Tag Archives: aluminum

The Best Designer Box Cutter for a Stylish Package Opening Experience

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Almost everyone has a tool to open packages, be it a cutter, a pair of scissors, or even a knife from the kitchen. Not all of these tools are appropriate for the job, though, especially when they are as likely to cut you as they are the packaging tape.

And those that are indeed designed to slice through these materials are often just shoved back into drawers after their use because they have no place or role to play in people’s lives in those moments. Taking inspiration from ancient tools, this distinctive box cutter defies misconceptions and expectations of what the tool should look like, offering a design that is every bit as functional as a standard unpacking knife but is also beautiful beyond measure as well.

Designer: AATISMO for Seiwa

Click Here to Buy Now: $99

The Problem: Boring Cutters are Always Out of Reach

Box and paper cutters often come as long rectangular implements whose blades slide out and in as needed. Unlike scissors or kitchen knives, these tools are specifically designed with that singular use case in mind, which means they often come with safety measures and ergonomic mechanisms to make the act of cutting through cloth, tape, or cardboard comfortable and convenient. Unfortunately, the majority of cutters also have designs intended to look practical, tactical, or industrial, which is why they often find themselves hidden in drawers or containers after their use.

This has the sometimes unintended effect of actually losing time looking for that cutter when you actually need it. Imagine feeling hyped after receiving a package, only for that excitement to die from annoyance when you can’t get your hands on your trusty cutter immediately.

You could always just leave the unpacking knife on your desk, but not only is it a safety hazard, it can also be an eyesore against your beautifully maintained minimalist workspace.

Why is This the Best Aesthetic Box Cutter

The OOPARTS-001 is a cutting tool that breaks free from the mold to present a functional yet also beautiful box cutter, and it takes inspiration from the unlikeliest source. Although made from metal, the disc-shaped object almost looks like those ancient tools carved from stone that our distant ancestors used to survive and thrive. There is a sense of raw power emanating from the form’s faceted surface, while at the same time exuding elegance and prestige thanks to the aluminum alloy’s shiny anodized finish.

Machined from a single block of metal, the process leaves traces of the cutting that become accents that give the cutter a unique character.

It isn’t all just looks, of course. It is also a sharp and safe tool for cutting through different kinds of packaging material, from tape to cloth to paper. The sharp tip of the knife is located in a single point only to avoid accidents, while the opposite edge acts as a guide that keeps the blade grounded and prevents it from slipping and injuring you.

The wave-like patterns on the front of the cutter aren’t just for show but help you get a more solid and stable grip. And when you’re done with the task at hand, you can simply place the box cutter on your desk or stand it up on its base, proudly showing off its aesthetic beauty for everyone to see.

Who This Aesthetic Box Cutter is For

Just because tools need to be functional doesn’t mean they can’t be beautiful as well. Sure, you’ll need to squeeze out some creative juices and think outside the box to get a design that meets both requirements equally, but as this Stone Tool-like Unpacking Knife proves, it’s definitely worth the effort. And you don’t even have to limit yourself to well-known design patterns from the past centuries, especially when the Stone Age can also be a treasure trove of unexplored sources of inspiration.

With this Aesthetic Box Cutter, not only do you get a sharp cutting tool that feels great in your hand, you also get an art object that you can display on your desk without shame, ensuring that you can quickly reach for it when your next exciting package arrives.

Click Here to Buy Now: $99

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ASUS Zenbook S 14 Ceraluminum Laptop Review: Elegance You Can Feel, Power You Can Touch

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PROS:


  • Gorgeous Ceraluminum design with a unique tactile experience

  • Ultra-thin and lightweight chassis for effortless portability

  • Lush and vibrant 14-inch 3K 120Hz OLED display

  • Impressive performance, including light gaming

CONS:


  • Port selection is a bit constrained

  • RAM is integrated into System-on-Chip


RATINGS:

AESTHETICS
ERGONOMICS
PERFORMANCE
SUSTAINABILITY / REPAIRABILITY
VALUE FOR MONEY

EDITOR'S QUOTE:

Packing incredible performance in a compact and beautiful design, the ASUS Zenbook S 14 redefines what ultraportable laptops are capable of and demonstrates how to deliver a design that you can feel.
award-icon

For the longest time, Apple MacBooks have set themselves apart from the rest of the laptop crowd with their stylish designs, while laptop manufacturers preferred to focus on the performance and technical aspects of their products. Consumer tastes have shifted, however, and brands have started their search for thinner and lighter designs, though they always get stumped by the laws of physics and the limits of technologies and materials. Always in Search of Incredible, ASUS decided to look to other places for inspiration, both from other industries and Mother Nature herself. The result is a new “meta-material” Ceraluminum, which debuted on the ASUS Zenbook S 14, a rather striking laptop that promises the best of all worlds. Naturally, we couldn’t resist getting our hands on it and taking it for a test run to see whether its beauty runs deep.

