If you’re a digital nomad who works on the go, your desk could often switch between a typical work desk or a table at a cafe. A desk is probably one of the most important pieces of furniture in our modern lives, only because we spend the majority of our day on it. Maintaining a well-organized desk, will not only improve your work routine and productivity, but it will also help you maintain a clearer and more streamlined mindset. And, I’ve discovered that adding limited, quality, and innovative products to my desk setup can help me in achieving these goals! The desk accessories you place on your desk are an integral part of your home/corporate office. From a USB key that can fit into your keypad to a personal whiteboard for jotting down important notes – these ingenious desk accessories are all you need to achieve your desk setup goals!

1. Saint Antoine USB Key

USB flash drives are often quite compact, and easy to carry around, however since they are pretty small, you can easily lose them. Named the Saint Antoine USB Key, this conceptual design rids you of that problem, by giving the drive a thin form that lets you stick it between your laptop’s screen and keyboard.

Why is it noteworthy?

The drive features small protrusions that branch off from this stem. This unique shape allows the USB key to fit perfectly between the keys of your laptop keyboard, ensuring you never really lose it.

What we like

• It prevents you from misplacing your USB key
• You can close the laptop lid on it, as it won’t puncture or damage the screen

What we dislike

• Seems quite small and thin, so there may not be enough space to store a lot of data
• Removing it and putting it back into the keyboard can be inconvenient

2. Battery-Free Amplifying iSpeakers

Named the Battery-Free Amplifying iSpeakers, these portable battery-free speakers are an excellent addition to your on-the-go workdesk. The iPhone speaker is an upgraded and improved version of the typical no-power smartphone speaker. Built from metal, the speaker is functional, sturdy, and good-looking.

Click Here to Buy Now: $179

Why is it noteworthy?

The amplifying speakers are constructed from Duralumin, an aluminum alloy that is utilized in the aviation and aerospace industries. The alloy has vibration-resistant properties, so it makes for a good material of choice. You need to simply place the smartphone into the speaker, and the sound will surround you.

What we like

• The speaker is electricity-free and doesn’t need power
  Sturdy, sleek, and minimal aesthetics

What we dislike

• Incompatible with bulky smartphone covers and cases

3. Awekeys Metal Keycaps

Awekeys is now giving you the chance to transform your favorite mechanical keyboard into a work of art! The keys in this set are made from recycled metal, allowing discarded materials to adopt a new life while reducing the negative effect of the manufacturing process on the planet. The advanced full CNC machining system used ensures that these keys are sturdy, and can easily resist wear and tear.

Why is it noteworthy?

Besides being strong and sturdy, the keys look stunning and feel very luxurious too. You have the option to customize them as well, you can adopt matte or glossy finishes, or choose from a variety of colors to match your style. The keycaps feature nano-coating, to ensure no patina is developed, as it may look unattractive on a keyboard.

What we like

• The keycaps feature unique artwork
• Convert your keyboard into a boast-worthy design object

What we dislike

• Heavier than plastic keycaps
• They’re on the expensive side

4. Fidget Cube

Dubbed the Fidget Cube, this interesting desk toy is great for those who easily get stressed. It is an addictive toy, designed to help users focus, and complete their tasks better. The cube has six sides, each with something different that you can fidget with, ensuring your mind calms down.

Why is it noteworthy?

The cube features six versatile sides, each with something new and exciting for you to do. There is – Click, Glide, Flip, Breathe, Roll, and Spin. The Click side has a clicker, so you won’t need to click on pens anymore, and the glide actions let you experience the gliding action of a joystick.

What we like

• Ten different color schemes to choose from
• Allows you to focus better, and streamline your thoughts

What we dislike

• Fidgeting isn’t considered a positive activity by everyone, so the product may not be approved by some people

5. Personal Whiteboard

This Personal Whiteboard is great for taking notes and jotting down what’s important. It has a small design, which makes it pretty easy to carry around. Equipped with an eraser, the whiteboard is an efficient space for you to write things on, erase, and then write again!

Click Here to Buy Now: $49.00

Why is it noteworthy?

