PENCK

Remember the kinetic Infobar phones from the KDDI au folks? Well, this time multitalented graphic designer Makoto Saito is taking a turn with an au project that looks more like designer ware posing as a mobile. Except this seamless metallic blob actually opens up to reveal a camera-phone chockablock with the latest handset features, including miniSD card slot and a 2.2-inch QVGA LCD screen. There's, of course, no need to mention by now that this one's not seeing light of day outside of Japan.

Click to see the inside of the phone

Price: N.A.
Availability: This month in Japan, an au project
Device: Camera-phone
Basic specs: CDMA 1x WIN, 1,240,000-pixel CCD sensor, built-in antenna, stereo speaker, 2.2-inch QVGA LCD, miniSD memory slot, talktime of 210 mins, standby of 250 hours, 57 x 98 × 28mm, 134g,choice of three colors (metal, milk, bitter)

Vest-Pocket Beamer

Achtung, baby. The Germans may yet beat the Japanese and Koreans in the tech miniaturization game, with the Vest-Pocket Beamer expected to become a reality soon. Researchers at Germany's Fraunhofer Institute for Silicon Technology ISIT have created a prototype pocket projector using a tilting micro mirror that builds up the picture line by line. Expect future versions to be as tiny as a sugar cube. Just don't mistake it for one.

Price: N.A.
Availability: Still in concept, Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft
Device: Pocket projector
Basic specs: 320 x 240-pixel resolution, tilting mirror of 1.5 millimeters in diameter

Happy People Reversible Glasses

Designer Karim Rashid's Happy People collection is aptly named. Take the Paolo, whose upper bowl functions as a port wine stem. Flip over and its base becomes a champagne stem. To keep imbibers even happier, Rashid has designed 11 reversible glasses for different drinks, all made of mouth-blown crystal and individually a sculptural art piece that should make for great conversation starters. If money's no object, you can buy the whole shebang, host a cocktail party, and get totally and happily sloshed.

Price: From US$85 to US$150
Availability: Via Popgadget.net, glasses can be bought at Retromodern
Device: Wine glasses
Basic specs: N.A.

Sheer Spherical Kitchen

Unlike the Circular Kitchen, this one's sheer elegance just begging to be the showstopping centerpiece in a designer pad. Consisting of two half spheres, the top portion splits to reveal a ventilated hood. The bottom half, meanwhile, unveils an amazing array comprising a double sink with stainless steel plate rack, cutlery storage and chopping board, three infrared burners, a central burner firestone, refrigerated bottle baskets and--completing the setup--a pull-out table. Martha Steward, eat your heart out.

Get an eyeful of Sheer in a home setting | fully extended

Price: N.A.
Availability: DragDesign
Device: Compact kitchen
Basic specs: 148cm in diameter, pull-out aluminum table of 70 x 100cm

Circular Kitchen

Here's a kitchen you can take with you. Ok, so maybe you'll need a couple of well-muscled jocks for the job. But other than that, designer Alfred Averbeck's Circular Kitchen packs a lot of design punch into a very tiny space, claiming to contain the equivalent of 12 cupboards from a conventional kitchen. Behind the slatted sliding doors, you'll find a stainless steel sink, waste bin, drawers, lighting and electrical sockets, with the option to specify a fridge, dishwasher, microwave, fully integrated coffee machine, ceramic cook top, built-in microwave/oven combo and range hood. Access to the various components is cleverly done by rotating the central core 180 degrees and the top unit through 360 degrees. Though with initial investments starting at US$6,500, it might be far cheaper to ta pau (do takeaways).

Click to see how the Circular Kitchen fits into an apartment here

Price: US$6,500 to US$15,000
Availability: CC Concepts
Device: Space-saving kitchens
Basic specs: 1.8 x 0.8 x 2.1m, 3-year guarantee

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