– Article invité, rédigé par Vincent Lautier , contient des liens affiliés Amazon –

Teufel a lancé la ROCKSTER Cross 2 , une enceinte Bluetooth portable qui mise sur un son stéréo puissant, une autonomie de 38 heures et une certification IPX5 contre les éclaboussures. Vendue 240 euros sur Amazon, elle embarque un système 2 voies avec subwoofer, la technologie Dynamore et une fonction powerbank, je la teste depuis plusieurs semaines, et je la valide complètement ! Voilà pourquoi :

Un son qui a de la patate

La ROCKSTER Cross 2 est équipée d'un système 2 voies avec deux tweeters de 20 mm, un subwoofer de 120 mm et deux membranes passives à l'arrière. Le tout est propulsé par un amplificateur classe D de 39 watts qui peut grimper jusqu'à 98 dB. Et ça s'entend : les basses sont profondes et bien tenues, le son reste maîtrisé même quand on pousse le volume, et l'ensemble dégage une assurance qui fait plaisir.

Pas de distorsion désagréable, pas de saturation aux aigus. La technologie Dynamore, propre à Teufel, élargit la scène sonore et donne une vraie sensation de stéréo, ce qui change des enceintes portables qui sonnent souvent mono dans les faits. Pour les sorties en extérieur, un mode Outdoor ajuste le rendu pour compenser l'absence de murs, et l'inclinaison intégrée permet de poser l'enceinte au sol avec un angle de diffusion optimal. Malin.

38 heures sans charge

Côté autonomie, Teufel annonce 38 heures à 70 dB selon la norme IEC, et jusqu'à 46 heures en mode Éco. C'est quand même confortable : on peut partir en week-end sans emporter le chargeur. La recharge se fait en USB-C, et bonne nouvelle, l'enceinte fait aussi office de powerbank pour dépanner un smartphone à plat. Le boîtier est certifié IPX5, ce qui le protège contre les projections d'eau dans tous les sens.

Le design anti-chocs, les boutons en caoutchouc et les finitions antidérapantes sont clairement rassurantes pour un usage en extérieur, y compris avec les mains mouillées. Teufel fournit une sangle de transport réglable et des poignées latérales, et l'ensemble se transporte sans problème. Elle est disponible en trois coloris (noir et vert, noir et rouge, gris clair), le design a le mérite de ne pas ressembler à ce qu'on trouve chez la concurrence.

Bluetooth 5.3 et Party Link

Côté connectivité, on est sur du Bluetooth 5.3 avec codec AAC, compatible Google Fast Pair. La portée annoncée est de 15 mètres, et la fonction Multipoint permet de connecter deux smartphones en même temps pour enchaîner les playlists sans coupure.

Mais le vrai plus de l'enceinte, c'est le Party Link : vous pouvez connecter sans fil jusqu'à 100 enceintes compatibles (ROCKSTER Cross 2, Neo, Go 2 ou Mynd) pour diffuser le même son partout. Et en mode Party Link Stereo, deux ROCKSTER Cross 2 forment une paire stéréo avec canal gauche et droit séparés. Pour 240 euros l'unité, ça devient intéressant pour ceux qui veulent un vrai système audio d'extérieur sans trop se ruiner.

Bref, à 240 balles sur Amazon, la ROCKSTER Cross 2 est un bon choix. Le son est riche et bien calibré, l'autonomie laisse tranquille pour un bon moment, et la construction inspire confiance pour un usage baroudeur. Disponible ici sur Amazon !

Article invité publié par Vincent Lautier .

A small city balcony has a way of making every square meter feel personal, just barely. There’s room for a folding chair, maybe a potted plant, and the occasional optimistic thought about al fresco breakfast. What there usually isn’t, though, is any real surface. Designer Michael Hilgers noticed this particular gap, and the balKonzept is his answer: a railing-mounted table that hooks onto the balcony railing with no tools, no hardware, and no permanent commitment.

The form is immediately legible. A wedge-shaped body in recyclable polyethylene curves at the rear into a smooth hook, looping over the railing and gripping it via an adjusting screw underneath. That single mechanical gesture is the entire installation. The raised trough at the back sits above the railing line and acts as a windbreak for objects resting on the work surface below. The unit comes in at 60 cm wide and roughly 40 cm deep on the interior side.

Designer: Michael Hilgers (rephorm)

The material choice is worth pausing on. Polyethylene, produced in a Brandenburg plastics factory through rotational molding, is not a glamorous option. It won’t feel precious the way powder-coated steel does. What it does do is survive outdoor life without complaint: frost-resistant, UV-stable, and recyclable at its end of life. Rotational molding also produces hollow, seamless shells with consistent wall thickness, which matters for something exposed to seasonal temperature extremes.

The table height is a fixed function of whatever railing it’s hanging on; subtract 21 cm from the railing height, and that’s the surface level. That means the balKonzept works very differently on a low French-style balcony versus a taller contemporary glass railing, with no way to adjust it beyond moving the piece. For anyone wanting to sit and work at a comfortable height, the railing geometry will decide the experience before any other consideration does.

Where the design earns its keep is in the planter box. Filling it with soil and roots is one option, but the trough is deep enough to function as an improvised cooler, and Rephorm’s own description cheekily acknowledges this, noting it works just as well with ice cubes and sparkling wine as it does with geraniums. That kind of built-in flexibility is the whole point; the balKonzept doesn’t commit to being one thing, which is probably what a small balcony needs most.

The post No Balcony Space? This Table Hooks On as a Planter, Bar, or Desk first appeared on Yanko Design.

There’s a familiar moment that happens when you carry food, cups, and random essentials to a park, balcony, or floor seating setup and then realize you still need a stable surface to put any of it on. Most people improvise with a bag or a corner of a blanket. Small-space living and casual gatherings reward objects that can do two jobs without taking up twice the storage, but most furniture is still designed around one fixed purpose.

This Convertible Basket Table concept works as both a carry basket and a low table in one form. By simply inverting it, the basket becomes a stable table surface suitable for picnics or casual indoor use. The design combines storage, portability, and easy transformation, making it ideal for relaxed gatherings and compact living spaces.

Designer: Siya Garg

In basket mode, the structured wooden body has a built-in handle and a container that can hold the messy mix of picnic items, fruit, napkins, a book, or a small speaker. The form feels sturdy rather than floppy, carrying like a proper object with a clear handle instead of a tote that collapses when you set it down. That sturdiness is what makes the flip transformation credible. It’s definitely not a soft bag pretending to be furniture.

Once inverted and unfolded, it becomes a low table that works with floor cushions, outdoor blankets, or a casual living room setup. Low tables are the unsung heroes of flexible spaces. They work as coffee tables, game surfaces, or quick work perches, but they’re rarely portable. This one travels in your hand and arrives as a surface, which is a surprisingly underexplored idea.

A square knot side lock keeps the form secure when needed. It’s a rope-based closure that tightens the sides without complicated latches, click mechanisms, or hardware that will eventually strip or break. The whole thing is quiet, tool-free, and easy to replace if the rope wears out, which fits the picnic vibe better than snapping plastic clips would.

The build draws on traditional woodworking throughout. Pattern making involved pine wood in alternating grain directions and a chevron pattern using alternating teak and pine strips. Assembly relies on mortise and tenon joints and sliding mortise and tenon joints to hold the structure together without screws, so the connections are strong enough to handle the repeated flipping and carrying that the concept demands.

The design doesn’t ask you to change how you live, it just quietly accommodates the way you already move through the day. A basket when you’re going somewhere, a table when you arrive, and a warm wooden object that looks like someone actually made it rather than assembled it from a flat pack.

The post This Wooden Basket Becomes a Low Table When You Flip It Upside Down first appeared on Yanko Design.

Vous devez tester un service en ligne et là, PAF 🥲 formulaire d'inscription 🥲 Ouiiiin !!!

Et bien sûr, même si vous pouvez remplir tous les champs avec un tas de conneries, forcement à un moment, ça vous demande votre email. Et là, impossible d'y échapper... Heureusement pour éviter ça, il existe des services d'emails jetables et je vous propose qu'ensemble qu'on fasse un petit point dessus parce que ça a beaucoup bougé ces dernières années..

