Ten new pieces of tech designed to help homeworkers get into the swing of things
We’ve sifted through the most recent releases from across the world of tech to select ten items that’ll enhance the remote working experience
Regardless of whether your enterprise is small, medium or simply a one-person band, this collection of devices will re-shape your workspace to ensure serious focus, with fresh ways to shape, scribble, type, capture, project, store and brew.
Logitech Casa
Logitech describes the new Casa as a ‘pop-up desk’. Available in three colour combinations, this neat folding kit transforms a laptop into a desktop machine, with a case that converts into a stand and a separate Bluetooth keyboard and trackpad. Available for PC, Mac and Chromebooks, it’s a simple package that transforms a roaming set-up into something more permanent.
Logitech Casa, £179.99, Logitech.com
Aarke Kettle
No workspace is complete without a kettle, and this is our pick of a dauntingly vast selection. Aarke’s new electric Kettle builds on the Swedish brand’s capabilities for transforming water. In addition to sleek devices for filtration and fizzing standard tap water, this stainless steel kettle promises swift, silent operation, with a well-insulated 1.2 litre reservoir to keep the water hot. There are also settings that allow you to heat water to a precise range of temperatures.
Aarke Kettle, £250, UK.Aarke.com
BOOX Note Air3 C
The BOOX Note Air3 C continues the advance of ePaper technology, with a 4,096-colour screen that adds another layer of creative choice for artists, note-takers, editors and inveterate doodlers. This full-colour display gives the Air3 C an obvious edge over other Kindle compatible devices, making it an excellent device for reading and annotating eBooks.
Running on Android, so you're able to download a huge swathe of apps, other inbuilt functions include a MicroSD slot, a light-up screen and even a fingerprint sensor to unlock the device.
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BOOX Note Air3 C, $499.99, Shop.BOOX.com
Zoom R4 Multitrack
It might be considered overkill for use as a simple Dictaphone, but the new Zoom R4 Multitrack is an excellent audio scratchpad for musicians, both at home and on the move. The Japanese audio specialists have shrunk the functionality of a rugged, high quality four-track recorder into a pocketable package, with the ability to mix, bounce, and add effects and even rhythms.
Zoom R4 Multitrack, €219, Zoom-Europe.com
LAYER x Xgimi MIRA Projector
Xgimi’s newest projector, the MIRA, was designed by Benjamin Hubert’s design agency LAYER. A short-throw design, the MIRA blends together projection, an audio source developed in collaboration with Harman Kardon and Smart TV connectivity, making it a discrete all-in-one solution for those not willing to sacrifice space to a vast television.
Capable of projecting at sizes up to 100”, the device is projected to hit the market soon, cementing the Chinese company’s reputation as a leader in the field. Tactile surfaces are combined with metal trim, giving it a premium feel that you won’t want to hide away when not in use.
Loop Switch
The most productivity-inducing object in this list could also be the smallest. Belgian brand Loop specialises in earplugs – not the powered, speaker-filled ones, but straightforward devices for shutting out the world to help keep you focused. Loop’s newest product is the Switch, a simple solution to phasing out the chaos, with three stages of switchable noise reduction.
Engage mode helps you focus on conversations in noisy environments, Experience cuts out the most damaging noises, whether it’s music or motorsport, while Quiet creates your personal own reduced-volume private space.
Switch by Loop, £54.95, LoopEarPlugs.com
Logitech Pebble 2 Combo
Logitech’s newest range of accessories brings a gently softened palette of colours and forms to these everyday essentials. Available for both Mac and PC, the Bluetooth combo consists of the Pebble Mouse 2 M350s and the Pebble Keys 2 K380s, both made using recycled plastic.
Logitech Pebble 2 Combo for Mac, £69.99, Logitech.com
Forté for iPhone by Twelve South
Of all the myriad iPhone docks and stands out there, we’ve chosen Twelve South’s new Forté model to make the most of the Apple iPhone 15. Slender, unassuming and fully compatible with the MagSafe system and the sideways-orientated StandBy feature that debuted in iOS 17, Forté turns your phone into the ultimate desktop information system while it charges.
Forté for iPhone, $39.99, TwelveSouth.com
Bene bFRIENDS range
Bene has expanded its bFRIENDS collection of desktop accessories, a wide range of 3D printed products that are designed to give the workplace a lift. After debuting the collection in 2021, the furniture maker has now introduced some more items, including everything from coat stands to plant pots and even Christmas-themed tchotchkes.
This tilted tray supplements other objects in the Tilted Range, whilst the new magazine rack also joins the bFRIENDS line up. All of the objects were developed in collaboration with design consultancy Pearson Lloyd and are made using recyclable bioplastic PLA as the raw material.
bFRIENDS online shop at Bene.com
Lenovo Yoga Book 9
Lenovo’s Yoga Book 9 13IRU8 is the latest and most radical evolution of a twin-screened device. Following the lead of laptops that combine their main displays with additional touchpads and information screens adjacent to the keyboard – from Apple’s endangered Touch Bar through to the Asus Zenbook Duo – this iteration of the Yoga Book 9 goes the whole hog. Comprised of two 13.3” OLED screens, linked by a 360-degree hinge and Bowers & Wilkins audio, the laptop does away with a conventional keyboard and uses a dockable magnetic unit instead.
Tech specs are at the top of the range, as is the flexibility, with myriad arrangement that allow you to make the most of the two large screens. Just don’t forget to remove the keyboard before you fold it all away.
Lenovo Yoga Book 9, with Intel i7-1355U Processor, 16GB ram, 512GB SSD, £1,822, Lenovo.com
Jonathan Bell has written for Wallpaper* magazine since 1999, covering everything from architecture and transport design to books, tech and graphic design. He is now the magazine’s Transport and Technology Editor. Jonathan has written and edited 15 books, including Concept Car Design, 21st Century House, and The New Modern House. He is also the host of Wallpaper’s first podcast.
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