Print your documents with a pencil! Yes, that’s just what the ‘Pencil Printer’ is intended for! You don’t think that is practical? Well, put a pencil into the hole on the top right of the printer, start the machine, and then you’ll see the device printing on paper using the pencil powder…Wow, cool! To top off the great design, Hoyoung Lee also adopts eraser to erase off the printed paper so that you could use the paper again.

Designer: Hoyoung Lee

I cannot think of a rational reason why I love these squeezable LED lights, but I just know clearly I do. Diana Lin’s d°light Bubbles are silicone LED lights that give out a ‘whoo’ sound when you squeeze them. Apart from decorating your stylish room, these lights also seem like a better way for you to spend a tiresome evening. Just squeeze, squeeze and squeeze!

Designer: Diana Lin

Selling Price: $139

Buy it here

What if you could change the window glass, the table surface, or even a piece of plastic into a sensitive touch screen? That sounds attractive, right? Then you’ll be quite interested in the thin film invented by Displax. Easily stuck onto common materials like the glass, plastic and wood, the film could turn most flat surfaces that are range from 3-inches to 120-inches into touch screens. It features a transparency rate of up to 98 percent and comes with an outstanding ability to detect 16 fingers on a 50-inch screen. The first thin film will be available in July.

More Information Here

If you love cooking then I’m sure you have a great collection of cookers: frying pan, stock pot, sorts of tablewares, as well as an electromagnetic oven. Or two, or even more. But you also need a spacious kitchen, so I bet you’ll need the Electrolux Double-O by Victor Ong. Targeting at small house users, the device not only integrates a compact cooking system for single appliances, but creates an extra base for another pot when you slide it.

Dimension: 34cm ×34cm ×8cm (W× D× H)

Designer: Victor Ong

Are you dissatisfied with your current CD cases? Luckily you’ll have a new choice, the Hershey Kisses CD Rack launched by Hidden Art. Certainly they’re not edible chocolate, but colorful racks made from aluminum. With one or two such racks on the table, you’ll easily find your favorite CD without messing up all the CDs on the shelf. It is priced at £11.5, in black, red, green and blue colors.

Selling Price: £11.5

Buy it here

Good news for people who are deaf in one ear! SoundBite System solves your hearing problems by transmitting sound via the teeth. It consists of two parts, one unit worn behind the ear to receive the sound and the other in the mouth to transmit sound to the inner ear. And you may have guessed right, the system is simply based on the ‘bone conduction’ principle.

More Information Here

Conventional fire alarms work effectively to warn people of the danger by sounding an alarm. But that means nothing to hearing-impaired people as they could hear nothing. So what could wake up hearing-impaired people in time? The unusual fire alarm designed by Kobe-based fire extinguisher company- Air Water Safety Service and the Tokyo-based Bioventure Seems looks like a practical solution. It is based on hearing impaired people’s keen sense of smell and warns them by releasing wasabi stench. The new fire alarm also works effectively, for example, one 8 in x 3 in unit could alarm people within an area of up to 50 square feet in less than three minutes. The smelly fire alarm is bit of expensive at present, each costing about $560. But a reasonable price of $225 will be possible after further improvements.

Swedish architects Tham & Videgård Hansson Arkitekter have collaborated to bring forward the ‘Tree Hotel’ concept. It is a 4m× 4m × 4m lightweight aluminum shelter built around a tree trunk. Its exterior is covered with mirrored glass, which reflects the surroundings and the sky to make the hotel become a part of the nature. And the interior is all made of plywood. Providing a comfortable environment for two people, each shelter comes with a double bed, a small kitchen and bathroom, a living room and a roof terrace. In case birds fly into the windows, transparent stickers (visible to birds) will be added to the facades. To get into the shelter, you need to use a rope ladder or a rope bridge.

Designer: Tham & Videgård Hansson Arkitekter

Designed by Yuan-Hao Hsu and Lin Tzu Hsuan, the portable ‘MU SPACE’ not only allows you to enjoy music everywhere, but also functions as a mat and a pillow for you to take a nap during the break. In combination of a built-in speaker and an MP3 player, the music pillow is also compatible with USB and Memory Card.

Designer: Yuan-Hao Hsu & Lin Tzu Hsuan

Kitchen clocks are timepieces merely designed for your kitchens. These clocks may be different in shapes, sizes, colors or more, but they have at least one thing in common, and that is: they make us realizing we’re to enjoy a wonderful cooking time or dinning time the moment we see them. And today we’d like to share several cute and innovative kitchen clocks with you.

【Kitchen Cutlery Clock】

Each spoon and knife is used to stand for an hour.

