desk

Speakerphone isn't afraid to mouth off

If you've decided that you actually like creepy gadgets like eyeball-shaped speakers, you might find the following item a perfect accompaniment for you Addams Family household: a speakerphone with mechanical moving lips.

Going by the deceptively innocuous name of the "Hands-Free Desk Lips," this nightmare-inducing device clips onto any mobile handset and reacts accordingly when the caller begins to talk, according to Uber-Review. What makes it weirder still is its flat, eyeless head, which makes it look something like a miniature monster from Alien. Maybe that's why it goes so well with the eyeball speakers. If … Read more

'DigiDesk' lets you play world dictator

If you've ever found yourself lusting after a workstation with multiple monitors or other multi-tasking command centers, wait till you get a load of this futuristic creation from Microsoft. The "DigiDesk" literally turns your desk into a desktop with a dual-pane workstation that features touch-screen surfaces to control everything from documents to workflow, according to SlashGear. Alas, it's only a prototype, which the guy in the video says is one of just two in existence. We applaud the concept, but we're still waiting to take it even one step further, throwing entertainment into the mix … Read more

Creating a world in a workstation

The "G-Tech Neber" chair we featured a few days ago seems ergonomically efficient, no doubt about it. But compared with the "Aura" by Poetic Technologies, it looks like a wooden stool.

Like other high-tech chairs, the Aura caters to its owner's posture: in this case, with a seven-way adjustable chair that can be ordered with inflatable and deflatable cushions. That's only the beginning. Irritated by glare? The entire workstation can be rotated up to 120 degrees. In fact, it can be programmed to rotate 120 degrees every day over eight hours to follow the … Read more

oDesk adds fixed-price option to its gig marketplace

The online service marketplace oDesk (previous oDesk coverage) has just added the capability for buyers to spec fixed-price jobs. Previously, all oDesk contracts were hourly. This move puts oDesk up against gig marketplaces like eLance and RentACoder, which are also based on fixed-price bids.

"The problem with the fixed price market is that it's not sticky," oDesk CEO Gary Swart told me. Many business relationships that start with one-price jobs evolve into working relationships where the pay is based on the time put in. Swart maintains that competing marketplaces don't foster (or let you manage) that … Read more

Plug your iPod directly into the desk

You know those 3-inch-wide holes that are a staple in every office desk these days? Yes, the ones you cover up with tchotchkes and stuff because they're ugly and often useless. Well, Belkin has figured out an ingeniously simple use for them: the "In-Desk Dock." As its name implies, the dock plugs right into the hole for instant installation, according to Gear Live. Even we can handle that.

The Lamp/Lamp looks awesome/awesome

Are you willing to pay $28 for a light bulb?

No? Well, how about this light bulb?

The mind-boggling Lamp/Lamp isn't actually a lamp. It's a cleverly designed 30-watt bulb with two sets of screw threads.

Screw one end into an outlet, and it creates the optical illusion you see in the photo to the left. Turn it on, and watch as houseguests do triple-takes.

Designer Hironao Tsuboi is the brains behind the Lamp/Lamp. If you like it, you'll probably appreciate the other home products Tsuboi designed for 100per.com.

Tsuboi's other designs include … Read more

Milk Desk does a body good

We've been logging some long work days of late--deadlines, you know--and the experience has given us the opportunity to make a few observations. First, most desks are just no good for geeks. In addition to the normal paper detritus, a mess of peripherals, accessories, and their attendant cords can quickly turn a desk into a disaster zone. Second, when you sit for a long time in the same desk chair, no matter how ergonomic your setup, your hip joints will threaten to fuse together in a permanent L shape.

The Milk Desk, though, looks to solve both those problems … Read more

'Rally Chair' a license to daydream

All right, so $300,000 may be a tad steep for a simulated racing system. How does $19,000 sound? $4,000?

OK, you can at least pretend to have a racing system--and probably be a lot more comfortable--while continuing to do your work in a "Rally Office Chair" that sports a "genuine 'Cobra' seat" mounted on a swivel base for around $300 or $400. Depending on your price range, you can choose either geniune leather or "'leather look' vinyl." That's one classy ride.

oDesk finds qualified programmers for you

From the Web 2.0 Conference:

oDesk is all about outsourcing. It's an online market where people can hire programmers and other information workers. In addition to making matches, the system also takes screen captures of contract workers at frequent intervals so that hiring managers can ensure they're billed only for actual work performed.

New at the Web 2.0 conference is a pretty new interface that should make it quicker and easier to search for workers with specific skills, experience, and fees. Also new: the official rollout of the company's skills tests and certification programs, which … Read more