Sharp has been one of the biggest names in home appliances for decades now, especially when it comes to microwave ovens, but they’ve never offered a complete matching kitchen suite until now. The New Jersey-based brand has just announced a new range of smart built-in kitchen appliances that look sharper than ever (pun fully intended).

Designed as a seamless solution for consumers, the suite includes SuperSteam ovens, induction cooktops, wall ovens, a slide-in range, microwave drawers and over-the-range microwave ovens, dishwashers, and refrigerators. That means you can basically have an entire kitchen full of matching high-tech appliances at the click of a button.

Like most of Sharp’s contemporary pieces, these ones will have black edge-to-edge glass and the ability to hide their controls behind a panel for a minimalist look. The company’s goal appears to be to appeal directly to interior designers, architects, and discerning homeowners who want both top quality and sleek modern looks for new kitchens and renovations.

Unveiled at this year’s Nationwide Primetime Show in New Orleans, Louisiana, the line appears clean and simple on the surface, but includes new features like connection to the Internet of Things (IoT).

“This line of kitchen appliances is rooted in Sharp’s rich heritage in cooking,” says Jim Sanduski, President of the Sharp Electronics Marketing Company of America. “We’ve taken our experience in the kitchen and created the recipe for a brand-new, end-to-end kitchen solution that is both technologically advanced and beautiful.”

“The entire team at Sharp Home is committed to delivering on our promise to service the dreams and desires of the home cook, and the introduction of our first-ever kitchen suite is another step in our commitment to Simply Better Living,” adds Peter Weedfald, the company’s Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.

“Our revolutionary new products, such as the IoT-enabled SuperSteam+ Built-In Oven and IoT Microwave Drawer, are simple to use and help create great-tasting meals for modern, fast-paced families pursuing a healthier lifestyle.”

You’re not alone if you’re wondering why in the world you’d want your microwave to be connected to the internet, and Sharp has yet to release all of the details behind these new appliances. But generally speaking, smart microwaves are supposed to give you a new level of control over the cooking and reheating process, helping you target exact temperatures and control everything from other rooms via your smartphone. Some smart cooking appliances can even identify exactly what you’re cooking and switch to the appropriate settings automatically.

Sharp says its 24-inch IoT SuperSteam+ Built-In Oven and 24” IoT Microwave Drawer Built-In Oven will allow easy integration into new or existing smart home systems, and other features include “easy wave open” for quick, touch-free opening.

Weedfald also notes that the smart appliances will go hand-in-hand with an app powered by SideChef that lets you browse for a recipe and send instructions directly to your oven, which is pretty cool, especially for people who aren’t the most experienced home cooks.

The new Sharp appliance series is set to launch in 2020, so be sure to stay tuned for more information.

The post Sharp to Start Offering Built-In Kitchen Appliances first appeared on Dornob.

The post Simple Surrounds: 3 Mantel-Free Minimalist Gas Fireplaces first appeared on Dornob.

Though you can take steps to limit their presence, like buying less toxic products and washing your bedding at least once a week, an air filter is probably the best way to breathe cleaner air at night. A new product called the AirTulip Sleep may be the best solution yet, building a high-powered air purification system right into the headboard.

Fluid dynamics and aerodynamics expert Arjen de Jong teamed up with Raoul Valstar to design the AirTulip Sleep in response to COVID-19. The duo wanted to offer advanced air filtration technology in a new form that wouldn’t just take up a bunch of space in the home. The AirTulip Sleep replaces a conventional headboard, directly shielding you from contaminants in your most vulnerable state, and it’s virtually silent to boot.

How the Air Purifying Headboard Works

AirTulip Sleep uses a unique type of airflow to reduce contaminants. Fans, hairdryers, A/C vents, and even the wind spread contaminants through the air in a motion called turbulent airflow. The blowing motion stirs up pollutants and mixes particles and gases with clean air, which makes it hard for most conventional air purifiers to work efficiently.

The AirTulip uses laminar airflow instead, creating a chamber of clean air directly around the headboard where you need it. Laminar airflow is used in hospitals, medical labs, and other scientific facilities that require a sterile environment. The AirTulip Sleep uses it to create an output of clean air without the kind of blowing motion that brings in pollutants from elsewhere in the bedroom.

The product has been tested and verified by the Eindhoven University of Technology, which confirmed that it’s able to reduce the air particle count to zero. The AirTulip sleep also uses Ultra-Low Particulate Air Filters (ULPA) that filter 99.9997 percent of air particles, making it 100 times more efficient than a standard HEPA filter.

Even More Benefits

The AirTulip Sleep is a smart headboard, so you can use the accompanying app to track your sleep quality on your Apple Watch, Fitbit, Oura Ring, or Garmin Fitness Watch. It also offers dual-zone temperature regulations.

The addition of active cooling and heating options on each side of the bed allows you to individually control the temperature between -7 degrees Fahrenheit cooler and +7 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than the bedroom itself. The laminar flow feature ensures that you won’t feel the temperature difference on the other side of the bed.

