Believe it or not, fireplaces have been around almost as long as mankind. The first ‘fireplace’ was just a pit dug into a cave! The first grate for airflow is recorded in 1678. Ben Franklin, one of the founding fathers of our country, invented the first freestanding fireplace; that basic design is still used in some households today.

The first ‘fireplace insert’ came in the 1980’s; the first designs were, at best, not very effective for heat.

Enter technology. In 1981 electric fireplaces were introduced; they produced ‘flame effects’, not heat. 1995 brought the addition of realistic flames to the electric fireplace.

In the early 2000’s the freestanding portable electric fireplaces were introduced.

Today electric fireplaces have gained tremendously in popularity due to their versatility and the ability to heat effectively. They are ‘green’ – no wood required!

One can have a traditional ‘fireplace’ installed in a wall, complete with beautiful mantle. There is no chimney or clean out box required. Place an electric fireplace insert in the opening, and there is a source of warmth and the mesmerizing effect of wood burning flames.

Electric fireplaces can be installed through the wall creating a fireplace that is visible from both rooms.

For those who are renting a house or apartment that has no fireplace, a freestanding unit can be purchased. The styles available are countless as are the finishes. One can be found to meld perfectly with any décor. There are even corner units available to those with limited space.

The advancements in technology grow by leaps and bounds in any field. It is amazing that within a 28-year span we have gone from electric fireplace inserts that had ‘flame effects’, to today’s beautiful, versatile and effective units that are considered the ‘norm’.

Innovative technology definitely thrives in the fireplace!

Small, but very necessary. It takes up very little space, but has a crazy sound quality. You can always take the music and listen to it with pleasure!  The Mine Speaker packs a big punch for its diminutive size. With a built-in amplifier, nine hours of battery life and USB-charging, it improves the sound of any laptop. Mine Speaker has been shaped like a disc and has a white colored facade, which will nicely blend with the color of the device it will be attached with. The portable device has a tough casing, which is impact resistance and will keep it protected always. Mine Speaker comes with a lithium battery that will give a 10 hour battery backup.

Designer David Robertson.  

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Via: Drobdesign

Mechanical work or a little effort your hands are still held in high esteem. But you can exit with dignity out of the situation, when suddenly, somewhere along the way forgot to charge your device! Comes to the aid of an amazing device. This concept offers an alternative solution where you don’t need to carry your battery charger or have to purchase a new battery. You can create mechanical energy from the winding of an internal spring which later charges the battery on-to-go via its winding motion. In fact, you might enjoy the process. Remember about you childhood memories where you play with wind-up toys? Charge Battery utilizes the similar principle. The battery casing has been designed in two parts where one part contains a spiral spring and generator, the other part contains a rechargeable battery.

Designers : Hwang Yeon Gyeong, Kang Myeong Ho, Choe Jeong Ju and Jin Jun Ho

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This  idea for a crazy glass keyboard that uses infrared lights and cameras to track your typing. Well, it’s real.
What started out as a concept tossed out onto Kickstarter for donations is officially a thing. Tentatively called the "Multi-touch Keyboard," the peripheral is Bluetooth wireless and sits on metal base (it’ll be connectable via USB too). An infrared LED projects a light onto the glass. An IR camera then picks up the scattered light particles that your finger touches would create — turning each touch into a registered press. Due to the glass nature of the keyboard, you can print out your own keyboard layout as well, which should be a godsend for video producers who anybody who heavily relies on keyboard shortcuts. 

Designer Jason Giddings and David Rogers. 

Wireless flexible keyboard
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Have you ever thought your portable mouse was a little too large, or perhaps shaped a little too much like the inside of your hand? Logitech Cube mouse innovative design redefines our conventional computer mouse. It features compact size and shape that fits your hand and your pocket, a tiny grab-and-go mouse.  It’s an honest-to-goodness laser mouse with touch sensors on top for scrolling and advancing PowerPoint presentations. Device has an internal battery and  will charge via a micro-USB port and an on / off switch, and will  connect it to your PC with Logitech’s equally diminutive Nano Unifying Receiver. The Cube is a work cum personal geeky tool as it can be easily fitted into the user’s pocket and can be used at any time and at any place when the need arises. Moreover, it has an On/Off switch button on to its front that will help you with saving the power and necessity to use according to its time of use.  Interesting little thing!

