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Hiding a wall socket in plain sight is not an easy trick, but the Douwes Pendant Socket does just that. It matches the Douwes Pendant Lamp, so you can have both lamp and socket hanging from the ceiling. The lamp provides light and the socket (looking like a smaller lamp) provides electricity for your gadgets. Pretty clever, isn’t it?
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An extension outlet that you’d want to leave exposed? Really? Meet Niko, a hex-shaped power outlet made of solid white ash and a knitted mesh cord. It’s designed to be left out amongst your furniture, with its warm wood housing and tactile cord doing their best to make friends with their surroundings. Hang it on the wall with the included hook or prop it on one of its six sides to get power right where you need it.
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Tired of tripping over your laptop cord? Here’s an idea: put a break-away magnetic connection at the outlet point, so it instantly disconnects. It’ll also work for lamps, vacuums, etc., to save you from your clumsiness. The TUG also works as a quick switch (just tug the cord to turn off whatever is plugged in).
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I think this power strip is almost identical to the JolyJoy Flexible Power Strip on Amazon, except for this version looks like it has one less regular outlet and one more USB port. The flexible joints allow all your bulky power adapters to fit alongside each other on one strip; simply bend it back and forth to accommodate your needs.
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So, it turns out there are other smoke alarms (other than the Nest) that aren’t visually offensive. Case in point, the Kapu*: it’s a photoelectric smoke alarm. The casing of the Kapu acts a press switch, so you can test it and silence false alarms without any tiny push buttons. It installs via 3M tape, too, no tools required.
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Do you have trouble getting your kids to brush their teeth? Or do you not brush your teeth long enough? The Benjamin Brush might fix that little problem, as it’s the first electric toothbrush with an integrated speaker and music store. Choose a song, and it’ll play for two minutes- the recommended amount of time to get those teeth clean. The Benjamin also features Sonic Vibe Technology and fun silicone bristles that won’t damage your gums or tooth enamel.
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With all the news coverage of the flooding in Houston, it’d be silly not to assess your disaster preparedness plan. Do you have one? Do you have the necessary food, water, and gear, just in case your city is hit with a natural (or man-made) disaster? And, considering most of us rely on our mobile phones, do you have a solar and/or hand crank charger? If not, now’s the time to get one, so you can at least be certain you can power up your device if the electrical grid fails you.
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Who loves that the TV is being reconsidered as art? I sure do. There’s the Serif TV, an excellent option by Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, and now there’s this one, The Frame. It transforms into a piece of art when you’re not watching a show or movie, making it blend into your home’s decor. A TV that doesn’t look like a TV? Sign me up.
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We can all agree that $400 is a lot of money to spend on a hair dryer. Not everyone is going to plonk down four big ones just for shinier, smoother hair that dries in half the time. Actually, if you have short hair, there’s really no reason to read any further. However, if you’ve got longer hair, well, here’s a personal review.
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It’s here. The Samsung Serif TV by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec is available to purchase. Are you going to put your name on the waitlist? I’m sure some of us are tempted, for the Bouroullec brothers have chosen to increase the depth of their flatscreen by adding a bottom and top shelf, thus creating more of an object at home amongst our things than a boring, thin, run-of-the-mill black box.
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Note: We’ve received an email from a reader that pointed out several concerns regarding this Indiegogo project. We suggest you read through the comments on the project page and check out the owners/manufacturers at the very least before contributing.

This security camera is a small, wearable camera equipped with motion sensor & tracker. While some of the finer details still seem to be in development, there are enough uses that make backing the project very tempting. Mount it outside your front door to be alerted to movement or sound or mount it inside the home to keep an eye on the kids. Put it in your luggage to track your bags or maybe clip it on your shirt to record possible pictures on a hike. You can even use it to park your car when it’s in the parking mode. Lots of options, aren’t there? Take a look at the video below, or go to Joggy’s Indiegogo page for more info.
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Celebrate handcrafted noise with this Voice Recorder by Richard Upchurch. No, there’s no fanciness involved, it’s just a box with a voice recorder in it. However, the fun to be had is in the playback button and the control knob where you adjust the speed and pitch. Maybe think about filling up break time with a little bit of silly sound business? Or, better yet, it might be a good Mother’s Day gift if you record a heartfelt-yet-funny message?
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What, you think you know all about the normcore trend last year? Well, I challenge you to a duel. I present the Extō Extension Cord, which is my answer to what normcore looks like in the home furnishings/accessories arena. Can you come up with a better example of an unpretentious-on-purpose-yet-still-sort-of-attractive, functional product? Hmm, we’ll see.
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Power outlets are ugly. We do all manner of things to hide or hang them out of sight, because a mess of cords isn’t pretty, no matter what you do to them. However, maybe, just maybe, this Oon Power Outlet might change our minds, as it divides each electrical socket into individual blocks, allowing the unit to flex and rotate. A soft color scheme and cloth cord add a familiar warmth, making this outlet less of what you might find in a cubicle and more of what you’d find in a small, elegant toy box.

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That’s right, it’s an electric paint pen. It’s completely safe, as the electrically conductive paint is formatted to be non-toxic, solvent-free, and water-soluble, and only becomes conductive when dry. And what would you use this pen for? If you’re especially handy, you could repair devices, draw circuits on all sorts of materials, solder stuff… you fill in the rest. The paint dries after five minutes and can be removed with soap and water. Oh, and there’s an Electric Paint House Kit ($35) if you’d like some paper houses to turn into “an illuminated voltage village.” It would be an excellent tool for you (and your kids/nieces/nephews) to learn more about electronics, if you’re interested.
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