Other features include a “day mode” for more powerful air filtration when whisper-quiet operation isn’t as important, a storage shelf along the back for plants or other objects, two integrated wireless smartphone chargers, a reading lamp, a USB charger, and ambient lighting.

How to Order One for Your Home

The AirTulip Sleep comes in all common bed frame sizes, including US twin, full, queen, and king sizes, and European 80/90cm, 140cm, 160cm, and 180cm mattresses. It integrates seamlessly with existing bed frames with the same mounting points. Available colors include mint fabric with a light oak frame, pearl fabric with a birch frame, stone fabric with a titanium-colored frame, and anthracite fabric with a black wood-colored frame.

AirTulip just wrapped up a successful round of crowdfunding on IndieGogo and Kickstarter, with rewards shipping now. It’ll soon be available for retail purchase for $1499 and up; subscribe to the AirTulip newsletter for updates.

The post Air Purifying Headboard Creates a Bubble of Clean Air Around You As You Sleep first appeared on Dornob.

The machine is everything you want a coffee maker to be: functional, easy to use, reliable, and attractive. At a glance, it looks like a more colorful version of an average consumer espresso machine with all the parts you’d expect to find, including a hopper, brewer assembly, and water tank. Turn it around and you’ll find that all the typically mysterious interior parts are visible and clearly labeled, including the water pump, flow meter, thermoblock, and power adapter.

Each module has intuitive interaction points so it’s easy to see how to pull it out and reattach it. Aligning magnets ensure that each component fits securely into place, and a repair drawer includes all the tools a user needs to disassemble the machine completely (as well as a few spare parts like extra screws and water pipes).

The Kara uses only one type of screw with two different lengths, both color-coded so it’s easy to tell exactly where they go. The water pipes running from one component to another are visible so you can physically see if there’s a problem. When you do need to self-service, the same touchscreen on the front that lets you choose how the machine brews your beverage also guides you through the repair process.

“Repairing the most common failure points does not require specialized tools and can be done easily and safely by a layman even without much technical knowledge,” says Mair. “The housing is designed so every part can be 3D printed if you don’t have access to original replacement parts, and technical components can be replaced or substituted because they are part of an open system.”

Mair’s vision of more sustainable consumer appliances isn’t just repair-oriented — it also incorporates the ability to substitute parts as needed. He calls for industry-standard parts and components that can be switched out easily by the end user. If mainboards in washing machines, dishwashers, and other appliances were universal, for instance, they could all be easily repurposed.

When possible, components should be made of a single material to make them more recyclable when they do break down. Parts like knobs and buttons should be designed so their replacements can be 3D printed or laser-cut while still offering the same performance. All objects should also be built to last, so we don’t have to replace them constantly.

The Kara is a brilliant proof-of-concept, demonstrating that sustainable consumer appliances aren’t actually that hard to produce. We’ve all just been suckered into a form of consumerism that finds disposability not just acceptable but desirable.

The corporations that manufacture all the things we use every day count on us throwing away the old version in favor of the new on a regular basis. While it’s unlikely that those companies will voluntarily switch to a system like Mair’s, which would probably net them fewer profits in the long run, perhaps future legislation will put consumers and the environment first. One can dream, anyway.

The post Kara: The Sustainable Coffee Machine That Lasts a Lifetime first appeared on Dornob.

Currently wrapping up a crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, the Shelfy sort of looks like a misplaced Apple device. It’s a minimalist white pod that you tuck onto one of your refrigerator shelves to let it do its magic. Taking up less space than a gallon of milk, the Shelfy extends shelf life up to 12 days, reduces bad odors by 80 percent, and results in up to 10 times less bacterial load inside the refrigerator.

To use it, you just select the mode you want (eco, standard, or boost); place it in the fridge wherever it fits best, including in a drawer or door; and reap the benefits. Shelfy’s makers claim the device can keep some vegetables like zucchini good for as long as 22 days, and extend the lives of fast-rotting foods like strawberries by up to a week.

Food waste is a major contributor to environmental crises like climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, requiring tons of resources and land to grow food that people don’t end up eating (and emitting methane gases when it rots). A single family spends an average of almost $2,000 a year on food that they end up throwing away. Shelfy cites studies that show one out of every two refrigerators has an above-average proliferation of mold and bacteria, contributing to the problem.

The Shelfy uses an advanced ceramic filter, a silent fan, and a battery to take in air inside the refrigerator through mechanical ventilation, passing it through a photocatalytic filter that destroys pollutants. After a while, it’ll notify you that it’s time to remove the filter and wash it under running water, or charge it via a USB-C plug. You can control it with the Vitesy Hub app and connect it to Amazon Alexa and Google Home via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth. The Shelfy also monitors your refrigerator’s energy consumption based on how many times you open the door.

The designers explain that they “conducted research at CSI SpA – FPM Laboratory (Food Packaging Materials), an Italian and European technological hub with a team of about 400 experts including engineers, physicists, chemists,and microbiologists who have made quality, safety, and sustainability the backbone of their professional role. They’re recognized as a center of excellence, especially for companies in the food, packaging, construction, and automotive sectors, in which every day, for more than 25 years, they have been working to enhance quality companies and protect the market.”