Designer: ASUS

Aesthetics

Laptop lids are often made from metal like aluminum or plastic, both of which offer different strengths but also weaknesses. Lately, titanium has become the hot new material for electronics because of its durable and lightweight properties, but it is far from the end-all and be-all of metallic products. Taking a page from the aerospace and luxury watch industries, ASUS developed a new oxidation or “ceramization” to produce a sort of hybrid or meta-material, if you would, that combines not only the lightness of aluminum and the hardness of ceramic but also creates a new visual and tactile experience never before seen on a laptop.

“Ceraluminum” is the marketing term for what ASUS previously called Plasma Ceramic Aluminum, and our very own Vincent Nguyen describes the material in better detail. The end result is a laptop cover that looks nothing less than a piece of art, especially with the lines that cross its surface to create geometric patterns. Not only is the laptop great to look at, but it also feels great to touch. There’s a certain degree of roughness to its surface, almost like paper. Considering its paper-light weight and thinness, it almost feels like you’re simply carrying a stack of white or gray paper.

And yes, the ASUS Zenbook S 14 is unbelievably thin and lightweight, only 1.1cm (0.47 inches) thin and 1.2 kg (2.65 lbs) light. It gives the laptop a rather striking profile that grabs attention from any angle. And with its tactile design and lightweight body, you might find yourself wanting to carry the laptop in your arms often, truly a design that you can feel.

Fortunately, the laptop’s beauty doesn’t disappear when you lift up the lid. The very thin bezels almost disappear completely, giving way to the bright and colorful ASUS Lumina OLED display. The clean and modest design of the keyboard and the touchpad pad perfectly complement the minimalism of the laptop’s lids. Even the rather unique ventilation grid lying between the keyboard and the display hinge brings functional aesthetics into the picture. No matter which way you look at and hold the Zenbook S 14, you are greeted by a strikingly elegant display that you touch with your eyes as well as with your fingers.

Ergonomics

With such a thin and light design, there is really no argument about the portability of this laptop. You can easily carry it anywhere by hand or slip it inside a bag, and use it anywhere as well, including on your laptop. This makes the Zenbook S 14 ideal for people who find themselves always on the move, sometimes even at a moment’s notice. Best of all, they aren’t losing out on power and performance, as we’ll see later, so there are almost no downsides to its design.

That said, if you’re a bit picky about your typing experience, you might have some issues with the ASUS Zenbook S 14’s keyboard. With a profile as thin as this, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that the keyboard actually has a bit of a shallow travel distance, just around 1.1mm. Mind you, that’s not exactly a deal breaker and we found it to still be quite comfortable and enjoyable to type on. In fact, considering that same thin profile, it’s a miracle that this keyboard could actually feel this good. Again, your mileage might vary, but keyboard connoisseurs might want to take note of this detail.

Another minor matter that may or may not ruin your experience is the very bright keyboard backlight. Although adjustable, even its dimmest setting might feel a little blinding to more sensitive eyes, especially in a dark room. On the bright side (no pun intended), the light and the keys are also very visible even in bright surroundings. Again, not a huge flaw but something you’ll want to consider based on your personal preferences.

Performance

You might be wondering what the catch is since thin laptops have traditionally been underpowered to the point of being unusable for anything but the most basic computing tasks. There are a small number of gotchas, indeed, but not in the ways you might expect and definitely not damning enough to ruin mar the Zenbook S 14’s prestige. In fact, it’s pretty mind-blowing that this ultra-thin laptop is able to perform this well, offering a no-compromise mobile computing experience.

Part of that is thanks to the new Intel Lunar Lake processor, specifically the Core Ultra 7 258V. It uses a system-on-chip design that integrates a CPU, a dedicated NPU (Neural Processing Unit), an Intel Arc Xe GPU, and 32GB of RAM. Yes, that memory is built into the processor, which does have an important implication we’ll get to later. Regardless, this compact silicon design is what allowed Intel and ASUS to maximize internal space, allowing them to cram more or bigger components, like a 72Wh battery.

The Zenbook S 14’s raw benchmark performance is nothing short of impressive, easily matching other 28W laptops. Considering ultra-thin 14-inch laptops often operate at a much lower 15W TDP to avoid overheating, this is quite a remarkable feat. Perhaps the most telling achievement is how this slim laptop can deftly handle gaming loads with medium graphics settings instead of the typical low settings. Although it’s not marketed as a content creation or gaming laptop, it can definitely fit the bill with some performance tweaking and adjustments.