It has a personal and compact size, and it is a little smaller than A4 paper. It’s great for digital nomads and remote workers, since it has a portable form, allowing you to carry it everywhere with you. You can write on it, take a photo to save, and send it to the cloud.

What we like

• Features a Mag Force system
• Portable design that is no hassle to carry around

What we dislike

• You can only use a dry-erase or whiteboard pen on it, not a permanent marker

6. iSwift Pi

The iSwift Pi is a paper-thin durable laptop desk for your bed and office. You can easily unfold it in seconds, and carry it around wherever you like. It is easily storable and can undergo six transformations. It helps support improved posture for boosted productivity.

Why is it noteworthy?

The iSwift Pi is designed to be a lap desk and a laptop stand, and it is a complete game changer, as it ensures you feel cozy while maintaining a healthy posture when working. It is a great companion for when you’re navigating a WFH or remote working situation.

What we like

• Versatile design that elevates your working experience
• Features 4 sitting angles as a laptop stand

What we dislike

• Some customers complained the stand was too narrow, and didn’t fit on all lap sizes

7. Orbitkey 2-in-1 Tech Pouch

Called the Orbitkey 2-in-1 Tech Pouch, this innovative pouch offers access and flexibility for all your tech-carry needs, irrespective if you’re on the go, working at your desk, or anywhere in between. It features a clever twin pouch organization system that prevents desk clutter and helps you store essentials with ease.

Why is it noteworthy?

The pouch has a detachable inner storage which functions as a separate desk pouch for your most-used items. It offers quick and easy access to the items you use often and keeps the lesser-used items off your desk, but still within reach.

What we like

• It has accessible pen loops and an efficient self-standing design

What we dislike

• There are only 2 color options to choose from

8. AdapDesk

Called AdapDesk, this unique portable desk is designed to cater to the growing need to comfortably use a laptop or device on a bed, couch, floor, and much more. It is a complete desk designed to help you use your laptop to the fullest. You can use it with all your peripherals connected.

Why is it noteworthy?

The AdapDesk is available in four different editions, so you can pick the one that best suits your needs. One folds to 11.75” x 12.75” x 3.75”, but still manages to fit inside most laptop briefcases. There is also one which is 5” wider and folds into a 12.75” x 28.5” x 2” for easy storage.

What we like

• Features a scratch-resistant work surface

What we dislike

• Assembly can be a bit tedious

9. LAPCASE

Called LAPCASE, this conceptual design tries to eliminate all the problems attached to a laptop’s usability on the go. Designed to be a laptop bag, but also a briefcase, it has room for your laptop, as well as other accessories you may need. It doesn’t feature pockets but has actual dividers that can organize your peripherals.

Why is it noteworthy?

LAPCASE also has a laptop compartment at the top which is protected by a two-fold magnetic flap. The flap is placed at such an angle, that the laptop’s back is raised, providing a slightly ergonomic height when on a table.

What we like

• Helps you carry your office with you wherever you go

What we dislike

• The case is quite bulky
• You will need an external keyboard when placed on a table, as the laptop’s keyboard is too high for typing

10. ovOlio

Workdays can often be crazy, and it is tough to find some peace and calm in them. This zen-like desk accessory is designed to be a revolutionary fusion of design and mindfulness, and it will elevate your state of mind, and enhance your workspace.

Why is it noteworthy?

Dubbed ovOlio, this unique desk accessory is equipped with a partial magnetic levitation of the wooden block at its center, with a small base for support. You can open the little block, and add in your favorite essential oil, and the delicate aroma will spread through the room, calming you down.

What we like

• Creates a calm and peaceful workday for you
• Combats anxiety and makes you feel more at peace

What we dislike

• Seems a bit fragile, and the oil could spill over if it falls

The post Top 10 Desk Gear For Digital Nomads To Improve Their Workflow & Productivity Anywhere first appeared on Yanko Design.

Learning a new language is never easy, whether it’s human language, programming language, or harmonic language. It takes time, effort, and more importantly, drive to go through the process, but it doesn’t have to a be painful and dreadful experience all the time. Of the many strategies that make learning languages both fun and effective, Duolingo is perhaps the best-known service. What few people realize, however, is that the green owl has been teaching music for over a year now, applying the same principles it uses in teaching Spanish or Mandarin to do-re-mi’s. Unlike smartphones and spoken languages, however, music has to be played to really be learned, which is why Duolingo has come out with a small digital piano so that you can do that anywhere you are.

