Tag Archives: Tech gadgets

From SSDs to USB hubs, these gadgets are designed to create the ultimate desk setup for tech lovers!

Posted on by

I truly believe a great desk setup can make your workday 10x better! And what makes a desk setup truly great? The gadgets and products you amp it up with! Gearing up your desk with the right gadgets that’ll help you elevate your daily productivity, and carry out the simplest tasks efficiently is imperative. And luckily for us, there’s a whole range of super cool and innovative products out there! From a PC with attachable screens, LED bar, wireless charging, and more to an SSD that is the all-powerful accessory your laptop needs – these gadgets are the must-haves all tech lovers need to create the ultimate desk setup!

Compatible with most USB-C devices, the HybridDrive offsets your need for multiple hubs, dongles, and drives. With a multiport on one end, and an SSD on another, and a USB-C interface connecting the two, the HybridDrive bridges the gap between your portable devices (laptop/tablet/phone) and your desktop – in the sense that it gives you extra ports and expandable storage… something most desktops have in common. The multiport setup comprises a 4K 60Hz HDMI port, two USB-A ports with 10Gbps data transfer, a MicroSD card reader, an SD card reader, and a USB-C which supports 100W of power output along with high-speed video and data transferring. On the other end of the HybridDrive is an SSD that comes in 4 sizes, starting from 128Gb and going all the up to a whopping 2Tb.

Satechi has got you covered with the Mac mini USB-C hub, which also doubles as a stand for Apple’s portable PC rig. The silver lining with the Satechi Stand & Hub for Mac mini with SSD enclosure is the matching design and silver finish – reminiscent of the 2020 M1 Mac mini. However, it is sized exactly like the Mac mini and looks a natural extension for Apple’s smallest desktop computer. This useful accessory for your Apple ecosystem increases the Mac mini’s storage without the need to depend on an external hard drive courtesy of the M.2 SATA SSD enclosure. Plug it into the USB-C port, and you get additional ports in one simplified hub. This accessory has three USB-C 3.0 ports (5Gbps), USB-C data port (5Gbps), SD and microSD card readers (104Mbps), and a 3.5mm headphone jack too.

Sometimes, it’s hard to step away from our devices. The Bium has a setting that switches off the internet periodically, helping users clear their minds of digital distractions. The length of these internet-enabled intervals is indicated by four glowing antennas on the router. As the data “runs out,” the light fades — almost like a candle flame. Users can also extend the Bium’s self-imposed internet limit by placing their phone on the little tray that appears to double as a wireless charger. This is such a clever feature because it truly stops users from going online; they can’t be tempted to use their phone data. No cheating allowed.

Say hello to the SuperCalla charging cable. It looks like most cables, except for that at certain intervals the SuperCalla cable has magnets around it. These magnets effortlessly organize your cables and keep them organized, thanks to the satisfying snap of magnetic attraction. The cable can be coiled in a circular pattern, stuck together in a zigzag, or even wound up as you’d normally organize cables. Just make sure the magnets align and the SuperCalla has the innate ability to staying organized whether in your pocket, backpack, drawer, or even on your suitcase (yes, they’re travel-safe).

This all-in-one desktop takes the next technological leap, leveraging the capabilities of 5G to bring forth an all-in-one PC design that uses cloud streaming to run high-end software remotely. The ultra-thin 24-inch iMac is a desirable piece of technology that demands a premium price. The core idea behind FLOW by Seong Yong Kim is the controlling capability of a high-performance PC using real-time remote streaming courtesy of the 5G technology. It is much like Google’s Stadia cloud gaming platform that relies on ultra-fast connectivity speed to run games on high-end hardware on remote servers without the need to purchase an expensive graphics card, CPU, or RAM physically. FLOW can run resource-heavy photo and video editing software, graphics-intensive games, music composition applications, and more – allowing content creators to retain their original hardware.

 

Designed to be portable and compact, HUB–OX initially comes as a lightweight, palm-sized USB-C hub, which splits into two halves, both equipped with plenty of charging slots, HDMI connections, and ethernet ports. HUB–OX is compatible with MacBook Pro models that have four USB-C ports, generally any MacBook Pro from 2016 or any of its succeeding generations. When HUB–OX is split in two, users can plug the USB-C chargers into all four of their MacBook Pro’s ports, lifting their laptops to an angle of 7.7° to keep them charged and at eye level for the rest of the day. Working at our laptops for long periods of time often makes us want to crane our necks and spines to meet our screens.