Selling Price: $26.99

Buy it here

【Breakfast Clock】

Have you had breakfast this morning?

【Mod Clock】

【Wine and Cheese Clock】

Wine and cheese…what a nice day!

Selling Price: $24.95

Buy it here

【Chef Cook】

I’m not merely preparing you a nice meal, but telling you the time!

Selling Price: $32.95

Buy it here

【Lemon Clock】

A lemon an hour…

Selling Price: $20.49

Buy it here

【Mixed Fruit Clock】

Welcome to the Fruit Party!

【Cutlery Clock】

【Mom’s Kitchen】

Using Roman numbers to indicate the hours, the handcrafted clock will match Italian restaurants well.

Buy it here

【Chicken Clock】

Ko-Ko-Ko, it’s time to get up and have your breakfast!

Via

I didn’t even really think about how boring the postcards I sent to my buddies were until I saw the Lovi Postcards designed by Anne Paso of Finland recently. Apart from seeing your regards or congratulations, your friends could also create a heart, a bird or a pig with the flat-packed pieces. Isn’t that interesting? I’d like to send them to my friends for the coming Spring Festival.

Designer: Anne Paso

Selling Price: $14.5

Buy it here

A simple but multifunctional product is always welcomed. Designed by Lee West, the Six Cube is also a multifunctional object that includes a votive, a candle holder, an encense burner, a catch-all, an ashtray, and a soliflor on each side. Measuring 8 cm x 8 cm x 8 cm (W x D x H), the multifunctional cube is made from soap stone.

Designer: Lee West

Seemingly like a huge boiled egg, the white structure is actually a mobile office designed by Belgian architectural firm dmvA. A bathroom, a kitchen, a bed, and several niches for storage are all included inside the building, ensuring the users a comfortable living. Mainly finished in polyester, the lightweight office also promises an easy transportation so that you could move it to any places you may want. But perhaps the most interesting point is the ‘nose’ design of the egg enabling one to use it as a porch too, apart from being a side door. It could also be used as a guest room or a garden house.

Designer: dvmA Architecten

Tokyo-based architect Ryuji Nakamura designed the ‘Hechima 4′, an eye-pleasing chair, with vulcanized fiber. Created for pleasure and recreation, the ‘weak’ chair is surprisingly strong in fact, thanks to its special and complex structure.

It measures 90cm x 90cm x 75cm (W x D x H).

Designer: Ryuji Nakamura

So what have you done with the discarded magazines? Throw them away? Oh, guys, you will regret having done that after you check out the ‘Magazines Wall’ created by Elding Oscarson. In the graphic design company located in Oktavilla, Stockholm, you’ll find a wall constructed from bundles of magazines, which gives the interior a cool and refreshing look. Do you like it? I really love it a lot!

Designer: Elding Oscarson

You think shower drains are too ugly? You won’t think so after checking out these ones. Designed by California Faucets, these shower drains seem more like an art work with their stylish patterns. The four impressive shower drains each comes with an impressive name- Mission, Waves, Deco Line and Deco Swirl. Hopefully we could see them hit the market soon.

More Information Here

Anything could be changed into an art work when the inspirations occur to the designers. Look at these creative projects, they look like full-color portraits of people from far away, but their true pixel-like nature will be revealed if you walk up to them. Designed by Eric Daigh, each of these portraits is finished with about 25,000 pins. Terrific!

Designer: Eric Daigh

Designed by denim brand Gluejeans, the so-called ‘Juxtapose’ collection includes a ladies’  ‘reverse’ denim coat, a men’s ‘reverse’ jacket and some new designs for jeans, which are all glued rather than stitched. Each garment comes with a rough look due to the colored glues used to assemble the pieces.

Selling Price: 275 Euro

More Information Here

An Italian designer Leonardo Perugi created the ‘Drop’, a convertible seat that could be transformed into a lounge, a sofa, a bed and more, according to your different needs. Featuring a geometric fit, the multifunctional furniture is quite a simple design without any fastening devices. Made from polyurethane foam, the lightweight furniture could also be disassembled into three parts, allowing you to easily take it anywhere.

Weighing 1.5 pounds and measuring 2.5cm x 5cm x 28cm, PlanOn’s Printstik PS905ME boasts the smallest and lightest printer on the market. Powered by Lithium-ion polymer rechargeable batteries, the mobile printer could be used anywhere, without needing an outlet. But the most exciting point about the device is that, it doesn’t use ink but utilizes thermal technology to print your documents. You could connect the printer to your PC or cellphones via USB wires or Bluetooth.

