If you are familiar with European culture, especially French, you would not be a stranger to Accordions. These amazing instruments are not only cool but they also make for a great musical experience.

Now how would you like a speaker that looks like an accordion? Apparently, speakers that are shaped like accordions also sound better than the regular speakers. The Folding Speaker is a cool new USB and battery powered amplified speaker.

It has a folding style and can be used with computer media players, video games, and many more. Thanks to the accordion kind of shape, the speaker comes with greater resonance and a richer sound than normal box style speakers. These speakers are pretty cheap too and cost just $18 and I would so want to buy it.

It requires 2 AAA batteries and looks amazingly chic. I would say, do not wait at all and get this speaker so that you can impress all your friends without a break. I don’t think anyone would be left without being impressed as this speaker is not only innovative, but also sounds great, looks great and is quite cheap.

If you were looking for some great shelves this Christmas season, you might want to take a second look at the weirder designs that have been recently launched. Talking about weird but cool designs, Milica Nesovanovic has brought to life Central and Eastern European flavours in his furniture designs. His “Shelf” has taken inspiration from that monumental structure in Italy, the Pisa Tower.

You might be wondering how a leaning tower can be recreated in the form of a shelf for your living room. All the guy did was, he took boxes which were attached with elastics and converted into a shelf in order to resemble the Pisa tower. Though the shelf is a little angled and twisted, it is pretty stable and easy to use.

It also adds a modernist touch to your living room instead of using the same old boring shelves that you might have gotten tired of. This design is minimalist and so much like the furniture found in the designer’s home country of Serbia. In fact, it was featured in the Belgrade Furniture Fair and even won a prize from ULUPUDS, a Serbian art and design society. If you can get this shelf, please do buy it immediately!

Via: Design East

Long gone are those days, when you remodeled your living in a different color and after all was said and done, you felt exasperated and utterly dissatisfied because the color you thought would suit best, turned out to be an eye sore.

However, all that is about to change with the introduction of an all new online service that, will now enable consumers to pre-select the colors for their redecoration efforts, without ever having to test them in reality. This new service is called Colorjive. The service boats of numerous colors that are catered specifically for redecoration purposes.

The colors are coded according to brands and once you have applied the colors of your choice, then you can go to the nearest hardware store and give the code of the colors you saw on Colorjive. The codes will help the store owner to locate the exact color that you require.

However, even with almost limitless shades of colors, some of them aren’t guaranteed to work on every computer and virtual room, because of the fact that, some of the color pallets might have usage limitations from the manufacturer’s side and also because, many display monitors might not be able to bear such colors. Colorjive is an independent entity in itself, meaning that the website isn’t the property of any paint brand, thus providing you with unbiased opinion and color solutions, based on your choice and needs.

Via Smashing Apps.

Water is the most essential source of living. Millions of life has been affected in the past and it still continues to do so in many parts of the world due to scarcity of water. Nevertheless, we do at times become careless and waste a large amount of water in our everyday use. Sometimes, a large quantity of water goes to waste due to leakage problem in the bathroom or the kitchen tap. In order to control this problem, an electronic device called “H2Orb” has been designed.

It functions pretty simple. The device is attached to the water valve behind the toilet. A single float sensor hangs inside the toilet tank. Whenever there is a leak, the device automatically shuts off the water and alerts the user about the leak by sending an immediate alarm via the LCD screen attached on the device.

The H2Orb is operated on a single 3V lithium coin battery. It’s a good idea to own this device and save this precious resource from being scarce in the future. This is a very minimal contribution towards the environment that one can easily do from their home itself.

Via: TheH2Orb

Looks like the creative designers today are trying all sorts of designs to come up with special creations. However, sometimes their creativity can be a tad for the ordinary people. Ross McBride, a Tokyo designer has come up with the most eccentric and yet the most creative porcelain cruet set for Danish brand Normann Copenhagen called “Dolly”. The design of the product is simply unique.

It is in the form of a one rounded U-shaped, which is divided into two portions internally; one for salt and the other for pepper. The product looks very cute in its own way. There is something about “Dolly” that draws your attention immediately. It has a class and elegance of its own, which is designed in a simple way by the designer.

There is something very feminine about this porcelain cruet set. Maybe it starts with the name “Dolly” itself, and the U-shape as well. Besides, the object is also very handy as it comes in a small size. You surely cannot miss the sight of “Dolly” while you enjoy your meal on your dining table. There is no information available regarding its release date or price tag yet.