The CheerPod is a tiny, handheld device that boils the mouse down to its essentials. With a design that’s dictated by the need to be small and remote-like, the CheerPod is to mice what smartphones are to landlines – Portable, rectangular, and heavily feature-laden. It comes with an infrared sensor on its base, like all wireless mice, allowing you to drag your cursor by moving the physical device, but it also allows you to mimic gestures by swiping across screens in mobile and desktop interfaces. The CheerPod, unlike most wireless mice, works without a receiver, connecting directly to laptops, desktops, tablets, and even phones using Bluetooth. It sports a Magic Mouse-inspired touch-enabled surface on its top that lets you click, scroll, zoom, pinch, swipe, and even use multi-touch gestures… sort of like the love-child of a mouse and a trackpad.

When design meets innovation, the result is functional joy served on the platter! The Razer BELiEF designed by creative studio Smooth Way is a testament to that fact. This cool conceptual gadget is a mouse pad that doubles as an external solid-state drive (SSD), something that no one asked for but everyone needed. This super thoughtful product design is the brainchild of designers Jaehee Kim and Seungho Choi who’ve adapted Razer’s philosophy, highlighting the use of technology for digital nomads for this fantastic creation. The idea is relatively straightforward; use the accessory as a mouse pad and when you need to transfer data, attach the cable, and it’s all done. Then, when it is time to take the data home from your office, wrap up the mouse pad, and you’re good to go.

Designed in two parts, a transmitter, and a receiver, MOKiN lets you connect a device to a display without running a clunky, ugly, entangled cable between the two. The transmitter and receiver let you extend your screen wirelessly and seamlessly, offering high-definition images with zero latency. It’s basically an HDMI cable without the cable… or even the HDMI because the MOKiN’s transmitter runs on a USB-C port! This means you can easily connect your laptop, tablet, or smartphone to an external display or a projector in a jiffy without worrying about dongles and such. The receiver end still has standard display ports on it, making it compatible with most TV screens or office projectors… and the fact that the setup is wireless means you don’t need to worry about cable length, or worrying that someone may trip over the cable and ruin your entire presentation.

Barely the size of a bar of soap, the Spruce condenses the extension box into an impressively small, organized little cube that does away with those massive plugs and power bricks. Powered internally by gallium-nitride-based components, the Spruce lets you directly plug up to 4 gadgets into it using the USB-C and USB-A ports on the side, as well as wirelessly charge a phone on its flip-top which transforms into a charging dock. It effectively and efficiently manages power delivery to all your devices, simultaneously, replacing the need to have multiple clunky chargers for each of your devices.

Innovative smartwatch designs that are the perfect culmination of form, functionality and style: Part 2

Posted on by

I love a good smartwatch, as do many of us. One of the most fascinating facts about smartwatches is, that we use them for everything other than telling the time! They go beyond simply telling the time, these multifunctional timepieces can now keep a check on our health, update us on the weather, function as an alarm clock, give reminders, cater to the blind, and even function as a case for your Airpods?! Designers are coming up with smartwatches that not only provide perfect form and functionality but also manage to look super smart when we wear them. The options are endless, so to help you pick a smartwatch that works best for you, we’ve curated a collection of innovative and cutting-edge smartwatches that will cater to everyone’s unique time-telling needs and requirements, and also totally deserve to be on your wrists. Enjoy!

Embodying Google’s playful-serious aesthetic, the Pixel Smartwatch concept comes in a traditional round format, and in a variety of quirkily named colors. The Android Wear OS logo displays clearly on the always-on display of the watch, transforming into a colorful set of watch hands every time you look at it to read the time. The watch comes with Google’s top-notch voice AI, all of Google’s native apps, and a heart-rate monitor on the back, which ties in well with Google’s plan of acquiring Fitbit and their entire fitness-tech ecosystem. I wouldn’t be surprised if this wearable concept were entirely waterproof too, just to fire shots at Apple!