Yopmail , c'est un peu le vétéran du domaine. J'suis certain que vous le connaissez par cœur car ce site tourne quand même depuis 2004 (22 ans au compteur ! Comme mon site en fait !) et le principe c'est que vous choisissez un nom au pif, genre " [email protected] ", et hop, vous avez une boîte mail temporaire. Pas d'inscription, pas de mot de passe, rien. Les messages restent 8 jours puis disparaissent et le truc cool c'est qu'ils ajoutent un nouveau domaine tous les jours pour éviter les blacklists, du coup y'a moins de chances que votre adresse jetable soit refusée.

Sauf que Yopmail a une limitation importante... En effet, n'importe qui peut accéder à votre boîte si il en devine le nom. J'ai testé avec "[email protected]" et effectivement, on tombe sur les mails de dizaines d'autres personnes qui ont eu la même idée... pas ouf pour du confidentiel. Côté envoi de mails, c'est un peu plus nuancé : vous ne pouvez pas initier une conversation vers l'extérieur, mais vous pouvez répondre à un mail reçu d'une adresse externe, à condition que le message n'ait pas été identifié comme spam et que l'expéditeur soit authentifiable (merci Fred, le créateur de Yopmail, pour la précision !).

Pour ceux qui veulent du "privacy first" radical, y'a aussi MephistoMail qui ne garde aucun log. Attention par contre, l'inbox peut disparaître à tout moment sans prévenir. J'ai failli me faire avoir la première fois, j'ai fermé l'onglet avant de récupérer mon lien de confirmation et pouf, game over. Pensez donc à copier ce dont vous avez besoin AVANT de fermer.

Dans la catégorie "je veux juste une inbox vite fait", j'ai aussi croisé pas mal de services qui font le job pour récupérer un lien de confirmation ou un code OTP en 10 secondes chrono. TrashMail.de par exemple, c'est du mail jetable basique mais efficace. Byom.de est marrant également parce que c'est un peu en mode "catch-all" où vous inventez n'importe quelle adresse, vous la balancez au site qui vous demande un email, puis seulement ensuite vous allez lire ce qui est arrivé. Et si vous trouvez que le "10 minutes mail" c'est trop court, Muellmail.com joue justement la carte "10 min, c'est pas assez" sans vous prendre la tête.

Ah, et pour les devs / QA qui aiment automatiser des tests de signup (oui, je vous vois 😄), y'a aussi mail.tm qui propose des boîtes temporaires avec mot de passe, plus une API, et des services comme Temp-Mail qui ont carrément une API officielle pour tester des workflows email en boucle. Pratique quand vous devez valider "inscription -> email -> clic -> compte OK" sans y passer votre vie.

Et puis y'a une autre catégorie qui m'intéresse de plus en plus : les gestionnaires d'alias. J'ai d'abord hésité entre SimpleLogin et addy.io, mais j'ai fini par choisir Addy.io (anciennement AnonAddy) parce que c'est open source sous licence AGPL-3.0 et que vous pouvez l'héberger vous-même si vous êtes parano. Le principe c'est qu'au lieu d'avoir un mail jetable, vous créez des alias illimités qui redirigent vers votre vraie boîte. Si un alias se fait spammer, vous le désactivez en un clic sans toucher au reste. Y'a une version gratuite et des abonnements entre 1 et 3$/mois (Lite à 1$/mois, Pro à 3$/mois). Par contre attention, si vous self-hostez, faut quand même gérer un serveur mail et ça c'est pas une mince affaire...

Et du coup, si vous voulez le même délire qu'addy.io mais avec une autre approche, SimpleLogin est une très bonne option aussi puisque c'est open source, auto-hébergeable, et le gros plus c'est que vous pouvez répondre / envoyer depuis vos alias (Et ça c'est trop bien quand faut valider un truc ou parler à un support sans exposer votre vraie adresse). Bref, c'est le genre d'outil qui passe mieux que les domaines jetables quand un site commence à sortir la sulfateuse anti-temp-mail.

Et si vous êtes déjà chez un fournisseur mail orienté privacy, y'a des alternatives "pas jetables mais ultra pratiques". Je pense à Tuta par exemple permet d'avoir des alias (et même du catch-all sur domaine perso selon les offres). Migadu aussi est très cool dans le genre "j'ai mon domaine, je veux créer plein d'adresses/alias sans payer par boîte", et ils annoncent être une boite suisse avec des datacenters en France. C'est pas du "mail jetable", mais pour garder le contrôle sur le long terme, c'est une approche qui se défend.

Et pour les plus motivés (ou les plus masochistes 😅), y'a la voie du "je self-host tout" avec des stacks comme mailcow , Mailu ou docker-mailserver . Mais je vous le dis cash patate, monter son propre serveur mail, c'est la porte ouverte aux joies de SPF/DKIM/DMARC, de la réputation d'IP, des mails qui finissent en spam "parce que lol", et des heures à se demander pourquoi Outlook vous boude. Donc oui c'est souverain de votre village de ploucs, oui c'est stylé, oui c'est gratuit si votre temps vaut tripette, mais c'est pas un petit dimanche tranquille.

Côté souveraineté européenne, tout ce que je viens de vous présenter peut aider à limiter l'exposition aux joies du Cloud Act... mais attention, faut regarder au cas par cas où c'est hébergé et qui opère le service. Dans tous les cas, gardez en tête que certains sites comme Amazon ou PayPal bloquent carrément les domaines de mails jetables connus. Dans ce cas, les alias (surtout si vous avez votre propre domaine) passent généralement mieux parce que ça ressemble à une adresse "normale" qui redirige vers votre vraie boîte.

Bref, pour le quotidien Yopmail fera bien le taf (le gars sûr !), mais si vous voulez envoyer des mails, éviter les blacklistages (c'est comme ça qu'on dit ??), ou garder le contrôle sur vos alias à long terme, regardez du côté de TempMail, SimpleLogin ou addy.io.

Et si vous aimez bricoler et souffrir, vous savez ce qu'il vous reste à faire... 😈

Sometimes the best tech isn’t the loudest. It’s the one that makes you pause and actually look at it before you press play. That’s what designers Yong Cao and Jianfeng Lv have managed to pull off with the Tresound Mini, a desktop Bluetooth speaker that refuses to be just another black box on your desk.

At first glance, this compact speaker looks like it wandered in from a modern art gallery. Its cone-shaped design is clean, almost architectural, with a minimalist aesthetic that feels intentional without being precious about it. The form isn’t just for show, either. TRETTITRE, the emerging HiFi brand behind the speaker, describes itself as bridging traditional audio quality with something more forward-thinking, and you can see that philosophy at work here.

Designers: Yong Cao and Jianfeng Lv

The Tresound Mini recently won the Golden A’ Design Award in the Audio and Sound Equipment Design category, which is one of those achievements that signals serious design cred. But awards aside, what makes this speaker interesting is how it thinks about the desktop experience differently. Instead of trying to dominate your workspace with aggressive angles or flashy lights, it takes a more refined approach. The design integrates seamlessly into your environment, whether that’s a home office setup, a creative studio, or just a corner of your apartment where you actually get things done.

Art Director Yong Cao and Designer Jianfeng Lv, both from China, approached this project with a focus on what they call the “deep integration of brand design and product design”. That sounds like design speak, but what it really means is that every element serves a purpose. The cone shape isn’t arbitrary. It contributes to the audio performance while also giving the speaker a distinctive profile that stands out without screaming for attention. It’s the kind of design that works equally well in a carefully curated Instagram photo or just sitting there doing its job.

Let’s talk about the packaging, because this is where things get genuinely clever. Instead of going with the typical cardboard box and foam inserts, the Tresound Mini comes with a carrying bag that’s wet-pressed from bamboo fiber pulp. This isn’t just packaging in the traditional sense. It’s designed to double as a carrying case, making the speaker genuinely portable. The bamboo fiber approach is both environmentally friendly and cost-effective, reducing packaging waste while providing actual protection for the product. It’s the kind of thoughtful detail that shows someone was actually thinking about the full lifecycle of the product, not just the unboxing moment.

