like a designer product than one that’s made for power users, more for casual use than heavy-duty workstations. Either way, there is little doubt it adds a bit of accent to any workspace, especially matching minimalist designs with wooden furniture.

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Live streaming accessories give creators the tools to elevate their content

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Streaming is big business these days to the point that some kids even declare it to be their dream job. And like any other dream job, the reality is that video streaming isn’t as easy or as magical as it sounds, at least if you’re really aiming to go pro and bring in all the views. You will need to invest in quality equipment that not only makes their work more comfortable but also makes the overall experience more enjoyable. These concept products try to do exactly that, assisting streamers to make them feel more alive, whether onscreen or especially offscreen.

Designers: Mariana Aréchiga, Isaac Saldaña, Ricardo Zerón, Adriana Cruz, Jonathan Gonzalez, Alondra Alvarez, Mariana Pedroza, Juan Muciño

It’s admittedly easy to get started in the live streaming industry. All you need is a decent camera, a reliable Internet connection, and content that will capture the attention of the fickle masses. Going viral and staying relevant, however, requires not only hard work but also tools that will help carry you through both the good times as well as the bad. Alive is a series of product design concepts that try to elevate the streaming experience and beyond, focusing on the things that help streamers stay in control all the time.

One example is a wireless streaming mic that frees you from your desk with its detachable design. While it looks like an ordinary studio mic when on its wireless charging stand, you can easily pick it up and move around without missing a beat or dropping out. It has a helpful ring indicator that quickly clues you in on the volume level without having to check your app’s or computer’s controls.

Lighting does more than just illuminate your face during streams, it can also help set the mood or even indicate your own mood. This conical desk lamp concept delivers that kind of emotional lighting but also provides direct physical controls that don’t leave you at the mercy of buggy apps and spotty network connections. Any streamer will testify to the stress and tension that occurs whenever those supposedly smart lights feel rather dumb due to those technical difficulties.

Power strips are designed to expand your wall socket, but most of them seem to still embrace the limitations of those fixed outlets. This streamer-friendly design, however, has sockets you can rotate so that they adjust to your cables and plugs, not the other way around. There’s also a section of the strip that offers battery backup to make sure critical devices stay powered up even during an emergency. These features might sound trivial, but every small thing that gives streamers peace of mind also helps them create better content.

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U-shaped power strip concept has an interesting cable management trick

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As ubiquitous as power banks might be, there will always come a time when you need the full power of a socket. Those are the times when you’ll discover to your dismay that most wall outlets are woefully ill-equipped to meet the demands of many people with multiple devices. Power strips with their multiple sockets exist for that very purpose, but they’re more like band-aid solutions, inelegant and often ineffective. Thankfully, there are quite a few bold new designs trying to rethink this mostly utilitarian tool, like this curious take on the power strip that literally bends convention into something a little more interesting and more convenient to use.

Designer: Michael Kritzer

“U” is for “unusual,” and that definitely describes the design of the ME-1 power strip concept. While most of its kind adopt a linear shape to reach more people across a table, this one is curved into a shape similar to that of a U-magnet. That association isn’t accidental either, because this power strip can actually stick to metallic surfaces as well, either hanging under tables or sticking off walls.

The change in form isn’t simply for novelty’s sake, though. For one, it saves up space compared to a typical rectangular or linear power strip, it is also visually more pleasant to look at, even with all cables coming out of it. There is also enough spacing between the alternating three-prong plugs and USB ports so there won’t be a problem with bulky plugs and chargers.

As for those cables, the U shape also gives owners a way to keep them in check by wrapping them around either of the “legs.” In fact, the strip’s own cable, which sticks out from the inner curve of the shape’s arc, can be looped around it to avoid ensnaring people’s feet or other objects around it.

While the ME-1 power strip concept does present a more captivating design compared to typical power strips, there are also some questions regarding its practicality. It saves up on horizontal space but it does stick out too much. This iteration also seems to cover only one side of the U shape, leaving the other half underutilized and wasted. Still, it’s an admittedly daring approach to re-imagining something we’ve mostly taken for granted to have a fixed design, and hopefully, the market will soon be filled with more interesting power strips, at least ones that don’t sacrifice utility for appearance’s sake.

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