Apple spends plenty of effort making the iPad thin and light, but that doesn’t mean holding one for an entire chapter feels effortless. A protective case can give it more bulk without giving your fingers much help. Strapsicle’s iPad cases take a different approach, adding a silicone strap that lets your hand support the tablet from behind instead of constantly squeezing its edges.

The most conspicuous part of the design is also its most useful idea. Strapsicle calls it the XO strap, a circular center with four diagonal arms attached to the case. Slide your fingers underneath, and the flexible silicone sits across the back of your hand. That gives the iPad another point of support without turning it into something with a bulky carrying handle.

Designer: Strapsicle

That arrangement also leaves room to change how you hold the tablet. Your fingers can slip under different parts of the strap for portrait reading or landscape browsing, with either hand taking a turn. Of course, the case doesn’t make an iPad weightless. It’s intended to reduce reliance on pinching the edges, not remove the need to support the device at all.

Eventually, though, even the most interesting book has to make way for something else. The front cover folds along its geometric creases to become a stand, offering portrait support for reading and a steeper 75° landscape position for watching videos. There’s also an 8° setup for typing and drawing, bringing the screen closer to the tabletop rather than holding it almost upright.

The cover doesn’t have to follow you through every activity, thankfully. It detaches completely, leaving the rear strap accessible without a folded flap competing for space behind your hand. Small pins connect it to the shell rather than magnets, so removing it is a deliberate step. Put it back on when you’re finished, and the screen has a cover for the trip home.

There’s a smaller silicone loop along the edge for an Apple Pencil, keeping the stylus with the tablet instead of loose in a bag. The main straps are interchangeable, too, so changing colors doesn’t require replacing the whole case. Pink, dark teal, and black give that unusual rear shape a little personality, while the transparent back leaves the iPad’s own finish visible.

Strapsicle lists two sizes, fitting the sixth- and seventh-generation iPad mini or the 10th-generation iPad and iPad (A16). Its announced US launch prices are $69.99 for the mini case and $79.99 for the larger version. The company says they’re shipping now, with the October 26, 2026, announcement marking their B&H retail debut. DataVision sales are scheduled to follow in November.

There is a tradeoff to all that extra support, however. Strapsicle lists the complete mini case at about six ounces and the larger version at 9.8 ounces, including their covers and straps. You’re adding weight to something you’ll still have to hold. Taking the cover off for a chapter on the couch makes sense, then, provided you remember to put it back before heading out.

The post Strapsicle’s iPad Cases Trade Gripping the Edges for a Silicone Hand Strap first appeared on Yanko Design.

For five years, Arrowmax has been teaching screwdrivers to read people. The SES Pro in 2021 watched your wrist, so a twist left or right told the motor which way to spin. The SES Max added app control, and the M1 Pro stretched output to 10 kgf·cm with a manual fallback for stubborn screws. Its little screen could report torque and battery level all day. Your screwdriver got smarter and you got lazier, in the best possible way. The obvious next question was why the tool still had no idea what screw it was holding.

The Arrowspace S1, built by the same team under a new brand name, answers that with a camera on the tail end of the screwdriver. Image recognition names the screw’s drive type and exact size, while a small probe holds the lens at a fixed distance so tiny heads stay sharp. The smart case then lights the slot of the matching bit, and Auto mode picks a safe torque for that fastener. It keeps the 10 kgf·cm ceiling of the M1 Pro, which is plenty for everything from earbuds to e-bike parts. Early pricing starts at $119, and the kit includes the case, 52 S2 steel bits, and a power tip extension.

Designers: LAU YIN / XU YU

Click Here to Buy Now: $129 $215 (40% off). Hurry, only 40/400 left! Raised over $119,000.

The Screwdriver That Squints So You Don’t Have To

The camera sits at the rear of the S1, right behind a small contact probe, and the two work as a team. You rest the probe on the screw head, which locks the lens at one fixed distance, so every shot lands sharp. A screw this small turns to mush if the camera drifts even 1mm. Arrowmax fixed that blur problem with a metal pin instead of more code, which is a very hardware-person way to win an argument. I love it, because it means recognition survives a messy bench and shaky hands instead of working only in a demo video.

Once the shot is sharp, the driver sends it to the companion app on your phone, which works out the drive type and exact size. Everything runs locally with no internet involved, so your screw photos stay on your phone. Arrowmax trained the model, a YOLO object detector, on its own collection of tens of thousands of real screw photos, currently covering 12 common head profiles. The app shows the actual camera image next to the verdict, so you can see what the S1 sees and judge the call yourself. Only the reading step needs the phone, since motor control, torque, and the displays all work on their own.

A Case That Points at the Right Bit

The smart case turns the app’s verdict into something you can see across the bench. A 2-inch TFT screen with Arrowspace’s purple interface shows the recognized screw type and size, while an LED glows under the slot holding the matching bit. Reach, grab, done. Compare that with the usual ritual of squinting at tiny codes on dozens of near-identical shafts, and the old way starts to look like a part-time job. It is the same idea as a warehouse pick-to-light shelf, shrunk down to a tray of S2 steel bits.

The 52 bits are S2 steel hardened to HRC60, which keeps the tips from rounding off after repeated use, and extended bits reach screws buried in deep holes. A magnetic holder keeps bits seated while you work. The case itself is a CNC-machined frame in aerospace-grade aluminum with EVA protection inside, a build the M1 Pro’s CNC aluminum box would recognize. That solid metal feel suits a bench that sees daily use. One box ends up holding the driver, the bits, and the answer to which bit you need.

Gentle With Earbuds, Firm With E-Bikes

Electric torque runs from 1 to 10 kgf·cm, roughly 0.1 to 1 N·m, and Arrowspace’s own chart maps that range to real jobs. The low end suits earbuds, smart bands, and glasses. Around 3 you are into laptops and camera bodies, 6 covers RC cars, drones, and game consoles, and the full 10 handles e-bike parts and large appliances. Auto mode matches a conservative preset to the screw it just identified and remembers your last setting between jobs. Prefer to drive? The app lets you tune the torque for each mode yourself.