The portability factor is key here. Desktop speakers traditionally live in one spot, tethered to your workspace. But the Tresound Mini was designed with the understanding that people move around now. You might want it on your desk in the morning, out on a balcony in the afternoon, or in your kitchen while you’re cooking dinner. The compact size and that bamboo fiber carrying bag make that kind of flexibility possible.

TRETTITRE positions itself as catering to “the new generation of HiFi enthusiasts”, which is a smart read of where audio culture is heading. There’s a growing audience that cares about sound quality but doesn’t want to sacrifice design or deal with the bulk and complexity of traditional HiFi setups. They want something that sounds good, looks intentional, and fits into spaces that might not have room for a full speaker system. The Tresound Mini seems built specifically for that demographic.

What’s interesting about this design is how it challenges the assumption that good audio equipment needs to look technical or industrial. There’s no display screen, no visible screws, no aggressive branding. Just a clean geometric form that happens to deliver quality sound. It’s the audio equivalent of those minimal tech accessories that proved you don’t need to sacrifice aesthetics for function.

The success of the Tresound Mini might signal a broader shift in how we think about desktop audio. As more people work from home or create hybrid living and working spaces, there’s an appetite for products that perform well without dominating the visual landscape. We want our tech to be good at what it does, but we also want it to feel like it belongs in our actual lives, not in a showroom.

Yong Cao and Jianfeng Lv have created something that manages to be both functional and thoughtful. The Tresound Mini proves that when you approach product design with real consideration for how people actually use things, you can create something that transcends its basic function and becomes worth talking about.

The post When Your Speaker Is Also a Statement: The Tresound Mini first appeared on Yanko Design.

On a tous gardé notre âme d'enfant, notamment en ce qui concerne les LEGO. Je connais d'ailleurs pas mal d'adultes qui achètent et montent encore des boites pour le kiff. Et c'est cool parce que ça fait travailler les doigts et l'esprit !

Seulement, si à un moment, il se passe un petit drame et que vous égarez une pièce LEGO, votre vie peut vite être gâchée. Rien que ça oui. Parlez-en à ceux qui font des puzzles par PASSION... Oui y'en a !

Évidemment, il y a plein de sites web où vous pouvez racheter des pièces comme je vous l'expliquais dans cet article sur la restauration d'anciens sets LEGOs . Mais si vous avez une imprimante 3D, vous pouvez franchir le pas de la contrefaçon copie privée à but non commercial et produire vous-même la pièce manquante !

Comment ? Et bien grâce à Printable Bricks qui vous propose plus de 5000 pièces de LEGO au format STL à imprimer directement et bien sûr compatible avec de vrais LEGO.

Après même si le site a survécu aux menaces DMCA et reste toujours en ligne, prenez quand même le temps de sauvegarder ce dont vous avez besoin, on ne sait jamais ;-)

Et si vous voulez aller plus loin dans la personnalisation, y'a maintenant MachineBlocks qui permet de générer des briques sur mesure directement depuis votre navigateur. Vous pouvez ajuster les dimensions, choisir le type de brique, et même utiliser leur outil de calibration pour que ça s'emboîte parfaitement avec vos LEGO originaux. Hop ensuite un export en STL ou 3MF et c'est parti !

Dans le même genre, le générateur de Lapinoo vous permet aussi de dessiner la forme de votre brique à la souris sur une grille. Vous voulez une pièce en L bizarre qu'aucun set n'a jamais proposé ? Pas de souci, vous dessinez, vous ajustez les plots et la cavité inférieure, et boum, le fichier STL est prêt.

Et si vous n'avez pas encore d'imprimante 3D, pas de problème, il vous suffit de la fabriquer en LEGO . Oh wait...

Merci B0t_Ox de la formidable communauté Twitch Korben.info pour l'info !

Pour aller plus loin :

• Concevoir votre jeu vidéo LEGO
• Créer des objets LEGO en 3D
• Un super outil pour créer des modèles LEGO
• Imprimer en LEGO

Si ce genre de projets DIY vous branche, je partage aussi des trucs sur ma page Facebook .

Article initialement publié le 4 mai 2021, mis à jour le 28 janvier 2026.

Vous voulez tester un service, télécharger un truc, ou vous inscrire sur un site que vous n'utiliserez probablement qu'une fois et là, une fois encore, on vous demande votre email. Alors vous pétez un câble, vous retournez votre bureau en hurlant, vous jetez votre tasse de café sur le visage de votre collègue, et vous essayez de vous suicidez en mettant frénétiquement votre langue dans la multiprise. Ne rigolez pas, ça arrive tous les jours !

Heureusement, voici une solution qui va vous permettre de contourner le problème. Ça s'appelle MephistoMail , et c'est un service d'email jetable, anonyme, et qui ne garde aucun log de vos activités. Vous allez sur le site, vous copiez l'adresse temporaire qui vous est attribuée, vous l'utilisez pour vous inscrire quelque part, et hop, les mails de confirmation arrivent dans votre inbox temporaire. Une fois que c'est fait, vous fermez l'onglet et tout disparaît.

Vous allez me dire, le concept n'est pas nouveau, y'a des dizaines de services de temp mail qui existent depuis des années. Mais MephistoMail se distingue par son approche "privacy first" assez radicale. Pas de tracking, pas de logs, pas de collecte de données et surtout l'inbox est vraiment volatile et peut être supprimée à tout moment par le système.

Du coup, y'a quelques limitations à connaître avant de vous lancer. Ce service est prévu principalement pour recevoir des emails, pas pour en envoyer. Certains sites ont également commencé à bloquer les domaines de temp mail connus, donc ça marchera pas partout. Et surtout, ne l'utilisez jamais pour des trucs sensibles comme votre banque ou des services critiques. Si vous perdez l'accès à l'inbox avant d'avoir récupéré votre lien de confirmation, c'est game over.

L'utilisation est par contre hyper simple et surtout y'a pas de compte à créer, pas de mot de passe à retenir, bref pas d'emmerdes.

Voilà, si vous en avez marre de donner votre vraie adresse mail à n'importe qui et de vous retrouver noyé sous les newsletters non désirées, MephistoMail fera bien le taf. Et en plus c'est gratuit !

Porcelain dinnerware has long been shaped by the logic of industrial production. Uniform forms, limited color palettes, and standardized finishes dominate the contemporary table, reducing porcelain to a neutral backdrop rather than an active part of the dining experience. This porcelain dinner set positions itself in deliberate contrast to that reality. It proposes a quieter, more thoughtful vision in which craft, material honesty, and visual sensitivity redefine how everyday meals are experienced.

At the core of the design lies a simple but powerful idea: food presentation should be as engaging as flavor. Dining is not only an act of nourishment, but also one of attention, rhythm, and atmosphere. By merging handcrafted processes with functional versatility, the set bridges modern living and nostalgic familiarity. It feels contemporary in its restraint, yet warm in its tactile and visual language.

Designer: Monte Porcelain

The collection consists of four pieces designed as a cohesive system: a glass, a bowl, a deep plate known as the Saturn plate, and a service or supla plate. Rather than assigning each object a single rigid purpose, the designer embraced multi-use functionality. This approach reflects evolving dining habits, where objects are expected to adapt fluidly across meals, occasions, and spaces.

The glass is conceived as more than a vessel for drinks. Its form allows it to function equally well as a dessert or snack bowl, encouraging informal and flexible use. The bowl supports a wide range of meals, from soup and salad to breakfast cereal and hot appetizers. Along its upper edge, engraved firefly patterns introduce a subtle decorative layer. These motifs are filled with glaze, ensuring a smooth, sealed surface that interacts gently with light, adding depth without distracting from the food itself.

The Saturn plate is designed for both sauced and non-sauced dishes, such as pasta and main courses. Its flat-edged form frames the food cleanly, while the patterned base enriches the visual composition of the plate. The service plate anchors the set, offering generous proportions suitable for main course presentations or layered pasta services. Together, the four pieces create a table setting that is expressive yet balanced.

