Sun
The Laptop Pillow, Intelligent Forms Design
Soda Cup Phone
Chumby 2009
Pogo Sketch Stylus, TenOne Design
1. The Laptop Pillow, Intelligent Forms Design, $ 100
Is your notebook computer starting to feel like an oven on your lap? Vancouver company Intelligent Forms Design has a pillow out that’s a new twist away from the conventional laptop trays and cushions. The heat-shielded cushion I tried out is the log design and it delivers ergonomic support in a pillow that looks a little like a cross between an X and Os game and a wacky kid’s pillow. Filled with buckwheat hulls it works though, keeping my computer stable, letting me keep my cool and looking cool all at the same time. The cushion also comes in a Button version and the Terrapin. A company that specializes in sustainable home product designs, Intelligent Forms uses recycled and organic materials in the pillows. The Log Pillow is constructed in the model of a stack of logs or beams with the pieces snapping together. www. intelligentforms. net
2. Soda Cup Phone, $ 13 US plus shipping
Not surprisingly, this novelty communicator shot around the blogosphere faster than a phone call when it showed up at www. sourcingmap. com. Just what you need for t h e bar or yo u r kitchen counter, a pop cup that hides a phone. Stand on any flat surface to hang up, pick it up and you’re connected. The only giveaway is the little coiled line coming from the bottom. Available online at: www. sourcingmap. com.
3.Chumby 2009, $ 200 US
I was hoping to find a cute little Chumby in my Christmas stocking. This lovable gadget takes what you like best off the Internet and delivers it to you away from the desktop of your computer. You can keep up with weather, news, celeb gossip, music and other content in your lineup. Connect it to your Wi-Fi network and use your computer to stream your Internet favourites from more than 1,000 widgets in more than 30 categories. Check it out at www. chumby. com.
4. Pogo Sketch Stylus, Ten One Design, $ 15 US
There was already a Pogo Stylus to let you use your iPhone or iPod Touch even i f you suffer from klutzy fingers or no one thought to give you iPhone gloves for Christmas. The Sketch from the same company works with the newest MacBook multitouch trackpad letting you turn your notebook into a pen table for drawing programs. It has a soft tip that lets you glide over the display surface of your iPhone or your notebook’s trackpad. Like its predecessor it works with the iPhone and iPod Touch, useful if your manicured fingers have trouble on the touch screen or you can use it to draw or sketch characters. Made of a light-weight aluminum allow, it’s available online at www. tenonedesign. com.