When electric mode runs out of muscle, the S1 switches to manual on its own, a trick it inherits from the M1 Pro. The mechanism is rated for 30 kgf·cm of hand-twisted force, which handles the factory screw that laughs at motors. A 600mAh LiPo battery covers 900+ screws or about 90 minutes of continuous use, and USB-C refills it in roughly 70 minutes. An OLED on the body shows torque level, spin direction, and battery, and it even animates while charging. A full session of fiddly repairs fits comfortably inside one charge.

The Price of Never Guessing Again

The S1 suits anyone who repairs often enough to own a drawer of bits but not often enough to have a veteran’s eye, meaning RC builders, scale modelers, drone owners, and the friend who gets every laptop question. Arrowspace says the AI handles identification while your hand keeps the control, and that split feels right to me. My one wish is friendlier recognition for oddballs like JIS cross-head screws, the Phillips look-alikes in plenty of Japanese electronics. Arrowmax says updates will keep widening the 12 profiles covered today, so the wish has a path. A screwdriver that learns new screws over time is a fun idea for a tool that used to be a metal stick.

Pricing for a single S1 kit starts at $119, listed at 45% off, with $129 and $149 tiers also available. Every tier includes the driver, the illuminated smart case, 52 S2 steel bits, and a power tip extension. Shipping is an estimated $16 by air freight to anywhere in the world, so US buyers are covered, with delivery expected in April 2027. Two kits run $238 and three run $339, with shipping at $30 and $45. The optional Angle Screw attachment is sold separately, so check the product page for its price. A stripped screw can cost you a whole device, which makes $119 look like cheap insurance.

Click Here to Buy Now: $129 $215 (40% off). Hurry, only 40/400 left! Raised over $119,000.

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Explore Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra features and pricing, from DeX and Galaxy AI to accessories, with buying advice to help you choose the right configuration.

The post Samsung Galaxy Tab S12 Ultra Cheat Sheet: What to Know Before You Buy appeared first on TechRepublic.

A phone charging flat on a desk isn’t particularly useful when you want to follow a recipe or join a video call. Statik’s PowerStand gives that familiar cable an extra job, building a folding stand directly into its USB-C connector. The $19.99 retail accessory lets your phone stay propped up while plugged in, without adding a separate cradle to the table.

Most of the work happens in a broad connector housing that sits across the phone’s bottom edge. Two legs pivot out from its ends, turning the plug into a little support structure for portrait or landscape viewing. Fold those legs back against the housing when you’re finished, and the stand travels with the cable rather than becoming another loose accessory to forget.

Designer: Statik

That arrangement makes particular sense beside a laptop, where a phone can sit upright for calls while the computer handles everything else. Turn it sideways, and the same support becomes useful for watching a video over lunch. There’s no magnetic ring or special case to attach first, although you do have to plug the stand end into the phone to use it.

The connector’s shape matters even when you aren’t using the stand. Its right-angle layout sends the cord along the phone’s edge instead of straight out into your hand, a useful distinction when holding it horizontally for a game. Statik also extends the plug’s shaft to reach through most cases, though that isn’t a promise that every bulky protective cover will fit.

Putting a wide piece of hardware underneath a phone creates another problem, since that space often contains speakers and microphones. PowerStand’s housing includes molded channels that Statik says direct sound toward the listener while keeping those openings clear. It’s a thoughtful response to the connector’s added width, although the available evidence doesn’t establish a measurable improvement in volume or call quality.

Statik rates the cable for up to 240W using USB Power Delivery 3.1, allowing it to serve compatible laptops when paired with an appropriate charger. That figure describes the cable’s capacity, not what every connected device will receive. Data transfers are limited to USB 2.0’s 480Mbps, making this a charging-first accessory rather than a particularly speedy file-transfer cable for large video projects and backups.

At 6.6 feet, the cord gives you some room between the outlet and whatever patch of desk or kitchen counter you’re using. It has a braided nylon jacket and reinforced strain relief, while the connector combines TPE plastic and aluminum. The rest of the lead remains a conventional cable, with a standard USB-C plug at the opposite end rather than another folding mechanism.

Of course, putting a stand inside a connector means accepting a much wider plug, even on days when you only want to charge. There’s no getting around that tradeoff by folding the feet away. But for someone who regularly props a phone beside a keyboard or hotel bed, though, that extra width buys a more useful resting place than the nearest coffee mug on the nightstand.

The post Statik PowerStand turns a USB-C cable into a folding phone stand first appeared on Yanko Design.

My phone flashlight handles most of my after-dark chores, which is a funny confession from someone who writes about EDC gear for a living. It is always in my pocket, it is bright enough, and it asks for nothing extra. Then a job needs both hands, and suddenly the phone is clamped in my teeth, aiming at the ceiling while I squint at a breaker box. The phone flashlight is a great idea with one design flaw, which is that it comes attached to a phone. Hands-free light has always been the gap, and headlamps are too much hardware for a trip to the garage.

Wuben’s G6 SPARK is a keychain-sized answer to the teeth problem. Its clip rotates 90 degrees with distinct clicks, so you can clip it to a pocket, cap brim, or backpack strap and aim the beam where your hands are busy. The 500-lumen main light handles distance, a 100-lumen side light with red modes handles up close, and a hidden blunt-tip blade covers the odd chore. The body is 7075 aluminum, 0.34 inches (8.6 mm) thick, and 1.4 ounces (40 g or about as much as an AirPods case).

Designer: Wuben

Click Here to Buy Now: $33.99 $44.99 (24% off). Hurry, only 411/1000 left! Raised over $111,000.

