Technabob » office

Lexon MINITOTEM: All Your Office Necessities in One Stack

Range — Tue, 24 Jan 2012 17:30:05 +0000

My desk is a mess, and it will probably stay a mess for a long time unless I get really harsh on the way that I store my office supplies. If you’re like me, then you’ll probably need something like this. This handy little tower that combines all of the necessities anyone would need to work in their office.

Designed by Damian Evans, Lexon’s MINITOTEM is a minimalistic tower-shaped solution to declutter your office. It combines essential office accessories, all neatly stacked up in one place. Inside the MINITOTEM, you’ll get a tape dispenser, containers for pens and paperclips, USB hub, and a clock. In addition to the green, black and red designs shown here, it’s also available in white.

There’s no pricing listed on the website at this point, but it’s probably not that expensive and it definitely looks like an interesting addition to any cluttered workspace. Keep an eye out on the LEXON design store if you’re interested.

[via NOTCOT]

Dotz Cord Identifiers: The OCD Gadget Lover’s Dream Accessory

Lambert Varias — Tue, 17 Jan 2012 16:00:36 +0000

There are lots of ways of tagging or marking cords and cables, but if you’re looking for a tidy solution, Dotz – a company that makes nothing but cord management products – has a product for you. Their Cord Identifiers come with icons of common gadgets and appliances.

How about all those different appliances with the exact same power cord? How believable. Still, the picture does drive home the point of the accessory.

Each set comes with 10 multi-colored detachable plastic identifiers, along with 24 icons and 12 blank sheets so you can make your own icons. There are also specialized sets available, like one that has more icons for gaming devices and one for home entertainment setups.

Dotz Cord Identifiers are available on Amazon for $6 (USD). Head to Dotz’ website to check out their other cord management products.

[via GadgetGrid]

Darth Vader’s Day at the Office

Range — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 19:00:30 +0000

If there’s anything that you get from Star Wars, is that Darth Vader was a pretty messed up dude. That didn’t stop Jim Alley from creating this quirky scene, which imagines how Darth Vader’s life could have been like if he wouldn’t have been so taken with the Dark Side of the Force, and settled down and got a “real job” instead.

While Darth Vader might not really work amongst us, it’s funny to think of a dark lord of the Sith just going about his day, taking some calls and having a cup of joe. One can only assume he’s talking to Luke or Leia on the phone – probably asking the kids what they want for dinner tonight.

[via Jay Mug]

Tetra-Shed Cubicles: For a Totally Out-of-this-Office Experience

Hazel Chua — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 22:00:28 +0000

Bored at work? Wish there was something you could do to transform your office space into something more fun, interesting, and conducive to work? Then get yourself a Tetra Shed!

This ultra-cool office cubicle was designed by London’s David Ajasa-Adekunle of the Innovation Imperative studio. It was designed to be an extremely, well, different kind of workspace either for your home or for your office. Each self-contained workpod can be opened or closed to increase privacy or to let the light in.

But let’s face it, unless you’re your own boss, I doubt you’ll be able to secure permission to haul in your own cubicle, especially for something that looks like it’s going to be taking up a whole lot of space – thought it does look like they’ll be able to closely interlock if you convince your company to replace all their cubicles with them.

That said, Tetra Shed is a futuristic office cubicle that will be made available to the eager working public early next year. What do you think?

[via Dvice]

Efi Office Space Divider Gives You Privacy, While Making You Look Like a Nut

Hazel Chua — Mon, 21 Nov 2011 19:00:20 +0000

There are days when I wake up and just wish I could lie in my bed and go back to sleep. But being the “responsible” adult that I am (and because of the bills that come like clockwork every month), I force myself to lug myself out from under the covers and go to work.

But that doesn’t mean I’m going to be in the mood to be all nice and hyper to my colleagues and co-workers, some of who just happen to rub off on me the wrong way. So when you happen to be in a crappy mood, you can pull down designer Mathieu Servais’ Efi Office Space Divider to cover your head and get you some much-desired privacy.

..But did I mention that you’ll probably look like and be labeled as a freak when you do? I mean, it’s a fun concept, no doubt about that. Pretty similar to the Privacy Shell, if you think about it. But would you really want to have something constructed from acoustic foam shielding you from the outside world?

It doesn’t completely cut you off, though, because it comes with some online service that will display notifications from your email or social networking accounts on the inside.

