Wooden desk clock lets you tell time in an analog, elegant way

Posted on 12/10/2024 by Ida Torres

Where I’m from, some private schools have reportedly started removing clocks from their classrooms and halls since kids don’t know anymore how to tell time the analog way. But for us who grew up actually knowing how to use these clocks to know what time it is, it’s still useful to have them around. In fact, they add a certain nostalgic aesthetic to our space.

Designer: Lautaro Lucero

A concept for an aesthetic Wooden Desk Clock was developed by the designer in collaboration with Shapr3D. It is a minimalist clock that you can place on your bedside table or your working desk so you can still use the old school method to know what time it is, instead of just looking at your phone or computer. It is crafted from different wood types that were CNC-machined: walnut, cherry, or maple wood.

The clock is made up of two parts: the clock head where you can tell the actual time in an analog way and a supportive frame. The latter serves as both the base and also functional handle where you can adjust the angle, at least vertically. The different wood types used give the clock a minimalist but elegant look because of the contrast of the different warm tones of the wood and the smooth, curved surfaces.

If ever you have kids around you, then it would still be nice if they could tell time using the short and long hand. This wooden desk clock would probably be even more of a challenge since there are no numbers so you need to be familiar with the general direction of the time.

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Nintendo’s attractive little smart alarm clock gamifies your waking up routine

Posted on 10/10/2024 by Gaurav Sood

Nintendo has just dropped a surprise product for fans and it has nothing to do with the anticipated Switch successor. Meet the Alarmo desk clock which is initially going to be available to Switch Online customers in the US and Canada later this week, and from Nintendo Store, you can buy it right now for $100. If you ever imagined what an alarm clock from Mario’s nightstand would look like, this would be it.

The in-house project is a result of collaborative work between hardware developer Tetsuya Akama and games developer Yosuke Tamori. This special alarm clock is not a result of random design iteration, but rather a product of numerous trials and errors after building many prototypes.

Designer: Nintendo

Dubbed Nintendo Sound Clock: Alarmo, the desk alarm clock is built with a major focus on motion sensor technology courtesy of a camera. Keeping privacy at the forefront, the sensor tracks user movement during sleep to wake them up smoothly out of the slumber in the morning. The clock will not simply beep or ring bells like a regular alarm clock, as it’ll smartly wake you up (with adaptable snoozes) depending on whether you have been turning and tossing in bed or slept like a dog. If you do sleep with a partner or a pet, the thing won’t work, so the accessory is intended mainly for loners.

The red-themed clock uses classic game sound to wake you up with the option to set the display theme to one of the 35 options including scenes from popular titles like Super Mario Odyssey, The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, Splatoon 3, Pikmin 4 and Ring Fit Adventure. Linking your existing Nintendo account expands that library to scenes from the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons games. The $100 is justifiable with other features including hourly chimes during the day for focus sessions, playing chill music to doze off during nighttime, and recorded data of your sleep patterns over time.

According to Nintendo, the smart clock rewards you for getting up with a “victory fanfare” for your efforts. This is more like gamifying your getting up routine to feel a sense of achievement first thing in the morning. They are going to add more titles to the library in the coming days with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and Animal Crossing: New Horizons already in the works. Nintendo has promised availability to a greater audience in the future, so gamers can look forward to adding another gaming-themed accessory to their den.

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This smart desk clock boosts productivity, curbing your phone addiction for good

Posted on 10/06/2024 by Gaurav Sood

Distancing from your smartphone is not that easy when you are barraged with constant notifications from apps. Productivity takes a major hit as you lose focus and the best antidote I staying connected without constantly looking at smart devices. A smart desk clock is the way to go as it helps in time management without going off the course.

According to independent research, people prefer working on their desktops and if they have a utilitarian gadget that prevents unwanted distractions while keeping you updated with the needed notifications, there’s nothing better. The PAL Desk Clock with added features like a dedicated widget space for the most needed apps is what’s going to keep you interested.