Eleven credit cards thick and cut from aerospace aluminum

The G6 SPARK measures 2.56 by 1.35 inches and 0.34 inches thick (65 by 34.2 by 8.6 mm), and it weighs 1.4 ounces (40 g). That makes it roughly eleven credit cards thick, so it vanishes into a jeans pocket. The body is 7075 aluminum, which Wuben calls aerospace-grade, and a slab this thin needs a metal with a spine. Wuben rates it IP66 against dust and powerful water jets, with 1 meter (3.3 feet) of impact resistance, so a keychain’s daily abuse should not scare it. The USB charging port hides inside the body, which keeps the face clean and symmetrical.

7075 is the zinc-rich member of the aluminum family, and it has a reputation for being far tougher than the 6061 found in most flashlight bodies. Aircraft engineers fell for it because it is light and stiff at the same time. Stiffness is exactly what a flat flashlight needs, since a thin body that flexes is a bad day for the lens and the electronics. On a keychain, that rigidity should also help it survive a crowded pocket full of other metal. A push-release attachment lets you pop it off the ring when you want it in your hand instead of dangling off your keys.

Three lights, one button, and a click code you can learn in an evening

The main light tops out at 500 lumens with a 66 meter (217 ft) throw and a peak beam intensity of 1,089 candela. Those numbers describe a beam for the space around you, like a driveway or a campsite, rather than a hillside across the valley. Light color is 5000K, a daylight white, and the CRI of 70 means colors look decent rather than lab-accurate, which is fine for finding a dropped screw. Brightness steps are Eco, Low, Medium, and High, and you cycle them by holding the button. A double click jumps to Turbo, a triple click gives you Strobe, and mode memory remembers your last setting.

The independent side light is the one I expect to use most, since it gives a close-range pool of light at arm’s length. White comes in Low, Medium, and High, topping out at 100 lumens, which is plenty for reading a label or tracing a wire. Red adds a steady mode and a signal mode at 10 lumens, handy for saving night vision or flagging yourself on a dark road. Hold the button while the main light is off to wake the side light, and hold again to cycle the five modes. That is a lot of options on one button, though the click patterns are easy enough to learn in an evening.

A clip that aims, a blade that hides, and a cap brim that becomes a headlamp

The clip is the headline trick, rotating through 90 degrees with distinct mechanical clicks so you can feel each position. Clipped to a cap brim, it works like a minimalist headlamp, and I would happily wear it to read in a tent. Tucked into the side is a blunt-tip utility blade that handles opening boxes, slicing tape, and sharpening a pencil, and probably a marshmallow stick if you ask nicely. Fold it away and the G6 goes back to being a slab that keeps your keys company. My one wish is a tiny tactile mark near the button, so a cold thumb can find it in the dark.

Click Here to Buy Now: $33.99 $44.99 (24% off). Hurry, only 411/1000 left! Raised over $111,000.

The post Wuben’s tiny flashlight packs 500 lumens and a blade into 40 grams first appeared on Yanko Design.

Smartphones have become the focal point of everyday carry, but their slim profiles leave little room for the small essentials people take everywhere. Ninja Labs, a Los Angeles-based company, offers a simple alternative with the MagSafe Flex Pouch. The accessory is a detachable silicone pocket that turns the back of a MagSafe-compatible smartphone into expandable storage for everyday items.

Unlike conventional magnetic wallets designed primarily for cards, the Flex Pouch uses a flexible, stretchy compartment to accommodate objects of different shapes and sizes. It can hold credit cards, IDs, cash, coins, wireless earbuds, and even a car key fob. According to Ninja Labs, the pocket can accommodate anything from a single card to a stack of 20, making it a versatile option for people who want to carry fewer accessories.

Designer: Ninja Labs

The design is centered on a proprietary memory silicone blend that expands to roughly twice its original size before contracting again. Rather than relying on zippers, buttons, or rigid compartments, the material stretches around its contents. Its naturally grippy surface helps keep items in place, while the open-top construction allows quick access. When emptied, the pouch returns to its original compact form.

Ninja Labs says the material retained more than 90 percent of its original stretch after 10,000 stretching cycles, offering an indication of its intended durability. However, the company advises against carrying regular house keys or other sharp-edged objects that could puncture the silicone.

The MagSafe version introduces a refreshing change to the original Flex Pouch concept. Earlier versions integrated the pocket directly into an iPhone case, making it a permanent part of the phone’s exterior. The new accessory is a standalone unit that attaches magnetically to a MagSafe-compatible iPhone or case and can be removed whenever it is no longer needed. Android users can also use it with a suitable magnetic case, although the pouch does not provide phone protection of its own.

This detachable format makes the accessory adaptable to different situations. It can carry cards and cash for a quick errand, earbuds and a car fob while travelling, or small personal-care items during a night out. The flexible construction also allows it to accommodate bulkier objects than a traditional flat wallet, although adding more contents inevitably creates a pronounced bulge at the back of the phone.

The MagSafe Flex Pouch is priced at $59 and is available in pink, baby blue, lavender, and black, with transparent silicone and a sparkling pink finish among the options. Ninja Labs offers worldwide shipping, with international delivery listed at $10, so you can try it out right away. You can also go for their case cover version if MagSafe is not your thing.

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A coffee grinder, a kettle, and a few favorite mugs can turn into a surprisingly territorial collection. Add filters, beans, and the tools that make a morning ritual feel worthwhile, and suddenly the kitchen counter has a second job. UNITO’s Coffee Station offers a dedicated home for that equipment, with wheels underneath so the coffee corner doesn’t have to become a permanent fixture.

Designed by Unito, the station brings preparation space and storage together in a movable counter. Its appeal extends beyond reclaiming kitchen space. For a studio hosting clients or someone setting up a coffee pop-up, it could provide a more organized starting point than a table surrounded by supply boxes. Unito’s founder has described the Coffee Station as part of the brand’s move toward furniture and tools for small businesses.