[via Yanko Design]

Japanese Robot Helps Humans Clean Offices, No Overtime Needed

Conner Flynn — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 14:30:09 +0000

Japan’s Fuji Heavy Industries and Sumitomo have developed a robot that can help human workers clean offices. As a bonus it won’t judge what it saw you doing with your secretary and it won’t comment on that guy drinking himself senseless after hours.

This robot is a follow up to a previous model that the two companies unveiled ten years ago, which was pretty basic. This new version can navigate around desks, office equipment and other obstacles. It’s battery-powered and can move around at 30 meters per minute.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

Other features include a laser range finder which it uses to be polite. For example, before bumping into an obstacle or a human, it will say “Please get out of the way, I am cleaning this room!” Okay, so it doesn’t sound very polite, but at least it is trying. If there is no response or movement for 15 seconds, the robot will move around the obstacle and continue to do its job.

I can see office workers having a lot of fun with this ‘bot, dressing it up and hazing the hell out of it.

[robonable (JP) via TechCrunch]

Star Wars Gomu Erasers: for the Rebels Who Still Use Pencils (and Paper)

Lambert Varias — Tue, 01 Nov 2011 14:00:33 +0000

I honestly can’t remember the last time I used a pencil, but if you’re still using those sticks of dead things to write on sheets of dead trees, you can correct your mistakes with the help of the Force. The force of your own hand and these officially licensed Star Wars erasers.

Made by collectible eraser maker Gomu, the set is made of 8 erasers, “including five that aren’t found anywhere else.” Of course they don’t mention which of those five are the rare ones, which will keep me up all night. Meh, it’s probably the four lightsabers plus the X-Wing. Or one of the lightsabers plus the other four. No wait. Seriously which of these are the rare ones?!

The set also comes with a 13″ lightsaber box. I agree – it makes no sense, and yet the thing exists:

You can order the Gomu Star Wars Eraserland collection from ThinkGeek for $15 (USD). I hope a list identifying which of these are the rare ones is included.

[via Coolest Gadgets]

Brick-Built Nameplates: Assemble Your Name with LEGOs

Lambert Varias — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 14:21:17 +0000

Nameplates are meant to convey that someone is important enough to warrant a nameplate. But if you’d rather be known for being whimsical or creative, or if you just want to celebrate and flaunt your love of LEGO to the world, then ditch the wood and brass and go for a Brick-Built Nameplate.

As you can see, the nameplate is completely made of LEGO bricks. To order, go to their website, enter what you want to appear on the nameplate and then choose a color scheme. You’ll be sent all of the necessary LEGO parts along with a CD containing build instructions. Yep – you have to assemble the nameplate yourself. Because putting it together is part of the fun!

Each nameplate costs about $20 (USD) plus $10 per character, spaces included. Yeah, kinda expensive, but then again it is quite unique. Plus founder Eli Carter himself wrote the software that creates the model and instructions. I think a more legitimate complaint would be the lack of more… attractive color schemes. Check out Brick-Built Nameplate’s website to see what I mean.

[via Brothers Brick]

HardlyWork.in: Make Your Facebook Feed Look Like an Excel Spreadsheet

Range — Sun, 03 Jul 2011 13:39:40 +0000

Do you work in an office that still allows you to access Facebook? If you do, then check out this awesome stealth way of looking up on your news feed. It makes your feed look like an Excel spreadsheet. Now that’s stealthy, thanks to HardlyWork.in!

HardlyWork.in reformats your Facebook feed into something inconspicuous, which is a must if you spend time working in an office. I remember those days. While you certainly don’t need to waste all of your time, you can check up on what’s happening without getting hassled by nosy coworkers and annoying bosses.

One thing’s for sure, it will allow you to look productive and professional even when you’re checking up on what your friends are doing. It’s even a good idea for bosses. You wouldn’t want your underlings seeing what you’ve been up to over the weekend.

[HardlyWork.in via Lifehacker]

Spell It Out With Tabisso’s Typographic Lounge Furniture

Hazel Chua — Wed, 15 Jun 2011 11:30:46 +0000

The way I see it, nothing beats having furniture that is not only comfortable and functional, but also adds to the aesthetics and identity of your home or office.

You might remember those Binary Chairs by BRC, which looked extremely cool but pretty darned uncomfortable. That’s where Tabisso’s Typographic Lounge Furniture and Lamps gets a leg up, because although the design is relatively simple, the things that you can do with them are endless.

These would definitely be chairs that will turn heads. Aside from looking like giant alphabet marshmallows, these lounge chairs look so comfortable at the same time.

The best part is that you can spell out anything you please with them, which is kind of the whole point of this line of furniture. Do you own a yoga place? No problemo.