Designer: Mohit Joshi

This nifty gadget concept wants to take the heat to the likes of the Amazon Echo Show 5, Google Nest Hub, Lenovo Smart Clock and Loftie Alarm Clock. There are five main functions – time keeping, focus sessions, music playback and wireless charging. In addition to these, the desk clock has a calendar and temperature sensor. With the wide display, you can customize the widgets like weather, music playback and calendar schedules as desired. The desk clock has a wireless charging pad intentionally positioned on the back where your smartphone is out of the peripheral view.

With the dedicated focus button and the accompanying app, the phone goes into DND mode, so that the task at hand can be completed. The design of the smart desk clock is such that it goes with any kind of setup or other desk accessories. When you need some relaxing time, the music app can play audio directly with all the interface elements you would find on a music player app. This prevents you from opening the phone and going down the rabbit hole of unproductive social media apps.

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Vintage-looking desk clock is handmade with brass and copper materials

Posted on 31/01/2024 by Ida Torres

Time-telling has become one of those things we take for granted since we only have to look at our computer or our smartphones or our smartwatches to find out the current time. Sure there are still some places that have actual wall clocks or desk clocks but even those have become few and far between. It’s also rare now for people to collect unique-looking clocks but for those who actually do it, there is a “rare find” clock that you can find on Etsy if you can spare around $900.

Designer: Sergey

If you’re very much into hand crafted stuff that looks pretty unique and classic, the Nixei tube vintage clock may interest you. It looks like something that would have fit in during the Victorian era in a 19th century home. Its design is basically a hydro-mechanical column with manual drive and is made from brass, copper, bronze, and glass. They are soldered and threaded together and all these parts are connected by hand.

It can tell time in either the 12 and 24 hour format and has seven different colors as indicators. You can turn off the glow of these indicators if it proves to be too distracting at night. There are three buttons to control the different functions of the clock and you don’t need to be connected to a network to make it function. It is powered by a 5V adaptor and has a 24 x 29 x 11 cm dimension.

Oh and aside from telling time, it can also serve as a phone stand as there’s a cylinder shape on the side of the clock that can hold your smartphone. Of course it destroys the illusion of being a vintage piece if you put a modern device there but if you’re going for a contrast, then that’s the perfect thing to add to this desk clock.

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Beautiful wireless charger concept reminds you to take some time off

Posted on 29/01/2024 by JC Torres

Wireless chargers are all the rage these days, taking on different shapes, sizes, and functions. Some are simple flat beds for your phone and accessories to lie on, while others raise the design a bit higher, literally, with stands that magnetically hold your devices up. The one common trait that these products have is that they mostly lean towards minimalist design trends, which is good for keeping a clean and tidy look but bad for missed opportunities. Minimalist or not, that wireless charger will still take up some space on your desk or shelf, so why not let it serve another purpose, like this rather simple yet elegant desk clock that does more than just charge your phone; it also tells you to take a break and charge yourself as well.

Designer: Nihoy Lahiri

Although they still need to make contact with a flat surface, wireless chargers, especially the magnetic variety, opened up new possibilities for designs. No longer tied down by charging cables, the only limits are creativity, imagination, and, of course, the laws of physics and electronics. Transforming a charging pad into something that has use even when it’s not charging a phone is a smart way of making use of space, which is what Zenith tries to offer with a subtle spiritual purpose behind its design as well.

Even without a phone, Zenith already looks like a decorative piece that calls your attention not just to the actual clock but also to its design. The gentle curves of its body convey a more organic and less daunting image compared to something that looks completely angular and mechanical, like what many desk clocks look like. The translucent material makes the entire structure look ephemeral and almost mystical, adding to the spiritual character of the design.

The arch-shaped void at the bottom is where you will let your phone lie while it charges. The empty space is a perfect contrast to the roundness and whiteness of the clock above it. It’s a small version of a Yin Yang composition that further enhances the design’s otherworldly appeal. Zenith’s deeper message, however, goes beyond its aesthetic.

By combining a wireless charger with a timekeeping piece, people will be forced to look at the clock every time they lay down the phone to recharge. It visually nudges their mind to take stock of their own internal battery levels, giving them pause and practicing a little bit of mindfulness. With the clock positioned above the smartphone rather than the other way around, it gives a subtle reminder that time should have a higher importance in our lives than tools. It is the zenith, so to speak, that guides our lives, not the phones that, more often than not, send us on a downward spiral of distractions.

