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Not so wired
Whatever the future looks like, it’s not likely to be crisscrossed with wires as our homes often are today. A new technology promises to eliminate all those chargers for your laptop, iPhone, and other mobile devices—plus the cord on your coffee maker. What’s called eCoupled Wireless Power Technology is mostly available now as a wireless charging pad for the Dell Latitude Z laptop, but the company that makes eCoupled, Fulton Innovation, has a grand vision that goes way beyond unencumbered e-mailing.
To wit: In a high-tech eCoupled home, the cell phone gets charged on a wireless pad. So does the mp3 player, the DVD player, and the remote control for the TV. Lighting, speakers and small kitchen appliances are also powered by the small electromagnetic fields that eCoupled creates, rather than by cords. And the car parked outside can wirelessly charge all your devices while you drive.
Fulton says eCoupled is more efficient than traditional systems and that its wireless chargers can communicate with devices so that it delivers exactly as much power as, say, your digital camera actually needs. Find out more at ecoupled.com.—Erika Howsare
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Belmont modern
On the Southern outskirts of Belmont, where tiny 1940s bungalows back up to rows of cookie-cutter new construction, is this gem on a site that only a year ago was an empty lot. Kudos to the builder who took a rare city infill opportunity to design a home unique and current rather than derivative.—Katherine Ludwig
Mix in Motor City
Ever wondered what the Detroit-forged headlight from a 1931 Hudson car would look like as a table lamp? Now you know. This piece of heavy retro flair is available for $1,750 at And George.
Just coasting
More than a barrier between a dewy drink and a ruined coffee table, the coaster is the ultimate accent piece: interchangeable, inexpensive and indispensable. If you’re the type to nervously thrust them at guests as the glass descends toward the tabletop, at least make sure you’re flinging something attractive under their noses. Here are our favorites from local shops.
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(Clockwise from top left): World Market, $13 (set of 4); The Barn Swallow, $45 (4); Anthropologie, $4; The Happy Cook, $17.50 (4); Anthropologie, $4; Target, $7 (set of 4); O’Suzannah, $10 (set of 12); O’Suzannah, $25 (set of 4); Pier One, $15 (set of 4); Sustain, $12; Creme de la Creme, $31 (set of 4); Caspari, $8.50 (set of 8); O’Suzannah, $12 (tear-off pad of 36); Sustain, $24 (set of 4); O’Suzannah, $42 (set of 4).