By Chris Scott Barr

Toast is one of the more simple foods to make in the kitchen. It’s arguably only more difficult than boiling water. Of course there’s no good way to know exactly when the bread has gotten to that perfect brown color. Sure, you can fiddle with that little slider or or knob, but it never really does any good. Of course this wouldn’t be such an issue if you could actually see the toast as it’s cooking.

One designer decided that they would solve the problem by using glass sides to heat the toast. This would allow you to watch it as it cooks. Unfortunately the glass won’t actually get hot enough to toast the bread (and I’m really not sure how you’d get it out of there without burning yourself). It looks like this one will permanently be in the ‘concept’ stage.

[ Inventables ] VIA [ CoolestGadgets ]

By Chris Scott Barr

The modern mouse hasn’t exactly seen a ton of technological improvements in the last couple of decades. Sure, we’ve added buttons, made them a little more ergonomic and substituted that ball for an optical sensor. However, when you strip it all away, it’s still the same basic concept.

With all of the advancements in multitouch technologies, Microsoft is convinced that the next big breakthrough in mousing is along that path. Like any company with an idea of the future, they have been hard at work trying to develop the next big thing. In a rare move for the software giant, Microsoft has decided to show off some of their prototypes which are currently in development. I’d go into detail about each, however the above video seems to do them justice. If you’re itching for more info, you can find it on Microsoft’s website.

Bear in mind that these are nothing more than prototypes. They are simply using these to explore the possibilities that these technologies can lead to. Don’t expect to see anything from Microsoft using these ideas anytime soon. When you do finally see this stuff on store shelves, it won’t look anything like what they’re showing off now.

[ Microsoft ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Chris Scott Barr

If you like to have a drink directly after leaving the office, then you might find this interesting concept to your liking. During the day, the After Office Tie looks just  like any other. However, once your jacket is off, a small bit of metal at the tip is exposed. So what’s that little metal bit for? Opening bottles of course.

I guess I don’t drink enough (or actually work in a big fancy-pants office) to really find this to be all that useful. I suppose if enough people want it, it could easily be turned into a real marketable product. For now it will be shown at the London Institute of Contemporary Arts from September 30th to October 4th.

[ DesignBoom ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Chris Scott Barr

For a long time I’ve thought about developing some skill with 3D rendering. Why? Because I want to be one of those people that designs really cool products that will never get paid. That way people can look at my work, and get excited thinking that it’s something they could one day own. Then in one fell swoop, I’ll crush their dreams as I tell them it is only a concept. Why the rant? Because I want this Pac-Man chair.

As you’ve no doubt guessed, this chair is only an artist’s rendering. There’s a good chance that this will never be produced by anyone, so don’t get your hopes up. Were it the real deal, it would make an awesome addition to any gaming lounge or bachelor pad.

[ Behance ] VIA [ Gizmodiva ]

By David Ponce

We’ve been chronicling Russia’s Art Lebedev studios’ products for a long time. Ever since the Optimus Maximus keyboard, actually. Now we’re hearing about the Navigarius GPS concept. Its features are nothing out of the ordinary, it’s a GPS mapping device that attaches to your windshield like so many others, has touchscreen controls, USB, microSD, cigarette lighter adapter and a thin, detachable stand.

But it’s round.

Really, that’s its claim to fame and to be honest, we think it looks swell. If you’re going to be staring at this thing while trying hard not to get lost, it might as well look half decent. Of course, like many of Art Lebedev’s products, this is a concept that may or may not go into production. Pester them long enough and it might become reality, like with the Maximus Optimus. Just don’t expect it to be cheap.

Once again, keep reading for a few more pictures.