Designer: Unito

The material combination gives that practical idea some personality. According to the supplied product description, silver anodized aluminum profiles form the frame, while light birch plywood supplies the panels. I like that the design lets both materials retain their identities. The metal outlines the structure with a workshop-like precision; the wood gives the broad surfaces enough warmth to keep the station from reading as purely institutional equipment.

That balance matters for something that might face customers. In the published photographs, the silver framework remains visible around the wooden drawer fronts, and side surfaces extend beyond the central cabinet on supporting brackets. Those extra surfaces look useful for separating preparation from pickup. A cup waiting to be served shouldn’t have to compete with the grinder for the same patch of counter.

Storage deserves as much attention as the equipment displayed above it. The described configuration includes two soft-close drawers, with an open compartment underneath. The photographs show wide finger-pull cutouts rather than projecting handles. I appreciate that restraint, but the more useful decision is giving small supplies somewhere to disappear. Filters, spoons, and towels could stay close without becoming part of the countertop display.

Then come the wheels, arguably the least glamorous and most consequential detail. The specifications list four locking stainless steel casters, and brake levers are visible in the photographs. That arrangement is intended to let the station move into position and then stay put. I’d still distinguish a rolling workstation from portable luggage. Moving across a suitable floor is a different proposition from negotiating stairs or loading it into a car.

The top also introduces an interesting possibility: it is specified to accept IGT panels or stoves. IGT refers to the Iron Grill Table system, whose modular approach combines frames with cooking and work-surface inserts. For UNITO, the appeal is a surface that could accommodate different tasks rather than permanently committing to one arrangement. Exact insert compatibility still needs confirmation before anyone starts ordering accessories.

The dedicated patio umbrella slot is another thoughtful detail. Published images show an umbrella rising above a fully arranged coffee setup, making the station read like a small service point rather than a kitchen cart parked outside. That could be useful for a temporary outdoor gathering. It doesn’t, however, establish that the plywood is weatherproof or that the station can anchor an umbrella safely in wind.

My favorite potential use is actually the less theatrical one: a shared studio where the coffee setup needs its own territory but the room changes throughout the week. A dedicated station could keep supplies together while allowing the host to rearrange the space. That feels like a convincing reason to put furniture on wheels, especially when building another fixed counter would make the room less flexible.

I wouldn’t call it a complete café or an outdoor kitchen. Those descriptions skip over water, power, cleanup, and the practical demands of serving people. Its more believable contribution is giving coffee equipment a coherent place to live and work. For someone who wants a serious setup without designing the room around it, that’s an appealing amount of commitment.

The post A Coffee Bar Without a Remodel: UNITO’s Rolling Station first appeared on Yanko Design.

An espresso habit gets complicated the minute you leave the kitchen. You can bring the beans, but the equipment tends to stay beside an outlet, occupying a respectable chunk of counter. Pura Coffee’s PURA NEO Pro, listed for sale at $349, is designed to put heating, extraction, and drinking into one battery-powered object. The problem it tackles is straightforward: making espresso away from your usual setup without packing a miniature coffee station.

Visually, the NEO Pro looks closer to a travel tumbler than a shrunken kitchen appliance. The company’s imagery shows a cylindrical body, a cup at the top, and a textured brown band around the middle. A circular power button keeps the front relatively uncluttered. I like the restraint here. It looks like an object you could leave beside a laptop without your desk suddenly resembling the equipment shelf behind a coffee bar.

Designer: Pura Coffee

That stacked layout explains the design’s most interesting decision. Pura pumps water upward through the grounds into the drinking cup above, so you don’t need to balance the brewer over a separate vessel. The cup becomes part of the architecture rather than another accessory to remember. The company says upward flow helps wet the coffee bed evenly and reduce channeling. That extraction advantage needs testing, but the integrated cup has an immediately understandable purpose.

The basic controls are refreshingly physical. After a short press followed by a two-second hold to power on, one press starts heated brewing at the default 92°C, roughly 198°F. A double press skips heating and brews using the water’s existing temperature. Pura also uses a colored light ring to communicate status. It’s a sensible division of labor: a button for getting coffee started, with a small visual signal instead of another screen demanding your attention.

Inside, the ambition gets more technical. Pura specifies extraction pressure of 6 to 9 bar at the coffee puck and a five-stage process that moves from pre-infusion through brewing to pressure release. Its roughly three-minute cold-start brewing time is explicitly labeled a design target, not a verified result here. I’d treat that timing as provisional, particularly if the appeal is making a quick cup between meetings rather than enjoying the preparation itself.

Then comes Brew OS, the companion software that lets owners adjust brewing parameters and save combinations as shareable Brew Cards. Pura says the app can also suggest a starting extraction curve from a photograph of a coffee bag or the beans themselves. That’s a potentially useful entry point for someone who wants more guidance than a temperature slider. Importantly, the company describes these suggestions as starting points, while deeper learning from personal taste ratings remains on its roadmap.

I’m more persuaded by saving a recipe than by the prospect of photographing beans. A saved combination gives the tinkering a destination: find settings you like, then stop rebuilding them every morning. For me, that’s a better reason to connect a coffee maker to a phone than simply adding remote controls. Brew OS allows that recipe to be saved and shared, although repeating settings shouldn’t be mistaken for guaranteeing identical flavor.

The practical boundaries matter, too. The water tank holds a maximum of 70 milliliters, about 2.4 fluid ounces, so think espresso-sized servings, not a full commuter mug. Ground coffee is the primary approach, with an optional Nespresso-compatible capsule adapter. Cleanup still involves discarding the grounds and rinsing removable parts; the body cannot be immersed or put in the dishwasher. Portability gets the equipment into your bag, but it doesn’t make the used grounds disappear afterward.

At $349, I’d want the NEO Pro to earn its place through regular use, not just the occasional campsite photo. Its strongest design argument is the cup itself: brewing and drinking share one vertical assembly, with fewer separate objects to arrange. If carrying your espresso routine matters enough to justify the preparation and cleanup, that’s a thoughtful place to start. The app can offer more settings later. First, the coffee needs somewhere to land.