“Shelfy uses an innovative and sustainable nanomaterial-based photocatalytic technology since the filter doesn’t need to be replaced, just washed under running water. Photocatalysis is a safe chemical reaction that absorbs air pollutants and turns them into harmless elements. The use of this technology guarantees safety, better performance, and less consumption. In this way, we make Vitesy technology sustainable and effective.”

If you missed the Shelfy’s Kickstarter campaign, you’ll be able to pick one up soon for the retail price of €169 (about $175).

The post Fight Food Waste in Your Fridge with the Shelfy Smart Purifier first appeared on Dornob.

Meade, who’s best known for painting directly onto the human body, chose to splash her panels with textural brushstrokes in a gorgeous shade of cobalt blue.

Vittoria, an artist and a poet whose pieces are often inspired by femininity and the female form, created a graphic work of art in which voluptuous curves cascade across the panels.

Illustrator and designer Brown wanted her panels to bring the relaxed feeling of being on vacation into the kitchen. Her colorful design is complete with a sunset, a rowboat, and turquoise water.

The panels can be mixed and matched with Samsung Bespoke’s portfolio of panel colors and finishes so you can truly design the fridge of your dreams. Pair Meade’s blue brushstrokes with dark blue and white for a more subdued effect, or contrast it with an unexpected pop of bright contrasting color. Vittoria’s design pulls right from Samsung’s available colors, so it’s easy to get a beautifully complementary effect. You can punch up Brown’s bright scene with clementine orange, yellow sunrise, or emerald green, or make it moodier with navy, charcoal, and morning blue.

“Lowe’s is the No. 1 home appliance retailer, and our customers know they can trust us to deliver on quality and innovation. But we also know they’re looking for the total home style package, with products that don’t just offer performance, but style and personal expression, too,” says Jen Wilson, Lowe’s Senior Vice President of Enterprise Brand and Marketing. “Through this collaboration with Samsung, a trusted leader in innovation, we’re thrilled to be bringing these one-of-a-kind panels to customers who are not only looking to upgrade their appliances, but are also craving a unique way to express their personal style through art.”

“Samsung’s Bespoke appliances embrace emerging home customization trends that express personality and style using bold colors, new materials, and artful designs,” adds Gary So, Vice President or Marketing and Digital Appliances at Samsung Electronics America. “Lowe’s limited-edition Bespoke refrigerator panels inspire more ways for consumers to personalize their living spaces and show off their style like never before.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ISwK9Y2pXk&feature=youtu.be

The Lowes x Samsung Bespoke Artists Series can be seen on display at select Lowe’s stores, and the entire line can be ordered and customized online as part of Lowe’s House of Style. Each panel is sold separately and can be switched with the other Bespoke panels. These artist panels will only be available for a limited time, but you can shop the whole Samsung Bespoke series as part of Lowe’s regular selection.

The post Samsung Partners with Lowe’s to Offer Exclusive Artist-Designed Custom Refrigerators first appeared on Dornob.

“Mesa lights easily and with its smaller size, fits any outdoor space,” explains Solo Stove’s Clint Mickle. “Creating good moments has never been easier, and we’re thrilled to see new and existing customers gathered around this ingenious, low-smoke tabletop fire pit.”

The Mesa relies on the same dual-wall Signature 360° Airflow design as its larger Bonfire predecessors to create a smoke-free fire experience. Air comes in through holes at the base of the outer wall and vents through holes at the top of the inner wall. While the fire is burning, air between the layers heats up, expanding up and out as it sucks fresh air in from below. The exiting air — now super-heated and oxygen-rich — ignites any smoke particles it touches, eliminating the annoying fire by-product.

The Mesa can be fueled by conventional hardwood (Solo Stove sells their own Mini Oak Firewood packs, perfectly sized for the smaller basin) or with bagged wood pellets (a special pellet adapter is also included in the purchase). It lights up quickly with the help of a Solo Stove fire starter, producing hot fire in just a few minutes. Reviewers say the heat is sufficient for about “four people seated in marshmallow-roasting range.”

To keep the heat from burning any plastic or wood surfaces, the Mesa also comes with a handy one-inch stand that easily folds up and fits inside of the fire pit when not in use. Solo Stove also throws in a durable nylon carry case for “compact storage and ultra-portability.”

Unlike the standard Solo Stove Bonfire, which only comes in a stainless steel finish, the petite Mesa fire pit can be ordered in one of six “seasonal” colors: Deep Ash, Mulberry, Bone, Water, Ash, and traditional Stainless Steel. The color options definitely make it a more attractive accessory for backyard parties, and thanks to the Mesa’s high-heat ceramic coating, less likely to rust over time.

Solo Stoves are solidly constructed from SAE 304 stainless steel, known to be highly durable and super lightweight. The company guarantees all their products with a lifetime warranty, promising to replace any defective unit.