[ Art Lebedev's Page ] VIA [ Engadget ]

By David Ponce

Most modern bicycles come with a bottle holder of one form or another. Which is why this product might seem redundant to some of you. But that’s because you’re forgetting an oft ignored class of society: the hipsters. Yes, they’re people too and like us they get dehydrated now and again. It would also seem that part of their wacky shenanigans involve an unexplainable compulsion to acquire certain types of bicycles that are conspicuously devoid of any bottle holder (or gears for that matter; a truly soothing sight to nervous downtown motorists’ worldwide). To their rescue comes Matthias Ries’ concept product called simply enough, The Bottleclip. It’s a little piece of plastic with a threaded opening that accepts most bottles on one side, and a clip that attaches to standard size bike frames on the other.

Of course, like most good ideas this is only a concept for now. But given that it’s just molded plastic, all it takes is one enterprising manufacturer to license the rights and start up production. Someone in China reading this?

A few more pictures if you keep reading.

[ Product Page ] VIA [ DesignBoom ]

By Chris Scott Barr

I’m sure that plenty of you were at one time a college kid, or were broke and trying to make it on your own at 18. Eating pizza 5 nights a week was considered normal ordeal, which meant that you had a lot of empty boxes and old paper plates lying around. Sometimes I used to tear up the pizza box lid and use it for paper plates. It was a nice way to use less plates, and the boxes took up less room on top of the fridge when they were in pieces. Unfortunately if there were any leftover slices, we had no boxes to keep them in. Sure, we’d use ziplock bags, if anyone ever remembered to buy them.

Now enter the GreenBox. It’s a regular-looking pizza box that has some cool hidden features. The top breaks down into four small plates, while the bottom becomes a small storage box. All it takes is a few quick tears and you’re done. I know that I’d love it if my pizza started coming in one of these boxes. It’s green, I’m using less paper and plastic, not to mention the fact that the boxes are taking up less room in my kitchen.

[ EcoIncorporated ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

I know they’re just a concept design, which I usually try to avoid like the plague, but I’m really hoping that someone makes these a reality. Instead of mashing your earbuds into a ball of tangled cable when you’re done using them, the YI Zipper earphones (designed by Ji Woong) feature a… wait for it… zipper design that you can… yep you guessed it… zip up, keeping them considerably tidier when crammed in your pocket. And as an added bonus, the zipper pull also features volume and hold controls, though I’m not going to hold my breath for that to happen.

[ Yanko Design - Zip Up Tangles ] VIA [ Toxel ]

When TV came along, photos, paintings and other artsy objects that people hang on the walls of their homes quickly became ignored in favor of that wonderful glowing box. But did anyone ever stop to think about how that made a lot of those household objects feel? The designers at Troika did, and to put some power back in the hands of the picture frame they came up with the TV Predator concept.

Instead of just hanging on the wall, looking all depressed because it’s being ignored, thanks to modern technology the TV Predator can finally fight back against the TV by randomly changing the channels, adjusting or muting the volume, turning them on and off at all hours of the day and doing everything it can to turn the homeowner against the boob tube. The concept was created to examine the idea that advances in AI and technology could eventually give older electronics the ability to get jealous and strike back against newer products designed to replace them. Kind of like the Futurama episode “Obsoletely Fabulous” where Bender was replaced by Robot 1-X.

Thanks Meg!

[ Troika TV Predator ]

We’ve all got that nagging voice in the back of our heads telling us we should make a conscious effort to use less energy, but I’ve found it’s easy to drown it out by leaving my blender running 24/7. So it doesn’t hurt to have other reminders about our wasteful ways around the house.

The SmartSwitch is an intelligent light switch that lets you know when your home, or even your local electrical grid, is using substantial amounts of power. Now it doesn’t actually prevent you from turning on the light, but thanks to a built-in ‘brake pad’ the act of sliding the switch does become more difficult during the hours of peak energy demand in your neighborhood. That way you would think twice about whether you really needed that light on, or if you could use a more energy-friendly alternative like simply opening the curtains.

The SmartSwitch was created by Peter Russo and Brendan Wypich from Stanford University for the Greener Gadgets Design Competition.

[ Core77 - SmartSwitch ] VIA [ SlashGear ]