Each of these pieces are made in France and prices are subject to individual quotes. Only one font face is available, although you can customize each of these aspects for your own chairs: the type of upholstery, the wooden shell, and the footing. If you’re interested, you can check out Tabisso’s website for more information.

[via Design Blog via Oh Gizmo!]

Kee Desk Phone Dock for iPhone Finally Ships

Shane McGlaun — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 16:15:04 +0000

About a year ago, we looked at a cool dock for your iPhone to use at a desk called the Desk Phone Dock. If you liked the looks of that thing you may have been wondering what happened to it. What the delay was, we don’t know, but what we do know is that the thing is finally ready to ship.

The Desk Phone Dock is offered by KEE Utility and it will sell for about $149 (USD). The thing has a dock for your iPhone that will charge it and keep it nearby. The dock has a handset attached like a normal office phone that you can use when you need privacy for a conversation.

It also has a speakerphone integrated so you can talk when you don’t want to hold the handset. I like the idea of a speakerphone better because Bluetooth always seems to act up in the middle of a call for me. The dock also has stereo speakers so you can use it to listen to your tunes as well.

[via CNET]

Post-It Printer Concept: If You’re Forgetful and Lazy

Lambert Varias — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 12:29:10 +0000

…or if like me you have bad handwriting. Dongyeon Kim’s Take-it Post-it Printer concept syncs with both PCs and mobile devices and would print on Post-it sticky Notes. It also doubles as a container for Post-it Notes, so you can still tear off a piece and write a note manually.

It would be nice if you could program the device to print notes at preset times and dates so you won’t even have to remember to make notes. Unless of course you make a note to remind yourself to make a note.

[via Yanko Design]

GameCube Desktop Organizers Would Only Be Better If They Still Played Super Smash Brothers Melee

Technabob — Sun, 20 Feb 2011 16:04:12 +0000

If you’re like me, your old Nintendo GameCube is either gathering dust in a closet somewhere, or you’ve eBayed it by now. But there is one other thing you could do with your GameCube – turn it into a desktop organizer.

Actually, turning your GameCube into a desktop caddy is a task best left to the pros, like Etsy seller GreenCüb, whose tagline is simply “Office Supplies Made from Recycled Video Game Systems”. At this point the only said office supply is their GameCube caddy, which offers ample storage for your paperclips, pushpins, pens and other desktop doo-dads.

Each organizer is made from an actual (broken) GameCube, and features a handy metal tray in place of the disc drive, a pull-out drawer where the controllers once plugged in, a magnetic paperclip caddy on the vent holes, and pen/pencil holes in place of the Power and Reset buttons. There’s even a little shelf on back for storing your iPhone or other compact gadget too.

Sure, I suppose you could try and do this yourself, but I’d suggest that you head on over to GreenCüb’s Etsy shop and just buy one ready-made. Prices range from $39 to $49 (USD), depending on the particular GameCube model you want.

Swingline Stack-and-Shred Shreds 100 Pages of TPS Reports, Staples and All

Shane McGlaun — Fri, 11 Feb 2011 16:33:06 +0000

You have to be a real geek to get excited about a shredder. Back when I had a “real job,” I used to shred all sorts of stuff, not because it needed to be shredded, but just because I hated that place and imagining it was the bosses tie (still attached to his neck) getting chopped up made me feel better about working for such douchebags. I could shred a few paperclips and staples in that thing before it jammed and I had to sneak away.

Swingline has a new shredder called the Stack-and-Shred that will go perfectly with that red stapler and your TPS Reports. The thing has a top that opens and you can put 100 pages in the hopper to shred complete with staples and paperclips. It will also shred credit cards, but I wonder if CDs can be shredded.

Click to View Embedded Video Clip

It uses a crosscut confetti shred patter for security and the bin holds up to five gallons of paper and metal shards. I would really like to shred my wife’s credit card. I so need one of these. You can buy one for about $250 right now.

Menas Zoom Adds Adjustable Zoom to Magnifying Glass

Chris B. — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 13:42:07 +0000

You know what a magnifying glass needs? MORE MAGNIFICATION.

Though this doesn’t seem to be like a particularly bad idea, it does seem silly to put zoom on something that is meant for magnifying. Though I must say, there is no part of me that would object if one of these showed up on my doorstep.