Not only would the ultra-light Mesa be helpful on a hike or in the backyard, but it’s also a smart solution for city-dwellers who want to bring a bit of the outdoor experience into their urban jungle. The petite fire pit could easily fuel a smores-roasting party on an apartment balcony, roof, or patio. Of course, it is only designed for outdoor use. Even though this version is portable, you should avoid trying to bring the bonfire fun inside.

The Solo Stove Mesa tabletop fire pit is available on the company website with a price tag of $79.99 for the stainless-steel edition and $89.99 for the colored options.

The post Solo Stove Goes Mini with Portable Tabletop Fire Pit first appeared on Dornob.

India experienced a record high heat wave this past spring, with temperatures reaching upwards of 120 degrees Fahrenheit. This led to a massive landfill fire outside of Delhi that burned for weeks, and even caused overheated birds to fall from the skies.

While modern air conditioning systems exist in Indian cities, the majority of the population is still without access to such technology. And since the greenhouse gases emitted by AC units contribute to global warming, trying to blanket the country with them may not be the best solution anyways.

That’s where Ant Studio’s eco-friendly idea comes in: using recirculated water to evaporate and cool the air as it continually flows down a beehive-shaped stack of clay tubes.

Evaporative cooling techniques date back to the ancient Egyptians. They would fan porous jars of water in their chambers, enjoying some temperature relief as the evaporating water took some of the oppressive heat with it. The Romans also employed water and clay to cool their houses, allowing the liquid to course through pipes in their walls.

Building a prototype of their brainchild outside the Deki Electronics factory in Uttar Pradesh, India, Ant Studio inserted cylindrical clay tubes into a rounded steel frame positioned on top of brick and tile basin. The Beehive’s water pump continually sends recycled water from the industrial plant up to the top of the structure, where it then flows down the surface of the clay. The multitude of clay pipes provides a larger surface area, increasing the cooling effect. Temperature measurements showed that the Beehive reduced the surrounding air to 97 degrees Fahrenheit from its previous 107 degrees.

After carefully studying various materials, Ant Studio chose clay as a material for the beehive because of its hygroscopic, or water attracting, properties. The designers found that clay carries a negative charge that bonds with the positive pole of a water molecule, allowing it to absorb water in both vapor and liquid states. Additionally, clay is completely recyclable, as it contains no complex chemicals or components.

The entire system is energy efficient and less expensive than traditional air conditioning. The use of recycled water from the factory’s existing supply minimizes waste. The water tank only needs topping off roughly once a month ,and the recirculating pump uses a small amount of electricity, making the Beehive a very economical cooling mechanism.

In areas where electricity is unavailable, the system could also be converted to a “zero-energy” model, with water being manually poured over the pots once or twice a day. While it would not have the same cooling power, it would have some effect and could still be easily built and maintained from local resources.

Ant Studio is also excited about employing pottery as part of the art/cooling device as a way of reviving what it sees as a fading ancient art. If the Beehive were to gain widespread traction, it could generate more work in the pottery market and help train new artisans in the trade.

The post This Terracotta Pipe Art Doubles as a Sustainable Cooling System first appeared on Dornob.

Designed to be used in the home, Kara Pure is an air-to-water filtration system that also happens to dehumidify and filter the air while it’s producing clean water. If you’ve ever owned a dehumidifier, you’re probably familiar with the way these machines produce large quantities of water that has to be drained away. The water usually isn’t drinkable or reusable due to the way the machines process it, which seems like a waste. It was just a matter of time before somebody came up with a way to change that. Kara Pure operates much like a conventional home dehumidifier, but it puts the water through a filtration process that not only cleans the water, but makes it healthier to drink, too.

How the Kara Pure Works

The Kara Pure water machine draws air through a four-level filtration system to remove impurities, heavy metals, and particles while extracting water. The purified air is released back into the room, and the contaminants are trapped by the filters. Smart sensors turn off when the humidity in the room drops below a comfortable 25 percent. The water then goes through a multistage filtration and purification process, including a UV-C sterilizer in the water reservoir to keep the water fresh and clean. The water is automatically sterilized every four hours.

A built-in ionizer separates water into its acidic and alkaline parts, which improves the taste. The machine also adds seven essential natural minerals to the water: calcium magnesium, lithium, zinc, selenium, strontium, and metasilicic acid. This mimics the natural components of spring water. Alkaline water is believed to have health benefits like neutralizing acid in the bloodstream and slowing bone loss, though scientists are still divided on these claims.

“Only by bringing together a team of professional engineers and advisors from different industries was it possible to develop a technology that can produce up to 2.5 gallons of safe drinking water from the air,” the startup explains. “We want to decrease dependence on groundwater by fully tapping into air-water with Kara Pure to provide everyone access to premium quality local alkaline drinking water.”