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Via: theverge

Lack of movement in the industrialized countries, the direct cause of many diseases. This can result in damage to the musculoskeletal system, as well as obesity and its consequences. Is it to encourage people to move in everyday life, which is the goal of every health care. If the office does not want to come to the stallion sports, sports, just come to the office!

The sporty looking office chair is inspired by the shape of the human body and functions as fully functioning workout station. The handles of the Fit@Work fitness chair can be used from time to time to stretch the upper body and to train the arms. The core of the chair is fitted with five strong springs that provide a sturdy counterforce while working out. The sophisticated technology embedded within the armrests of the chair allows the users to use them as a rowing machine. This lets users train the chest and arm muscles without leaving their desks. An interesting idea!

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Eco-Pulse

Via: James Dyson Award

Wrist watch that mimics an hourglass, called Liquid Time or you can also mention it as “From Nowhere to Nowhere”. Beautifully constructed from 2 specially crafted LCD screens, Liquid Time also features creative typography that forms the numbers to tell the time. No any buttons, wonder how to setup the time or try to illuminate the numbers? The sleek and stylish metal body offers 3 different colors: black, red and silver, it can be considered as a timepiece and jewelry in one. Interesting! 

Designer : Andy Kurovets

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Energy-saving watch that is powered entirely by solar light! The Solar OLED Watch crafted using organic light-emitting diodes i.e., OLEDs, the watch is relatively earth-friendly right from its construction. The next step in its Eco-friendliness is, of course, the fact that it bypasses the regular Li-Ion battery in favor of a solar-powered power-up option that ensures that the watch stays powered up without using any chemical batteries. Touch-enabled watch face only activates when the user touches it and shuts down when not in use. Though the function may appear to be of mot much consequence for an individual user, it does become pretty incredible when one considers the amount of energy saved and light pollution prevented with the function if every human being on the planet wore a watch like this!   

The flexible design of the Solar OLED watch allows it to be worn on the wrist or on one’s coats and jackets and it can just as easily be fitted to the body of any other fabric or equipment to fashion a clock for many people to use.
Designer Guoyi AKA Jason Bourne 

Nokia Smart Watch Concept
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Its weight is about one kilogram with 750W of power.  This mini vacuum cleaner can do your job very swiftly and easily. It even reaches those places where a regular vacuum cleaner is unable to provide its access. In order to allow such kind of flexibility in this mini vacuum cleaner’s design, there is an elastic tube that has been used. The elastic tube’s length can be stretched from 25 cm to 80 cm that can help the device reach distant and corner places.

In addition to the above special features, Settebello II offers two different attachments that can serve under varied cleaning conditions. There is also a special filter that helps creating air flow in a particular manner. That way, the filter is able to separate the heavy dust from other kinds of particles and materials. So, if you really want to go for an easy-to-handle device that can become your complete household cleaner and helper, check out the Settebello II mini vacuum cleaner!   

Very clean with no water
Handheld cordless and lightweight Vacuum cleaner
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Steam Cleaner

Via Behance

Looks very elegant. The Speaker Enclosure  has  simple looks and resembles a fish bowl. The shape is quite interesting and will attract a lot of attention. It will double as a decoration piece and won’t make the area look dull like conventional enclosures that were placed in a corner and left to catch dust. In order to get a perfect speaker enclosure one has to make sure that it is non resonant, has minimum parallel walls and also has an exact volume that will favor the installed speaker driver.  The chosen shape makes sure that the distortion potentially, which is produced inside a rectilinear enclosure is eliminated completely.

Designer Paul Summerson  

New speaker concept
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Future Of MP3 Player

Via: Paulsummerson