Gadgets for future wishlist

Five cool devices that are set to become must haves for home and office

The IDEA (International Design Excellence Awards) is a premier international design competition held each year in Virginia, US. Though a lot of industrial products—from fork lifts to drills—win awards, this year at Idea 2008, it was the Apple iPhone and the Blackberry Curve that walked away with the honours.
Of the 1,517 entries received by the organisers, Industrial Design Society of America (IDSA), this year, 205 were judged good enough for awards. In my column this week, I list the 5 devices that I think will hit the mainstream and will soon be on your gizmo wish list.

Eneloop Solar Cell Charger N-SC1S
Solar energy is a hot topic of discussion these days. So you can be sure that the eneloop Solar Charger will be on everyone’s mind. It is a charger that you keep in the sun for charging. It has a USB connector, and you can charge any device that accept a USB connector for charging (MP3 players, some cameras, and most cellphones). The device can also recharge your regular AA or AAA batteries (rechargeable) without using electricity mains. The Sanyo device should be available here soon.

C2 Climate Control from Herman Miller
Already available in stores in the US, the C2 Climate Control conforms to what is called human-centered design. To keep you comfortable at your desk, the Be Collection’s C2 heats, cools and filters the air you breathe. It utilises less than 1.5 amps of current, and turns off after four hours automatically. It can stand on your desk and conveniently micro control your micro environment.

Silicone Travel Bottle
In this age of a flat-world business, time spent on the road has increased massively. Fearing water-borne diseases, travellers carry their own water bottles. For those who want to travel light or fear leakage, here is a marvellous design by Paul Koh. A bottle that is easy to clean, doesn’t leak and is easy to squeeze. In addition, it’s a cool looker. Available for $20 for a set of two. Pricey, but then, aren’t all designer stuff?

Decathlon Artengo RollNet
The only thing available in India right now at a price of Rs 1,399, this roll-up table tennis net helps you convert any flat surface—a table, a drawer unit, the top of a cycle rickshaw—into a ping pong table. Its winding and clipping systems allow you to easily mount/unmount the net.

Haworth Brazo LED Lights
LED lights are everywhere these days—torches, toys, knick-knacks. Here’s one, more upmarket stuff. The Haworth Brazo is an office table lamp that saves power and gives an eco edge to the office environment (LEDs use lesser energy than CFLs but produce more light). With a stainless steel body, this is the first LED lamp to offer focus control. The 360 degree head rotation and the 90 degree head adjustability allow tangle-free manoeuvrablity.

For interesting additional information and details of other winners, visit idsa.org
--
The Above article appeared in the Indian Express, on Sunday July 27th, 2008.