Material integrity and production ethics play a central role in the project. White porcelain, often referred to as bone porcelain, was selected for its suitability for food contact, durability, and timeless visual quality. Each piece was cast using high-quality porcelain clay in plaster molds, then fired at 1230 degrees with transparent glaze. The firefly patterns were engraved using a special technique and selectively colored or left transparent, allowing light to pass through while remaining fully sealed and hygienic.

The project was developed over an eight-month period, beginning in June 2024 and completed in February 2025 at the Monte Porcelain Ayvalık Workshop. Every stage of production was carried out by hand, including molding, casting, glazing, and painting. Throughout the process, a fair production approach was maintained, with careful consideration for environmental responsibility and respect for nature. No living creatures were harmed at any stage.

Dishwasher safe, food safe, and designed for long-term daily use, the set demonstrates that handcrafted objects can be both poetic and practical. Recognized within international design contexts such as the A’ Design Award & Competition, this dinnerware collection repositions porcelain as an active participant in the dining ritual. It invites users to slow down, notice light and texture, and rediscover the quiet pleasure of thoughtfully designed everyday objects.

The post Handcrafted Porcelain Dinnerware Redefines Everyday Dining Through Craft, Light, and Ritual first appeared on Yanko Design.

Poco built its name on phones that punch above their price, and now it wants to do the same on your coffee table. With Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1, the brand is not just throwing out a couple of cheap tablets. It is trying to turn its budget DNA into a fuller ecosystem that covers gaming, work, and everyday media.

You can feel that ambition in how these two models are drawn. The Poco Pad X1 is a slightly more compact, high refresh performance slate, tuned for games and quick multitasking on an 11.2-inch 3.2K display. The Poco Pad M1 steps up to a 12.1-inch 2.5K panel and the largest battery Poco has ever shipped in a global device, aiming to be the big screen that carries you through movies, sketching sessions, and long days away from a charger.

Designer: Poco

If you have been eyeing an affordable Android tablet for gaming, streaming, or light work, should you reach for the sharper, faster Poco Pad X1, or the larger, more relaxed Poco Pad M1? In this review, we will live with both, compare their strengths, and help you decide which one actually fits your desk, your bag, and your budget.

Aesthetics

Poco is not trying to reinvent tablet hardware with Poco Pad X1 or Poco Pad M1. Both follow a familiar rectangle with rounded corners, flat sides, and a camera module that sits quietly in one corner. On Poco Pad X1, the focus is clearly on framing its 11.2-inch display as efficiently as possible. Poco Pad M1 takes the same basic formula and scales it up with a 12.1-inch panel.

Color choices on the Pad X1 and the Pad M1 are simple. They both come in Grey and Blue. Grey leans more gunmetal and understated with a contrasting yellow accent around the camera module, while Blue reads a little more casual and friendly, but neither option is loud or experimental. Both tablets use a metal unibody design for the main shell, with separate parts for the camera island and buttons, and a big Poco logo stamped in the center for instant brand recognition. The Poco Pad X1 uses a square camera island, while the Poco Pad M1 switches to a softer oval, which gives each model a slightly different signature when you flip them over.

Taken together, the two tablets look exactly like what they are meant to be. They are straightforward, modern Android slabs that fade into the background and let their screens and specs do the talking. For budget-friendly hardware, that quiet, functional design approach feels like the right call.

Ergonomics

In the hand, the main ergonomic difference between Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 is simply size and weight, but neither is a true one-handed tablet for long stretches. The Poco Pad X1, with its 11.2-inch footprint and 500 g weight, is the more compact of the two. It is easier to manage on a sofa or in bed than the larger Poco Pad M1, but you will still want a second hand or some support if you are holding it for a long time. Even though the Poco Pad X1 is relatively slim and light for an aluminum unibody tablet with an 8,850 mAh battery, with dimensions of 251.22 x 173.42 x 6.18 mm, it does not quietly disappear in one hand the way a smaller 8 or 9-inch device might.

Poco Pad M1 stretches that template out to a 12.1-inch diagonal with dimensions of 279.8 x 181.65 x 7.5 mm and a weight of about 610 g, which puts it clearly into big tablet territory. It is still slim, but the larger footprint makes it even less suited to long one-handed use, especially if you are moving around. Instead, it feels more like a tablet you rest on a table, prop up with a cover, or pair with its official keyboard, where the extra screen real estate really pays off for split-screen apps, video, and drawing.

The accessory ecosystem around the Pad X1 and the Pad M1 makes them versatile, but in slightly different ways. Poco Pad M1 is compatible with the optional Poco Pad M1 Keyboard, Poco Smart Pen, and Poco Pad M1 Cover, a trio that turns it into a very capable small-screen workstation. The cover folds into a stand and adds a built-in holder for the pen, which makes it easy to move between bag, desk, and sofa without worrying about where the stylus went. The keyboard is lightweight and easy to carry, but the keys feel a bit plasticky in use, which slightly undercuts the otherwise solid metal body of the tablet.

Poco Pad X1 has its own dedicated set of accessories. It supports the Poco Pad X1 Floating Keyboard, the Poco Pad X1 Keyboard, the Poco Focus Pen, and the Poco Pad X1 Cover, which together give it a surprisingly flexible setup for both work and play. The cover folds like origami and doubles as a stand, letting you enjoy the tablet vertically or horizontally, and for horizontal use, you can choose between two different viewing heights.

The Floating Keyboard is the standout here. It adds some weight and only offers a modest tilt range, but the key feel is excellent for this class, and the trackpad is responsive and accurate enough that you quickly forget you are on a tablet accessory. Clipped together, the Poco Pad X1 and the Floating Keyboard behave much more like a compact laptop than a budget slate with an afterthought keyboard, which makes it far easier to treat this smaller tablet as a real writing and work machine when you need it.
 

Performance

Living with Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 quickly shows how differently they lean, even though they share a lot of DNA. The Poco Pad X1 is the sharper and faster option, with an 11.2-inch 3.2K display at 3,200 x 2,136 px, around 345 ppi, and refresh up to 144 Hz in supported apps. It can hit about 800 nits peak brightness, supports Dolby Vision and HDR10, and uses a 3:2 aspect ratio that feels very natural for reading, web browsing, and document work, helped by TÜV eye care, DC dimming, and adaptive colors to keep things comfortable.

The Poco Pad M1, on the other hand, trades a bit of sharpness and speed for sheer size and flexibility. Its 12.1-inch 2.5K panel runs at 2,560 x 1,600px with around 249 ppi and up to 120 Hz refresh, plus 500 nits typical and 600 nits in high brightness mode. You still get Dolby Vision, DC dimming, and TÜV certifications for low blue light, flicker-free behavior, and circadian friendliness, along with wet touch support that keeps it usable with damp fingers.

Both tablets use quad speakers with Dolby Atmos and Hi-Res support, so you get surprisingly full sound from either. Crucially, the Poco Pad M1 also adds a 3.5 mm headphone jack and a microSD slot for up to 2 TB of expandable storage, which makes it a much easier media hoarder and a better fit for wired headphones and speakers. The X1 relies on its internal storage and wireless audio instead, which suits its more performance-driven, travel-friendly role.

Performance and gaming clearly favor the Poco Pad X1. It uses the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 with 8 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of storage, and combined with the 144 Hz panel, it feels like a handheld console that also happens to be good at multitasking and productivity. The Poco Pad M1 steps down to the Snapdragon 7s Gen 4 with 8 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage, which is still more than enough for apps and casual gaming, but clearly tuned more for streaming, browsing, and note-taking than for chasing every last frame. In practice, the Poco Pad X1 is the one you reach for when you care about smooth, high refresh gameplay, while the Pad M1 is the one you leave on the coffee table for everyone to use.

Battery life follows the same logic. The Poco Pad X1 pairs its 8,850 mAh battery with 45 W turbo charging, which Poco says can go from zero to full in about 94 minutes, and my experience matches that claim in day-to-day use. The Poco Pad M1 leans into a 12,000 mAh pack, billed as the largest battery in a global Poco device, with up to 105.36 hours of music playback, around 83 days of standby, 33 W charging, and up to 27 W wired reverse charging so it can top up your other devices.