Always Have Clean Water on Hand

If you already have access to good quality drinking water from a tap, a machine like the Kara Pure might not be necessary, though it’s a great alternative to having bottled water delivered for a drink cooler. Since it only produces 2.5 gallons a day, it’s not ideal for community spaces like offices, but it can augment fresh water supply in the average home. If more people relied on machines like these instead of bottled water, we could eliminate a lot of plastic waste.

The stainless steel machine is about the size of a standard water cooler. During a recent round of crowdfunding on Indiegogo, the Kara Pure raised over $1 million USD, unlocking some handy new features like hot and cold water taps. Backers scored their own units for as little as $599, but it looks like the retail price will ultimately be quite high at $3,499. That’s probably the biggest drawback of the machine: it would be most useful for people who can’t afford those prices.

For those who can afford to spring for the machine, the Kara Pure offers an environmentally friendly way to dehumidify and purify the air while producing clean drinking water, essentially replacing three separate household appliances. That’s definitely not a bad deal, and though it requires power and thus wouldn’t work in a power outage, it would also offer the security of access to clean water in the event of a water outage.

Like similar machines in production all over the world, the Kara Pure offers additional proof that this kind of technology works. It would be great to see more companies using it to produce larger machines for communities dealing with issues like contaminated water or too little water to go around.

The post This Home Appliance Makes Fresh Drinking Water Out of Thin Air first appeared on Dornob.

“LG tiiun is a practical and convenient solution for busy consumers who want to enjoy a greener, healthier lifestyle at home,” said Lyu Jae-cheol, president of LG Electronics Home Appliance & Air Solution Company in a press release. “A stylish addition to one’s home or apartment, our smart gardening system makes growing herbs, leafy greens, and flowers fun and simple, even for those of us with zero gardening experience.”

Unveiled at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2022, the self-contained greenhouse is only about the size of a dorm-room fridge and is aptly named “Tiiun,” a Korean word that means “to sprout.” It’s designed to remove the guesswork from gardening associated with climate, watering, soil, and pests.

That’s right: the indoor greenhouse does virtually all the work for you. Each unit is equipped with two growing shelves that can each hold up to six all-in-one seed packages. The seed packages in turn each have 10 holes for plant germination, allowing users to grow a wide variety of plants at the same time. Most seedlings will grow to fruition within just four to eight weeks, all ready for consumption or visual enjoyment.

LG drew inspiration from several of its previous products to create the Tiiun. “This modern smart gardening system leverages LG’s technological expertise across multiple home appliance categories to deliver reliable results and an effortless, largely automated plant cultivation process, employing various technologies from decades of expertise honed from developing advanced refrigerators, water purifiers, and ventilation systems,” the company explains.

An Inverter Compressor powers the Flexible Weather Control System that automatically adjusts the unit’s internal temperature for prime growing conditions. The Auto Ebb & Watering System is responsible for keeping the interior atmosphere at optimal moisture levels, and the Smart Gardening System provides the plants with sips of water eight times every day. Even cooler, the unit’s LED light source can automatically simulate the sun’s natural light cycle, and LG’s mobile ThinkQ app allows users to remotely change settings and be notified whenever the water tank needs to be filled.

The Tiiun units come in either Nature Beige or Nature Green colors and fit easily within a living room setting as a kind of futuristic side table. Users and friends can enjoy watching the plants grow year-round and benefit from tastier organic produce. And bugs are never a problem, since the entire system is completely sealed and air-tight.

This in-home gardening appliance makes it possible for users to always have fresh herbs and veggies on hand without having to put in the hours of work to become a master gardener. It’s a quick plug-and-play system for everyone, even those who have no hint of a green thumb.

Most importantly, it’s good for the environment. If every home were to be equipped with a similar system, food production could be dramatically supplemented on the household level, alleviating some of the need for carbon emissions-producing trucks and processes.

LG’s petite indoor greenhouse is already commercially available in South Korea for approximately $1,250. An international rollout is scheduled for later this year.

The post Tiiun: LG’s Smart Indoor Greenhouse Makes Growing Plants Effortless first appeared on Dornob.

Poster @katallen8 uploaded 43 seconds of video reviewing her new Super Deal Portable Washer-Dryer from Amazon, and it quickly garnered 3.7 million views. It’s compact nature, ability to be used in a bathroom, and under-$200 price point caught the attention of laundromat-weary consumers all over the world.

Here are the specs that make this machine so attractive:

Size

The Super Deal Portable Washer-Dryer is small enough to be tucked into a coat closet at just 23 inches long by 13.5 inches wide by 26 inches tall. And weighing just 26 pounds, it can easily be moved around an apartment, or even carried around on a long-distance RV trip.

Capacity

The washer drum has a 13-pound clothing capacity, which according to @katallen means one load can hold “six pillowcases, two sets of scrubs, and socks.” While that’s certainly not a full traditional load, when you don’t have to leave the comfort of your own home, doing several small loads suddenly seems like much less of a hassle.

The dryer, however, only holds a five-pound load, so some clothes may need to hang on the shower bar or similarly be split up into multiple loads. Some reviewers do warn that the dryer really doesn’t get clothes completely dry – rather, they come out just slightly damp and often still need to hang for a few hours to fully dry out.