The VOIXATCH made waves on the tech circuits especially after a demonstration at the Mobile World Congress last year. Grabbing eyes as the first smartwatch with a built-in Bluetooth headset, the VOIXATCH helped unveil a world where watch and earphones were part of a tight ecosystem as one single product that did practically everything your phone could, without you needing to take your phone out. The VOIXATCH smartwatch comes equipped with LTE and GPS, has its own SIM card slot, a Google voice assistant, a heartbeat sensor, a gyroscope, and a battery life of 48 hours. That, however, isn’t the most impressive bit about the VOIXATCH, because embedded within its bezel is a detachable ring that turns into a Bluetooth headset.

Introducing their own interpretation of Samsung’s Galaxy smartwatch, a California-based group of designers completely redesigned the electronic company’s smartwatch with a new display screen and watch bands. Opting for a tank case shape for their smartwatch reinterpretation, the team of California-based designers equipped Samsung’s Galaxy smartwatch with a curved, vertical display panel. Curved monitors are quickly taking over flat screens with a deeper immersive viewing experience and fuller screen with more vibrant colors and graphics. The team then conceptualized nine different ideations for their smartwatch straps, since the functionality of a smartwatch relies on customizing its watch bands. With nine lives, the detachable watch face would theoretically be attached to the different watch straps utilizing a lock-in-place method. Each rectangular watch face locks into the different watch bands by either sliding into laser-cut, metal incisions, or slipping into adhesive silicone slots.

Di-fuse is a smartwatch with a difference; as opposed to relying on a distracting display to communicate information, it uses a combination of sound and light to create a productivity-inducing accessory! Simply put, this smartwatch conveys all the information you need without any screen. The removal of the conventional interface leads to a beautifully simplistic and fuss-free aesthetic that is far less visually intrusive than the devices we are currently familiar with. However, at this point, you may be wondering what Di-fuse can be used for? Well, this wrist-worn accessory is still capable of notifying the user of social-related notifications, tracking their health status, as well as even being able to provide them with direction via voice cues. To elevate the watches desirability even further, it also features interchangeable lugs that the face satisfyingly snaps into, dramatically changes the visual aesthetic of this intriguing device!

The Nubia is to smart-watches what the plus-sized displays are to smartphones. The watch comes with an impressive 4-inch display that wraps around the upper half of your wrist, giving the Nubia the largest display on a smart wearable BY FAR. Designed to help lay the information out in a way that’s easy to see no matter the angle, Nubia’s vertical display is instantly eye-catching and is conveniently long enough so that you don’t need to scroll away on a tiny screen. It comes with a real-time heart-rate tracker, 4 dedicated sports/fitness tracking modes, the ability to accept and reject calls, find your phone if it gets lost, and summon your phone’s native voice assistant.

“Time

A few weeks ago, I covered a wifi-router concept that gave users the option to disconnect from the internet. In a similar vein, the TIME OFF! watch gives you the ability to mute your smartphone notifications. How does it work? Well, the process is pretty straight-forward. Similar to many smartwatches and Fitbits, the TIME OFF! has a companion app where you can control all the settings. With the app, you can choose which apps and alarms to mute during your “time off” mode. Once you save those settings, you can, at any point, silence those alerts by pressing the red button on your TIME OFF! watch. You don’t even have to pick up your phone. My favorite aspect of the watch is its simple design. Yanko has featured plenty of minimalistic concepts, but this one is the most minimal watch that I’ve seen. The watch consists of a solid-colored band and a face with a small LED sliver that displays the time. The screen doesn’t even fill the entire watch surface!

We have designer Reiten Cheng who has developed a concept Surface Watch which goes with the design language of Microsoft’s latest line of products. Reiten has boldly gone ahead and made the body circular. An approach that may not be congruent with the rectangular tile UI that Microsoft carries across all its devices and one that I don’t think the designers at Microsoft would take. Nevertheless, the form is quite appealing and the concept comes with some neat features other than the ones on the screen. The watch features a magnesium alloy chassis with Alcantara for the band. It comes integrated with a rim around the dial, which acts as an interactive input method. The adjustable band comes with a unique mechanism too. You can adjust the clasp by pushing the button, which is adorned with the Microsoft logo, which then releases the lock.