What’s a bit more interesting, however, is how the laptop’s performance seems to lean more towards unplugged use. Of course, this is perhaps one of the most important considerations for a laptop, since wouldn’t want to have it always plugged in, defeating the purpose of its portability. Long story short, the Zenbook S 14 seems to perform best when on battery, providing a good balance of power and efficiency to meet any computing need anywhere, anytime. And with mixed use, you can get a little under 20 hours of battery life on a single charge. That’s well under ASUS’s advertised 27 hours of non-stop video playback, but the realistic numbers are still quite good.

This makes the ASUS Zenbook S 14 a great all-around laptop, and that includes multimedia and, as mentioned, even games. The 14-inch 3K OLED screen is just breathtaking with its brightness and colors, and being part of the ASUS Lumina line, it is also PANTONE-validated, making it an excellent tool for creators, and the monitor’s 120Hz is actually a must-have for gamers. Four high-quality speakers give a punchy treatment to videos and music, making this laptop a multimedia powerhouse despite its modest and business-minded looks.

One area where the Zenbook S 14 might come up short for some people is the number of ports available. Remember that time when Apple got chided for replacing all the ports on MacBook Pros with just four C-Type Thunderbolt 4 ports? It’s not as bad here, but there will definitely be some who will find the selection far too modest. There are only two of those USB-C Thunderbolt 4 ports, both of which can be used for charging, data, and video out. There’s also one full-sized USB 3.2 Gen 2 Type-A port, one HDMI 2.1 port, and a headphone/mic combo jack. That’s pretty much it. There isn’t even an SD card reader, which will probably disappoint photographers. Both USB-C ports are located on the same side, which forces you to have the charger and dongles competing for space. The lack of other ports might not be that big of a problem when you dock the laptop at home or in the office, but if your office tends to change locations, you’ll have to bring a hub with you as well.

Sustainability

ASUS has been working hard to step up to the challenge of making the world a greener place for future generations, and its most ambitious attempt yet can be seen in its most ambitious material design as well. Ceraluminum isn’t just a fancy new material with a beautiful aesthetic and satisfying texture; it is also a more sustainable alternative to the usual metal anodizing techniques used by manufacturers. Instead of corrosive acids that release harmful toxins into the air, ASUS’ ceramization process uses water and super-high voltage electricity to produce an even better oxide layer, creating this blend of lightweight durability your fingers will love.

The ASUS Zenbook S 14 is also made to last, thanks to that Ceraluminum material that’s not only scratch-resistant but also smudge-resistant. And despite its luxurious aesthetic, this laptop actually boasts military-grade MIL-STD-810H compliance, ensuring that it can survive accidental bumps, high-frequency vibrations, and extreme temperatures. One aspect that takes a point from its longevity is the fact that you can only upgrade the M.2 NVMe SSD, and only up to 1TB capacity. The 32GB of RAM is, as mentioned, fixed and soldered. Yes, that might be enough for most use cases, but only today. Who knows how demanding apps and services will be just a few years from now.

Value

Most people marvel at ultra-thin laptops but pass them over because those slim profiles barely have enough power to meet their needs. Finding the right balance between portability, power, and price is like a hunting game, but you don’t need to go any further than what ASUS is now offering on the table. With a beautiful 14-inch screen, only 1.1cm thick, and weighing only 2.65 lbs, the ASUS Zenbook S 14 delivers a versatile machine that doesn’t compromise on performance, at least not in significant ways.

Best of all, it’s an absolute beauty to behold and to hold! Ceraluminum might sound like a buzzword, but its aesthetic value and tactile experience are the real deal. The $1,499.99 price tag for the 32GB RAM model is indeed nothing to scoff at either, but when you realize all the value that you’re getting, it’s almost a steal.

Verdict

We have finally reached a point where laptops no longer need to be hulking blocks of metal just to catch up with their desktop counterparts. While they still lose out on raw performance and customization, today’s laptops can be slimmer than ever and, more importantly, offer a design experience that desktop towers can only dream of. Of course, it takes no small amount of creative thinking, bold decision-making, and the courage to go beyond the boundaries of convention to create an amazing experience that will satiate consumer’s thirst for better-designed products. ASUS has definitely proven that it isn’t averse to taking that big leap, and the Zenbook S 14 is a shining testament to that daring spirit to create designs that you can see and feel.

