Technabob » minimalist

Poketo! Icon Clock Tells the Time with No Frills

Hazel Chua — Thu, 02 Jun 2011 11:30:32 +0000

In a world where even second graders are already multi-tasking, it’s really no wonder why people continue to invent and come with stuff with dual purposes.

Take, for example, one of the most basic objects that you can find in your home: the clock. Its primary use is obviously just to tell the time and ring out an alarm once a day to get you out of bed. But no, the Bacon Alarm Clock goes a step further by cooking you up some bacon by the way you wake up. The IQ Alarm Clock makes you hurdle through some trivia questions before you can shut the alarm up as a form of brain exercise.

But if you’re in the mood for something simpler and have decorated the rest of your home minimally, then the Poketo! Icon Clock is your perfect match. It has one simple purpose and one use alone: to tell you the time and nothing more. It takes its minimalist theme very seriously; it doesn’t even have the customary numbers printed on its face.

The Icon Clocks come in basic black and classic white and are made from ABS Resin with a diameter of 3.5 in. These simplistic time-tellers are available from Poketo! for $37 (USD).

Sliced Grandfather Clock: If You Need the Time But Don’t Have the Space

Lambert Varias — Wed, 20 Apr 2011 12:49:07 +0000

Inject a sliver of style in your room with this “modern, minimalist take on your grandfather’s classic clock.” Designed by Rob Price for Kikkerland, the Sliced Grandfather Clock has a deep walnut satin finish, metal hands and a plexiglass cover.

Keep in mind that you really will need to wall mount this. You can’t just place it on a flat surface though because its hands extend beyond the confines of its body. You can order the Sliced Grandfather Clock from Amazon for about $30 (USD). Sawed-off cigar pipe not included.

[via Holycool]

John’S Phone: Anti-Smartphone

Lambert Varias — Sun, 24 Oct 2010 13:41:32 +0000

There’s dumb phones, then there’s John’s Phone. Designed by John Doe Amsterdam, John’s Phone is barely more than a phone. Its screen only fits one line of characters. It doesn’t support text messaging, it certainly doesn’t have a camera, and it doesn’t even have a built-in clock. You can assign speed dials, but you’ll literally have to write down your other contacts – John’s Phone comes with a pen and a paper.

Personally, I don’t need or want the latest cellphones; but I do appreciate the fact that my current phone supports text messaging and that it has a calculator, an alarm clock and a voice recorder. Also, unless you only have a handful of contacts, a digital address book isn’t a convenience – it’s a necessity. To coin a term, I guess John’s Phone is for the nonnest of the non-techies. You dial, you press the green button, you press the red button. Or you write something down on the pad. Then you press the red button.

If you think that John’s Phone is just a concept, it’s not. It’s actually available right now. You can order it at its official website for €69.95 (approx. $97 USD). Steep price for a dumb phone eh? I guess if you want to freak your kids out, the next time they do something bad you can take their phone and give them this one instead, see how long they last without the ability to tweet every second.

[via Walyou]

Minimality: Abstract Mortal Kombat T-Shirt

Lambert Varias — Mon, 11 Oct 2010 11:40:57 +0000

Finish off your outfit with the Abstract Mortal Kombat tee by Infinite Continues:

I can’t figure out who the black and brown block is supposed to be. Ah crap. This is going to keep me up all night. That can’t be Johnny Cage.

You can order the shirt at MySoti for $20 (USD).

Super Heroic Minimalism: Man + Noun = Superhero

Lambert Varias — Mon, 07 Jun 2010 11:00:41 +0000

Jonah Block aka biotwist has finally cracked the formula:

Uhh, that last one doesn’t look right. Still makes for a good shirt though. Vote for it now on Threadless.

[via deviantart via Time Travel and Rocket-Powered Apes]

Tell Time on the Outer Limits With the Rim Clock

Karen M. — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:35:13 +0000

The Rim Clock turns all that you know about clocks inside out. Instead of staying put and pointing to numbers like the hands of other, more well-behaved clocks, the hands on the Rim Clock are actually protrusions that go around the outside and point to the wall.

The Rim Clock was designed by Jansen Lye to be minimalist and distinctive. I think it looks a lot like you have an avant-garde sculpture on your wall instead of a clock. In case you’re wondering, the pointy thing is the minute hand, and the roundy thing is the hour hand.

One caveat about the utility of this this clock: although it looks great, unless you’ve painted, penciled, stenciled and/or taped numbers to your wall, you probably won’t always be exactly on time. Great looks? Check. Innovative design? Check. Reliable, precise time-telling? Not so much.

Of course, like a whole bunch of other really cool things, it’s still in concept phase. (Sigh.) See more at Jansen Lye’s website.