The Circle Watch’s body sits on the watch-strap at an angle, leaning towards the user. Designed to make it easier to read the time without tilting your wrist too much, the Circle watch’s own inherent 15° tilt gives you a clear view of the watch’s always-on display at all times. This tilt also creates space for a button right behind the Circle’s body, allowing it to remain otherwise thin and minimalistic. The button hides from view (unlike in the Apple Watch, where the crown forms a significant part of the watch’s aesthetic), giving you a smartwatch that just feels clean and sophisticated, and focuses on the good stuff with a convenient, tilted UX and a boundless, edge-to-edge UI.

A concept’s biggest objective is to open the mind to possibilities. To spark the imagination. So while I don’t know what to feel about this AirWatch concept, I can only imagine its immense potential. Here’s what Jiae Jung is proposing. Rather than storing your Airpods case in your pants, and rather than having a floss-box-shaped case that doesn’t do much, Jung’s revisited the entire product altogether. The new Airpods case houses a screen (a pretty small one) and has the ability to snap to a smartwatch. When it does, the Airpods case BECOMES the smartwatch, mirroring contents onto its own screen. The smartwatch sitting under the Airpods case comes with its own b/w screen that shows the time and date and becomes a true smartwatch only when you mount the Airpods case onto it. When mounted, you can read messages, track your fitness, and obviously listen to music. The band around your wrist not only transforms your Airpods case into something slightly more meaningful but also gives you a proper place to put it, rather than in your pockets.

The Dot Watch Braille Smartwatch has been designed especially for the visually impaired. It showcases the time using tactile clues, instead of visual ones. Weighing at a light 33 grams, and with four active braille cells powered by a li-polymer 400mAh battery, the smartwatch makes time-telling extremely easy for disabled individuals. It is compatible with both iOS and Android, and is the perfect integration of form, functionality, and style in an inclusive design!

iPad accessories designed to give you the most productive tablet setup!

Posted on by

Quite a few of us own iPads, and I’m pretty sure we’re all super reliant on our tablets (I mean, I am for sure)! I personally find tablets extremely handy, they’re the comfortable middle ground between a smartphone and a laptop, and they pretty much perform the same functions as these two. They’re super easy to carry around, and honestly, I could survive wholly and solely on my iPad Pro if I really wanted to. I’m always on the lookout for innovative and fun accessories to amp up my tablet, luckily there’s a whole bunch of crafty designs out there that can function as the perfect sidekick to your precious tablet. So, here’s a collection of super cool and functional product designs that promise to upgrade your iPad game to a whole another level!

Apple patent reveals a new type of Pencil with replaceable nibs for different creative applications. Watch out, Wacom and Adobe! In a new patent granted to Apple by the US Patent and Trademark Office, the company is reportedly looking at a next-generation Apple Pencil with swappable nib modules. While the patent doesn’t exclusively outline what these nibs would look like or be used for, it focuses more on the underlying technology, which would allow nibs to connect to the pencil handle via a special lightning-style connector. The Apple Pencil is arguably the iPad Pro‘s secret sauce. Along with the Pencil, the iPad Pro becomes the ultimate creator’s setup (for both 2D as well as 3D creation). It would therefore make sense to explore how the Pencil could further become a ‘power-user tool, allowing creators to unlock new potentials. Yanko Design has imagined what these new nibs could look like, with explorations for more niche 2D uses. The interchangeable nibs include a fine-tip nib, a chisel nib, and a flexible brush-pen nib. Other nib styles could unlock 3D modeling features like being able to sculpt on the iPad. “The filing suggests the nib could contain several different sensors for varying purposes. The component list includes tactile sensors, contact sensors, capacitive and touch sensors, a camera, a piezoelectric sensor, a pressure sensor, or a photodiode”, reports Apple Insider.

