2019
060
Sure, any coffee
maker will brew a
pot of joe, but the
Geesaa is a
showstopper—even
on bleary-eyed
mornings. Press
play on your
smartphone (or the
control panel) and
the carafe spins as
an arm distributes
hot water with a
spiral motion over
ground coffee,
imitating a barista’s
pour-over method.
“There was a record
player in this one
cafe we met in
during our research
into mimicking a
barista’s method,”
says Geesaa CEO
Arthur Huang.
“We noticed how
the turntable and
arm had a similar
motion to hand
pouring.” For
coffee geeks: The
app adds useful
adjustments like
brew temperatures
and flow rates
to customize your
cup. $1,000;
geesaa.com.twCOFFEE WITH
A TWIST
Remember those Maxell cassette ads in which an
armchair-lounging dude is blown away by the fury of
his home hi-fi? The speaker making waves in those
ads was the JBL L100—a touchstone of ’70s design.
Now it’s back as the L100 Classic. “We wanted to
improve on the past and add features that we
thought such an iconic loudspeaker should have,”
says Chris Hagen, principal engineer at JBL. This
take adds modern tech, like a titanium dome
tweeter, but keeps the classic furniture look and
famous foam grille. In the age of small, unobtrusive
wireless speakers, these make a statement before
the needle even drops. $4,000; jblsynthesis.comThe Retro
Speakers
Goggles That Show You More
After 142 prototypes and a new manufacturing process, Smith
landed on a design that curves the lens on the 4D Mag Goggles
under the eyes. The result: When zipping down the slopes, seeing
your skies won’t require tilting your head. $280; smithoptics.comA RUGGED LEVEL
Each time you drop your level, its
liquid-filled vials can shift subtly out
of alignment, leading to DIY projects
that are always off. The Milwaukee
Redstick Digital Level gets rid of
the weakest link. Equipped with
sensors instead of vials, an LCD
screen, and an impact-resistant
frame strong enough to jump on, it
shows when you’re spot on. It’s
calibrated at the factory, so now if
photos are still crooked, it’s you.
From $229; milwaukeetool.comTHE NO-COMPROMISE TRIPOD
Instead of making you fuss with
knobs to hold a camera in place,
the Peak Design Travel Tripod
accepts a DSLR with an auto-
click head and locks in any position
with a simple twist ring. Shooting
with an iPhone? A universal mount
attaches to your mobile and tucks
into the center column so you’ll
never lose it. Full-size
tripods are normally
bigger than a carry-on,
but this rig compacts
to the size of a
Nalgene bottle. $350;
peakdesign.com