Selling Price: $299.99

Buy it here

Kinekt Design creator Glen Liberman has long sought to develop a simple ring that is also complex to play with. And apparently he succeeded, as Glen Liberman has created the ‘Gear Ring’. Featuring six micro-precision gears inside, the stainless steel ring is an innovative ring especially perfect for those who love to spin their rings ceaselessly. So no matter you spin the outer rims or the internal gears, you’ll always find great fun with the ring.

Selling Price: $165

More Information Here

The Center for Architecture Science and Ecology (CASE) has finally developed the stylish solar power glass after lengthy years of research. The system is constructed of rows of pyramid-shaped glass receptors, which will change their directions all the time to keep track of the sunlight. All the energy is stored in a small photovoltaic cell built in the center of each pyramid. The transparent design not only makes the system eye-pleasing and attractive, but means light could pass through the system more effectively for energy storage.

More Information Here

Launched by Armatix, the $10,000 weapon won’t fire unless the user is wearing a corresponding watch. But the gun still won’t shoot if the watch isn’t close enough. So only when you see the LED lights turn green, you can then use the expensive weapon. I cannot think of a rational reason why I want this gun, but I know clearly that I love the creative concept a lot.

Selling Price: 7,000Euro

Designer: Armatix

These incredibly charming and amusing tea bags are currently popular all over the world, and we’d like to share them with you.

【Tea Boat】

Cool tea bags that have small paper boats to float on the surface of the water.

Designer: Elisabeth Soós

【Tea Forté】

Natural-looking leaf/sprout attached to tea infusers by Peter Hewitt.

Designer: Peter Hewitt

【Tea Stick】

Stick-shaped tea infusers will simplify the tea-making procedure.

【T Bag】

It is an example of literal design. Moreover, the arms of the packaging bags could also grip the edge of the cups.

Designer: Felix Reinki

【Tea Stick Stirrer】

Cool tea bas by Lee Yun Qin imitates the form of a walking stick. It doubles as a stirrer, too.

Designer: Lee Yun Qin

【Origami Tea Bags】

Creative tea bags designed to associate tea with Origami art.

Designer: Natalia Ponomareva

Create an edible calendar with that rolling pin! Designed by Futura 2/2, the interesting Bakery Calendar might be a good gift for your buddies. Just for fun!

More Information Here

Lose your umbrella again? Not likely with the Dangling Umbrella.

It’s a busy world filled with numerous affairs and that means a big risk of forgetting to pick up your umbrellas, no matter you’ve placed them on the table, in the doorway or simply on the floor nearby. Well, you just innocently forget the umbrellas. Dangling Umbrella, however, is an umbrella that wouldn’t be easily forgotten. The umbrella, featuring a sliding handle, could grip the table more stably than ordinary ones also due to the silicon on the underside of the cap. Moreover, the cap will light up with the words “Don’t forget” if it is opened.

Designer: Song Wonji, Lee Yu Kyung & Kim Hakyung

More Information Here

At TOY Forum 2010, Sony’s bio-battery has drawn many people’s attention. It shows how batteries generate electricity from carbohydrates. Experiments indicate that grape juice is the most efficient drink for the bio-battery to run on and 3ml of Coke could have an electrical propeller keep working for about 1 hour. Named as ‘ENE’ (Entertainment New Energy), the technology will firstly be adopted to power electronic toys.

Researchers at Nokia Research Center unveiled the ‘Mobile Radar’ during “Demo House 2010″. Using the same technology adopted by the police to give you a ticket for speeding, the device could measure an object’s distance, speed and direction. Therefore, you can control your cellphone via simple gestures without touching it. For example, you only need to wave your hands in front of your phone if you want to adjust its music player’s volume. Check out the video below to see how the ‘Mobile Radar’ is used.

More Information Here

Creative Factor: Cool machine converts office paper into toilet paper.

The Japanese company Oriental has come up with a machine by the name of ‘White Goat’ recently. It is an innovative machine that converts your wasted office paper into toilet paper in about 30minutes. After you put about 40sheeets of paper into the machine, ‘White Goat’ will then shredder the paper, dissolve it in the water, thin the paper out, and then dry it into toilet sheets. Merely costing $0.11 to churn out one toilet roll, claimed by the company, the machine will save up to 60 cedar trees every year. The cool machine is expected to hit the market in Japan this summer, at a price of $100,000.

More Information Here

Designed by American designer Jacob McMurry, Alfa Romeo FastBack Sedan 2017 Concept is a futuristic sedan while “inspired by the design of cars of ’30s competition cars and also by the famous Venice Carnival.” Coming with a glass ceiling and the side panels that can change their degree of transparency, the cool sedan no doubt is one of fabulous cars expected in 2017.

