Around The Home

Although it would be wrong to say that tape measures are difficult to use, they can sometimes certainly be a bit fiddly – a couple of examples include the measuring of objects that aren’t straight-edged, or having to squint to count off the exact millimeters on the tape. Pocket Smart String, however, goes about measuring in a different way. Users pull a string out from the pocket calculator-sized device, laying it alongside or winding it around whatever they want to measure. The exact length is digitally displayed on the device’s LCD screen, and can then be stored in its memory for calculating things such as area or volume. Read More

Oral hygiene has come a long way from the twigs, bird feathers and animal bones our ancestors used to clean their teeth. The first recorded toothbrush in history consisting of a twig with a frayed end called a chew stick dates back to 3,000 BC but toothbrushes have since evolved to include electric toothbrushes that move the brush head more rapidly than our puny wrists can manage. Such devices of course require charging, which usually means a charge station taking up valuable real estate on the bathroom counter alongside a rinsing glass. Now Philips has released a toothbrush that charges when placed in a glass that can still be used to rinse your mouth after brushing. Read More

It's hard to say whether this sort of product will unleash a stream of creativity or a gushing torrent of poor taste. Dutch printing company ixxi has come up with an innovative, inexpensive and very nifty way to print and hang large scale artworks. By breaking the photo or design up into lots of smaller cards, which are later joined together for presentation using funky little plastic x and i shaped connectors, ixxi avoids the prohibitive expense of larger scale printing, as well as making it easy to package a wall-sized piece of art up into a small box. In fact, the same technology lets you visit an art gallery, and take a life size, photorealistic replica of your favorite wall fresco home with you, ready to reassemble and hang. Read More

Home beer-brewing is sort of like writing a novel – although you might like the idea of having done it, the thought of all the work involved in doing it can be off-putting. If the PR materials are to be believed, however, the WilliamsWarn brewing machine could make the process a lot easier ... and quicker. Unlike the four weeks required by most home brewing systems, it can reportedly produce beer in just seven days. Read More

While Gizmag has covered quite a number of alarm clocks in the past, the My Wake Up Call motivating messaging system certainly stands out as a unique way to rise and shine. Read More

It's called Sosia (meaning Doppelganger) and it's the latest creation from Italian designer Emanuele Magini. This multifunctional sofa bed allows you to change appearances, style, size and functionality in as little space as possible. Comprised of soft and flexible external fabric, a big central hinge and an industrial zipper, Sosia can change shape depending on your mood or hospitality needs. With a few adjustments you can create an L-shaped conversation nook, a face-to-face sitting area, a cozy single bed, or raise the side panels to create a secret cubby or dressing room. Read More

Initially presented in 2009 as a rather eccentric architect's idea, one of the world's narrowest houses will be built in Warsaw, Poland. Referred to as an "impossible house" by its designer Jakub Szczesny of Centrala design studio, the house will be 152 cm (60 in) across in its widest spot on the outside. It's located in the center of Warsaw in a small slot between two buildings, and will be officially defined as an art installation, as it does not meet any legal standards of construction in Poland. Read More

The future of ambient lighting might lay in glowing walls, according to Philips. The company has announced its plans to develop wallpapers containing integrated LEDs. The luminous sound-absorbing textiles would glow in variety of colors accordingly to the user's requirements. To develop the luminous wallpaper panels, Philips is collaborating with customizable acoustic panels manufacturer Kvadrat Soft Cells, based in Denmark. Read More

Smoke alarms are great for alerting people that a fire has broken out so they can get out of harm’s way and alert the authorities. But what happens if there’s no one home when a fire breaks out. Sure, you could rely on your neighbors to raise the alarm, but by that point your house and its precious contents will likely be well ablaze. The FireText Smoke Alarm will let you know if your house is going up in smoke wherever you may be by sending a text message to up to four mobile phone numbers as soon as it detects smoke. Read More