The post Espresso Without an Outlet or a Separate Cup first appeared on Yanko Design.

Magnetic charging makes attaching a battery easy, but it doesn’t guarantee that the battery will fit your phone’s shape. Apple’s folding iPhone Duo introduces a shorter body that gives accessories less room to stretch. BMX’s SolidSafe Duo responds with a compact, 5,000mAh power bank designed around those proportions, bringing a rotating stand, color display, and attached USB-C cable along for the ride.

The difference starts inside, where a custom-shaped battery cell lets the enclosure follow the Duo’s footprint instead of extending beyond its edges. The black, CNC-machined aluminum housing has rounded corners and a broad face that sits below the cameras. That gives the accessory a more deliberate relationship with the phone, although matching its outline doesn’t make the added thickness disappear, of course.

Designer: BMX (Better Mobile Experience)

A circular ring folds out from the back and rotates 360°, giving the phone support in portrait or landscape orientation. Reading a recipe on the counter could give way to watching a video over lunch without detaching the battery. The stand makes particular sense for an unfolded screen, which offers more room to watch but also more phone to hold in your hand.

Nestled inside that ring is a full-color display showing the power bank’s remaining charge and live charging wattage. The distinction matters because the percentage belongs to the accessory, not your iPhone. It also gives you a way to check both your reserve and the current power output, rather than assuming that an attached battery is always charging at its advertised maximum speed.

The attached USB-C cable doubles as a lanyard, so wired charging doesn’t begin with a search through your bag. Plug it into a compatible device for up to 20W output, or use it to refill the power bank at up to 15W. It’s a simple detail, but it keeps the wired option available even when the rest of your charging gear is elsewhere.

Wireless charging, meanwhile, tops out at a claimed 15W, below the iPhone Duo’s supported 25W maximum. You’re getting a tailored shape rather than the phone’s fastest wireless charging. Connecting two devices also changes the numbers, splitting output between 10W over USB-C and 5W wirelessly. That could help another device through the afternoon, but neither connection retains its single-device maximum in that arrangement.

The SolidSafe name also needs a little unpacking. BMX uses semi-solid-state cells and says their reduced liquid electrolyte content helps lower fire risk compared with conventional lithium-ion batteries. That’s a reduced-risk claim, not a promise that the battery can’t fail. The rigid aluminum enclosure also helps dissipate heat, according to BMX, rather than preventing the pack from becoming warm while it charges your phone.

Available for $79.99 in the US, SolidSafe Duo adds about 0.43 inch of thickness and 4.47 ounces to your phone. Those numbers deserve as much attention as its compact outline, particularly when the phone itself already folds shut. Having a stand and cable built into the battery means fewer loose accessories to pack, but a thicker stack to slide back into your pocket.

The post SolidSafe Duo Magnetic Power Bank Is Shaped to Fit Apple’s Folding iPhone first appeared on Yanko Design.

Kevlar has spent most of its career in serious places, like bulletproof vests, racing tires, and the occasional helmet. Chemist Stephanie Kwolek invented it at DuPont in 1965, and I doubt anyone in that lab imagined a functional fabric like Kevlar would one day be asked to look classy. Today the fiber basically has a second life as a fashion fabric. I find that delightfully absurd, like learning your bodyguard also had a career as a swimsuit model. Benks has been leaning into that split personality for a while, and its latest drop takes it somewhere sunnier.

Meet Haven Azure and Haven Rouge, two Kevlar cases for the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, priced at $69.99 each. Benks weaves the pattern directly into the Kevlar fiber using a 600D floating jacquard technique, rather than printing it onto the surface. That means the design is part of the weave itself, not just a layer of color that can scuff off. Azure ripples in layered blues, Rouge glows in warm reds, and both wrap the phone in a slim, full coverage shell. Building on the ArmorAir, the Haven series features a taller raised metal camera frame for enhanced lens protection, along with an upgraded ArmorKey that fully covers the Camera Control button. The result is a slim, full-coverage case that offers more comprehensive protection without compromising its refined design. Same tough stuff, just dressed for vacation.

Designer: Benks

Click Here to Buy Now: $69.99 Haven Azure | Click Here to Buy Now: Haven Rouge.

An 1800s Loom Trick, Now Running on Kevlar

Jacquard weaving builds a design into the cloth by lifting individual threads in a programmed order, a trick Joseph-Marie Jacquard automated with punched cards in the early 1800s. Silk mills near Lake Como, Benks’ stated inspiration, have long used the technique for ties. Benks applies the same logic to Kevlar, letting some threads float over others so colors and shapes appear in the weave. The 600D figure is a denier rating, which tells you how thick the yarn is. According to Benks, strands finer and more densely woven than the common 1500D give a smoother surface and a slimmer case. A loom from 1804 would recognize the idea instantly.

Getting color into Kevlar takes effort, and most of us picture the fiber as black and nothing else. Benks says the Haven colorways are woven into the fiber structure, with no laminated surface layer to peel, so the texture you feel is the weave itself. The brand has been heading here for a while, from the Knight ArmorAir with its champagne horse that reads like pixel art made from industrial fiber, to these flowing ripples. Benks bills the 600D Kevlar jacquard as an industry first, and the product shots show why it wants the credit. Big diagonal sweeps also suit a phone better than tiny repeating logos ever could.

Azure Cools Things Down, Rouge Warms Them Up

Azure sets a deep navy base and runs a diagonal band of lighter blues down the back, a bit like sunlight breaking up on lake water. Benks describes the pattern as gentle ripples in layered blue tones. Look closely at the product shots and the lighter threads read like tiny stitched pixels, which gives the band a cross-stitch charm. Rouge flips the mood with a burgundy base and a pale gold band, and Benks calls the shade Rouge Valley Red, with woven contour lines meant to recall warm valleys at dusk. Honestly, Azure feels like a lake breeze and Rouge feels like a glass of wine.