Ease of Use

Another plus for this unit is how easy it is to use in any space with waterlines. You don’t even need any kind of insulation. Just connect the hose to a sink, fill the machine with water, and let the rinse water drain into a bathtub, sink, or bucket at the end of the cycle. The controls are also super straightforward, allowing users to choose washer times up to 15 minutes with a five-minute spin cycler timer.

Cost

@katallen told the world she bought the washer-dryer for $196, but interested buyers are in even more luck, as Amazon has since dropped the price to just $154. That makes it a super affordable option for both college students and apartment dwellers across the U.S.

Of course, some of the comments on TikTok reveal that this type of machine has been standard fare for people around the world for many years now.

“It’s so funny seeing people buy this now a days [because] I remember seeing this in my grandma’s house in the Dominican Republic in the countryside,” laughed one commenter. Another said, “Imagine them being ‘in wow’ when that’s what we use in the Caribbean,” while another still added: “Do Americans not know that twin tubs like these are the standard washing machines in most of Africa?”

Even if the U.S. is a little slow to the portable, affordable washer-dryer party, we’ve caught on now and people are excited. One Amazon reviewer raved, “I didn’t believe this machine could do so much. I love it!” and another gushed “We LOVE it! Sure beats sitting in a laundromat and I can get a couple of loads in before I begin my day!” The Super Deal Portable Washer-Dryer is available here for those eager to ditch the laundromat for good.

The post Amazon’s Mini Washer-Dryer Frees Apartment Dwellers from Laundromat Letdowns first appeared on Dornob.

That’s all great, but how well does this tiny portable dishwasher actually work? It’s a little too early to say, but the design is definitely promising. Measuring about 17 inches in height, length, and width, it’s easily small enough to fit on the counter of a tiny house, camper van, or RV and weighs just 25 pounds. Perhaps the Tetra’s greatest strength is the fact that it’s truly portable, requiring no plumbing at all to function. You just plug it in, fill the three-liter freshwater tank, load it up, and select a cleaning cycle. When it’s done, you dump out the gray water tank, which can be opened up for a full cleaning when needed.

The “standard” setting is for plates, bowls, glasses, and silverware, and the “eco/short” setting is for quick washes. Choose “stemware” for delicate glasses, “plastic” for items that are at risk of melting in regular dishwashers, and “fruit/vegetables” to wash produce (or whatever else you need to sanitize) without detergent. The shortest setting cleans in about 30 minutes, and the dishes will be totally dry within an hour.

The Tetra fits up to three place settings at a time, along with utensils and whatever other objects you can cram in there. Considering the small size of the load, you might wonder if this unit is actually just a waste of water and energy compared to hand washing. But according to Heatworks, using the Tetra to wash your dishes for just one meal a day can save over 15,000 liters of water in a single year. It also consumes less power than a standard dishwasher, using Ohmic Array Technology to heat water sort of like a microwave instead of traditional metal heating elements.

Another big convenience built into this little appliance is its detergent cartridge system. All the components of the detergent, including prewash, enzymes, and spot removal are kept separate within the cartridge so they can be custom-dosed according to the cleaning setting you choose. Each cartridge lasts at least 20 loads and costs $8.99, with replacements available online. If you’re the type to stay stocked up so you don’t run out, that probably works fine for you, but others might find it annoying that they can’t just pick up any old detergent at the store.

Tetra isn’t the first countertop dishwasher to hit the market, but it appears to be the most advanced thus far. Heatworks says the Tetra cleans 50 percent more dishes using 40 percent less water in 55 percent of the time of the leading countertop dishwasher, a Farberware model with a retail price of $399. First announced back in 2018, the Tetra is finally available to preorder for the same price, but it’ll cost $499 when the presale is over, so grab it now if you want one. Heatworks expects to begin shipping the Tetra by May 18th, 2022, which is apparently “No Dirty Dishes Day.”

The post From Dishes to Sex Toys, the Tiny Tetra Countertop Dishwasher is Ready for Your Dirty Stuff first appeared on Dornob.

Enter Windmill Air, a direct-to-consumer company offering a new generation of air conditioners that are efficient, quiet, easy to install, eco-friendly, and smart. The Windmill AC has a clean modern look that will fit right in with the rest of your smart home gadgets and accessories, with little visible from inside other than a mesh face and a disappearing digital temperature display. Soft edges help it blend into the window. These are all big pluses for anyone sick of their AC ruining the look of their room all summer – but of course, looks aren’t all the Windmill has to offer.

Measuring just over 13 inches high, 19 inches wide, and 19 inches deep, the unit takes up minimal space in your window. Less than one-third of it projects into the room, and the air is directed up instead of straight out, so you can still place furniture directly under it without interfering with the all-important flow of cold air. This little unit puts out 8,300 BTUs, which is on the lower end for window units (cooling up to 350 square feet), but it’s surprisingly powerful for its size. If that’s not enough power for your space, the company promises the release of a 6,000 BTU version next spring.