Designer: Jacob McMurry

This very sleek watch allows you to see the time in quite a convenient way. Firstly, the Button Watch (it looks just like a button and the watch takes the very name from that only) could be easily clipped to your jacket, you bag or even your hair to tell you the time. Much smaller and lighter than ordinary wrist watches, the innovative Button Watch adopts solar battery panels as its power supply in order to make full use of the natural energy and therefore to save you much money paid for electricity bills. Also using touch screens to display the time, the watch will show the time and date on the glass face whenever you click its surface.

Designer: Mac Funamizu

Arina Komarova has come out with a new shower room concept, a shower stall that you would want it to appear in the living room rather than the bathroom. It is shaped like a huge egg, allowing you to stretch yourself with sensuous pleasure in the warm Jacuzzi. Sadly it is only a concept at present and there’s no news when it will hit the market.

Designer: Arina Komarova

Just look at the Wooden Bulb Lamp, it’s obviously another product meant for the most weird of your grocery lists. It features a complex ‘mask’ that is made out of laser cut wood with a burned edge. Apart from functioning as a ceiling lamp or floor lamp, the simple bulb would also spice up your stylish rooms.

Selling Price: £100

Buy it here

Creative Factor: The ergonomics of the furniture and the stability.

You know those movable chairs, tables and stools that are lying about on the floor make your living room look messy? Well, no more, if you’re to use the ‘Shelf Made’ designed by Lies Van Kerckhove. It is a modular rack that hides 2 chairs, 2 stools and a table, which could be easily taken out of the shelf without affecting its stability.

Made from block hdf leicht stab plate, ‘Shelf Made’ is only available in black color and measures 1890 mm X 2110 mm X 400 mm (H x W x D).

Designer: Lies Van Kerckhove

Invented by Irish Jane ní dhulchaointigh, ‘Sugru’ is an innovative silicone substance that has eliminated the need of changing your gadgets, as it allows the users to repair hooks, knives and other items easily and quickly. It could form bonds to a variety of materials, including aluminum, steel, ceramics and glass. Compared with other repairing clay, ‘Sugru’ will cure into durable, flexible silicon in 24 hours after a working time of about 30 minutes. Featuring a good tolerance to temperatures, ‘Sugru’ could work effectively in any situations with a temperature from -60°C to + 180°C. It will get colder or hotter according to different temperatures, but never changes its hardness.

Other Features:

·It is waterproof so that you could wash it with water and use it to repair your sink.

·It is flexible so that you can use it to repair things that need to move (e.g. shoes and bats).

Designer: Jane ní dhulchaointigh

Buy it here

Creative Factor: The digital mouse becomes an integrated part of your body.

Who has ever thought that one day we could wear the digital mouse on our hands just as we’re wearing the gloves? But that’s not merely an exciting concept and Canadian firm Deanmark Ltd has come up with a radical wearable mouse- the ‘AirMouse’. It integrates the right and left click-buttons in the palm and uses an optical laser for operation. Since every part of the ‘AirMouse’ fits the ligaments on your wrists and hands so well that the cool mouse also ensures you enough flexibility. As a result, you won’t have to be bothered by the painful rollers any more. Besides, the users could easily type on the keyboard without removing the mouse. You love it? Then you’ll be glad to know that the revolutionary mouse will be on the market by the end of 2010 for $129.

More Information Here

Mini Mix- just as the name implies- is an electric hand mixer especially designed for kids. “By watching kids use a hand mixer”, the designer Carly Hagins said, “I realized that they always use two hands, while the mixer is actually designed to be one-handed.”And therefore the Mini Mix is a handy little tool, allowing children to operate with both their hands. Also featuring two buttons on both handles to activate the device, Mini Mix will protect your kids from hurting their fingers by working beaters.

Designer: Carly Hagins

The most impressive thing is always the weirdest. Correct me if I’m wrong! I bet any hairstylists using such business cards as shown in the pictures will make a deep impression on everybody who has seen it.

Designer: Studio Kudos

Related Products:

Cassette Tape Business Card

Business card for dentists

Creative Factor: Lightweight and portable, the inflatable will offer you much convenience.

Designed by Malafor, the hailed ‘Blow Sofa’ is another innovative product from the imm cologne 2010. The concept is all about saving space and allowing you to use your furniture everywhere. Each set mainly includes two dunnage bags, a metal rack and several rubber straps. Just fill the dunnage bags with air, strap them onto the metal rack and you’ll then get a simple sofa for your guests! When not in use, the sofa could be easily thrown into your bag.