Benks shows both cases on all four iPhone 18 Pro colors, which are Black, Glacier, Burgundy, and Silver. Rouge on Burgundy looks like the obvious match, since phone and case speak the same dark red language. Azure beside Glacier makes sense too, though the blues also look sharp against Silver and Black. Each colorway has a matching ArmorPop grip and stand at $29.99 for anyone who wants the full set. The Haven tagline is “somewhere between here and away,” which also describes my mental state every Friday afternoon. Pick the mood first, then let your phone color follow.

Metal Frame, Enclosed Keys, Built-In Magnets

The iPhone 18 Pro is the first iPhone with a physical variable aperture, so its camera plateau deserves a proper guard. Haven wraps it in a raised metal frame that Benks says helps shield the lenses from scratches and bumps. Raised screen edges keep the display off flat surfaces without adding bulk. Enclosed ArmorKeys cover the side buttons, camera button included, and Benks promises crisp, responsive clicks. Cutouts line up with the ports, and the Kevlar texture wraps around the edges for a slip-resistant grip. A built-in magnetic core handles MagSafe accessories, so your charger, wallet, and grip stay where you put them.

Haven Azure and Haven Rouge are listed at $69.99 each on Benks’ site, with versions for the iPhone 18 Pro and the Pro Max (they’ll fit the 17 Pro series too). The cases boast a one year warranty, free shipping on orders of $39 or more, and a 30 day return window. Matching ArmorPop grips sit on the same product pages if you want to coordinate. Protection and personality have usually sat on separate shopping lists for phone cases, and weaving color straight into Kevlar is a neat way to merge them. Kevlar went from body armor to brunch, and I suspect it has a few more lives left.

Click Here to Buy Now: $69.99 Haven Azure | Click Here to Buy Now: Haven Rouge.

The post Benks’ new Kevlar iPhone 18 Pro cases look like they’re ready for a holiday cruise first appeared on Yanko Design.

Your phone can shoot video, run a demanding game, and carry an entire music library. It can also leave you holding a warm slab of glass, untangling a charging cable, or trying to photograph someone under terrible lighting. Those are the gaps worth designing for. A useful accessory should fix a specific irritation without creating three more, preferably through a mechanism you can understand before opening a thick instruction manual.

These nine selections tackle cooling, listening, cable clutter, misplaced cards, awkward camera controls, and backup power. Some attach to the phone; others give it a useful companion on your desk or in your bag. Start with the problem that actually bothers you most each day.

1. OnePlus Ice Card Mini

OnePlus has squeezed a phone cooler into a small card footprint rather than a bulky gaming attachment. The Ice Card Mini is listed in OPPO’s China store and described as a 50-gram body measuring 70mm by 53.4mm. Its thermoelectric chip works with an air-cooling system, while magnets hold the accessory against the phone. That compact packaging is the appeal: cooling becomes something you might carry alongside a cable, rather than reserve for a dedicated desktop gaming setup.

The practical tradeoff is power. The Mini draws up to 3.5W through USB-C and can run from a phone, power bank, or wall adapter. An included magnetic plate lets you attach it to phones without built-in magnets. It gives heat-conscious gamers a relatively discreet option, but drawing power from the phone adds another demand on its battery.

What we like

• Compact, 50-gram magnetic format.
• USB-C power accepts several sources.

What we dislike

• Consumes power rather than supplying it.

2. StillFrame Headphones

If earbuds bother your ears, a phone’s music library deserves another way out. StillFrame Headphones, designed by Tatsufumi Funayama, use an on-ear format with a stainless steel headband and magnetically attached fabric cushions. Circular and square geometry share the housings, with circuitry deliberately exposed. The retro reference has a practical point: you can choose headphones that sit against your ears without choosing the bulk of a conventional over-ear design for everyday listening.

Bluetooth 5.4 handles wireless listening, while the supplied USB-C cable supports wired playback. The headphones include 40mm drivers, noise cancellation, and a transparency mode; the maker claims up to 24 hours of playback. Those choices make StillFrame worth considering for desk listening or commuting when you prefer an alternative to in-ear buds. There’s one unusual operating detail: both sides need charging and separate button presses to power on. Light construction also doesn’t prove comfort or effective noise cancellation by itself.

Click Here to Buy Now: $245.00

What we like

• Low weight and removable magnetic cushions.
• Both wireless and wired playback.

What we dislike

• Both sides require charging and separate power-on presses.
• A full charge takes approximately three hours.

3. SuperCalla Magnetic Charging Cable

A charging cable shouldn’t need its own accessory just to stay organized. SuperCalla builds the organizer into the cable, placing magnets at intervals along its length. Line them up and the cable holds a coil or folded arrangement without a separate tie. The useful distinction is that these magnets manage the cable’s shape; they aren’t detachable charging connectors. For a bag that also carries keys, headphones, and adapters, keeping the loose length contained addresses a very ordinary frustration quite directly.

The manufacturer’s USB-C to USB-C listing separates a 60W, USB 2.0 version from a 100W, USB 3.1 Gen 2 option. That matters because neat storage says nothing about charging speed or file transfer performance. Choose the connector and electrical specification your phone actually needs, then treat the magnetic organization as the bonus.

What we like

• Magnetic organization without a separate cable tie.
• Multiple folding and coiling arrangements.

What we dislike

• Cable variants have different data capabilities.
• Dated shipping information needs clarification.

4. Battery-free Amplifying iSpeakers

The Battery-free Amplifying iSpeakers take a pleasingly literal approach to phone audio: put the phone in a shaped metal enclosure and let the geometry do the work. Designed by Ooi Masato and made in Japan, the accessory uses duralumin rather than a powered amplifier. There’s no Bluetooth pairing, battery gauge, or charging cable involved. For someone who wants to listen aloud at a desk, it offers a dedicated place for the phone without adding another electronic device to the routine.