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Analogue Pocket is getting classy with a limited-edition Aluminum chassis

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Gaming handhelds are making quite the trend in the video game industry these days, from small DIY gadgets the size of key fobs to hulking computers crammed in a questionably portable form factor. But with the exception of the more expensive handheld PCs, the vast majority of these handheld consoles are made of plastic, at least for their bodies. Plastic, after all, is durable, lightweight, resilient, and, more importantly, cheap, and the products made with it sometimes come out feeling that way too. Once in a while, however, someone gets the idea to turn a geeky device into a glamorous product, like this aluminum-clad version of the Pocket Analogue that makes it one of the most stylish, let alone distinctive, gaming handhelds to grace the market today.

Designer: Analogue

It has been years since Analogue pulled off what can probably be considered a miracle in this industry. It launched what looks like a homage to the Game Boy, one that can actually play original Game Boy cartridges, that hasn’t hit any legal roadblocks considering how popular it is. Over the years, it has launched various limited editions of the Analogue Pocket, but this Aluminum Edition is its most ambitious one yet.

Precision CNC’d from solid billet 6061 aluminum, the limited edition Analogue Pocket Aluminum looks and feels more like a designer product than a functional gaming device, one that’s just meant to honor the original and be put on display but not used. That wouldn’t be much fun, of course, and thankfully this is not the kind of product that Analogue is putting out. It’s the same gaming experience offered by any Analogue Pocket, except now in a chassis that’s designed to really outlast those games.

If Analogue had left the Aluminum edition unfinished, it would have resulted in a striking and unique industrial aesthetic. But for those who still prefer a pinch of style and class, the limited-run gaming handheld is being offered in four anodized colors. Natural is as closest as you’ll get to that raw aluminum look, while Noir (Dark Gray) and Black both offer subdued hues. Bluish Indigo, on the other hand, stands out the most and is probably reminiscent of the transparent Atomic Purple case of the Game Boy Color.

Given its name, it probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that the Analogue Pocket Aluminum Limited Edition will be, well, limited. There’s no word on how many units will be made, but the $499.99 price tag and difficulty of machining a block of aluminum suggest there won’t be much. Judging by how fast previous limited editions disappeared, this will probably be gone before you know it.

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Nocs Monolith Aluminium is a minimalistic yet classy wireless speaker for purists

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Nocs Design is known for its intricately crafted audio accessories that hone minimalism. Purely focused on the acoustic signature and the build quality, the Sweden-based studio has revealed its new wireless speaker as a follow-up to the popular hand-crafted Monolith speaker.

This is the Nocs Monolith Aluminium speaker designed for audiophiles who give high weightage to minimalism in their lifestyle. The material choice for this wireless speaker is a deep research exercise for eliminating recycled plastics. According to Founder Daniel Alms, the result is a single block of aluminum CNC machined to achieve a classy look. Most of all the speaker is fully recyclable, making it the ideal choice when it comes to sustainability that the brand is highly conscious of.

Designer: Nocs Design

According to Daniel, a lot of time and effort was put into crafting the perfect symmetry for driver positioning inside the anodized aluminum housing. Unlike any other product design, minimalism isn’t just a fancy word here. Nocs refrains from using any logos, highlighting the sleek appearance of the solid aluminum form. This speaker is well positioned in the lineup, right between the Mini and the Monolith. To top it all, the ‘cradle-to-cradle consumer product’ is fully repairable and boasts easily replaceable parts.

Those grilles lie just above the five drivers are precisely positioned to deliver a rich and wide sound in any room. Alm has tuned the sound signature in collaboration with musicians and DJs which speaks highly about the speaker’s capability when it comes to satisfying audiophiles. The idea behind this distinction is to foster a “deep connection between the artist and the audience.”

Nocs Monolith Aluminium speaker is all set to be delivered to interested buyers in November 2024. Along with the classic aluminum option, you can also choose the more muted yet classy matte black finish. The price tag of $1,000 is on the steeper side but it’s all worth for purists who known what Nocs stands for.

 

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ASUS Ceraluminum brings beautiful ceramic and durable aluminum laptops

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Gone are the days when laptops were seen just as technical equipment needed to get work done. Just like with smartphones, they have also become part of our modern lifestyles and a reflection of our own selves. What all these mean is that people are now more conscious of the design of the laptops they purchase, not just the specs or the brand. Yes, there are still many that look like tanks with rainbow lighting accents, but even some more powerful notebooks now have sleeker and more refined aesthetics as well. To keep up with more discerning consumers, ASUS has engineered a new kind of material for the outer lid of their newest and most premium laptop that combines the lightness of ceramic with the durability of aluminum into an elegant surface that just screams “luxury.”

Designer: ASUS

Laptop lids are often made of either plastic or metal because of their resilience and durability. Of the two, metal, which usually means aluminum, is considered more premium but also tends to be heavier and sometimes uncomfortable due to how cold it is to the touch. In contrast, ceramic is equally premium yet almost the opposite of metal: lightweight, warm to the touch, and sadly also fragile.