On the software side, both run Xiaomi HyperOS with Xiaomi Interconnectivity and Google’s AI hooks, so you get shared clipboard, call and network sync, Circle to Search, and Gemini support whichever size you choose. As for cameras, Poco Pad X1 pairs a 13 MP rear camera and an 8 MP front camera, while Poco Pad M1 sticks to 8 MP sensors on both sides. The results are perfectly fine for video calls, document scans, and the odd quick snap, but nothing special, which is exactly what you would expect from tablets at this price bracket.

Sustainability

Poco is not making a big environmental branding play with Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1, but there are a few practical touches that matter if you plan to keep a tablet for several years. The most important one is long-term software support. Both Pad X1 and Pad M1 are slated to receive four years of security updates, which gives you a clearer runway for safe everyday use. For budget tablets, that commitment is still not guaranteed across the market, so it is good to see Poco spell it out.

 
That longer support window pairs well with the hardware choices. The aluminum unibody shells on both models feel sturdy enough to survive several upgrade cycles, and the generous storage options, plus microSD expansion on the Poco Pad M1, reduce the pressure to replace them early just to fit more apps or media. It is not a full sustainability story with recycled materials and carbon tracking, but if your definition of sustainable starts with buying something that will not feel obsolete or unsafe in two years, these tablets are at least pointed in the right direction.

Value

The Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 both land in the affordable bracket, but they scale very differently once you add accessories. The Poco Pad X1 with 8 GB of RAM and 512 GB of storage is $399 USD, which feels fair for the Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3 and high-end 3.2K 144 hertz display. Its accessories are priced like mini laptop gear, with the Floating Keyboard at $199 USD, the X1 Keyboard at $129 USD, the X1 Cover at $49 USD, and the Poco Focus Pen at $99 USD. A fully loaded X1 setup quickly pushes past $600 USD, but in return, you get a compact tablet that can genuinely stand in for a small laptop and drawing pad.

The Poco Pad M1 starts cheaper at $329 USD for 8 GB and 256 GB, and its add-ons stay firmly in value territory. The M1 Keyboard is $99 USD, the M1 Cover is $29 USD, and the Poco Smart Pen is $69 USD, so even a complete kit undercuts an equivalently kitted X1 by a healthy margin. Factor in the microSD slot and 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, and M1 clearly aims to be the better deal for big screen media, note-taking, and family use, while X1 makes more sense if you are willing to pay extra for performance, storage, and that excellent Floating Keyboard experience.

Verdict

The Poco Pad X1 and Poco Pad M1 end up serving two somewhat different roles. If you prioritize performance, the Poco Pad X1 is the clear choice. The Snapdragon 7+ Gen 3, 3.2K 144 Hz display, 512 GB storage, and excellent Floating Keyboard make it feel like a serious little work and gaming machine, even if the full setup gets expensive and you give up the headphone jack and SD slot. If you care more about big-screen comfort and value, the Poco Pad M1 quietly wins. The 12.1-inch 2.5K screen, quad speakers, 3.5 mm jack, microSD expansion, huge battery, and cheaper accessories make it a better fit for big-screen media and everyday productivity.

Whichever way you lean, you are getting more tablet than the price suggests. For context, Apple’s base iPad costs $449 with only 64 GB of storage and a 60 Hz screen. The iPad still has a faster processor and a tighter app ecosystem, but Poco gives you bigger batteries, sharper displays, and a lot more storage for less money. Pick the Poco Pad X1 if you want compact power and a great keyboard experience. Pick the Poco Pad M1 if you want maximum screen, battery, and flexibility for the money. Either way, you end up with a tablet that feels more considered than most of what you will find at this price.

The post Poco Pad X1 & Poco Pad M1 Review: Budget Tablets That Challenge the iPad first appeared on Yanko Design.

Behind the scenes, he had struck deals with trading firms to artificially prop up prices, creating what experts later called "a glorified pyramid scheme."

The post Do Kwon Gets 15 Years for $40B Terra Luna Crypto Fraud appeared first on TechRepublic.

Jusqu’à ce matin, je pensais que l’esport était une activité consacrée à 100% aux jeux vidéos et en fait non !! Je viens de découvrir qu’il y a des mecs qui font des compétitions de tableurs Excel à Las Vegas, devant des centaines de spectateurs en IRL et des 60 000 personnes sur YouTube, avec diffusion sur ESPN et une même une ceinture de champion façon catch à remporter !

Bienvenue dans le monde merveilleux du Microsoft Excel World Championship.

Screenshot

Ce truc existe depuis une douzaine d’années, mais ça a vraiment décollé en 2021 quand le Financial Modeling World Cup s’est associé avec Microsoft pour créer un format plus spectaculaire. Parce que regarder des gens faire de la modélisation financière pendant des heures… Disons que c’est pas le contenu Twitch le plus palpitant. Du coup ils ont totalement gamifié le truc !

Et c’est en décembre 2024 que s’est tenue la finale au HyperX Arena de Las Vegas avec un prize pool de 60 000 dollars avec comme grand gagnant Michael Jarman, un Canadien de Toronto qui bosse comme directeur de modélisation financière chez Operis. Le mec a détrôné Andrew Ngai, surnommé “The Annihilator”, qui avait remporté les trois éditions précédentes.

Streaming services turned album covers into tiny squares you scroll past on your way to something else. Phones made music convenient, but also turned it into background noise competing with notifications, emails, and every app demanding attention at once. You used to hold a record sleeve and feel like you owned something specific. Now your entire library is just files in a folder somewhere, and nothing about that experience feels remotely special or worth paying attention to.

Sleevenote is musician Tom Vek’s attempt to give digital albums their own object again. It’s a square music player with a 4-inch screen that matches the shape of album artwork, designed to show covers, back sleeves, and booklet pages without any other interface getting in the way. The device only plays music you actually buy and download from places like Bandcamp, deliberately skipping Spotify and Apple Music to keep ownership separate from the endless scroll.

Designers: Tom Vek, Chris Hipgrave (Sleevenote)

The hardware is a black square that’s mostly screen from the front, with a thick body and rounded edges that make it feel more like a handheld picture frame than a phone. Physical playback buttons sit along one side so you can skip tracks without touching the screen. When you hold it, the weight and thickness are noticeable. This isn’t trying to slip into a pocket; it’s trying to sit on your desk or rest in your hand like a miniature album sleeve.

The screen shows high-resolution artwork, back covers, lyrics, and credits supplied through the Sleevenote platform. You swipe through booklet pages while listening, and the interface stays out of the way so the album art fills the entire square without overlays or buttons. The whole point is that the device becomes the album cover while music plays, which works better in practice than it sounds on paper when you describe it.

Sleevenote won’t let you stream anything. It encourages you to “audition” music on your phone and only put albums you truly love on the player, treating it more like a curated shelf than a jukebox with everything. This sounds good in theory, but means carrying a second device that can’t do anything except play the files you’ve already bought, which feels like a lot of friction for album art, no matter how nice the screen looks.

Sleevenote works as a small act of resistance against music as disposable content. For people who miss having a physical relationship with albums, a square player that only does one thing might feel like a shrine worth keeping. Whether that’s worth the price for a device with a screen barely bigger than your phone is a different question, but the idea that digital music deserves its own object makes more sense than cramming everything into the same distracted rectangle.

The post This Square Player Refuses to Stream Music, and That’s the Point first appeared on Yanko Design.

Gaming handhelds are supposed to fit in your hands, but AMD’s new Strix Halo processors generate serious heat and drain batteries faster than you can finish a boss fight. The GPD Win 5 and OneXFly Apex responded by strapping external battery packs to their backs, which works, but looks like your handheld is wearing a fanny pack in the wrong spot. It’s practical but awkward, and it raises an obvious question: if you’re adding external batteries anyway, why not just make the whole device bigger?