Designer: Loog x Duolingo

A piano isn’t the only instrument you can use to learn music, but it’s one of the most convenient and can be designed into an electric and portable form that doesn’t require minding strings that could break. You don’t even need a full-sized piano to get started, but you do need one that’s small enough to be carried around yet has a decent size and a decent sound as well. Rather than relying on a smartphone piano app that doesn’t give the same tactile experience, Duolingo teamed up with Loog, a popular brand of musical instruments for kids and beginners, to make one.

That’s what the Loog x Duolingo Piano brings to the table, figuratively and literally. It’s basically a special version of the Loog piano themed with Duolingo’s iconic green hue. It’s still the same piano made with solid wood panels that enhance the acoustics, making it sound almost like a real classical piano. It also has the same velocity-sensitive keys that implement proper dynamics, meaning that you can hit the keys harder to make the note sound louder, just like a real piano.

It’s not just a Duolingo-branded Loog piano, though, as this particular kit is designed with the easy-to-use and fun learning service in mind. There’s a wooden phone stand that matches the aesthetics of the piano, perfect for holding up the phone while you learn and play. And for a more offline learning experience, the package includes Piano Flashcards as well.

The Loog x Duolingo Piano is more than just a simple digital piano. It can be used as a MIDI controller when connected to an instrument via its USB-C port, and there are also ports not just for headphones but also for pedals and octave shifters. It might look like a kid’s toy, but this piano definitely has the guts to stand proudly as a proper musical instrument so that its use doesn’t stop after you’ve already mastered everything Duolingo has to teach.

The post Loog x Duolingo portable piano teaches you the language of music, the fun way first appeared on Yanko Design.

Smartphones have become very powerful and convenient tools for recording precious memories and sharing them with loved ones, but they can also be sources of stress, distractions, and dissatisfaction. The Instagram generation has many people snapping up photos or short video clips and then losing themselves in a sea of notifications and social media posts just as they try to quickly share those moments. It is quite ironic that these devices that connect us with others also disconnect us from the world around us and, more importantly, from ourselves because of those incessant distractions. A dedicated digital camera, even one with Wi-Fi, is a solution but an inconvenient one at that because of its bulk and complicated features. A better answer might be the evolution of the point-and-shoot camera, but one with a flexible design that can scale to people’s ever-changing needs and situations.

Designers: Mason Fetter, Alejandra Giron, Grant Huntsman, Cooper Phelps, Summer Glenn

Point-and-shoot digital cameras were the first to be obsoleted by the rise of smartphones, unable to keep up with the growing number of connectivity features and fun filters that these mobile devices offered. At the same time, however, it is exactly those lack of features that now gives the design its appeal, as people using Polaroid-style instant cameras have discovered. Their simplicity allowed people to simply have fun and enjoy the moment, without having to worry about instantly applying filters or even immediately uploading photos and videos.

Keepsake is a concept design that embraces that simplicity but with an added twist. Unlike those very basic cameras, it can actually expand to add features needed by users. Best of all, it can also go back to that basic functionality once those extra tasks are done. In other words, it has a modular system that keeps it agile and flexible in ways that even a smartphone might have problems keeping up with.

At the heart of the Keepsake design is the screenless digital camera itself and four basic modules which include a mic recording and flash that stick to the front of the camera, as well as a MagSafe clip and a wide charging hub that connects to the back. With this kit, shutterbugs have most of what they need to have an enjoyable disconnected experience that simply focuses on the world around them. At the same time, it keeps the doors open to even more possibilities with future add-ons.

Of course, Keepsake also connects and syncs with a mobile app so you can still share your photos when you want to. It gives users the freedom and control to put their phones away and just immerse themselves in the moment but still gives them the power to enjoy the conveniences of the Internet afterward. And with the modular design, they can take only what they need with them and hold a compact device, unlike a powerful yet bulky and heavy camera.

The post Modular camera concept keeps you focused on the magic of the moment first appeared on Yanko Design.

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