ASUS has aimed to bring the best of these worlds together and has created the portmanteau “Ceraluminum” to mark the success of their years of research and experimentation. In reality, it is actually aluminum but treated in a special process, which it unsurprisingly calls “ceramization,” which gives it the properties of ceramic. This “hi-tech” new material boasts being lighter than steel yet also more durable than actual ceramic. More importantly, the material focuses as much on the tactile experience as on the aesthetics. Like ceramic, Ceraluminum is not only cool to the touch but also gives the fingers a better grip on the laptop’s lid.

Ceraluminum is still a novel material and it might not be ready for truly mass production just yet. For its maiden voyage, ASUS has chosen its new Zenbook S 16 to be the first to benefit from this amalgamation of two of the most premium materials known in the industry. It’s a perfect match as well, given how incredibly thin and lightweight the laptop is. It looks premium and definitely feels premium, a fitting exhibit for Ceraluminum’s equally premium properties.

In addition to its elegant material, the ASUS Zenbook S 16 also brings nature-inspired colors to match. Zumaia Gray takes inspiration from flysch cliffs in Spain, while Scandinavian White mimics the warm light of the sun on snowy mountains. Even this color is a product of sophisticated materials research, modifying the molecular structure of copper and oxygen atoms to give off a different color while using the same aluminum oxide material as other colors. The ASUS Zenbook S 16 is, in the final analysis, an exhibit of the brand’s innovation in creating new materials meant to delight not just the eyes but also your fingers and elevate your laptop experience.

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Enchanting glass bubble lamp peeks from surfaces like a playful fairy

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We all need a little magic in our lives, whether it’s a truly life-changing event or a simple scene or object that pulls the corners of our mouths up into a smile. We don’t have to go around looking for magical things, especially when we can more easily just bring them into our homes and into our lives. Of course, we’re talking about furniture, accessories, and designs that add something special to our spaces with their enchanting designs that tickle the mind and spark one’s imagination. This lamp, for example, made of metal and glass, combines two contrasting materials to create a design that evokes feelings of fun, wonder, and playfulness that you get when playing with seemingly magical bubbles.

Designer: Youngeun Seo

There are very few things in nature that have the innate ability to bring out our inner children, things like snowflakes, butterflies, and bubbles. A common trait among these things is their ephemeral lives, appearing and bringing joy one moment and then disappearing forever the next. It’s like they pop in and out of existence, like a curious little fairy that briefly appears to look around the human world before suddenly vanishing without a trace.

PEEKA is a table lamp that tries to recreate that feeling every time you look at it. Its main structure is an uneven glass sphere that might remind one of a bubble, one that gently floats to the ground and settles for a few seconds before suddenly popping, often causing surprise and a burst of giggles from children. The glass, which transitions from murky bottom to clear top, diffuses the bulb’s light inside while also adding specular reflections that give the bubble a magical appearance.

The lamp is set on a cast aluminum base in the shape of a very thin disc. It serves as the “ground” on which the bubble rests, its dark and cold surface contrasting with the warmth of the glass. The composition is also meant to capture the image of a fairy popping its head out of the ground to explore the human world, another playful picture that’s sure to bring a smile to anyone imagining it.

Aside from its unique associations, PEEKA is also a work of art and craftsmanship. The blown glass and cast aluminum are carefully made and polished by hand, resulting in minute imperfections that actually add to the design’s charm. The contrasting glass and metal materials also result in a striking combination that adds beauty and, in a way, magic to any room the lamp stays in.

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This ultra-minimalist pen stand makes your writing partner the center of attention

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We all have our favorite writing instruments, be it an heirloom fountain pen or even a number 2 pencil. You’ll probably just stuff the latter in drawers or leave them strewn on your desk, but the pen that has been with you for years is something you’ll probably want to show off while keeping it within easy reach. Pen stands exist for that exact purpose, but some of them try to compete with the pen for attention. They have extravagant and luxurious designs that defeat the intention of putting your favorite pen on a pedestal. That’s the trap that this tiny pen stand tries to avoid by practically removing all non-essential features that prevent you from showing off your trusty writing partner.

Designer: Kairi Eguchi

Click Here to Buy Now: $35 $39 (10% off at checkout). Hurry, deal ends in 24 hours!

What stand could be simpler than an upright cylinder with a whole in the middle that’s just enough to fit a single pen? After all, a pen stand’s purpose is to hold the writing tool for easy access while showing it off when not in use. Anything else is just excess and waste that burdens the product both visually and functionally. That’s the kind of minimalist design that this small and simple stand embraces, but that doesn’t mean it’s a plain and boring desk accessory. In fact, it is ironically one of the most beautiful pen stands around, especially if you favor minimalist designs.