AYANEO apparently asked that same question and decided to run with it. The AYANEO NEXT II skips external packs entirely, hiding a massive 115Wh battery and a 9.06-inch OLED inside a thick, sculpted body that feels more like a portable gaming monitor with grips than something you’d slip into a backpack. It’s AYANEO’s answer to Strix Halo’s power demands, and the solution involves simply accepting that this thing was never going to be pocketable in the first place.

Designer: AYANEO

The design doesn’t apologize for its size. Deep grips flare outward like a proper gamepad, and the body is thick enough to house dual cooling fans without turning into a space heater. Hall effect sticks sit where your thumbs expect them, surrounded by a floating D-pad, dual touchpads, and speakers that actually face you instead of firing sound into your lap. It looks less like a Switch rival and more like someone decided gaming monitors needed handles attached.

That 9.06-inch screen uses an unusual 3:2 aspect ratio instead of the typical widescreen shape most games expect. You get a gorgeous OLED panel with refresh rates up to 165Hz and brightness that peaks at 1100 nits, which sounds fantastic until you realize most games will either add black bars or run nowhere near 165 frames per second at this resolution anyway. Still, it’s lovely for desktop windows and emulators that appreciate the extra vertical space.

The 115Wh battery is where things get complicated. Everything stays hidden inside for a cleaner look and more console-like feel, but that capacity might cause questions at airport security since many airlines cap carry-on batteries at 100Wh. You also can’t swap batteries when one dies, and constantly feeding an 85-watt processor means faster charge cycles and potential long-term wear. You’re looking at two to three hours of heavy gaming before hunting for an outlet.

The dual cooling fans work hard to keep Strix Halo from overheating, and you’ll definitely hear them during intense sessions. AYANEO claims it can sustain up to 85 watts, which should let the integrated Radeon graphics handle modern games at respectable settings, though you’ll also feel warmth radiating from the vents. This is less a grab-and-go portable and more something you carry from the couch to the desk when you need a scenery change.

AYANEO loaded the NEXT II with premium controls that enthusiasts will genuinely appreciate. Hall effect sticks and triggers promise zero drift, dual-stage trigger locks switch between smooth analog and clicky digital modes, and rear buttons plus dual touchpads give you more inputs than a standard controller. A magnetic haptic motor adds feedback that tries to mimic console vibration, and the AYASpace software hides Windows behind a console-style launcher with performance tuning options built in.

The AYANEO NEXT II essentially stops pretending to be portable. It won’t fit in a jacket pocket, might get flagged at airport security, and is almost certainly too heavy for comfortable one-handed play in bed. But if you want something that feels more like a small gaming monitor with built-in controls rather than a device you’d actually carry around town, this oversized approach makes a strange kind of sense. You just have to accept that portability took a back seat to screen size and battery capacity.

The post AYANEO Just Built a 115Wh Strix Halo Handheld and Killed Portability first appeared on Yanko Design.

I remember a time when smartphones had expandable storage. In fact, I remember feeling this internal rage when I saw the iPhone Air and that Apple even decided that a physical SIM slot wasn’t necessary anymore, because apparently a SIM tray blocks so much space that you need to shave down on a phone’s battery capacity. It’s wild that we’ve gotten to this point in our lives, and what’s more wild is that we now have to ‘rent’ storage out by paying for iCloud or Google Drive subscriptions to store our photos and videos. I remember when you could pop in a MicroSD card and those low-storage problems would go away… and ADAM Elements is trying to bring back that convenience with its ultra-tiny SSDs.

The iKlips S isn’t as small as a MicroSD, but it’s sufficiently more advanced than one. Barely the size of a 4-stud LEGO brick, this SSD plugs right into your smartphone, giving it an instant 256GB memory boost. It docks in your phone’s USB-C port, transferring data at incredible speeds, and here’s the best part – the tiny device packs biometric scanning too, which means you can pretty much secure your backups with a fingerprint the way you secure your phone with FaceID. The best part? No pesky subscription fees. You pay once and own the storage forever, and everything’s local and offline… so you never need to worry about remembering passwords, or about having companies and LLMs spy on your personal data to train themselves.

Designer: ADAM Elements

Click Here to Buy Now: $62.3 $89 (30% off, use coupon code “30YANKOIKPS”). Hurry, deal ends in 48-hours!

Think a thumb drive, but insanely tinier. That’s the beauty of SSDs, and ADAM Elements touts that the iKlips S currently holds the record for the world’s smallest SSD. Plug it into your phone, tablet, laptop, or any device and it instantly gets a 258GB bump. Data transfers at speeds of up to 400Mb/s with read speeds of 450Mb/s, that’s fast enough to move RAW files in milliseconds and entire 4K videos in seconds, or even directly preview/edit ProRes content on your phone, tablet, or laptop without having to transfer data to local storage. After all, that’s the dream, right?

The tiny device comes with a machined aluminum body and a lanyard hole so that you can string something through to prevent it from getting lost. Plug it into your phone to back up media, then into your laptop or iPad to edit said media. You can transfer data between multiple devices fairly quickly, across platforms too, thanks to cross-compatibility with iOS, Android, MacOS, Windows, ChromeOS, and even Linux. The tiny design sits practically flush against your phone, tablet, or laptop, occupying about the same amount of space as a USB receiver for a wireless keyboard or wireless mouse. Its most important design detail, however, hides in plain sight.

On the underside of the iKlips S is a fingerprint scanner, allowing you to add authentication to your SSD the way you add a password to your iCloud. The device can hold as many as 20 fingerprints, making it perfect for redundancies (just in case you cut a finger while chopping veggies) or even for a team of multiple people sharing data. Place your finger on the iKlips S and it unlocks the SSD, allowing you to read/write data in no time. You’re never faced with forgetting your iCloud password as your password literally lives on your fingertips.

The price of it all? A mere $62.3, which costs about as much as an annual subscription to these cloud storage services. For that, you get something you truly own, and can use without needing an app or an internet connection. Just plug it in and you’ve suddenly got extra storage. Secure the storage with a fingerprint, and move data around at speeds your internet service provider could only dream of. Neat, huh?

Click Here to Buy Now: $62.3 $89 (30% off, use coupon code “30YANKOIKPS”). Hurry, deal ends in 48-hours!

The post I Stopped Paying for Cloud Storage After Trying This Tiny 256GB iPhone SSD first appeared on Yanko Design.

Les CSV, c’est comme les cafards et les politiciens. Tout le monde les déteste, mais ils survivront à l’apocalypse nucléaire. Ainsi, pendant que les formats propriétaires disparaissent avec leurs éditeurs au fil des ans, ce petit fichier texte avec des virgules continue tranquillement de faire tourner le monde.

Par exemple, 80% des datasets sur Kaggle sont en CSV et toutes les APIs qui valent quelque chose proposent un export CSV. Même votre comptable, ce gros nullos en informatique vous envoie des CSV.

Et vous, vous ouvrez ça avec quoi ? Excel ?

Aïe aïe aïe, Excel, votre meilleure ennemi en ce qui concerne les CSV ! Vous double-cliquez sur un fichier de 100 Mo, et le ventilo de votre machine s’emballe comme si vous miniez du Bitcoin ! La RAM explose et, PAF, 15 minutes plus tard, l’outil de Microsoft se crash. Ou pire, il ouvre le fichier, mais il a transformé les IDs en formules de maths, vos dates en n’importe quoi, et votre UTF-8 est massacré.

Bref, pas merci Microsoft.

Et c’est pas un problème théorique. Rien qu’en 2020, le Royaume-Uni a égaré 16 000 cas de COVID parce qu’Excel a une limite de 65 000 lignes par feuille, du coup des milliers de cas positifs n’ont jamais été contactés par les services de santé. Même JP Morgan a perdu 6 milliards de dollars à cause d’une erreur dans un fichier Excel. Et des centaines d’articles scientifiques ont dû être retirés parce qu’Excel avait corrompu des noms de gènes en les transformant automatiquement en dates.

Le problème, c’est qu’Excel n’a jamais été conçu pour éditer des CSV. Excel, c’est fait pour les tableaux croisés dynamiques et les graphiques en camembert que personne ne lit mais surtout pas pour bosser proprement avec des fichiers texte qui font 500 Mo.

