ANALOG MEMORY DESK

The Analog Memory Desk, created by Kristen Camara, is a 60" wide desk made of hard maple wood that comes with a roll of 1,100 yards of butcher paper. The paper sits on a roll that is held on a rack between two legs of the desk. The paper stretches across the desktop then comes back down to roll back up on the opposite end. Both rolls can be controlled by turning the wooden handles to wind and unwind the paper. The paper acts as one continuous notepad. When an area of the paper has been filled with notes, one simply turns the wooden peg to reveal more blank space.

This desk is great for people who often find themselves needing to jot things down as they work. It isn't intended to be an organized log of work but as a means for quick note-taking. Camara herself says it is an easy, always available way to work out a quick math problem or take down notes during web design. While it is not meant to organize your thoughts, the Analog Memory Desk has an advantage over Post-It notes in that if a person needed, he or she could roll back the paper in search of old information whereas a Post-It is likely to be thrown out shortly after use. The roll is replaceable but one could opt to use the desk as a standard drawing table. The desk might be improved by including a storage space or two, but overall it is an interesting option for designers.

HOVDING AIRBAG HELMET

The Hovding Airbag Helmet was developed in Sweden by two industrial design students. Cyclists themselves, the two students sought an alternative to cumbersome hard-shell helmets. Their idea was to employ an airbag system akin to that of cars. The Hovding collar is worn around the neck like a brace made of what its website calls "waterproof functional fabric." Inside the brace is the deflated airbag. When deployed, the airbag fills with air, wrapping itself around the user's head with the exception of the facial area. The collar contains sensors that monitor changes in speed, angle and other factors that would indicate an accident is about to occur. When the sensors are alerted, the airbag deploys and fills in a tenth of a second.

The set-it-and-forget-it quality of the Hovding makes it enticing to regular cyclists. The collar weighs only 1.5 lbs and zips in the front, and once it's on it just quietly rests on your shoulders until needed. Its website boasts that, in addition to being convenient, the Hovding is among the safest helmets on the market. That may well be true when the Hovding is in full form but there are too many variables that might impede its efficacy. The system relies on its sensors being functional when an accident happens. Anyone with a car knows that sometimes sensors fail. There is no way to know that the sensors are working and calibrated, unfortunately. The collar is rechargeable and its battery life is good, but everyone has at one point or another forgotten to charge a device. This is a minor inconvenience when it's a cell phone or music player, but when it is a device intended to save your life you had better hope you don't forget. There is also the possibility that the airbag snags on a purse strap or scarf and is unable to fully protect the cyclists head before impact. Certain hairstyles -- a mohawk, for example -- can keep it from deploying successfully as well. It's true that a mohawk would not work in a traditional helmet either but at least you know what to expect.

All variables aside, the Hovding is a great concept assuming it works in the event that it's needed. The biggest drawback is its prohibitive cost. At $525, it is not an easily justifiable purchase for most people. It can be used for years and years on a daily basis, making it a worthwhile investment, but it can also deploy on first use. Once activated, the airbag cannot be reused. All of a sudden that hardshell looks pretty good.

VINO2GO

The Vino2Go does exactly as its name suggests: it allows a person to take a serving of wine to go. The product is made of acrylic and is double-walled. The outer wall is shaped as a standard reusable bottle but the inner wall takes the shape of a wine glass including stem. The stem is purely for aesthetic because, as with a real wine glass, no wine is contained within. The manufacturer boasts that the double-wall design keeps in the wine cooler for longer. On top is a plastic lid with a small opening for sipping. The lids come in different colors to indicate the type of wine.

It is the adult equivalent of children's sippy cup. Generally, these types of cups are used for children because they are prone to spilling. Clearly a product intended for adults, the "sippy cup" idea is confusingly infantilizing. The portability of wine has never seemed to me to be an issue. Most wine bottles are relatively slim and a few can be carried easily in a regular tote bag. This cup, in fact, makes wine less portable. Should you want more than a single glass of wine, you would need to carry a few of these which would take up more space than a bottle of wine and some stackable cups. It is difficult to imagine a scenario in which an adult would need this type of cup for wine. Most situations in which one might want to take coffee or water with them don't seem like they would or should apply to wine. If you're running or driving, you probably shouldn't be sipping wine.

