Six Ways to Mix Craftsmanship with Technology

Explore the unique and innovative results that emerge when modern technology and design merge with traditional craftsmanship and artisanal skill.

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Unplggd: Home Office Essentials

We all know achieving the ultimate workspace (like our past DeskTops spotlight above with its Mirra chair) is an iterative process that requires patience and keen eye for what should and shouldn’t go on top of the daily working surface. But if we could do it all over, we’d go for a more minimal look, showcasing only the bare essentials and shelving the rest.

First things first, we’d immediately replace all our keyboards and mice with Bluetooth-enabled devices. For batteries, we recommend using Sanyo Enelops. They’ve tested well in our Unplggd labs and have been a personal favorite around the office.

Next, we’d pair down the desk to just 3 main areas: 1) the main computer, 2) a desk lamp, and 3) the landing station for our smartphone. We’d even go as far as to create a separate area for keys and wallet since they make more sense by the door than on a busy surface as the primary working desk.

A potential spot for a fourth area would be reserved for audio junkies such as myself, in which case we’d make room for set of audiophile monitors or our favorite headphones.

We could even devise similar plans for a tablet-only setup by creating a quick and easy docking station that’s both functional and clutter-less. A simply designed stand like the Upstand allows for just that.

Lastly, we’d address the issue of wire management, both nearby items and along the underside. Remember, even the slightest overlooked detail can ruin the perfect setup!

What are the bare essentials for your dream desk setup?

By Anthony Nguyen.

Unplggd: iPad Cases for Every Occassion

iPad cases are a dime a dozen, but what happens when you need not just one to do everything, but a few that work well together. Trying to find the one case that will rule them all isn’t easy and we haven’t found it, but this combination of cases takes care of all of our needs.

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Unplggd: Tech Stocking Stuffers

It’s that time of year and we’ve only got a 8 weekdays left before Christmas weekend. These are tech gifts priced at a modest $20 and below, perfect for stocking stuffers. We’ve got cable management accessories, media card readers, travel kits.

Blue Lounge CableDrop

These six pack cable management clips have a peel and stick that adheres to most surfaces and helps wrangles your cords. They come in all sorts of colors – bright, muted, black, and white – fitting right in with whatever style/decor you subscribe to. Oh what fun it is to manage our tangled web of cables.$9.95 Read more

Unplggd: Touch Sensitive Wall Organizer

Jiyoung Seo‘s touch sensitive Modular Wall Storage Unit is called SAI, Korean for “between”, and seems in the lineage of the classic Utensilo wall organizer. Tap the silicone blocks and they light up like you’re a contestant of your very own organizing game show. Watch it in action below.

By Gregory Han.

Unplggd: Hard Working Office Devices

Device makers are cramming more products into single devices. Our phone is quickly, if not already, replacing many technologies that we used to keep separate (Good bye point and shoot, hello 8 megapixel iPhone 5, hopefully with a larger sensor.). If not now, then take a look at the WVIL and tell us that’s not a multi-use device you’d be interested in. When done right consolidation is great for space, especially when traveling because we have less to lug around. But this swiss-army-knife approach isn’t limited to devices. We like these accessories that do a good job of pulling double duty as well.

1. ZAGG Keyboard Case
This case is made of anodized aluminum so it looks like it was made for your iPad. Once you take your iPad out it can sit in the case in horizontal or vertical position and the case is then usable as a wireless keyboard. No more lugging around a separate keyboard in its own case.

2. Sceltevie Bag Hanger
This purse hanger, which looks like a pair of sunglasses, a guitar or a bow, doubles as a smart phone stand. It’s small enough to keep in your bag or pocket and is sturdy enough for both purposes.

3. Oona
One of the coolest projects on Kickstarter, the Oona is a multipurpose smartphone stand. It lets you stick your device basically anywhere with a flat surface: on the fridge, as a gps stand in your car, while working on a white board. The part we really like is the threaded hole in the bottom that allows you to use a tripod with your phone. It’s also made of airplane grade aluminum so it’ll take beating.

4. The Minimalist
We like carrying the least amount possible. We ditched our wallet for a credit card holder a while back. Soon we’ll be able to ditch everything for Google Wallet, if they include our bank and more merchandizers that is, but until then the Minimalist is a great option. It marries our credit card holder with our iPhone case meaning less stuff floating around in our pocket.

5. Logitech Tablet Speaker
The speakers on most tablets are ok. The sound isn’t exactly high fidelity (that’s why you have nice headphones right?) and sometimes we don’t want to wear headphones or attach a scoop just to hear at a louder volume. The Logitech tablet speaker not only gives you better sound for any tablet with a headphone jack, but it also acts as a stand, making the on screen keyboard that much easier to use (below).

What’s your favorite multi-purpose device accessory? Tell us in the comments.

By Jeff Heaton.

Unplggd: Smartphone Printers

While digital photo frames are becoming more and more convenient, printing out photos is still something that a lot of people will do (we’ve got large prints on our walls while our digital photo frame is mostly switched off). Most people will take snaps with their iPhones or smartphones, and having an easy way to print them out is handy. Some of these printers are full of features will others still require a cable to function.