Designed to give iPad Pro users the laptop experience, doqo’s case design transforms your tablet into a full-fledged MacBook. Slip the iPad Pro into the doqo and there’s little difference between this setup and any of Apple’s laptops. The case comes with a gorgeous aluminum design, a full-sized keyboard, a functioning trackpad, and enough ports to make a MacBook Pro jealous! Integrated into its slim profile is an SD card reader (remember those?) and even an HDMI port that lets you connect your setup to a larger display! You’ve also got 2 USB-C ports for charging your iPad or diverting power to an iPhone and 2 USB 3.0 ports for pen drives, hard drives, or any dongles you may need to go about your day-to-day activities. The case comes with a robust friction hinge that holds your iPad at any angle, and rather than relying on Bluetooth, connects to your iPad directly by plugging right into its Type-C port.

The Apple x Procreate controller measures around 2-inches in diameter. With a rotating body and a liquid retina touchscreen surface on the top, the controller really lets you precisely control aspects of your workflow. The rotating knob lets you very intuitively increase or decrease brush sizes, cycle through layers, adjust colors, or even play around with other settings, while the touch surface on the top works as a brilliant dedicated color palette, and an interface for cycling through layers, experimenting with brushes, or quickly going through your list of brushes while you work on your art piece. The puck-shaped controller comes with its own battery, and a USB-C port to charge it (you could just hook it to the iPad Pro). It even boasts of a non-slip surface on the base, allowing you to place it on even slanted tables for extra comfort.

oio_ipad_amp_1

oio_ipad_amp_2

The OIO Amp puts two incredibly sleek speakers on either side of your iPad in a format that seems like a TV and Home Theater set-up but made portable. Unlike every external wireless speaker that is designed as an independent unit, the OIO Amp was built to integrate with the tablet, becoming a singular unit that can be opened out anywhere, and then folded and stored away for another Netflix binge-watching session. Virtually as slim as the iPad it docks (it was built for the iPad Air and Pro 9.7″), the OIO Amp opens out into a docking space for the iPad that instantly pairs the device and speakers the moment it docks. The two flaps that open outwards are in fact electromagnetic speakers and vibrating acoustic panels (allowing them to be slim yet produce a sound that is a literal “bang for its buck”). The speaker flaps go the extra mile by being covered with a microfiber cloth that doesn’t scratch the iPad screen but rather cleans it because the last thing you want is to try to watch a movie through fingerprint smudges.

 The SkyFloat is a futuristic ceiling mount that holds your smartphones and tablets! It suspends from the ceiling, giving the impression that it’s floating in the air. The telescopic holder allows you to watch movies, read e-books, refer to recipes while cooking, or simply video chat at perfect eye level! In fact, you can easily respond to emails, participate in conference calls, and study important documents with ease at work! Extending approximately from 1.5 feet to 6 feet, the device is made up of aluminum, which contributes to its lightweight and durable nature. How do you use SkyFloat? It’s simple. SkyFloat comes along with multiple ceiling plates. The holder connects to the ceiling plates via a super-powerful magnet called Neodymium. Peel off the sticker on the other end of the ceiling plate, and then mount and attach it to the ceiling in your room. You can attach the remaining ceiling plates to other sections of your home! Place your tablet or smartphone and start watching! You can rotate the holder and adjust it to the angle that’s perfect for you. You can adjust its length to place it at eye level. Simply tilt the long SkyFloat, and detach it from the ceiling plate when you want to shift it to another room!

Designed for speed, storage, strength, and to be the subscription-killer (I’ll explain), the ECLLPSE is poised to be the future of data storage. Simply put, the ECLLPSE is a tiny, finger-sized SSD that’s encased in a rugged, virtually unbreakable, waterproof housing. With as much as 2 Terabytes of internal storage, the ECLLPSE gives you a way to store and carry practically all your data around with you, right in your pocket. It comes with multiple adapters built right into its design, giving you the ability to connect it to ALL your devices, from your laptop to your phone, and from your DSLR to your drone, letting you seamlessly back-up, restore, and transfer files between multiple devices. Although with that much storage, comes a pretty major responsibility… transfer speed. It’s a good thing though that the ECLLPSE boasts of read/write speeds that reach as high as 550MB/s, allowing you to transfer 8K videos in mere minutes. It also means you could use the ECLLPSE as external storage for your PS5 or Nintendo Switch and run games off it with absolutely no lag!

