Around The Home

Belkin has expanded its line of WeMo branded home automation products with a switch that allows household lighting to be controlled remotely over the internet. The new WeMo Light Switch was announced at CES 2013 where Belkin also revealed that existing WeMo devices such as the WeMo Baby will be getting Android compatibility after previously only being compatible with iOS devices.  Read More

Mobile phones have already swallowed up the average Joe's diary, compact camera, watch and Walkman. They're working on replacing the wallet as well – so the next logical step is to go hunting for the last remaining pocket-dwelling device they can gobble up in their mad fury of convergence – your keyring. Smart and secure door access apps and hardware have already sprung up using Bluetooth and Wi-Fi – now there's ShareKey, which uses NFC (near field communication) and aims to be the most secure of all systems.  Read More

Remember those Hypercolor T-shirts, that changed color according to your body temperature? Or how about mood rings? Well, now you can get a solid oak table and two-bench set that works along the same lines.  Read More

The counterpoint is obvious – the most fleeting of "lampshades" married to that most long-living of light sources: the LED. The Surface Tension Lamp by FRONT continuously blows soap bubbles which, as they inflate and eventually burst, creates a dynamic lit environment.  Read More

For much of the socio-economic West, new year is set to roll around in approximately 14 days. For South Korean designer Jeong Yong, the rolling around is likely to occur literally as well as figuratively, being that Yong is the designer of the ONE Table Calendar, a multi-ringed calendar and magnetic designer corporate play-thing.  Read More

When it comes to resealing an opened bottle of wine, most people either use the cork that the bottle came with, or a hand-pumped vacuum stopper. Now, however, there’s another option – it’s called the Air Cork, although we also kind of like its previous name, the Wine Balloon.  Read More

If floor space is lacking, finding a place for a desk in your home can be difficult. However, help is on hand in the form of a very svelte workstation produced by Müller Möbelwerkstätten dubbed the Flatmate. It should find a place in even the most modestly proportioned living space while still offering considerable storage, and some clever additional features, too.  Read More

Visitors to the recent Design Miami fair had the opportunity to see automaker Audi’s R18 Ultra Chair, a lightweight unit designed by Clemens Weisshaar and Reed Kram, who in 2010 collaborated with Audi on the OUTRACE robotics installation set up in Trafalgar Square in London.  Read More

For those who prefer something more traditional than the Treeasy, members of the University of Sheffield’s Maths society have devised a formula for the perfect Christmas tree in response to a challenge by U.K. department store Debenhams.  Read More