SaloneDelMobile
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IKEA's Sonos-powered lamp and bookshelf are speakers in disguise
After enough teasing, IKEA saved the full reveal for Italy's premier design show, Salone del Mobile, unveiling not only the $99 SYMFONISK bookshelf with WiFi speaker but also what the furniture maker calls its "loudest table lamp ever" -- yep, an on-trend lamp ($179) that hides a substantial Sonos speaker inside. IKEA has form in combining or hiding technology into its products, like its wireless charging mats built into tables and, again, lamps. According to the company, these products have been well received, so it's going one step further and getting into smart-speaker territory.
Bang and Olufsen's gorgeous OLED TV has 'wing' speakers that fold out
Samsung and Huawei's folding smartphones can't have all the fun. Bang and Olufsen's Beovision Harmony is its latest high-end TV design that uses a 77-inch LG OLED TV (nice choice right there), wrapped in a very stylish frame and audio package that feels somewhere between a pop-up book mechanism and a butterfly wing. Made from oak and aluminum, the pair of fronts disguise the giant screen by partially covering it with an eye-catching teak oak and aluminum design, or a more restrained two-tone fabric and aluminum effect.
Panasonic gussies up LED prototypes, invites you to play (video)
How do you get laypeople excited about LED lighting? Make it pretty, of course -- that's what Panasonic Electric Works is doing this week at Salone del Mobile 2011, in Milan. Working with designer Ferruccio Laviani, the firm has built an interactive installation out of upcoming products and prototypes, inviting visitors to explore "new dimensions of spatial lighting with LED and OLED." The gimmicks aren't bad; guests can peek through transparent OLED panels, interact with a spacial sensor controlled light wall, and learn about the products that make up the exhibit in a special "technical zone." Featuring a theme dubbed "piano-forte," the exhibit seeks to associate dynamic lighting with 18th century musical sensibilities, promising to make everyone a "virtuoso" of lighting -- it's a bit heavy handed, but the results sure are easy on the eyes. Don't fancy a trip to Italy just to soak in artsy LED beauty? No worries, just hit the concept video at the break. [Image courtesy of designboom]