At nearly 1/4th the price of Apple’s own Magic Keyboard for the iPad Pro, the Mokibo Folio provides the same set of features in a portable, accessible, and universally compatible format. Designed to work with multiple devices, and with a foldable stand that lets you prop those devices up as you type, the Mokibo Folio is a QWERTY keyboard that also doubles up as an iPad case. Designed, however, with a touch-sensitive surface that sits under the entire right-half the keyboard’s key-surface, the Mokibo goes from keyboard to touch-board just simply by running your hand over the right-hand side of the keyboard’s surface, allowing you to swipe, pinch, and perform a wide variety of gestures.

Meet the Nan-Fuse… it’s a sleeker, smaller alternative to that taped-up device I told you to make earlier. Designed to function as an international 5-in-1 adapter, as well as a power-brick for your laptop/tablet/smartphone, the Nan-Fuse comes with multiple ports that let you charge multiple gadgets simultaneously. Powered by GaN semiconductor technology, and with an output of up to 65 watts, the Nan-Fuse is the only charging accessory you need to travel with, apart from a bunch of USB-cables, of course. The GaN (Gallium Nitride) semiconductor tech on the inside of the Nan-Fuse is what makes it so incredibly small. The cutting-edge technology outperforms silicone in multiple areas and allows adapters and power-bricks to be much smaller while supply power more efficiently. Nan-Fuse capitalizes on GaN’s ability to supply power more efficiently in a smaller avatar by introducing it to perhaps the most fitting industry… travel-tech.

fodi_origami_stand_1

fodi_origami_stand_7

Crafted from environmentally friendly PVC and PP, the FODI is a nifty little stand for your tablet and smartphone. When flat, it measures a cool 1mm thick and uses the powers of Origami to fold open into a convenient stand that lets you dock your smartphone or tablet onto it at a convenient angle for watching videos, movies, or just regular video-chatting. The FODI is made from polymers that provide strength over periodic use (the PP gives it its flexible ability). Designed with alluring patterns like marble, granite, wood, or even graphical designs, the FODI goes rather well with the tech that docks on it as well as the decor around you. Its incredibly slim profile even means you can carry it around with you in your tablet-sleeve or backpack. If only it could wirelessly charge your devices too, that would just be perfect!

Go ahead and add yet another incredible feature to the iPad Pro. The tablet already did have the ability to reverse-charge devices, but with Satechi’s Apple Watch dock, the iPad Pro can charge and dock your smartwatch right beside it! The way the Apple Watch docks on the iPad Pro is similar to the way the Pencil does. It sits right on the edge, allowing you to wirelessly charge your watch while you comfortably use your tablet uninterrupted. Like all of Satechi’s products, the USB-C Magnetic Charging Dock comes with Apple-certified MFI charging and works across all generations of the Apple Watch. The dock plugs right into the side of the iPad Pro or the MacBook Pro, although you could just as easily use it with any power-bank too. The sleek aluminum design does a pretty good job of blending in with Apple’s design language, while inbuilt magnets securely hold onto your watch as it charges, allowing you to dock your iPad on a stand without worrying about the watch slipping or falling off. Neat, eh? Maybe you could even use it as a small extended display too, running a timer, your clock, or the weather app right beside your screen as you work or browse the web!

Sleek tech gadgets, including SSD’s, that make the perfect fun + functional sidekick to your laptop!

Posted on by

Honestly, I cannot survive without my laptop! The whole basis of my work life depends on it, as well as my precious documents, every significant memory of my life (thanks to the Cloud), basically everything makes me who I am. I’m not proud to say this but a crucial part of my day is spent typing away on it, but it is what it is. This is the era of technology and advancement. I’m sure most of you spend the majority of your day this way as well! So what can make our handy and dependable laptop, even more, handier and dependable? A range of innovative, functional, and nifty laptop accessories! So, we’ve curated a collection of interesting accessories that promise to elevate your everyday laptop usage experience – from super-fast SSDs to a multipurpose accessory with a 15-inch 4K touchscreen display, we’ve got you covered with a whole bunch of options!

