Take your pick of bags
Panasonic
NC-ZA1
Price on request
This touchscreen-controlled coffee machine offers near infinite control over grind, temperature and milk ratio.
panasonic.com
Ally Capellino
Wiggo
Rs 18,650
Being seen doesn’t have to mean looking garish. This oiled canvas rucksack for cyclists sports reflective piping and hardy leather straps. It can house a 17- inch laptop in its padded pocket, with secure, weatherproof pouches for all other valuables.
uk.tumi.com
Knomo Falmouth
Rs 12,000
Head boy-like style, from the canvas coated design, with a padded interior to protect a 15-inch laptop, to the unique ID number that marks this bag as yours if you ever leave it unattended. If a kindly passerby finds your bag and contacts Knomo with your ID, it will be returned to you, pronto.
knomobags.com
Evernote Abrasus
Triangle bag
Rs 20,000
No more digging around to find your phone. This unique triangle-shaped bag, designed by a Japanese startup teamed with a PC software producer, appeals to the über organised with a slot or pocket for everything.
evernote.com
North Face Surge II
Charged
Rs 15,600
This backpack doesn’t just carry your gadgets, it can give them an energy boost, too. There’s a battery pack concealed inside its padded midriff that can fully charge your phone twice over. You will, of course, need to remember to charge your bag first.
thenorthface.co.uk
Ralph Lauren
Weekend Bag
$24,000
Even if you have everything, you need something stylish to carry it all in. Case in point: Conceivably the best-looking weekend bag you’ve seen since grandad’s vintage Goyard gave up the ghost on that hazy road trip back in ’68. Classically cleanlined, sturdily sewn and amply sized to hold your stuff, this is an alligator for the ages.
ralphlauren.com
Corneliani Leather
Accessories
From Rs 15,000
These luxury leather iPad covers and iPhone cases from Italian men’s wear brand Corneliani are made of calfskin leather. The front of the iPad case (which is lined with suede) has the label, with the logo in palladium-plated solid brass with brushed edges. The iPhone case is an embossed calfskin billfold with one compartment for banknotes and eight credit card slots, while the lining is leatherette. Also launched are calfskin wallets and notepad covers.
corneliani.com
Kees van der
Westen Speedster
Rs 5,50,000
The Harley Davidson of espresso, at something of a Rolls Royce price.
keesvanderwesten.com
Hario coffee maker
Rs 8,000
No, this was not stolen from the chemistry laboratory, although it looks inspired by one. The Coffee Syphon Technica from company Hario makes two cups. Experiment a little with the settings, and soon you’ll be producing great results.
harioworld.com
Portside Café
writing desk
Price on request
This leather-clad wooden writing desk packs in a study and is a perfect space-saving solution. Open the flap and you’ll discover that the leather cladding continues on its inside too with drawers lined with suede for a plush feel. Don’t miss the wooden ducklings perched happily atop the study.
portsidecafe.com
Stir Kinect Smart Desk
$3,980
Sitting for prolonged periods is officially bad for your health. Thus, this motorised sit/stand smartdesk with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and touchscreen controller could literally add years to your life. Designed in California, the Stir Kinect has motorised legs, raising and lowering it, so you can sit, stand or perch in between. It can also be programmed via the 4.3-inch touchscreen in the corner to move automatically at set times to—ho ho!—keep you on your toes.
stirworks.com
FreedMan Chair
Rs 79,900
This replicates your standing posture while seated, reducing the risk of heart disease and diabetes that accumulates over years of desk-based slouching. The brainchild of osteopath-inventor Simon Freedman, it uses the spine’s natural standing curve as support to take the strain off abused back muscles. Despite looking like something from David Cronenberg’s worst nightmares, it’s the second most successful UK Kickstarter campaign ever.
freedmanchair.com
*(This material is reproduced from T3 magazine and is the copyright of or licensed to Future Publishing Limited, a Future plc group company, UK2010. Used under licence. All rights reserved.)
(This story appears in the March-April 2014 issue of ForbesLife India. To visit our Archives, click here.)