Your eyes will be immediately drawn to the stand’s diminutive size. At only 52.5mm (around 2 inches) tall, it has just enough space to hold a small portion of the pen, leaving the majority of the barrel unobstructed and free for everyone to behold. Despite its small size, however, the stand is able to, well, stand without tipping over due to the weight of the pen. In fact, the stand itself tilts a little bit to one side, an intentional design that makes it easier to pull out the pen quickly when you need to jot something down.

The trick to the Centroid Stand’s unbelievable feat is in its construction, which also accounts for its two-tone color finish. The top half of the stand is made from polished aluminum which gives it a stylish luster, while the lower half is made from heavier copper that shifts the center of gravity lower, making it more stable regardless of its tilt or the weight of the pen that it holds. These two dissimilar materials, joined together using a friction welding process, give the stand a rather distinct flavor, one that is both playful and elegant at the same time. Copper also develops a unique patina over time, adding to the stand’s character as it grows old with you.

Showcase your Everlasting All-Metal Pencil with the ultimate stand.

Beautiful in its simplicity and ingenious in its functionality, this ultra-minimalist pen stand offers a perfect view of the writing instrument that it holds. Due to its minimalist design, it is the perfect complement to equally minimalist pen designs, such as the Everlasting All-Metal Pencil that will last as long as this unconventional stand. It is a glowing example of how simple designs, when done right, can exude a kind of beauty that gently draws your eyes without distracting from the attention that your favorite pen or pencil rightfully deserves.

Click Here to Buy Now: $19.95.

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ROG Zephyrus G16 laptop at CES 2024 brings a thin, all-aluminum frame to your game

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Gaming laptops are powerful beasts, sometimes almost as powerful as some desktops. Most of them, however, almost feel as heavy and as bulky as those towering computers because of how much technology they pack inside, including the required cooling systems. Thanks to the laws of physics and limitations in manufacturing, it almost seems like having a gaming laptop that’s as slim and sleek as a MacBook is just a pipe dream. Consider those dreams fulfilled, then, with the newest duo in the ASUS ROG Zephyrus line, bringing to the CES 2024 crowd the first glimpse of an all-aluminum CNC machined gaming laptop that maintains a mind-blowing thin and light body despite the power it crams inside.

Designer: ASUS Republic of Gamers

Although the typical laptop might have plenty of metal on the outside, the majority of gaming laptops use plenty of plastic or only plastic for the chassis. It’s more resilient to pressure and is cheaper to manufacture, helping to offset the costs of the expensive hardware. However, it also has poorer heat dissipation, is prone to deform from excessive heat, and makes the laptop feel less premium than its price would suggest. The Republic of Gamers is, fortunately, challenging the status quo with the 2024 ROG Zephyrus G16 and its slightly smaller sibling, the ROG Zephyrus G14, bringing a sleek and elegant look you won’t easily find on most of its kind.

With an all-new, all-aluminum CNC-machined chassis, the ROG Zephyrus G16 and G14 bring a touch of class to your gaming gear. It isn’t all just for show, of course, because the change in materials also improves the structural rigidity of the laptop, reduces its overall weight, and increases the space for components inside. That means more room for more things while still keeping the laptop thin and light. At only 1.49cm thick and 1.85kg light, the Zephyrus 16 is pretty much on par with the gold standard of lightweight pro notebooks, the MacBook Pro. For reference, the Zephyrus G14 stands at 1.59cm thick and 1.5kg heavy only.

Of course, Zephyrus laptops are heavy-duty gaming slash workstations, and ROG hasn’t forgotten the traits that truly mark this mobile PC as such. There’s a brand-new LED lighting array, one that runs diagonally across the lid. Appropriately called Slash Lighting, this lighting accent can display customized patterns and animations that quickly set the laptop apart from other premium-looking notebooks. This 2024 generation also welcomes a new colorway, Platinum White, with a matte finish that cements the Zephyrus G16 and G14 as luxury items for gamers.

In terms of hardware, the two aren’t lacking in any department either, sporting the latest Intel and AMD processors paired with NVIDIA GeForce RTX 4070 or 4090 laptop graphics. In fact, these two boast the first ROG laptops to carry an OLED monitor under the ROG Nebula Display branding, offering rich blacks that truly make graphics pop. They both possess the latest cooling solutions, but the ROG Zephyrus G16 additionally carries a custom vapor chamber to make up for the more powerful hardware. These two stylish and powerful laptops are scheduled to land in markets in the first quarter of the year, though exact dates and pricing have yet to be announced.

