desk

The trend of exercising at the workstation is getting out of hand. Not only will it keep a rising number of employees chained to their desks, but companies apparently are aiming to dump even more work on the rank and file.

The latest reason for concern is the JW Treadmill Desk, a workstation that elevates the concept to yet another level. This torture device can be ordered with a built-in rack for multiple monitors, just in case you already don't have enough things to do at the same time.

AFC Industries, which manufactures the workstation, touts its ergonomic benefits … Read more

It may not fit the standard definition of ideal ergonomics in the HR handbook, but this looks like something that would fit right into our style of work. Especially for those times when the "Geek Cushion" results in the inevitable crick.

LapWorks' new lap board is aimed at gamers, but we see it as perfectly suitable for all manner of slothful computing. The "Gamers Desk" is designed to follow the migration of play from the desktop to the living room, with a 26.75-inch wide platform roomy enough for controllers, keyboards, mice, and other gaming gear.… Read more

There may be something to the idea of building LCDs into desks, as well as the occasional coffee table. We thought it was just a passing fancy, but there's already another furniture maker planning to do the same thing.

U.K.-based i-Desk has embedded a TFT display into the back panel of its "ClassicX Variheight" and has similarly ensconced a keyboard flush with the desktop. Adding to its all-in-one concept, according to BornRich, even the hard drive is built into the front panel.

Its height can also be adjusted electronically to improve ergonomics, though it's … Read more

When Crave first started seeing workstation fitness machines, we thought they were just a passing novelty. But now we're seriously beginning to wonder--and worry--whether they're actually catching on.

The desk treadmill seems to be the most popular form of office exercise, as evidenced by the "Walkstation" and the "TreadDesk," respectively estimated at $6,500 and up to $4,000. But now they have yet another competitor that may end up being substantially cheaper.

The "TrekDesk" is an alternative to the other all-in-one setups, a universal workstation that instead attaches to a … Read more

SAN DIEGO, Calif.--The citizens of Serrana, Brazil, are not waiting around for Intel or Nicholas Negroponte to deliver low-cost PCs to their school children. Instead, they're taking the matter into their own hands.

Starting at the end of this month, the Serrana Digital Desk project will get underway when 200 surface PCs that transform into desktop PCs will be placed in classrooms in the city of 45,000. It's a trial run of a new, very local program that is intended to give kids computers in the classroom while involving as many community members as possible in … Read more

Here we go again. We've warned repeatedly about the insidious nature of fitness equipment attached to the desk, and now there's yet another way for unscrupulous employers to do us a "favor" by providing exercise opportunities without leaving the cubicle. Few, however, look as ridiculous as the setup depicted here.

The "Springflex UB" clamps onto the desktop and affords the opportunity to do "over 120 exercises that tone and firm your upper body" without ever leaving the chair, according to Inventor Spot. We certainly hope that the guy pictured here is a … Read more

It's probably safe to say that, even when Microsoft eventually ships its "Surface" touch-screen tabletop computer, it won't be destined for the average household. In fact, if the "Interactive Media Wall" is any indication, it might be seen only in mansions for awhile. That's why we think the insufferably named "_able" multimedia table from Kufner Futures would be an appropriate complement: Not only can it accommodate various sizes of screens and computers, but it can be made of "any material of your choice: glass enameled, printed, stone, wood"--including … Read more

I've been a fan of Han Solo since the roguish spice smuggler first appeared in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. But even if you're a similarly hard-core follower of the Millennium Falcon's captain, you must step away from this desk. There's only one custom model of Solo frozen in carbonite (Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back), made by Tom Spina Designs for a client seeking a combination of art and furniture in this piece. That means look, but don't touch. So best to suck it up and settle instead for this … Read more

Regardless of its function, this has got to be the ugliest workstation since the "TreadDesk." Even its name, the "flipIT DUO," is irritating--it looks like the shift keys got locked while they were writing the press release.

This contraption is designed to let two 19-inch monitors pop up from the desk surface like a reverse trap door, according to BornRich. But the saved desktop space is more than offset by its offensive aesthetics: It resembles an ill-conceived DIY project that gutted an old used upright piano and stuffed some computer hardware inside.

That would have been … Read more