The attraction is simplicity, not a promise of room-filling volume. The phone remains the sound source, so this makes more sense as a casual listening accessory than a replacement for powered speakers. Check your phone and case fit before buying, along with the position of the speaker opening. Optional +Bloom and +Jet modules redirect sound and are sold separately. It’s an appealing desk object for people who value avoiding chargers and want their phone to have a permanent desktop home.

Click Here to Buy Now: $179.00

What we like

• No battery, charging, or wireless pairing.
• Japanese-made duralumin construction.

What we dislike

• Phone and case fit need checking.
• Optional sound-directing modules cost extra.

5. MOFT Trackable Snap-on Phone Stand & Wallet

A magnetic wallet makes leaving the house with less stuff appealing, right up until you detach it and forget where it went. MOFT’s Trackable Snap-on Phone Stand & Wallet builds Apple Find My support into a folding accessory that also serves as a grip and stand. The current product listing specifies two cards and a 6mm thickness. Its usefulness comes from keeping those functions together, rather than asking you to carry a wallet, separate tracker, and stand every single day.

Find My gives the wallet a way to report its location and sound an alert, making it easier to look for when separated from your phone. MOFT claims around six months between wireless charges, and the folding construction supports portrait, landscape, and floating viewing positions. The limitation is equally clear: this is an Apple-oriented solution with room for just two cards. Its tracking battery is built in and nonreplaceable, so rechargeability is welcome but doesn’t resolve eventual battery serviceability concerns.

What we like

• Find My tracking without a separate tag.
• Wallet, grip, and stand share one folding structure.

What we dislike

• Holds only two cards.
• The tracking battery is not replaceable.

6. WUBEN E1 Magnetic Phone Light

A good phone camera still depends on the light in front of it. WUBEN’s E1 gives you another source to position, combining an adjustable ring light with a magnetic phone mounting arrangement. Brightness is adjustable, and warm, neutral, and cool settings let you choose the color of the light rather than accept whatever the built-in flash provides. The hinged support lets you redirect the light and use the assembly as a stand for your phone too.

This makes the E1 interesting for video calls, close-up filming, and selfies where a small adjustable source is more useful than simply pushing exposure higher. WUBEN rates output at up to 300 lumens, but that specification alone doesn’t establish how flattering the light will look. It recharges through USB-C and needs magnetic phone compatibility or an adapter ring. Check the selected retail bundle carefully: the product page lists the bracket separately among its variants; don’t assume the mount is included.

What we like

• Adjustable brightness and three color-temperature settings.
• Hinged mounting adds control over light direction.

What we dislike

• Adds another battery to recharge.
• Bracket inclusion requires careful checking.

7. Leica LUX Grip

Touchscreens are wonderfully adaptable until you want a control you can find without looking. Leica’s LUX Grip attaches magnetically to a compatible iPhone and adds a two-stage shutter button, two customizable buttons, and a control dial. Half-press the shutter to focus, then press fully to take the photograph. That physical sequence is the point: it brings a recognizable camera action to a device otherwise dominated by glass, giving regular phone photographers a different way to hold and operate their camera.

The aluminum housing weighs approximately 130 grams, and Leica specifies roughly 1,000 exposures per charge. There’s an important software boundary, though: the grip works with the Leica LUX app, not Apple’s built-in Camera app. Registration includes twelve months of LUX Pro, with paid access afterward if you retain the subscription. It’s a specialized choice for someone happy to adopt Leica’s workflow. It does not change the iPhone’s sensor or optics, and it cannot double as a phone-charging power bank either.

What we like

• Physical shutter and configurable controls.
• Supports portrait and landscape attachment.

What we dislike

• Limited to the Leica LUX app.
• Pro access becomes paid after the included year.

8. KUXIU D5 Charging Station

The annoyance here lives around the phone: an Apple Watch charger, an earbud cable, and adapters competing for desk space. KUXIU’s D5 gathers three compatible devices into one wireless charging station, with an adjustable phone platform and a motorized Apple Watch module that retracts into the body. The hidden watch charger is an unusually specific design decision. You only need that protrusion when a watch is charging, so the dock needn’t keep it permanently extended across your desk between sessions.

The display shows input voltage, current, and power, plus individual charging status, giving the dock more feedback than a single indicator light. KUXIU also includes an active cooling fan that can be switched off. Phone charging is advertised at up to 25W, but actual speed depends on the handset’s support. The watch module is specifically for Apple Watch, and earbuds need a wireless-charging case. For a compatible trio, the benefit is consolidation, not a guarantee that everything suddenly charges faster.

What we like

• Three charging positions in one station.
• Retractable watch module and informative display.

What we dislike

• Watch charging is Apple Watch-specific.
• Maximum phone charging speed depends on compatibility.

9. RetroWave 7-in-1 Radio

A smartphone becomes a much less useful companion when the battery runs down, and there’s no outlet nearby. The RetroWave 7-in-1 Radio brings a modest backup battery together with things a phone shouldn’t have to supply indefinitely: a flashlight, an SOS siren, and radio reception. Its 2,000mAh battery can provide a phone top-up, while AM, FM, and shortwave listening work without an internet connection. The tuning dial also provides a direct physical control instead of another screen to navigate.

Bluetooth playback gives RetroWave an everyday role as a phone speaker, while USB and microSD playback let it handle music independently. That matters for an emergency companion: it has reasons to stay accessible rather than disappear into a drawer. Be realistic about its charging options. USB is the primary method, the hand crank is intended for emergencies, and solar charging is supplementary. The small battery won’t replace a substantial power bank, but it offers a useful reserve alongside standalone functions.

Click Here to Buy Now: $89.00

What we like

• Phone charging alongside independent radio and lighting.
• Bluetooth and offline music playback.

