Hasta La Gadget!

We’ve seen a table that looks like a couple of VHS tapes, then one that looks like a 3.5″ floppy disk. Here’s one for older audiophiles: a wooden table that looks like a cassette tape. While it can’t store data, it does have cup holders and a drawer to hold physical objects.

The table is made by Tayble, a company founded by Justin Nanfelt, Taylor Calmus and Zach Calmus. The table comes in three tiers, which are cleverly called 30 min, 60 min and 90 min series, but Tayble also pays homage to the mixtape culture by offering personalized orders. You can pick from “different stains, colors, labels, graphics and legs” and of course a custom message scrawled on the tape.

Head to Tayble’s website to order your own cassette tape table. Prices start at $1,200 (USD). If you have some room in your budget you might want to get a couple of these chairs as well.

[via Bless This Stuff]

[CES 2013] We are turning up the crankshaft at CES 2013 once again, and here we are with an official announcement from LG. The company is announcing today that it will be introducing a new feature called Panorama Note on the Optimus Vu 2 which will allow users to create extra wide 3:1 ratio memos and drawings directly on smartphone displays. LG says that the new feature was developed from the idea of scribbling freely on a large canvas, much like drawing and writing while navigating at the same time on a 3:1 ratio image. (more…)

By Ubergizmo. Related articles: Samsung Readies 5.5-inch Flexible Smartphone Display For CES 2013, ADzero bamboo smartphone gets further detailed,

The Switch Bench is probably the funnest, quirkiest bench that I’ve seen in years. At first glance, you’ll see that the bench stays true to its name since it looks like a gigantic switch, like the ones you can commonly find on household appliances and voltage regulators.

But the switch (which pretty much comprises the entire bench) isn’t just there for show, because it actually works.

The fun begins when the sun sets. If you happen to come across the bench and, well, want to sit on it, then push the giant switch to the ‘on’ position to illuminate the whole thing. When you’re ready to go, just flip it back to the ‘off’ position and go your merry way.

Because of its design, seating is pretty much limited to a maximum of two, but I doubt anyone would mind because of its sheer ingenuity.

The Switch Bench was designed and created by HIK Ontwerpers.

[via Pop Up City]

Okay, I made that part about gorillas up, but it’s easy to forget the usefulness of Gorilla Glass. A lot of the smartphones and tablet people use everyday are covered in this durable material. That’s one of the reasons that the screen on your phone won’t break if you drop inadvertently. Granted, it won’t protect your phone from any drops, but I’ve been quite happy at how scratch-resistant it is.

And while it’s not actually shatterproof, Gorilla Glass is far more durable than ordinary glass. Now, Corning has revealed that a new version, simply called Gorilla Glass 3. The new glass will be unveiled at CES 2013 and it’s supposed to be even more durable than the previous generation.

There are already many devices covered in Gorilla Glass 2, and I’m hopeful that most of the ones I use next year will be covered in Gorilla Glass 3, assuming that it really does make them less likely to crack and shatter.

I don’t have many spices in my kitchen cupboards, but I might start carrying more if I had these quirky plastic spice containers by Qualy that double as snow (or rather, spice) globes.

It’s a fun idea and I wonder why somebody didn’t come up with it sooner. Of course, they’re not very good for organization since there’s no space to label your spices. If you’re the forgetful type, then you’ll probably have to taste the spices in each jar every once in a while to figure out which is which. Designer Teerachai Suppametheekulwat’s concept itself is adorkably cute, and gives you free rein to have a little fun with your spices.

Fill the Christmas tree and polar bear jars with sugar and salt, while some granulated garlic might look good with the cactus since it could pass of as (extremely pungent) sand. I’m not sure what would go well with the bunny, camel, and dormant tree, but I’m sure you’ll find a relevant spice to add to each if you’ve got a lot of them in your inventory.

Qualy is based in Thailand, but you can get the shakers with the trees over at the MoMA Store for $39 (USD) – or $35.10 if you’re a member. I’m not sure where you can get the animal series though.

[via Core77]