Compatible with most USB-C devices, the HybridDrive offsets your need for multiple hubs, dongles, and drives. With a multiport on one end, and an SSD on another, and a USB-C interface connecting the two, the HybridDrive bridges the gap between your portable devices (laptop/tablet/phone) and your desktop – in the sense that it gives you extra ports and expandable storage… something most desktops have in common. The multiport setup comprises a 4K 60Hz HDMI port, two USB-A ports with 10Gbps data transfer, a MicroSD card reader, an SD card reader, and a USB-C which supports 100W of power output along with high-speed video and data transferring. On the other end of the HybridDrive is an SSD that comes in 4 sizes, starting from 128Gb and going all the up to a whopping 2Tb.

Think of everything you wish your laptop had and put it in a laptop accessory, and you get something quite like the Desklab. A combination of a 15-inch 4K touchscreen display, a hub with ports galore, and an external pair of speakers with hi-fi audio, this slim, lightweight computing accessory is cross-compatible across all platforms. It plugs right into your machine, drawing power from it while giving it much more in return. The anti-glare 4K touchscreen is an absolute heaven-send for photographers who want to edit on the go, content creators, freelancers, designers, gamers, coders, and anyone who just desires an extra screen, while the abundance of extra ports on the side of the Desklab allow you to connect MicroUSB pen-drives, while the HDMI port lets you add multiple displays. Heck, there’s even a 3.5mm jack because the guys at Desklab didn’t want to leave a single stone unturned. Given that speakers are always a weak-point for laptops, the Desklab comes with robust, hi-fi front-facing stereo speakers too, giving you an immersive experience, whether you’re playing a game, watching a movie, or just listening to a podcast or to music while working.

The designers of DGRule describe it as an “invisible hub” and I guess we can see why. The DGRule promises to be a convenient alternative to the limited Thunderbolt 3 USB-C ports since they aren’t always compatible with all devices. Subtle, discreet, and far from bulky, DGRule snaps onto both sides of the MacBook Pro. The cushion pad ensures it stays glued onto the laptop, no matter which position you work in. Available in Space Gray or Silver, it camouflages with your laptop, appearing to be a natural extension of it. Created from CNC aluminum, this allows the hub to comfortably merge with the MacBook Pro. However the resilient aluminum has other purposes as well, it lends its durability to the hub making it sturdy and reliable. The DGRule encloses two Thunderbolt ports on the same side, leaving the two others on the opposite end completely free. The invisible hub connects your Thunderbolt 3, HDMI display, USB-C, Mini DP, three USB 3.1, one MicroSD, SD, and your headphones!

UGREEN’s combination of a laptop stand and a multiport hub may just be the peanut-butter-and-jelly equivalent of the tech world – it just seems like a match made in heaven. Meet the X-Kit from UGREEN… a slim, portable Hub-Stand that folds down to become no smaller or slimmer than a selfie-stick. With its innovated X-shaped folding design, the X-Kit condenses its functionality into a form that’s easy to carry along with your laptop anywhere you go. Designed with two halves that separate when pulled apart, the X-Kit transforms from a slim, baton-shaped form into a broad platform to dock your Mac or Windows laptop on in mere seconds, with an angling mechanism that can be set at 4 different positions to give you the right angle you need to minimize fatigue… something that most WFH setups fail to achieve.

This MacGyverian briefcase is actually poised to be a photography must-have. Designed to boost productivity, save time, and help achieve finesse, the iWorkCase V3 16 is a laptop case designed for seasoned outdoor photographers. With space on the inside for a laptop, an external battery, and a hard-drive, the iWorkCase carries your laptop to shooting locations and opens out practically into a dark room of sorts to let you easily view and edit photos and videos just minutes after taking them. With an in-built laptop-stand and even a foldout sun-hood, the iWorkCase mounts right on a tripod to give you a makeshift editing studio when you’re shooting outdoors, letting you clearly view your media on a screen in the correct dark setting. Set up the iWorkCase with the laptop and connect it to your camera and you can instantly shoot view, and edit photos on the spot without needing to waste time (and lose out on creative ideas) by heading back to your studio/office to quality-check your work.