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Beautiful wireless charger concept reminds you to take some time off

Posted on 29/01/2024 by JC Torres

Designer: Nihoy Lahiri

The post Beautiful wireless charger concept reminds you to take some time off first appeared on Yanko Design.

This Cyberpunk-ish desk clock is your expanded widget platform for peak productivity

Posted on 22/10/2023 by Gaurav Sood

Desk gadgets are a staple for a geeky setup, adding flair and functionality at the same time. You can get yourself a Nixie clock, gadget hub, or cool bias lighting to set up a unique theme. All that, however, can’t match the finesse of this Cyberpunk-ish digital clock that doubles as a widget platform.

This is Time Gate, a desk clock that’s a whole lot more when it comes to bringing all your preferred notifications and widgets in a unified interface that in no way causes distraction. The gadget has five separate screen interfaces to bring important widgets out of the desk display and onto a cool clock interface.

Designer: Divoom

Keeping with the theme, Divoom has deliberately pixelated the interface of each of these 128×128 pixel LCD screens. The digital clock has an expanded sense of realism as you can put up all your favorite assistants and dials in your peripheral view. Things like weather updates, calendars, reminders, stock market updates, social media followers, music player control and countless more. The desk clock interface can be customized via the companion app which also gives the liberty to create custom texts and animated graphics to reflect your mood.

Geeks are also gamers, so Divoom has included the option to display game elements like the number of kills in an FPS or the graph of achievements in a particular gaming session. To match the industrial looks, the gadget gets dual-edge ambient light and customizable backlight options with 12 cool light effects to build up the atmosphere.

Most of all if you want to tone down everything with minimum or no distractions, each of these displays turns into a Nixie clock interface. The current time is displayed just like any other digital clock if you want to. All this comes at a price tag of $150 which is not budget-friendly for the functionality you’ll get, but surely a must-have for a gadget freak.

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This mouse and table clock join to form a cozy egg-shaped decor for your desk

Posted on 22/01/2023 by JC Torres

The computer mouse is one of those things that shouldn’t make sense when you think hard about it, and yet it has become a staple of the modern world. Even with laptops that carry touchpads, some people still prefer to use a mouse with a laptop, even if it’s not the most ergonomic thing to do. There have been attempts to change the mouse’s image and design, creating forms that are almost out of this world. This concept design doesn’t stray that far from the traditional shape of the computer peripheral, but it still makes some changes that give it a better aesthetic, especially when it’s paired with its table clock twin.

Designer: Juwon Lee (Dawn BYSJ)

You won’t always be using the mouse all of the time, like when you’ve already stepped away from the desk and have shut down the computer. During these “off times,” the mouse sits pretty much useless on the table, like a mound of plastic that breaks the appealing flatness of the desk’s surface. It wouldn’t be much of a problem if the mouse’s design was something you could call decorative as well, but very few mice are like that.

The SEEK concept design tries to change the identity of the computer mouse a bit by giving it another function even when it’s not in use. The upper surface of the mouse that connects with your hand is covered with a fabric-like material, not unlike those found wrapped around smart speakers. It’s questionable whether using such a material is smart, considering how much dirt and sweat are likely to accumulate there, but it’s hard to deny that it looks stylish. It’s also possible to use some antimicrobial fabric, too, or any other elegant material that looks good and feels good in the hand as well.

While the mouse already looks pretty when left on a desk as normal, its real decorative value comes from joining with its other half. SEEK’s other half is a table clock that stands upright in contrast to the mouse’s horizontal position. The back of the clock is covered with the same fabric material and color as the mouse, while its front has the same terrazzo-like surface as the bottom of the mouse. The embedded monochromatic display gives the clock a minimalist appeal, and like the mouse, it can already stand on its own as a decorative table piece.

When joined together, though, SEEK becomes this curious egg-shaped, fabric-wrapped object that could evoke metaphors on incubation, warmth, patience, and the like. Of course, it’s also a beautiful object that adds a cozy accent to your desk, something that you might want to see after a long day of work or before you start your day. Joining these two halves together could even become a ritual for ending your work day, symbolizing putting a close to the work you’ve done and letting it bear fruit and hatch on the next day.