DROP REST MUG

The Drop Rest Mug, designed by Kim Keun Ae, is a white ceramic coffee mug with a simple added element to improve its use. The new feature is a thin crevice that wraps around the entire mug. The crevice sits at about an inch and a half from the bottom, just above where the lower ear of the mug attaches.

The fine indentation acts like a small gutter to gather any droplets that may slide down the mug's exterior. This prevents the coffee from hitting tabletops which can damage some surfaces. It also makes it a little safer to work and drink at the same time. The mug can be rested over paperwork with a lessened likelihood of leaving a coffee ring stain on your documents. It does nothing to prevent spills, but it certainly helps with the minor drips we're accustomed to when sipping on coffee.

COFFEE MAKING ALARM CLOCK

Industrial designer Joshua Renouf has created an alarm clock that does away with the jarring beeps and boops we all abhor. The alarm clock, known as the Barisieur, instead brews a cup of coffee to coax its owner out of sleep mode. The coffee maker is prepared the night before, making sure coffee is in the metal funnel that hangs over the glass cup and that water is in the glass boiling flask. Both the flask and the cup sit on a removable wooden tray. The wooden tray sits atop the clock portion of this product. A short glass, similar to a test tube, is also tucked away into the tray, dropping into the clock. The tube is sealed and kept cool to hold milk or creamer. The alarm clock comes with an On/Off switch for the coffee maker and a timer for the user to set up how early the coffee should begin to brew. Next to the timer is a small drawer that holds coffee grounds and sugar.

The smell of fresh-brewed coffee permeating the bedroom will be enough to wake some. For those that need a little extra help, there is an audible aspect to the brew. The water used to make the coffee is boiled via induction heating using stainless steel ball bearings. The sound of the ball bearings moving about, running into one another, in the glass flask appeals to the ears to make the coffee maker a multi-sensory alarm clock.

Timed coffee makers are available in most department stores but few, if any, are designed to work in the bedroom. Many people can't bring themselves to operate in the mornings without a cup of coffee, and unfortunately getting out of bed in the first place is the hardest part. This product brings the coffee to the user and it eases them out sleep gently. The coffee making portion looks like science meets rustic, and it's an interesting combination. The clock portion could do with a makeover, making it look slightly less stark and utilitarian.

ANTI-THEFT LUNCH BAGS

The Anti-Theft Lunch Bags created by product designer Sherwood Forlee are resealable plastic bags for carrying food. They look very much like your average sandwich Ziploc with one major exception: the giant green splotches on either side of the bag. The splotches are in organic shapes, meant to resemble moldy growth. Forlee's idea was to create a bag that would discourage others from taking what it isn't theirs.

The idea is funny and may work the first time a person encounters it. However, after a few times one of two things will become clear to the potential food thief: this is fake, or (worse yet) this person is disgusting. It is an amusing product to by once and try, but beyond the short-lived laughs, the Anti-Theft Lunch Bags don't bring anything new to the table. Unless you are person who is committed to quirkiness, it would make more sense to stick with the classics. For the same price of 25 of Sherwood's Lunch Bags, you could walk out of Target with 300 Ziploc bags of the same size.

POPCORN MONSOON

The Popcorn Monsoon is very much like a traditional popcorn air popper. The appliance heats the kernels of popcorn to a point that they explode to create the tasty, edible snack. It is not a new process, but it has been given a facelift. The redesign gives the air popper a look that would fit in well in a laboratory. There are two similar sized yellow containers on either side of a small gray platform. One of the containers is the heating end, where the kernels get popped. The energy from the popping action shoots the popcorn up a transparent tubing that then curves downward over the opposite container. This container is just to catch the popcorn and to be used as a small bowl from which to snack. The tubing is secured by a long metal stick with a hooped end which the tubing is inserted through. There is another small, much thinner tube that sprouts out of the main tube near the heating container. This is where corn kernels are poured in using a matching yellow scoop. Once the kernels have been deposited, a small cork is fitted in the entry point.

It is interesting how something as simple as giving an old idea a new shape can make a traditional appliance appealing once again. The design of the air popper is reminiscent of the seemingly scientific process used to make coffee in an episode of the TV series Breaking Bad.

The popper is much less intricate than the coffee maker in Breaking Bad but the transparent tubing and metal accents give it a similar aesthetic.