That last sprint to hell, ah, IFA

BERLIN, GERMANY--Finally, IFA begins tomorrow and it has certainly been an exciting start… Of The Amazing Race caliber. Only yours truly didn't have US$1 million waiting at the end of the race, unlike our blogger who'd won a free ride and pass to both IFA and the Pink concert taking place in Berlin August 30.

At the top of the list was the fact that this reporter almost didn't make it to the land of bratwurst and beer. All no thanks to the extremely tight connecting flight, delays to the first leg of the journey, and a horrendous queue snaking through the security checks at Frankfurt Airport. So what's a good fella supposed to do? Run, run like hell. Just like those poor sods seen scuttling through checkpoints and airports in The Amazing Race.

We'll spare you the unprintables here, but if this brave reporter had taken part in the reality TV show, not to be modest, but yours truly would have had a damn good chance of winning the prize pot. Yes, we made it to our connecting flight, within a 20-minute window, by the skin of our teeth. And, yes, we're finally here in Berlin for the world's largest consumer electronics trade show kicking off tomorrow.

So bookmark this page for the latest and hottest gadgets at IFA which we'll be bringing you, along with blog updates from our guest blogger Eunice Lim. For now, sorry, you'll get no tales of late-night brewskies and hangovers. We'll be popping Brand's Essence of Chicken cordyceps to prep for the crazy rounds at the fair tomorrow. Guten nacht, mein freunds!

Hand-le

Naomi Thellier de Poncheville, now that's a name that takes some handling. That said, you gotta hand it to her for opening the door to creepy-creative designer door handles, depending on how you view it. Do you shake hands with it? High-five it? Pat it? Grab it? Give it a feel? It's definitely not one of those things you want to bump into late at night after a triple DVD marathon of The Exorcist, Rosemary's Baby and Psycho. Cue screeching violin riffs.

 

Via Coroflot

Price: N.A.
Availability: Concept
Device: Door stop
Specs: N.A.

The Doorknob Signal

What's the worst thing that could happen when you hang a DO NOT DISTURB sign on the door, but some people just choose to disregard that? Okay, so American Pie comes to mind where a pants-free Jim is "experimenting" with the pie when his dad walks in. So it's great to find that industrial designer Arnaud Lapierre has taken privacy one step further with a doorknob that retracts to lie flush with the door panel. Even the most determined gatecrasher will find it a challenge besting this one. Now you see it, now you don't. Simply brilliant!

See how it's done here

Via Yanko Design

Price: N.A.
Availability: Concept
Device: Door knob
Specs: N.A.

Thanko USB tie fan

Don this, and you'll be guaranteed instant geek status on the office block. What's more, you'll not only look cool, you'll feel cool. From the wacky folks at Japanese e-store Thanko comes a USB fan tie, though whether it can power on away from a USB port isn't clear. Just remember to unplug that USB tether from your notebook before you step away from your desk. Else there'll be some choice reckoning from tech support. That or you'll throttle yourself with your USB tie. All very uncool.

See bigger image here

Via Plastic Bamboo

Price: 2,980 yen (US$24.90)
Availability: At Japanese site Thanko
Device: USB accessory
Specs: N.A.

Illoiha Designer Climbing Wall

Born in Canada, designer nendo or Oki Sato has as much western roots as Japanese. And this happy mix has resulted in a crazy designer gym at Illoiha, Tokyo, which scales new heights. Rather than the usual faux boulder texturing you see on climbing walls, nendo has taken your typical indoor fixtures and fittings to provide even more challenging handholds and finger grips. If you're bored with fake rocks, try clambering over a giant canvass of baroque picture frames, shelves, mounted deer antlers, flower vases and even bird cages. Can anyone say quirky?

See bigger image here

Via Yanko

Price: US$27 per climb
Availability: In Tokyo at Illoiha
Device: Climbing wall
Specs: N.A.

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