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1989 Batmobile desk clock is the perfect side kick to your geeky desk setup

Posted on 10/12/2020 by Gaurav Sood

Luxury Swiss Watchmakers have baffled us time and again with their craft of clock-making and the signature mechanical movement. Not only they enchant us with technical prowess but the design aesthetics are also jaw-dropping. This 1989 Batmobile desk clock by newbie Swiss brand Kross Studio, is a good example of that fact. The timepiece is an intricate scaled replica of the iconic Batmobile featured in Tim Burton’s Batman movie, starring Michael Keaton who played the caped crusader alongside Jack Nicholson as the Joker. The Swiss brand dedicated to crafting collectible objects, joined forces with Warner Bros. Consumer Products to bring the desk clock to life, and boy is it impressive or what!

Engineering to perfection, every single detail of the clock, right from the inside to the outside is commendable. The mechanical movement runs along the length of the car, beginning from the air intake right through to the exhaust. Attention to detail can be assessed from the fact that the 1989 Batmobile clock comprises 512 components. 115 are solely for the bodywork while 397 of them are dedicated to the in-house mechanical manual-winding movement visible through the smoked windows of the replica. The exterior is crafted out of black aluminum composite having an aeronautical grade scratch protection coating. It even has moving wheels for those boring times when you need to pass time!

The hand-built 1989 Batmobile clock has horizontal cylinders to display the hours and minutes through bat-like cowl decals. The front turbine of the car gives a peek of the vertical regulator, and it’s absolutely gorgeous. For the nerds, the clock runs at a frequency of 21,600 beats per hour (3Hz) giving it a power reserve of 30 days. The cutest bit of the desk clock is the satin-finished (with mirror-polishing) Batman-shaped key to wind up your next favorite desk accessory via the afterburner nozzle. The clock is only going to be available in limited edition 100 units for a staggering price tag of $29,900. Enough to buy an Audi A3, but then collectors don’t care about the money if the thing they are buying is as rare as this 1989 Batmobile clock!

Designer: Kross Studio

The Resurrection of Retro!

Posted on 18/11/2016 by Sarang Sheth

If you’re a millenial, you may not have heard of nixie tubes, and I’m pretty sure you don’t care much for desktop clocks. Technology has taken over these two products, rendering them obsolete, but if history is any indication, even obsolescence is temporary. Nintendo’s NES is back on the shelves, Fujifilm and Polaroid are actually banking on sales of instant cameras… In short, vintage will always have a cool quotient… and nothing can ever be cooler than a Nixie Tube!

The Blub Keo is a whoppingly large nixie tube timepiece that sits on your desktop representing everything that’s awesomely analog. Completely hand-crafted (and the largest ever to be assembled for production), these tubes tell the time by illuminating the digits one by one. Blub may have taken the retro approach with the nixie tube, but if you take a glimpse at the video above, or the product below, the Blub is no less beautiful than any Apple product. The tube’s construction is meticulous, precise, and simply marvelous. Even the industrial process behind its manufacturing has a rich heritage that’s just plain beautiful to watch. The tube sits on top of an anodized Aluminum base that gives the product its edgy modern twist. The base houses a microUSB-to-USB connection that allows you to power the clock even via your laptop (nixie tubes have an incredibly low power consumption). On the front of the base is an IR Sensor that accepts signals from the Blub’s remote control that allows you to read not just the time, but also the date and temperature. You can choose between five very contemporary different finishes for the base of the Blub, giving your product the perfect blend between vintage and modern… I call this Neo-Vintage!

What’s beautiful about the Blub Keo is the fact that it introduces a slowly fading but ever beautiful piece of technology into a modern setting, giving it a new avatar. The coils that light up on the inside provide a soothing sensation that takes you away from today’s screen-centric world, plus every Industrial Designer should experience the nixie tube as an important milestone in our industrial history… The interaction and interface is incredibly simple, and even comes with the ability to be easily replaced. If the Nixie Tube should ever break, it can be easily replaced in under 5 minutes by any and everyone. So what do you think of the beautifully hypnotic, Neo-Vintage Blub Keo nixie tube clock?

Designer: Duncan Hellmers

Buy It Here: $300