Now here’s an external numpad with some real purpose. Rather than just being your run-of-the-mill 21 key number pad, Voamoko’s Type-C Numeric Keypad’s design shows that it really knows and understands its end-user. The portable, external number pad plugs into your laptop or desktop, turning into a powerhouse of functionality. It packs extra USB ports on its rim to function as an accessible USB hub you can plug your pen-drives into, or even charge your phone with. Moreover, it comes with a few extra keys that let you instantly trigger functions like searching (useful for those incredibly long documents and spreadsheets), as well as apps like the calculator, to make number-crunching faster and more convenient. Designed for professional use, whether you’re an auditor, programmer, or analyst, Voamoko’s Numeric Keypad does more to enable your workflow than a regular number pad would. Plus, it can charge your phone too!

Meet the VAVA SSD Touch, a pocket-sized storage device that’s high on capacity, high on security, and on portability. Measuring less than 4 inches, VAVA SSD Touch comes with a sleek-looking metal case made from 100% recyclable aluminum, and a solid-state drive on the inside ranging anywhere from 512GB to 2TB in capacity. Its slick metallic casing is punctuated by a blue square located on the front that gives the VAVA SSD Touch a layer of biometric security. Acting sort of as a password, the fingerprint sensor prevents people from accessing your data without your authorization. The SSD only unlocks after it authenticates your fingerprint, and you can program as many as 10 fingerprints into the VAVA SSD Touch, allowing your family, colleagues, or coworkers to have access to shared data… or better still, use a password to ensure more impregnable security.

moft_invisible_laptop_stand_01_layout

Thin as a coin (barely 3mm in thickness), and light as a pen, the MOFT sticks to the back of your laptop almost like a cover of sorts. When folded, it sits flat against the back of your laptop (thanks to hidden magnets), practically indistinguishable and invisible, and when deployed/unfolded, uses a clever bit of structural engineering to support your laptop in not one, but two angle settings. Channeling Dieter Rams’ principle that Good Design must be Invisible, the Moft sits flat on the back of the laptop. It adheres to the laptop’s body using a reposition-able adhesive pad that allows the Moft to be placed on the laptop whenever needed and removed when you want (just in case you’re using a company laptop, or you’re upgrading to a new one). The Moft’s universal design means it can be placed on any laptop that has a flat base and can support as much as 18lbs of weight, thanks to its unique triangular load-bearing folded-out shape.

The Solo V2 is a small, portable USB stick that acts as a secure authenticator, replacing the need to remember passwords or look out for OTPs. The USB Stick comes in two variants, one with a USB-A jack and another with a USB-C jack, allowing it to work with laptops and desktops, along with older devices and newer devices. Each Solo V2 stick even comes with an NFC chip built into it, which means you can use it with your NFC-capable smartphone by simply tapping the phone on the USB stick to authenticate it. The key features reversible USB ports (so you’re never fumbling with it) and a touch-sensitive button to activate the authentication. It works right out of the box, without requiring any software installs, supports industry-leading FIDO2/WebAuthn standards, and instantly works with all major applications from companies like Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Twitter, and even with your Windows logon or GitHub repository. The device is robust, waterproof, and supports firmware upgrades that allow it to grow even more secure with time. Moreover, it’s portable, which means you can carry it anywhere and use it at home, your office, a café, or the airport; and doesn’t require any additional costs or interacting with your company’s disgruntled IT guy!

Vulcan isn’t a replacement for wireless charging but is just a remarkably better cable with truly unique features that are designed to work universally across all your devices. Designed to power everything from your Xbox controller to your laptop, the Vulcan cable comes with the ability to deliver up to 100W of power and connects to your devices using a series of magnetic pins. Just plug these magnetic pins into the charging ports of your devices, and they create an interface for Vulcan to snap to, quite like the MagSafe connectors you’d see in MacBooks from before 2016. Different magnetic pins allow you to connect the same cable to a variety of devices. MicroUSB pins work perfectly for gaming controllers and Bluetooth speakers, while the Lightning pin lets you charge the iPhone and your AirPods. There’s obviously even the Type-C pin, which works with most devices, including the iPad Pro, most Android smartphones, and even USB-C laptops. Once you plug the pin into its port, Vulcan does the rest, automatically locating, aligning, and connecting to the pin using a powerful pair of N52 Neodymium magnets.