Hasta La Gadget!

I sleep pretty deeply, but staring at a cold, pale, disembodied hand that holds my smartphone to stop my alarm will probably wake me up almost immediately. This smartphone stand from Harry Allen is supposed to elicit a response from anyone seeing it or touching it inadvertently in the middle of the night.

The iPhone Hand Dock is even wall-mountable for further freak-outs. I guess that it’s an interesting way of keeping your smartphone close, especially if a hand coming out of your wall doesn’t scare you too much. It’s definitely something unique that will please certain people. It’s made out of resin and marble. It was also cast from Harry Allen’s own hand.

This clever, but creepy looking smartphone stand is available from Areaware for $65(USD). You might want to start thinking of ways to incorporate these into your haunted house this October.

[via Make:]

I have a dream of living in a tiny apartment where everything is multifunctional and/or has the ability to transform. Beds that turn into desks. Bookshelves that hide a dining set. Side tables that contain an emergency chair. But what about the kitchen? What can I do with the kitchen? Why not pack the entire thing into a low-sitting, floating sideboard? More »

Raising kids these days is expensive. Aside from the basics, like food and clothing, there’s also the “extra” expenses like toys. Based on what you’ve probably heard from you friends, kids outgrow toys almost as fast as they outgrow their clothes. So how about a ‘toy’ of sorts that grows with your child? Something like the Weerol.

The Weerol is a modern, re-configurable, customizable, natural, active toy platform that you can disassemble and put back together into something your child would need (or be able to use), according to his or her age.

Constructed from renewable birch laminate and BPA free thermoplastic rubber treads, the Weerol has been designed to convert easily between different configurations while still remaining safe and sturdy.

It’s available in three lively prints, and also comes in a plain version, in case you want to customize, decorate, or paint over it yourself.

Weerol is currently up for funding on Kickstarter, where a minimum pledge of $79(USD) will get you one of your very own Weerol kit.

If you’re worried about the safety of your valuables, or are just looking for some extra storage, check out the Clopen shelf by Torafu Architects. The skinny shelf contains a secret, hidden drawer that allows you to hide your valuables away from prying eyes.

Clopen is constructed from aluminum parts, but it’s made to look like it’s natural wood from the outside. They added sliced veneer to a thin structure, creating extra space between the two boards, which can be opened by not just a normal key, but a special magnetic one. Once opened, a secret 23mm thick drawer appears, so it won’t be able to store much, but passports, money, etc, can be stashed away from nosy visitors.

There’s no mention on how much it costs, but the shelf entered production last month, so it should be available soon, at least in Japan.

[via dejoost]

Premiership footballers will be weeping in envy at the way Samsung’s been spending its cash this month. After splashing $822 million on a Korean R&D center, it’s now chucking $4 billion to renovate its semiconductor factory in Austin, Texas. The cash will be used to increase production on system-on-chip products used in a wide variety of smartphones and tablets, presumably to cope with future demand. It’s not clear if this investment is in addition to the $1 billion it was raising in January to add a new SOC and OLED line to the same facility, but it’s certainly a good time to be living in Texas, right now.

Filed under: Cellphones, Tablet PCs

Samsung spending $4 billion to renovate Austin chip factory originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 21 Aug 2012 06:33:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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