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This aluminum lounge chair is built for easy repairs, not so much for comfort

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Chairs are designed to be comfortable to sit on unless they’re meant to be art or statement pieces rather than usable furniture. Of course, not all designs hit the mark, and some tend to value other traits like aesthetics or features over comfort. That isn’t always intentional, though, especially for chairs that are meant to be sold commercially. This lounge chair, for example, seems to check off boxes like minimalism, repairability, and sustainability, but its rather imposing industrial aesthetic might make some think twice about parking their bodies on its thin body, even if there’s a comfy cushion on the seat.

Designer: Haus Otto

Truth be told, the AL13 lounge chair doesn’t inspire much confidence because of its super thin construction. Each component is made from laser-cut aluminum sheets that seem to be too thin to support heavy objects, like your body for example. Of course, looks can be deceiving, and this chair was designed to be really stable and safe, at least enough to be sold and used both for indoor as well as outdoor use.

The chair’s extra-wide seat is flanked by extra-wide armrests that might seem too high for actually placing your arms on them. Instead, they function better as small side tables to hold your phone, book, or drink, though you have to be careful with the latter that you don’t accidentally knock it over with your arm. It can also hold your laptop, but it might not be comfortable much less ergonomic to use it in that position.

Perhaps the more interesting aspect of the AL13 lounge chair is its somewhat modular construction so that parts can be easily disassembled. This makes it easy to repair, replace, or recycle parts, which are just bent sheets of aluminum. Its distinctive shape and the added function of the armrests make the chair suitable for any spatial environment, whether indoors or outdoors.

That said, the rather hard and cold appearance of the chair might feel a little intimidating, especially if you’re a fan of softer and cozier chairs. There’s an option for upholstered seat cushions, but that still leaves out the back and armrests, not to mention making it unsuitable for outdoor use. It’s still an interesting brutalist design, though, and could be an inspiration for other variations that add a bit more comfort to the equation.

The post This aluminum lounge chair is built for easy repairs, not so much for comfort first appeared on Yanko Design.

Terms like ‘military-grade’ and ‘aircraft-grade’ are NOT indicators of good quality. Here’s why

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I’m not entirely sure if I attribute this to Apple, but I definitely heard the words ‘aircraft-grade’ aluminum for the first time in an Apple keynote. I remember this because I also distinctly remember how I felt hearing those words. My first gut reaction was to imagine Apple sourcing its aluminum from the creme-de-la-creme of resources, using the same metal that would otherwise be found in airplanes, fighter jets, and potentially even rockets.

It wasn’t long before ‘aircraft-grade’ and its fancier sibling ‘aerospace-grade’ became a common part of marketing vocabulary, and eventually general vocabulary too. EDC and other items made with materials like aramids, carbon fiber, or Kevlar would also use terms like ‘military-grade’ to indicate that they were built for resilience, to take on the brunt of literal war. Turns out, however, that these marketing terms are exactly that… “marketing terms”. The phrases ‘aircraft-grade’ and ‘military-grade’ may sound like they’re indicators of incredibly high quality, but the problem lies in their absolute ambiguity. There’s really no fixed definition or standard for what’s ‘aircraft-grade’ or what qualifies as ‘military-grade’, and more importantly, there isn’t a body that really enforces any of these standards. Other standards like IP ratings for dust and water protection are regulated and enforced by bodies like the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC), but terms like “eco-friendly” and “ethically sourced” are hardly enforceable standards. They have no logical, measurable definition. Terms like ‘military-grade’ and ‘aircraft-grade’ fall pretty much into the same trap. A $20 Smith & Wesson pocket knife and a $2,000 MacBook could both be made using aircraft-grade aluminum. However, there’s absolutely no way of guaranteeing that both materials are of the exact same quality. Let’s dive in…

What exactly DO ‘Military-Grade’ and ‘Aircraft-Grade’ mean?

Here’s the kicker. To consumers, these terms mean absolutely, quantifiably NOTHING. Sure, to the US Military, and to the FAA, the standards matter a lot… but then again, the military doesn’t really buy its gear off of Amazon or Kickstarter, does it? When used by manufacturers or retailers in military contracts, the phrase “military grade” tends to refer more specifically to materials manufactured according to United States Military Standard (MIL-STD) specifications—a set of engineering and durability requirements developed by the U.S government which must be met before any item can qualify as being suitable for use by their armed forces personnel. Similarly, with “aircraft-grade” materials and components; certain parts must meet strict requirements set by aviation authorities before being installed on planes (such as FAA regulations), but these requirements apply to the material themselves and not really the component made using these materials. For example, even though the iPhone 6 was made using ‘aircraft-grade’ aluminum, it practically folded like a lawn chair in people’s pockets, creating the entire ‘Bendgate’ controversy.

