KineticDesk
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Stir now sells just the bases for its sit-stand desks
Every time we write about Stir's kinetic standing desks, we always point out how damn expensive the things are. In a world where you can buy a manually-operated standing desk from Ikea for a couple of bucks, spending three grand on a smart one can seem excessive. Thankfully, Stir knows this and is now offering a way for folks to just buy the legs without spending big on the top. The Base L1 is, as you can guess, a height-adjustable desk base that'll let you attach any topper of your choosing. Should you want to get in on the action, it'll set you back between $1,000 and $1,500 depending on what you can haggle with your local dealer. Plus, obviously, the price of a base on top.
Stir's new smart desk is a relative bargain at $2,990
We poke fun at Stir sometimes, but that's mostly because $3,900 is a ridiculous amount of money to pay for a standing desk -- yes, even a "smart" one. But once you get past the sticker shock, it's clear the company is doing some cool things: The existing Kinetic Desk has a sleek design and can learn your sitting and standing habits. (The fact that there are built-in outlets to keep your stuff from falling over is also a plus.) Again, though, four grand is a lot to spend, especially if you're a company looking to issue several of these to your employees. With that in mind, Stir is releasing another desk that's relatively more affordable. Which is to say, it costs $2,990. Still not cheap, exactly, but a thousand-dollar price cut is a start.
Stir's 'smart desk' now works with Fitbit, shows how many calories you've burned while standing
Remember the Stir Kinetic, that $3,890 "smart desk" we showed you last fall? You know, the sleek-looking one made by someone who used to work on Apple's iPod team? Yep, that's the one. In any case, it's about to get a few more features to help justify that insane price tag. Stir just announced that the desk will now integrate with Fitbit's fitness-tracking platform, allowing you to tally up all the calories you've burned while standing.
Daily Roundup: Google's 15th anniversary, Stir's Kinetic Desk, iOS 7.0.2 and more!
You might say the day is never really done in consumer technology news. Your workday, however, hopefully draws to a close at some point. This is the Daily Roundup on Engadget, a quick peek back at the top headlines for the past 24 hours -- all handpicked by the editors here at the site. Click on through the break, and enjoy.
Stir's Kinetic Desk is a standing desk that learns your sitting habits, moves when you need a break (video)
If Apple were to build a desk, it would look like this. Much like Nest, maker of the world's sexiest thermostat, Stir is a company founded by someone who worked on the first iPods, and, it too is trying to make a mundane household item fashionable. In this case, of course, the product in question isn't a thermostat or even a home appliance, but a standing desk. The Kinetic Desk, which will ship in the first half of 2014, has a thermal sensor that can tell when you've arrived, and over time, it learns how long you prefer to be on your feet before taking a break. To lower the desk over its 26-inch range, just double-tap the built-in touchscreen, located on the left end. From there, you can can set goals, like standing for 25 percent of the day, as well as see how many extra calories you've burned, or monitor how much time you've spent sitting. CEO and founder JP Labrosse tells us that the desk might eventually integrate with fitness-tracking services like Fitbit, though it won't at launch. Still, the desk has WiFi and Bluetooth radios baked in, so if Stir ever did want to share data with third-party services, the hardware would at least be able to support it. The Kinetic Desk has just one button. Press it and you'll be telling the desk to enter "active mode," which will remind you to take periodic breaks by rising up and down ever so gently when it's time for you to stop what you're doing and walk around. (It's less distracting then it sounds; in fact, Stir is using the name "WhisperBreath" to describe it.) Also like an Apple product, the desk has a stark design: it's powered by a single cable, with eight AC ports and four USB sockets tucked into two hidden panels at the top of the desk. That makes for a minimalist look, of course, but it also means you don't have to worry about dragging cables (and knocking things over) when you adjust the height of the desk. Once this starts shipping, you'll have two color options for the lacquered wood surface, and four choices of accent colors for the underside and in the two charging drawers. As for the starting price, you're looking at $3,890 and up -- suffice to say, you'd better already be a standing desk convert before taking the plunge.