Alors en bon geek, vous vous êtes surement déjà dit : OK, je vais utiliser autre chose. LibreOffice ? Même combat mais en moche. Un chouette éditeur de texte comme Notepad++ ou Sublime ? Super pour voir les virgules, mais nul pour visualiser la structure. Et les outils en ligne ? Lents, pas sécurisés, et vous envoyez vos données chez oncle Sam la plupart du temps. Bref, vous êtes coincé !

Et c’est après cette intro interminable (je m’en fous, c’est vendredi) qu’arrive SmoothCSV3, un éditeur CSV développé par kohii et dispo sur GitHub et dont l’ambition affichée par le dev est claire : devenir le VS Code des éditeurs tabulaires. Rien que ça !

Le logiciel tourne sur macOS et Windows, avec Linux en approche. Comme vous pouvez le voir sur ma capture écran, l’interface ressemble à un tableur classique, mais sous le capot, c’est du costaud. Le dev annonce une execution 12× plus rapide qu’Excel sur un fichier de 100 Mo et niveau fonctionnalités, vous avez la recherche et le remplacement, le tri, le filtrage, l’édition multi-cellules mais surtout, vous avez des requêtes SQL directement dans le CSV. Oui, du SQL dans un fichier texte avec des virgules. Ça vous permet de sélectionner vos colonnes avec un WHERE, de faire des JOINs entre plusieurs fichiers, et de les grouper avec un GROUP BY. C’est encore plus magique qu’Eric Antoine !

Il y a aussi une palette de commandes à la VS Code. Vous tapez Cmd+Shift+P et vous avez accès à toutes les fonctions du logiciel sans quitter le clavier. Si vous avez déjà utilisé VS Code, Sublime Text ou IntelliJ, vous êtes donc en terrain familier.

Alors oui, le CSV, c’est moche, c’est fragile, c’est chiant à parser, mais c’est universel, ça marche partout et surtout, ça traverse les époques. Ce qui lui manquait c’était surtout un outil qui le traite comme une princesse, avec le respect qu’il mérite.

Téléchargez SmoothCSV3 ici !

When designing a home that genuinely reflects your personality, it is natural to focus on color schemes, furniture layouts, and curated decor. These elements shape the foundation of a space, but there is one often-overlooked design element that can completely transform how your home feels, and that is playful furniture design.

This does not mean that you need to fill your space with childish or overly quirky pieces. Instead, it is about choosing furniture with unexpected shapes, bold colors, or whimsical details that spark joy. These thoughtful and personality-driven touches add charm, create visual interest, and infuse your interiors with warmth and wonder.
Let’s understand how playful furniture design can turn ordinary spaces into lively, emotionally uplifting designs.

1. The Psychology of Playful Design

Design goes beyond aesthetics as it influences how people feel and interact with their surroundings. Playful furniture, with its bold colors and unexpected shapes, can spark curiosity and joy, challenging the idea that furnishings must be strictly functional.

By incorporating unconventional pieces, such as a sculptural chair or a whimsical bookshelf, interiors become more engaging and less monotonous. Studies suggest that novel environments can enhance creativity and reduce stress. In this way, playful furniture is not just decorative, but it supports emotional well-being and helps create a home that feels vibrant, inspiring, and deeply personal.

The Fossil Furniture Collection, a collaboration between Ukrainian designer Dmitry Kozinenko and oitoproducts, reinterprets classic furniture forms through the use of sculptural monolithic shapes and bold geometric compositions. Each piece merges simple volumes, both square and round, into a cohesive design language that feels familiar and fresh. The Fossil chair combines two straight, supportive back legs with a rounded front base, creating a dynamic form that serves as a comfortable stool and a visually engaging footrest.

Echoing the chair’s silhouette, the Fossil pouf retains the distinctive base and seat module while omitting the backrest, offering a more casual and adaptable seating option. The bench expands the pouf’s form, featuring an elongated rectangular seat to accommodate two or three individuals, making it suitable for dining areas, entryways, or shared spaces. Together, the collection blends functionality with playful design, demonstrating how geometric reinterpretation can elevate everyday furniture into sculptural statement pieces.

2. Clever Ways to Add Whimsy

Adding playful furniture to a space does not mean giving up comfort or sophistication. It is about selecting pieces with personality, like a bold pouf, a sculptural table, or a quirky-backed chair that injects charm without overwhelming the room. These accents can become focal points and spark conversation.

To make smart selections, one can think about function, proportion, and how each item complements your existing decor. It is important to prioritize quality craftsmanship and sustainable materials, so your fun finds also stand the test of time and infuse a touch of joy.

The Doodle Collection by Ring presents furniture pieces that evoke the whimsical appearance of twisted paper clips, transformed into bold, sculptural forms. Inspired by blind contour drawings brought into three dimensions, each piece is crafted from nickel-plated steel arches, meticulously hand-bent and welded around a cast resin core. The collection includes an abstract table and a pair of chairs that appear impossibly delicate yet remain structurally stable. The table’s cast resin surface, seemingly suspended against gravity, enhances the sense of playful defiance that defines the series.

Ring describes the design approach as “free and exploratory,” resulting in creations that blur the line between functional objects and artistic statements. With their unconventional forms and dynamic silhouettes, these pieces feel more at home in an art gallery than in a traditional showroom. Designed for bold, adventurous collectors, the Doodle Collection serves as a statement against predictable design, offering a lively and imaginative addition to contemporary interiors.

3. Using Playful Materials and Textures

The tactile quality of furniture is just as important as its visual appeal. Designers often use varied materials and textures to make interiors feel more inviting and engaging. Unexpected choices like recycled plastics, woven rattan, or soft felt not only add visual interest but also a sensory layer that enhances the user experience.

Combining textures, such as pairing a smooth metal frame with a plush velvet seat, introduces depth and sophistication. These contrasts keep the eye moving and the space feeling curated. Also, mixing elements like wood, leather, fabric, or metal creates a multi-sensory environment that feels intentional, comfortable, and uniquely welcoming to everyone who enters.

The Moopi chair collection reinterprets the playful spirit of childhood playgrounds into sculptural, ergonomic seating for modern interiors. Inspired by slides, tunnels, and rocking horses, each design captures the posture and sensation of these familiar forms. MOOPI 01 (Blue) evokes the cozy enclosure of a playground tunnel with its circular opening, inviting users to curl up or lounge. MOOPI 02 (Green) features a gentle slope reminiscent of a slide, ideal for relaxed seating or casual conversations. MOOPI 03 (Orange) recalls the backward seating position often found on rocking horses or slide edges, offering both comfort and a whimsical silhouette.

Crafted with smooth contours and vibrant finishes, the collection is designed to be visually striking while remaining functional for all ages. The bold colors reference classic plastic playsets, instantly adding energy to any space. More than just seating, Moopi pieces serve as statement designs that blend nostalgia, creativity, and comfort, making them ideal for living rooms, studios, or curated interiors.

4. Designing for All Ages

Playful furniture offers a smart way to design spaces that are stylish for adults and welcoming for children. Instead of filling rooms with separate items, families can opt for multi-functional pieces that serve everyone. A low, rounded table, for instance, works as a coffee spot and a child’s play surface.

Soft edges enhance safety while maintaining a clean, modern aesthetic. Versatile pieces like storage ottomans or modular seating adapt easily as family needs change. This thoughtful approach proves that a home can be beautiful and practical.

The Rolly table by Mike & Maaike blends functionality with playful design, featuring four identical circles that serve as wheels and visual anchors. Crafted from solid wood or multi-ply, these circles highlight natural grain or bold colors while forming the table’s structural base and mobility. Supported by a minimal steel frame and a clever swivel mechanism, Rolly moves effortlessly across floors. Its swiveling rear wheel offers smooth control, allowing it to function as a stationary side table, portable serving cart, or stylish display stand.