The air conditioner offers three cooling settings: “Cool,” “Fan,” or “Eco,” which is essentially a half-power mode. Its cooling power comes from an eco-friendly refrigerant (R32) with 68 percent less global warming potential than the usual refrigerant (R410a) used by most other units. The materials are mostly recyclable, and the company takes back old units. To offset the energy consumed by the units, Windmill also invests in tree protection projects for every unit purchased.

The Windmill AC unit comes with a tiny remote control, but you can also use the accompanying Windmill app, Google Home, or Amazon Alexa to control it. Another cool feature (pun intended) is the option to add activated carbon air filters to help clean the air in your home, which is definitely a welcome addition for anyone dealing with wildfire smoke in their area.

While most people can install the Windmill alone in under 30 minutes, it does weigh 60 pounds, so it’s usually easier to manage with two people. This modern air conditioning unit comes with double-insulated side panels to adjust to the size of your window, and fits window openings between 23 and 27 inches wide and at least 14 inches high. Get it for $395 directly from the Windmill website or through Home Depot.

The post The Windmill: Finally, an Air Conditioning Unit That Actually Looks Good first appeared on Dornob.

Created for the 2021 Creative Expo Taiwan in the Songshan Cultural and Creative Park, the bright white, laboratory-like space presents experimental test tubes, the iDrip machines, and a selection of coffee beans from various sources against a backdrop of illustrations inspired by Leonardo da Vinci. Steel plates are assembled into a “lab bench” where guests can select, grind, and brew their coffee beans using the new iDrip Da Vinci Code model. Custom tea and coffee bags are also on display, including “Charcoal Roasted Oolong Tea” designed and developed by Michelin chef André Chiang and “Blend Papa Rich” coffee by 2014 World Coffee Roasting Champion Jacky Lai.

“Emulating the ‘spirit of science’ and ‘art of coffee,’ the coffee lab was designed after many trials and tribulations, giving birth to a perfect environment emphasizing the notion that ‘every drip is science,’” explain the designers. “Come and experience the charm of coffee made by the iDrip Smart Pour-over Coffeemaker. A luminous, transparent display rack is placed on the side of the exhibition area to exhibit the coffee filter bags created by over 21 barista champions from more than 15 countries. Each filter bag tells the baristas’ personal stories and exemplifies their unique coffee making techniques and taste.”

It’s a scene that will delight and inspire anyone who’s really serious about their coffee. Can you imagine walking into a laboratory like this and custom-crafting such precise blends exactly to your tastes or to satisfy your curiosity? Along with the expert baristas and gourmet coffee selections, the iDrip machine is what makes that possible. While a classic pour-over setup requires no more than a filter and a cone-shaped funnel placed over a mug, the iDrip lets you configure professional parameters to decide exactly how your beans are brewed, including water temperature, flow speed, flow path, pour frequency, and bloom time.

The designers add that “iDrip is the world’s first OTA-enabled coffee machine that can update its firmware directly through the internet to let you enjoy more new and diverse functions. Just like Tesla in the automotive industry and iPhone in the smartphone industry, iDrip, the smartest coffee machine in the coffee industry, was revealed to the world. You will not only enjoy a coffee machine but also an AI coffee brewing system that advances with technological development, offering you an immersive, scintillating coffee experience.”

“Use iDrip in conjunction with pour-over coffee sachets prepared by baristas from around the world; simply touch the brew button on the coffee machine, and it will automatically scan the sachet and apply the appropriate brewing technique. Programs inside the iDrip Da Vinci’s IOT-enabled AI chip are designed to complement the exclusive pour-over coffee sachets produced by baristas to accurately recreate the baristas’ techniques.”

The post 3+2 Design Studio and iDrip Crack the Code of Perfectly Brewed Coffee with Science first appeared on Dornob.

According to Pela, food waste creates 330 billion pounds of garbage in North America each year (not including associated food packaging or plastic). While composting has long been a great way to recycle all that rubbish, the traditional method is messy, time-consuming, and foul-smelling. Lomi promises to make the process ultra-fast, easy, and most importantly, stench-free.

Wrapped in a sleek white shell, the machine can hold up to three liters of food waste. Once turned on, it mimics the labor normally done by earthworms, quickly breaking down food scraps, boxes, cloth, and bioplastics into fragmented biomass. That material provides more surface area for growing microbes, the organisms responsible for transforming the organic trash into nutrient-rich soil. While all this is going on, any associated rotting smells are completely eliminated by the Lomi’s replaceable charcoal-activated filters.

And it works fast. While typical composting systems require weeks, the Lomi can turn food scraps into valuable dirt within just four hours in its Express mode. Users can also choose the slower Eco mode, which takes roughly 20 hours but maximizes the nutrient yield. The device also sports an additional Bioplastic mode for breaking down approved plastic garbage.

About the size of a bread maker, the organic recycler is much quieter than other small kitchen appliances, operating in a range of 40 to 50-db frequencies. It’s also easy to clean, thanks to the dishwasher-safe stainless steel inner pail.