Designer: Malafor

City DC26- a 3.5kg device that is small enough to sit on an A4 piece of paper- is the smallest vacuum cleaner from the UK company Dyson. Being smaller in size dose not hinder its effectiveness in sucking up dust and hairs. As advertised, DC26 has the similar power as other Dysons.

It will be available in UK soon for£249.99, but we’re not informed when it will hit the US market.

More Information Here

Creative Factor: Micro wind turbines allow each family to use electricity converted from wind.

After two years of research, French designer Philippe Starck and the Italian company Pramac have finally come up with the innovative Micro Wind Turbine for urban areas. Philippe Starck Micro Wind Turbines includes two different versions- the ‘revolutionair WT 400W’ is a quadrangular device with a power output of 400w and the ‘revolutionair WT 1KW’ is a helicoidal-shaped turbine that can generate power of 1kw when the wind blows at a speed of 14mps. The blades of both the two types are made of transparent plastic, which is invisible in the pictures. A family may need up to 3 turbines to meet their needs of electricity.

The quadrangular model is priced at about 2,500 euros and the helicoidal shaped form costs about 3,500 euros. Installation cost of each is around 1,000 – 2,000 euros.

Designer: Philippe Starck

More Information Here

Creative Factor: A simple but multifunctional gadget.

How do you like those pieces of furniture we’ve introduced these days? Most of them were showcased at imm Cologne 2010 and apparently they benefit a lot to the promotion of household products. If you love them, you’ll also be interested in the ‘Saucer’ designed by Eric Degenhardt for German manufacturer Schönbuch. Also launched at the imm Cologne 2010, the gadget is a coat hook that integrates a tray on its top for smaller items. Coated with matte powder, the metal hook is available in various colors.

Designer: Eric Degenhardt

Designed by Alexander Ignon, the Loft Wing Ceiling Fan has brought us back to those old days when we were using palm-leaf fans to cool ourselves. The dramatic ceiling fan is aimed at both small living rooms and other large public buildings where energy-saving and artistic products are rather welcomed. The high quality German geared motor not only makes the fan to work quietly, but needs only 15watts of electricity to cool out the room. To top off the great design, Loft Wing Ceiling Fan’s dimension and color can be made by request.

Designer: Alexander “Sandy” Ignon

Luggage-shaped wardrobes? What a brilliant idea! So next time you go on a journey, just take the luggage down and you can then set off!

Designer: Lotty Lindenman

Citrus juicers, salad bowls, can openers, and potato ricers, all these conventional kitchen gadgets have been redesigned by Jonah Griffith and finally come with a new look and a more powerful function. For example, the ‘Fresh Force Citrus Juicer’ employs a gear and lever system to make juicing fruit more easily, and the ‘Arta Salad Bowl and Serveware’ also comes with two handles on both sides to hold the spoons.

Designer: Jonah Griffith

These cute soaps are made just for fun! Though in the shape of peanuts, the soaps actually have a sweet scent of orange (but why not just the scent of peanuts?). For only $4, I’ve come across the best (and cheapest) gifts for my female buddies this year.

Selling Price: $4

Buy it here

Shown at CES 2010 in Las Vegas, the portable solar charger allows you to charge your electronics anywhere. It is a foldable charger, measuring 83cm ×140cm×35cm when unfolded but measures as small as a wallet if you fold it up. So next time your laptops, cell phones, GPS, or mp3 players are out of power, you can easily charge them with the portable solar charger in a park or even on the road.

More Information Here

Do you need a notepad to write down your thoughts and messages, or to communicate with your friends when you’re enjoying the coffee? Here’s one that could not only record your mindless thoughts but convey them to others in quite an interesting way. And the product we’re to argue is the ‘Communicative Coffee Table’ by Di Wu. The table features eight slide boards for adorning the table and a chalkboard for you to write on. One of the slide boards also conceals a duster to clean the chalkboard.

Designer: Di Wu

Ezison 100 is a portable speaker especially designed for iPhone and iPod Touch. Claimed by the Japan-based Bird Electron, users could turn their iPhones into electric guitars by connecting those devices with the speaker through the headphone jack. Measuring 450 mm×150 mm×35mm, the unique speaker is mainly made from wood and acrylic fiber. It also features a 2W digital amplifier.

Selling Price: 25,800YEN（Tax included）

Buy it here

I just love the look of these vases. All hand-sculptured from white stoneware clay, the Narwhal Vase, Snail Vase, White Rabbit Vase and the Angel Kitty Vase have been fired twice up to 2232 degrees before they were brought to us. Though each piece functions as a vase, these cute gadgets still doubles as an eye-pleasing sculpture when not filled with flowers.