What we dislike

• Limited 2,000mAh backup capacity.
• Solar and crank charging are secondary options.

Buy for the Problem You Actually Have

The sensible way to choose from this collection is to start with the irritation, not the accessory. If cables are your daily nuisance, a more elaborate charging station may be unnecessary. If touch controls interrupt your photography, a grip deserves more attention than another camera specification. Match the mechanism to the task, then check the phone, case, app, and charging requirements that determine whether it will actually work for you.

The less obvious question is where the accessory belongs when you’re finished using it. Something that folds, coils, docks, or stays useful independently has a better chance of fitting into a routine than something you must keep rearranging. There’s no need to buy all nine. A phone already does enough jobs; the right companion should remove one small source of friction without giving you another object to manage every day.

The post 9 Smartphone Accessories That Solve the Annoying Problems Your Phone Still Has first appeared on Yanko Design.

Desktop computers have become smaller, but even a little box needs somewhere to sit and cables to connect it. HP’s EliteBoard G2a removes that separate enclosure by putting the computer inside a full-size keyboard. This Windows PC keeps the surface you already type on and gives it another job, making a compact workstation easier to carry between home and office.

The gray body measures 14.1 by 4.7 by 0.7 inches and weighs about 1.49 pounds, depending on configuration. Low-profile keys, a numeric keypad, and backlighting preserve the familiar business-keyboard layout rather than shrinking everything into a travel accessory. That makes the design’s restraint rather convincing: there’s no separate machine competing for attention, although you’re still setting aside space for a full keyboard.

Designer: HP

Of course, the missing piece is a screen. Connect the G2a to a compatible USB-C monitor and you can bring your computer to a desk where the display already lives. A single cable can carry video, data, and power, provided the monitor supplies the required 65W. Otherwise, the included power adapter is still needed. A USB-C socket alone doesn’t guarantee that tidy arrangement.

The cable itself comes in attached and detachable versions, a small choice with consequences when packing up. An attached lead stays with the machine, so there’s one less item to leave behind. A detachable cable separates from the keyboard for storage or replacement. The second USB-C connection handles accessories, but USB-A devices and wired Ethernet require adapters, adding clutter to the setup.

Underneath, AMD Ryzen AI 5 PRO 435 or Ryzen AI 7 PRO 450 processors distinguish this G2a from the older G1a. Both include a 50-TOPS neural processing unit for compatible local AI software. The listed configurations pair 16GB or 32GB of RAM with a 512GB SSD. These prove the existence of a powerful computer beneath the keys, not a keyboard controlling something hidden behind your monitor.

An optional 32Wh battery gives the arrangement another advantage when you’re changing desks: the computer can stay running while disconnected. That doesn’t turn it into a laptop, since you’ll still need a display when you arrive. Integrated speakers and microphones reduce the peripherals needed for audio calls, and a prepaired wireless mouse completes the controls. Video calls still need a separate camera, of course.

Putting everything beneath the keys could make a damaged keyboard an expensive problem, which is why serviceability matters here. HP makes the top-mounted keyboard replaceable, alongside the RAM, SSD, and optional battery. Two accessible memory slots support upgrades to 64GB. You don’t have to treat the computer as disposable because its most frequently touched part wears out, although repairs still require appropriate skills.

That said, the price is harder to hide than the computer. Listed US configurations start at $3,028, while the attached-cable version with 32GB of RAM is priced at $3,846. A compatible monitor remains a separate purchase. For someone moving between equipped workspaces, carrying a keyboard instead of a desktop makes sense. Paying that much to avoid a separate box, however, is a considerably bigger decision.

The post HP EliteBoard G2a Hides a Windows PC in an Ordinary-Looking Keyboard first appeared on Yanko Design.

Clocks have become so familiar that we barely think about what their hands are doing. They point to positions around a circle, a habit that Orbit keeps while removing the hands themselves. This ultra-minimalist clock concept replaces them with two magnetically held metal spheres, giving time a physical presence you can reach and remove, instead of leaving it behind protective glass.

The face is a dark circular disk with two concentric recessed tracks, each carrying a polished sphere. There’s no cluster of numerals or central pin to interrupt the surface. Instead, the grooves give the small bearings separate paths, while their reflective finish contrasts with the darker background. The clock’s relief supplies the detail that printed markings would normally provide on a conventional dial.

Designer: Liam de la Bedoyere (boredeye.design)

One sphere represents the hours and the other the minutes, preserving the basic logic of an analog clock. You still look for positions around the face, only without a pair of hands connecting those positions to the center. That makes the idea less unfamiliar than it initially sounds. Reading it doesn’t call for learning an entirely new code, although some adjustment seems inevitable.

Of course, removing all those markings comes with a compromise. Estimating the hour should be simpler than judging an exact minute on an unmarked circle. Orbit could suit a living room where a glance is enough to keep track of the afternoon. Checking how many minutes remain before catching a train might make you rather grateful for the numbers on your phone.

The more unusual part is that the spheres aren’t permanently trapped in their tracks. Magnetic attachment is intended to let you lift each one away and put it back, adding a tactile interaction to an object usually left alone. That’s a surprisingly playful detail for such a restrained design, especially when removing both markers would leave the clock with nothing to tell you.

There’s a sculptural quality to the body itself, with a rounded outer edge and circular channels that give the black surface depth. A rear keyhole slot provides for wall mounting, keeping that face upright without a separate stand. The name Orbit feels appropriate here, with two small spheres occupying rings around an empty center, rather than hands meeting at a shared pivot point.

Orbit remains a concept, so there’s no established price or availability to weigh against those compromises. Its detachable markers do suggest a rather different relationship with a wall clock, though. Reach for the face and you’re handling the things that tell the time. Just make sure those little spheres don’t end up somewhere less useful, such as behind the living room sofa.

The post Orbit Clock Concept Lets You Pick Up Its Hour and Minute Markers first appeared on Yanko Design.