“To create Lomi we spent over 3 years, including over 1000 compost tests, and endless hours of design and prototypes,” says Matt Bertulli, CEO and Co-Founder of Pela in the IndieGoGo campaign video. “Lomi isn’t just beautifully designed. It is the world’s best home composter, period.”

Pela, the company known for creating the first compostable plastic phone case, hopes that their new compact unit will eventually become ubiquitous in homes around the world.

“The arrival of Lomi is the beginning of a new era for Pela, further positioning the brand as a leader within the waste management space,” Bertulli said in an official press release. “Similar to having a dishwasher, our goal is for every household to have a Lomi. Its contemporary design and seamless function will make it easier than ever for consumers to shift the way they approach household waste, and composting.”

Pela is one of the first-non-governmental firms to make a dent in the waste management movement. Since its beginnings in 2010, the company has prevented the creation of the equivalent of 48 million plastic bags. Their eventual goal is to stop one billion pounds of potential plastic from being manufactured.

With just under a day to go, the Lomi Indiegogo campaign has raised over $6.5 million from 17,700 backers. Interested consumers can still order one for a special price of $379 – a 24-percent discount from the listed MSRP -– with an expected ship date of December 2021.

The post Pela’s Tabletop Composter Recycles Food Waste in Under 4 Hours first appeared on Dornob.

Although an exact date has not been announced, company officials have confirmed that the annual 48-hour mega sale will happen sometime in June this year. Even though Prime Day was postponed last year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when it finally did happen in October 2020, people around the world bought a record $10.4 billion worth of goods, increasing global sales by 45.2 percent compared to 2019’s Prime Day event, according to Digital Commerce 360.

This year’s deals, including those on smart appliances, are likely to be even bigger and better. While the company hasn’t released any hints about which brands and products will be offered in 2021, below is a list of kitchen and home appliance suggestions to look out for when Prime Day finally rolls around. All these brands have seen particularly big discounts in years past:

Smart Pressure Cooker

The 6-Quart Instant Pot with Smart Wi-Fi could be a great connected appliance to add to your cooking arsenal. In addition to all the standard features like slow cooking, pressure cooking, rice cooking, and yogurt making, this smart version can connect with an accompanying app and be controlled through your phone or Alexa. You can check the temperature and cooking progress remotely, choose from more than 1,000 pre-programmed recipes, and even receive alerts when your meal is done.

Smart Countertop Oven

Amazon’s own Smart Oven gets great reviews from customers and will more than likely go on sale this Prime Day. It’s a 4-in-1 microwave, convection over, food warmer, and air fryer. And because it’s an Amazon product, it can be voice controlled for over 30 different presets through Alexa devices. Have her notify you when the oven’s preheated or your food is cooked and never worry about watching a timer again. Best of all, if you scan select packaged items with the accompanying app, the Amazon Smart Oven will cook them automatically according to the manufacturer’s instructions. With an interior large enough to cook a five-pound chicken and an internal thermometer probe for perfect temperatures, this is definitely a product to keep your eye on.

Smart Air Fryer

If you only need an air frying function, the Cosori 14-in-1 Smart Large Air Fryer Oven might be one to search for on Prime Day. Featuring a seven-quart capacity and plenty of accessories, this model also connects to your Wi-Fi and allows you to check the cooking process on the company app. It can also be voice controlled through Alexa or Google’s Assistant device.

Smart Cordless Vacuum

This MOOSOO Cordless Vacuum comes fully equipped with the latest Smart Sensor chip, allowing you to adjust the suction with a simple touch. The proprietary battery-saving technology also provides it with up to 40 minutes of continual use, and it only takes a few hours to recharge.

Smart Robot Vacuum

The iRobot Roomba s9+ is the company’s smartest robot vacuum yet. The vSLAM navigation allows it to map out your home and learn to clean it better each time. It also uses PerfectEdge Technology with advanced sensors and a specially designed corner brush to clean better along edges and corners. You can even choose individual rooms to vacuum or set regular cleaning schedules through the accompanying phone app. Or, if you prefer, you can pair it with Alexa and control it via voice command.

Smart Air Purifier

Sure to be a popular item as COVID-19 continues to plague many parts of the world, the Winix AM90 Wi-Fi Air Purifier includes plasma wave technology that breaks down toxins like allergens, chemical vapors, and odors on the molecular level. It also includes True HEPA filters that capture 99.97 percent of airborne contaminants like dust mites, pet dander, and pollen. Powerful enough to clean the air in a room up to 360 square feet, you can monitor your air quality and control the settings through the Winix Smart App. It’s also compatible with Alexa devices.

Fetting the best deal on smart appliances will require you to check the website often on Prime Day, but you should be able to find deep discounts on your wishlist items without going through too much trouble. And don’t forget that to participate in the event, you’ll need an existing Amazon Prime membership (though you can always just sign up for the 30-day free trial).

The post 6 Smart Appliance Deals to Look for This Amazon Prime Day first appeared on Dornob.