Here’s where things get even more confusing…

There are a few pretty large loopholes that create enough wiggle room for companies to throw blanket terms on their products, calling them military-grade or aircraft-grade. The first is with materials – A product could use Dupont’s Kevlar in it and dub itself as Military Grade because the military does, in fact, use Kevlar in their protective vests. However, that doesn’t mean said product is military grade. It just means the material it’s using is military-grade. The product could still have a faulty design with points of failure. It’s pretty much the same story with the Bendgate iPhone. There are a lot of grey areas with airspace-grade parts too because aircrafts are incredibly large vehicles, and even the metal used for the belt buckle in the passenger seat can be dubbed as ‘aircraft-grade’, but use that same buckle metal to make the plane’s fuselage and it would fail almost instantly. The vice versa wouldn’t make any sense either, right? Similarly, different planes have different requirements. A fighter jet and a commercial aircraft have a rather small overlap when it comes to materials, specifications, and engineering. Drones classify as aircrafts too, making matters even more complicated, because drones won’t use the same quality of materials as a stealth-fighter. However, both could use materials that are certified as ‘aircraft-grade’.

That logic carries forward to the ‘military-grade’ argument too, and with a wider scope of debate. The word military could pretty much apply to any military, couldn’t it? When a product says ‘military-grade’ without any further elaboration, it could just as easily be certified for use by the American military as it could be by the Madagascar military. The two don’t really compare at all. Moreover, aside from USA and Madagascar having completely different capabilities and sizes, they have different budgets too. Certain militaries will try to cost-cut by going for the second or third-best alternative or with the lowest bidder. They might even just buy military-grade gear that’s from a few decades ago – a great example is the M16 rifle, which was officially used by the US military since 1963 (most famously in the Vietnam war). The US military phased it out in 2015, upgrading to the M4 carbine instead, but the M16 is still procured, modified, and used by a bunch of other countries. You see where I’m going with this, don’t you? To put it concisely, the term military grade could really mean any military or even any era… and not every single military has the best gear. So what does that say about your gadget?

How marketing teams benefit from this confusion

There’s a fair chance that a small, yet pretty sizeable chunk of companies is legitimately using terms like “military-grade” or “aerospace-grade” (or even “medical-grade”, although that really calls for a separate article) with complete honesty and integrity. The inverse, unfortunately, is overwhelmingly true too. There’s no real way to measure the ‘military-grade-ness’ of a product without actually verifying that military personnel actually use it… and the last thing a military outfit would do is reveal the bleeding-edge tech they use. There’s no authoritative body that will verify whether consumer products are legitimately military-grade or not, and you can’t particularly sue a company for making the claim too, because it’s all really incredibly ambiguous.

This really opens up the market for companies looking to throw flashy words around to make their products sound durable, safe, or legit. A lot of times, they’re right, and a lot of times they’re dead wrong. As a blog, we’ve written lengthy articles about a product claiming to be military-grade or aerospace-grade, but having a warranty of just one or maybe two years. Doesn’t add up, right?! What military or airline would use a product that only guarantees to work for a maximum of two years?? Are blogs like ours to blame? I guess you could say so, but we’re also beholden to press releases that mention these words. Our bigger goal at this point is to weed out companies that don’t have a reputation for making great products. Everyone uses these terms, I guess the part where we come in is in measuring the reliability and history of the company before we write our piece. In a way, this article also serves its purpose of enabling you, the reader, to make more informed choices.

The Most Effective Solution (Hint: You won’t like it)

So how do we all collectively fix this problem? The truth is, we can’t do anything collectively. There will always be a handful of companies and marketing teams that ‘maliciously’ use vague words to indicate reliability and durability. There’s nothing we can do to really stop them from doing so. What blogs, however, can do is try to curate more responsibly (you’ll never see us hawking unbranded products from AliExpress or Wish.com), and be more forthcoming with the information we share with you.

The more effective solution, however, lies in the hands of readers and consumers like you. Prioritize human reviews, actual certifications, warranty details, pricing, and brand reliability before buying a product. In the same way that we’ve all developed an ability to identify fake news, doctored images, deep fakes, and AI-generated content on the internet, it helps to also be able to filter out marketing-speak from information-driven blogging.

Read Next: Nobody knows how Damascus Steel was originally made… all we can do is guess

The post Terms like ‘military-grade’ and ‘aircraft-grade’ are NOT indicators of good quality. Here’s why first appeared on Yanko Design.