Menas Zoom is capable of magnifying from 2.2 to 3.4x without distortion. This in itself is pretty appealing, as most magnifying glasses can give you a headache from how distorted whatever you’re looking at usually is. They’ve really done well in combining a handheld magnifying glass and a light accumulating reading stone to make a well thought out and unique way to zoom in on something that is tiny. Unfortunately, the lens system they use that makes this product so awesome also makes it expensive, meaning that they can put about a $135 (USD) price tag on it.

[via GeekAlerts]

Rubber Bandit Pen is Designed for Office Warfare

Chris B. — Mon, 15 Nov 2010 12:51:32 +0000

When I was a kid in school, I could do so many things with a rubber band, a pen and a paperclip that I felt like MacGyver. At least I would have if I’d actually known who he was back then.

Seriously, I could use those few items to craft weapons of mass annoyance. Throw in a sheet of paper and some bubblegum and I was a force to be reckoned with. These days I’m much more civil. This probably has something to do with my time being occupied with gadgets and such. Luckily this $5 Rubber Bandit pen is here to rekindle my love for flinging rubber bands.

This writing utensil works much like any other. Click the pen, and you can write. Click it again, and you can’t. However, if a rubber band is attached, one of those clicks will send the projectile towards your nearest co-worker. Of course, there’s just one question to be asked… how accurate is it?

[via UberReview]

Business Card Scanner: Rolodex 2.0

Lambert Varias — Tue, 12 Oct 2010 11:36:13 +0000

A lot of forms and documents have digital equivalents nowadays, but one thing that’s still holding on to its fibrous form is the business card. While I’m sure you feel fancy every time you look at your own card, keeping track of the ones you receive from other people can be a pain. That’s where this neat little gadget comes in. As its name says, the Pitrec business card scanner captures images of business cards or anything else with a similar size and shape. It can store up to 2,000 images, and is equipped with OCR software that can recognize both English and Japanese characters.

You can also enter tags to make searching for info a lot easier. The scanner has a built-in 2GB micro SD card, but I’m not sure if you can take it out or replace it. You can order the Pitrec business card scanner at Japan Trend Shop for $412 (USD). If you can’t stomach the price, you can always take pictures of cards using your phone. But that’s not as savvy isn’t it?

Arm Rested Mouse Pad: Genius

Lambert Varias — Wed, 30 Jun 2010 12:31:18 +0000

The Arm-Rested Mouse Pad is a simple plastic arm support with a detachable washable mouse pad. You can attach it on the edge of a desk, or on the side of a chair.

I need this product. My right shoulder and arm start to hurt after a few hours in front of my computer because they’re extended for most of the time. This simple piece of plastic will allow me to be in a sitting position with much less stress on my shoulder, arm and back. Below are the simple “Installastion” procedures. Hopefully, their product is better than their spellchecker.

You can order the Arm-Rested Mouse Pad at USB Fever for $43 (USD).

[via Gear Diary]

Belkin Conserve Valet USB Charging Station: Plug It and Forget It

Lambert Varias — Sun, 20 Jun 2010 15:20:06 +0000

Now you don’t have to turn on your computer just to charge your USB gadgets. Belkin’s new product, the Conserve Valet, accommodates up to 4 USB-based devices at once.

The company also claims that the device automatically shuts off when charging is complete, and by shut off they mean it shuts off – no vampire draw. So you can plug in your devices, knowing they won’t get overcharged, and that you won’t be wasting electricity.

No word on when the Conserve Valet will be released, but you can already pre-order it at Belkin’s website or at Amazon for $40 (USD). I don’t have a lot of USB-charging devices so I don’t really know if this is worth $40. What do you guys think?

[via Xataka]

Biometric Sensors Detect Stress: Electronic Shrink

Lambert Varias — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 12:13:40 +0000

I don’t know about you, but I usually know when I’m stressed. I don’t need any gadget to tell me that. Looking at a mirror also does the trick. But that doesn’t mean that stress-detecting technology is useless. While I’m pretty sure you can also tell when you’re stressed, sometimes other people don’t. Your boss for example. (Not my boss. He’s great.) That’s why a company called iDesia is promoting it’s BioDynamic Signature technology or BDS, which it claims can detect short-term stress, primarily by monitoring a person’s heart rate.

According to the company, the sensors used in the BDS system can be literally painted onto devices. So your office mouse, your keyboard, hell even the copier can be implanted with the sensor, hopefully leading to a healthier work-environment. Someday even video game controllers may have sensors like these. You know how stressful a round of gaming can be. For now though, it would be great if this technology found its way to Foxconn. You can read more about iDesia’s BDS system on their brochure (pdf).

[via Slashdot & iDesia]