Available in finishes ranging from light Scandinavian-inspired woods to rich stains, vibrant colors, and striking black-and-white stripes, the Rolly table adapts to a variety of interiors. Clean lines, seamless joinery, and a spacious tabletop reflect meticulous craftsmanship. Designed for design lovers and collectors, it turns simple tasks like serving drinks or rearranging a room into enjoyable experiences, making it a standout piece that merges versatility, movement, and modern style.

5. Upcycle for a Personal Touch

Upcycling old furniture or using upcycled materials offers a budget-friendly, eco-conscious way to add personality to any space. A bold coat of paint on a vintage chair or reupholstering with fun fabric can transform overlooked items into standout features.

DIY projects allow for creativity and customization, whether it is painting patterns on drawers, adding colorful legs to a plain table, or making cushions from vibrant textiles. These efforts result in distinctive pieces and a sense of accomplishment. Playful design celebrates imagination and resourcefulness, showing that style can be sustainable and uniquely personal.

The Hana-Arashi (Flower Storm) collection by Paola Lenti showcases a refined approach to sustainable outdoor furniture design, transforming surplus 100% polypropylene mesh fabric into sculptural, functional pieces. This recyclable mono-material, celebrated for its durability, water resistance, and extensive range of approximately 180 colors, is reimagined through a high-frequency thermocompression technique. Leveraging polypropylene’s low melting point, multiple fabric layers are fused without adhesives or threads, selectively hardening certain areas for strength while retaining translucent sections that allow light to pass through, creating a luminous, ethereal effect.

The production process begins with assembling large fabric offcuts into a base, then welding smaller, precisely cut remnants to enhance texture and depth. Rolled and fused into fluid, three-dimensional forms, the resulting pieces evoke the organic beauty of swirling petals. Lightweight yet robust, Hana-Arashi is well-suited for public spaces, parks, and community areas, merging structural integrity with artistic elegance while advancing Paola Lenti’s commitment to eco-conscious innovation.

By selecting pieces that prioritize happiness, you can transform your space into a reflection of your personality and a haven of well-being. It’s about moving beyond the conventional and creating an environment that encourages laughter, creativity, and a little bit of fun.

The post Your IKEA Couch Is Dead: 5 Sculptural Pieces That Actually Spark Joy first appeared on Yanko Design.

Vous gagnez combien avec la pub sur votre site ??

On est d’accord, c’est dérisoire, et pendant ce temps, Google et Facebook se gavent en revendant votre contenu et l’attention de vos lecteurs à leurs clients. Le modèle est cassé, tout le monde le sait , mais personne n’avait de solution viable… enfin, jusqu’à maintenant.

Matthew Prince, CEO de Cloudflare, vient en effet d’annoncer le lancement du Net Dollar , un stablecoin adossé au dollar américain conçu pour les micropaiements instantanés. Son objectif c’est donc de tuer le modèle publicitaire et le remplacer par du pay-per-use généralisé. Comme ça, terminé le “gratuit financé par la pub”, et bonjour le web à 0,01 euro l’article.

1 Net Dollar = 1 dollar US, puisque c’est un stablecoin adossé au dollar. Il n’y a donc pas la volatilité de Bitcoin et pas de spéculation. C’est vraiment fait pour les transactions, pas l’investissement.

Ainsi, chaque fois qu’un agent IA accède à votre contenu, il paie automatiquement quelques centimes de manière instantanée et cela peu importe où vous vous trouvez… Par exemple, vous êtes en France, un agent IA lit votre article au Japon, et hop vous recevez 0,01 dollar dans la seconde.

On évite ainsi les virements qui mettent du temps, les commissions abusives (coucou Paypal), les seuils minimums avant de prendre le pognon et si ça nous amuse, on peut même facturer 0,0001 dollar par requête API ce qui ne serait pas exemple pas possible avec Visa qui de toute façon prend 0,30 dollars de frais fixes. Là avec Net Dollar, on va pouvoir descendre à des fractions de centimes…

Par exemple, si je me tape dans le mois 50 000 agents IA qui viennent lire un de mes articles, et que je leur facture 0,01 euro par lecture, ça me fait 500 euros dans la poche. Et pour les dev, c’est pareil. Vous pouvez proposer une API gratuitement sans crouler sous les requêtes abusives. Là vous enclenchez un micro-paiement à 0,0001 dollar par requête, comme ça, chacun peut payer à la hauteur de sa consommation. Même chose pour les photographes ou les graphistes, quand une IA utilisera votre photo pour illustrer une de ces réponses….etc.

Bref, c’est plutôt cool pour les créateurs.

Maintenant reste à savoir qui va vraiment payer car ce n’est pas vraiment très clair ? Est ce uniquement les IA de OpenAI, Anthropic, Google qui vont passer à la caisse ? Ou est ce qu’à terme, les humains vont devoir créditer leur navigateur pour pouvoir surfer sur les sites web ? Honnêtement, je n’en sais rien mais si on tombe dans un monde où chaque site exige quelques centimes, je pense que chacun va y réfléchir à deux fois avant de cliquer sur un lien.

Et comme on est sur de la blockchain privée, je vous laisse imaginer le flot de données que ça va apporter à Cloudflare. Ils sauront exactement quel article vous avez lu, ou quel API vous avez utilisé. C’est pas forcement très cool.

Bref, je ne sais pas si le Net Dollar va révolutionner le web, finir de l’achever ou terminer comme toutes ces initiatives qui n’ont jamais décollé, mais à un moment, faudrait qu’on se pose la question de savoir si on préfère se farcir des bannières de pub ou payer 1 centime pour lire un article…

Source

Simone Giertz, known for her inventive and often playful creations, has taken furniture design to a new level with her latest project: a spinning coffee table. This unique piece isn’t just a conversation starter; it’s a testament to the creativity and resourcefulness that fans have come to expect from the popular YouTuber and inventor. Inspired by the idea of making everyday objects more fun and functional, Simone’s spinning coffee table brings a dynamic twist to any living room.

The journey of creating the spinning coffee table is documented in a captivating YouTube video where Simone guides viewers through the process, from initial sketches to the final product. The entire project is infused with her signature humor and transparency, revealing not just the successes but also the challenges along the way. The idea stemmed from wanting to make a coffee table that was more than just a static piece of furniture. Simone envisioned a table that could rotate smoothly, allowing users to access items from any side without having to stretch or walk around it.

Designer Name: Simone Giertz

Simone started by designing the table’s structure. She opted for a rectangular tabletop, which naturally lends itself to rotation. The main challenge was figuring out how to make the table spin easily and safely, especially considering the weight of the materials. After exploring several mechanisms, she settled on using a large, industrial-grade lazy Susan bearing, which is typically used for heavy-duty applications. This choice allowed the table to rotate effortlessly while supporting the weight of books, drinks, and even the occasional curious pet.

The construction process was both educational and entertaining. Simone shared her experience with woodworking, metalwork, and problem-solving as she assembled the table. She even highlighted a few mistakes and how she fixed them, making the project feel approachable for DIY enthusiasts. The table’s aesthetic is sleek and modern, featuring a wooden top with a smooth finish and a sturdy metal base. The combination of materials ensures durability while maintaining a minimalist look that fits a variety of interior styles.

One of the most delightful features of the spinning coffee table is its playful functionality. Whether you’re hosting a game night or just relaxing with your favorite snacks, the rotating surface turns the table into an ottoman where you can put your feet up. It also acts as a storage so you can place some stuff that you want to be accessible to you. It has mini shelves and a space under the ottoman where you can put things. It’s a simple idea, but it adds a layer of interactivity that’s both practical and fun.

For those interested in making their own spinning coffee table, Simone’s detailed walkthrough provides plenty of tips and inspiration. She encourages viewers to experiment with their own designs and to embrace the trial-and-error process. The spinning coffee table stands as a shining example of how thoughtful design and a bit of ingenuity can transform ordinary objects into something truly special.

The post DIY spinning coffee table turns into storage and ottoman first appeared on Yanko Design.

This compact 2TB drive gives you reliable WD performance and speed.

The post Expand Your Storage Instantly with This Fast 2TB WD External Drive appeared first on TechRepublic.