14 DAY TRIAL // We've seen plenty of interesting and weird things, and the new Lumio book, or is it lamp, designed by Max Gunawan sits somewhere mid-way between those two epithets.
Earlier this year, Max Gunawan posted his idea on Kickstarter and got enough funds to turn it into reality. So behold, the Lumio, a book that can open up and spread its “pages” like a fan.
Said pages resemble the bellows of an accordion or, for that matter, a set of bellows (the type you use to fan flames in a fireplace).
The bellows is made of Tyvek, a paper-like material that's almost impossible to tear through normal human means.
Dimmable LEDs lie within the pages, emitting light as intense as a 40W bulb. To shut off the light, just close the book. As a bonus, you can admire the laser-cut wooden cover (maple, cherry, or walnut).
With a price of $160 / €160, the Lumio should be able to attract people easily enough. After all, people in the market for curiosities such as this usually have the cash to spare.
A USB port will supply power, although there's a built-in rechargeable battery too, which can run for 8 hours.
Interestingly, you can open the book wide at 180 degrees or even 360 degrees. One of the uses on the Lumio website is as beach ornaments.
You can, say, take a bunch of these things, fully charged, and spread them around, creating a warm but mysterious nightly atmosphere. Good for beach parties involving tents and hula dances.
We're not exactly sure how spill and dirt-resistant the thing is, but we suspect it's at least reasonably able to ward off most aesthetic-marring agents, for a while. Dusters should work on it well enough too, if it comes down to it.
Coffee will probably stain the same way it stains everything else though. Fortunately, man has become quite adept at avoiding mixing liquids and electricity together.
