Mar 21
If you’re in the market for a new air conditioner and you (and the heat) can wait till May, the Quirky+GE Aros is an app-enabled, Wi-Fi-connected window unit that combines Nest-like features with an 8,000 BTU cooling system.
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Mar 19
Though Nest has made a dent in home automation with its smart thermostat, the company hasn’t really addressed those of us who live in old apartment buildings with window AC units as our only summer salvation. But GE and Quirky haven’t forgotten.
Today, they’ve announced a brand new smart AC unit called the Aros, as part of their existing multi-billion dollar partnership. Read More
Mar 19
This is Aros, a Wi-Fi connected air conditioner aimed at energy-conscious consumers that Quirky and GE are launching today. It’s by far the biggest and most complicated product that Quirky has ever built, and it aims to help solve truly endemic problem: The window a/c unit, which has remained pretty much unchanged since the 1970s.
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Jan 01
If you live in an apartment or condo in a big city, and have managed to find a little room on your tiny balcony for a modest garden, you probably don’t have much space left for the tools needed to toil over your cramped crops. So inventor Marc R. came up with this rather clever soft-sided watering can called the Squish that’s thin and easy to store when it’s empty.
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Dec 06
More food is consumed during the holiday season than at any other time. But that’s the thing with food; you can’t stay full forever. And so these gadgets, services and tools should serve your food-friendly loved ones quite handily. We’ll cover a range of products, including an ingredient-delivery service, a magical scale that measures the nutrition of your food, and one very special ice cube.
Everyone from a master chef to a home cook should have a blast with this gift guide, so let’s waste no more time and crack some eggs.
Prep Pad from The Orange Chef ($150)
If you know or love a health nut, the Prep Pad is an easy, thoughtful gift. It’s a Bluetooth-equipped scale that measures the weight of your food as well as its nutritional value, which is then relayed to the user through an app. Simply input the type of food you’re weighing, or scan the barcode, and see a pie chart of the nutrition you’ll be consuming.
With an aluminum frame and a paper composite surface, which can be hygienically wiped down, the Prep Pad can handle any mess in any kitchen, and is accurate with the weight measurement to boot. It’s got a heavy little price tag attached, at $150, and it doesn’t ship until February, but it is worth the wait (ha!) and the cash for a chef obsessed with health.
You can pick up the Orange Chef Prep Pad here.
Impress Coffee Brewer ($39.95)
Budding caffeine addicts are just one gadget away from a full-blown addiction. Meet the Impress single-cup Coffee Brewer from Gamila.
Single-cup coffee makers are becoming more popular, but those machines cost a pretty penny and take up a lot of space in the kitchen. But what if you could combine the single cup coffee maker with French press coffee-making techniques and a thermos to transport the coffee in? That would be pretty amazing, right?
Well, that’s the Impress. It’s kind of a pain to clean, as you need to scoop out the grounds and such, but it manages to keep 14 ounces of coffee warm for hours.
Pick one up here.
Plated ($15/plate)
Grocery shopping, to some, is the worst part of cooking. Plated takes the guess work and leg work out of grocery shopping and cooking a nice meal. After a visit to the Plated website, you can shop around between various meals, ranging from things like Garlic-Herb Pork Chops with Roasted Sweet Potato Mash, Korean-Style Short Ribs with Asian Slaw and Sushi Rice, or vegetarian classics like Autumn Root Vegetable Chili with Cornbread Croutons.
Users are given everything they need, including ingredients and directions (but not cookware), to make an excellent meal and a fun experience. For $10/month, you can buy a membership that brings the price of a meal down to $12/plate, with a minimum of four plates per week. Otherwise meals are $15/plate with a minimum of four plates in one week.
Pucs ($19 for 3)
This is a design project that first blew up on Kickstarter and is now available for purchase in a number of different packages.
Anyone who enjoys a nice glass of whiskey on the rocks or simply hates a watered down drink should enjoy these stainless steel ice cubes. They stay at the bottom of the glass and hold temperature pretty well without watering down the drink. They even come with a handsome case you can slip into the freezer.
They’re also able to bring down the temperature of hot beverages more quickly, and then be removed. They’re a nice conversation starter to have around the house, and come at a reasonable price. Worth considering for a boss.
Egg Minder
The Egg Minder is a product out of Quirky and GE that brings a little intelligence to the dairy section of your fridge. Bad eggs are the worst, and the Egg Minder aims to make sure you never experience them again. The smart tray indicates which egg in the tray is the oldest via LED lights, while a wireless connection to your smartphone keeps you in the loop on expiration dates. If you’re running low, you’ll get a push notification. Even better, you can check how many eggs you have and when they go bad from the grocery store.
The Egg Minder costs $69.99 and is available now.
You can check out our complete Holiday Gift Guide 2013 right here.
Nov 04
What happens when a Fortune 500-ranked, 120-year-old company like GE partners with a four-year-old startup like Quirky? Today, six months after announcing a partnership
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Oct 01
What’s the point of using a compact travel power bar that gives you extra outlets when it ends up using and blocking the pair already on a wall? With Quirky’s new Contort Power supply that’s no longer an issue, since its short plug is angled 45 degrees so the extra outlet and USB ports don’t end up blocking anything.
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Oct 01
When "invention machine" Quirky launched in 2009, it made a name for itself hocking plastic utensils and cord organizers—designed by you, for you. But over the past year, it’s made a play to move into turning your home into a Jetsons-worthy utopia. And it’s got the means—and brains—to do it.
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Aug 01
Quirky, purveyors of kitchen gadgets for the lazy and other items of whimsy, has invented a new game for sale called StrataChute. What’s not to love about a new game for the park, especially when it has parachutes?
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Jul 15
At one point or another, who of us hasn’t risked losing a finger by opening a pair of scissors and using them as a quick, impromptu knife? It turns out they’re a pretty good way to open taped boxes without horribly slicing what’s inside, so Quirky took the idea and created a pair of scissors called the Sheath that’s actually safe to use as an improvised knife.
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