1.HP ENVY 100 e-All-in-One: This AirPrint-enabled printer allows you to print out photos from almost anywhere in your home, which makes it pretty convenient. It’s an ePrint printer, so you can email it a picture and it will print it out as well. The only problem is that it’s an InkJet printer. It’s listed at $249.99 but you can get it for $164.80 on Amazon. It does 30 ppm in black and white and 25 ppm in color.

2. Polaroid GL10 This printer looks good on paper, but we’ve had problems with it when we saw it at CES 2011. However, it does print wirelessly from Android phones, which is a plus, and it’s somewhat portable.

3. Photo Cube: This is a printer that almost looks like the Bolle BP10 from last year. It looks pretty decent, but there’s no AirPrinting with this one. You’ll need to dock your smartphone in order to print your photos. We like the convenience of being able to print our photos from all over the place, but if you don’t need this, then this printer might work for you. However, it’s somewhat overpriced for what you get. It’s available from Hammacher Schlemmer for $160.

4. HP Photosmart Plus e-All-in-One: This printer will scan and copy documents as well. The list price on this printer, which is also an InkJet, is $149.99, but we’ve found it on sale for $89.95. It does 32 ppm in black and white and 30 in color.

By Range Govindan

5 Tips for a Healthy Mac & PC

We’ve talked about ways to extend the lifespan of your batteries, the life of an older machine, and what automated diagnostics you should run on your PC, but what are some good basic tips that cover both Apple and Windows computers? In this post we take a look at 5 tips we have gleaned from Genius Bar and Geek Squad visits and from our own user experience.

1. Always Keep at Least 5 GB Free
A computer needs about 10% free disk space at any time. One thing we’ve noticed on our machines is that anything less than 5GB is going to land us with problems. Essentially, computers need breathing room. Without that free space, there’s nowhere for temporary files to be stored. Also, when the RAM gets full, it will start swapping things in and out of memory by using your hard drive. If it’s full, then not only can you not save stuff, but your computer has no where to dump stuff from RAM. To top it all off the worst thing that can happen as a result of a drive with no space? Data can get corrupted. Want to find out what applications are taking up a bit of space? We love using DaisyDisk for this purpose. This application is by far the nicest and easiest way of seeing what files are taking up your space on any drive. As you are cleaning out your files, just make sure not to delete any files or folders with the name “Library” in as they normally contain settings and can result in you losing contacts and other media depending on the file. Another great application we love is Xslimmer. Xslimmer gets rid of Intel/PowerPC code and additional language files that your machine doesn’t use/need to free up space and improve performance and load times.

2. Really Remove Applications
Since not all applications come with an uninstaller, it’s important to really delete the applications you want to remove. For a majority of applications on the Apple side, generally moving them to the trash works well but often they leave other files lying around on your system. To really remove an application on a Mac, Drag and drop an application into a program like AppZapper and it will find all the associated files and remove them for you. It’s branded as “the uninstaller that Apple forgot,” and we are pretty big fans. For PC users, CCleaner will do a similar job and will also take help take care of #5.

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Unplggd: Wooden Tech

Ideally, we’d love to move away from bringing in too much plastic into our homes. Although wood isn’t traditionally considered a material for tech, it’s showing up in a variety of boutique tech accessories. Not only does a wood finish provides a warm tactile, organic feel, but by using different species it also offers a variety of unique colors and finishes that plastic can’t compete with…

MoMA I Dear Wooden Cube Speaker This tiny cube speaker is made of real wood but regardless of the”mini-me” size, it produces tiny rich sound and even includes a USB connector for charging and a standard jack for line out, so you can connect it to any audio source.

Jonas Damon Alarm Clock For iPhone This beautiful iPhone Dock is made of sustainably harvested new growth beech wood. Kind of mimicking the old GE flip phones from the 60′s and 70′s. Just place your iPhone or iPod Touch running your favorite flip clock app and you are ready to go. Allows your device to be charged while docked and it’s pretty cheap too.

MJOLK Business Card Case We know that these are not gadgets per se, but these wood card holders are made out of Oak and precision made in Japan. A total minimalistic approach that we think it will make a great gift for the “green” friend or family member. Now, you can make a positive impression while pulling out your business cards at the next CES.

Areaware Torch A very simple and eco friendly design. Made of Beech Wood, uses energy efficient LED bulbs for long lasting performance. The tail cap unscrews for battery replacement and also acts as an on/off switch. One thing for sure, you won’t be hiding this flashlight in the bottom of your tool’s drawer. Requires easy to find AA batteries. For $32, you can’t go wrong with this gem. While the light output is not “tactical grade”, it’s enough to get you out of a dark situation.

By Joel Pirela.

Unplggd: Windows and Mac Apps That Really Will Help

Often times we find ourselves complacent with the Windows and Mac applications that we already own. However, once you check out these great apps you will be wondering why you haven’t heard about or used all of these before. From design to productivity, we have you covered in this weeks edition of Unplggd’s Weekly Download Recommendations.

IrfanView: Great for beginners and experienced users, IrfanView is a freeware graphic viewer that has many unique and interesting features. This application supports a plethora of file types including Adobe Photoshop filters. For the incredible price of free, it’s hard to find a better option for the last majority of your photo needs (pictured above).

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