Via: Dezeen\NormalDesign\NormannCopenhagen

Christmas and the New Year is just a month away and you all know what that means, parties! That’ when all the supposed teetotalers and social drinkers of the world unite to get indecently drunk and then find they can’t manage to climb up two steps of stair. That’s why Ruth Amos invented the StairSteady.

Leaving aside the seriously addicted amongst us, most people wouldn’t need the help of another individual or an apparatus to climb up the stairs. Those who have difficulty, whether due to the advancement of age or a medical condition, find that it isn’t very easy to install a lift in a house. The StairSteady is a simple handle that can be attached to the wall side of the stairs and can easily be folded away when not in use or when not needed.

Designed by Ruth Amos when she was just 16 and commercially produced now from her company StairSteady Ltd., the concept of the StairSteady is extremely simplistic. It would aid a number of people who cannot face the stairs and have trouble walking up even with the help of the banister. Plus, it’s perfect for stairs without banisters.

Via: Makezine

Every time you visit an airport, you might be wondering if you exceed the baggage weight which is allowed. Moreover, you can’t really calculate it properly at home and you would never know the real weight until the authorities weigh it at the check in counter. The Digigrip is a handle that shows the weight of the luggage for you, and you would just need to press a button.

It has been designed by Niklas Danielsson and comes with a large LCD screen and automatic backlight. The bag shows the weight the moment you put down the bag and thus there would be no errors in the weighing. It is an amazing invention though it sounds very simple. I wonder why none of the baggage companies thought about it though this is a real problem for those who fly frequently.

Many times people have been forced to pack and repack at the check in counter leading to embarrassments and delays. Such a suitcase with Digigrip would solve all these annoying problems. I am not sure of the product is already available in the market and the Swedish blog does not provide much information either. You could however contact the designer himself for further information.

If you were interested in designs that are minimalist and simple, you should check out the “White” series of simplicity by TRIBUDESIGN. As part of the series they have designed the Middle Eastern Water Pipe. It is a horizontal pipe which is white in colour and is made of stainless steel, hand stitched leather, and natural acrylic stone.

The acrylic stone and the stainless steel make the pipe more hygienic and it is one of the most easy-to-use pipes ever designed. The very idea of designing something so simple is based on the fact that good design usually is simple, and functional. When simplicity and functionality are combined we usually have the best design.

This way, we get to have the cake and eat it as well. If you were wondering when this cool pipe would be released, you would have to wait till Airdiem decides to distribute it to a larger market. I would have loved to fix this in my kitchen, but I shall have to wait till it arrives in the market. There is no information on its price and availability so far.

Via: Yanko Design

The holiday season is indeed here, but then for those working at the office the time leading up to the holidays can be really stressful with work mounting and plenty that needs to be done before going on the at vacation. After a long day’s work there is nothing better than a wonderful and relieving massage to sooth your senses. Obviously you cannot go to a spa everyday, so the folk at Kinatech have brought out a perfect way to bring home that relaxing experience. The Headtime scalp massager is in fact so cool tat you can comfortably dawn it while working itself!

The hat-like massager is styled to be worn at anytime of the day without any discomfort and the 29 silicon balls for acupressure and 34 ceramic balls inside the cap are superb when it comes to busting all that accumulated stress. The ‘helmet on top’ style of this scalp massager ensures that it is perfect for all those tech-geeks who spend hours in front of the system.

With soothing sounds of nature playing inside the Headtime and cool LED lighting to go along the latest gadget is expected to get pretty popular among both housewives and professional alike… Even we could use one, you know!

Aving

Working parents know how difficult it is to leave their kids under the protection of someone else. Often enough, it becomes even more difficult for parents when they have taken on a new nanny who may have come with great references but is in real a complete stranger to them. What do you do in this case? Turn to a nanny cam, of course.

All nannies, and most anyone else who has earned some extra money babysitting, know that parents leave nanny cams in different spots around the house. Some people might think of it as an invasion of privacy, but you can’t blame the DINKs for worrying about their kids. Parents find it hard these days to come across a nanny cam that can easily be hidden away so that no foul-acting nanny can find it. The Cordless Atomic Clock Nanny Cam need not be hidden because it comes with a great disguise. This cordless clock has a hi resolution (640×480) video cam integrated into it.

The clock can detect body heat from up to 30 feet away and begins recording only when it senses motion. Plus, it automatically stops recording when there has been no motion for a minute ensuring that it is not recording anything not required onto its SD card. The clock nanny cam is available from KnowYourNanny for $650.

Via: 7Gadgets