New Atlas

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The right to disconnect: The new laws banning after-hours work emails

Rich Haridy August 13, 2018

In today’s ultra-connected world, with many people often getting work emails sent to their smartphones, a growing number of countries and companies are endorsing “right to disconnect” laws, recreating a much-needed boundary between work and home.

Laws around the world are increasingly trying to grapple with the impact of digital technologies eroding ...

Computers

Is this triple-screen SmartDesk the answer to your "Minority Report" fantasies?

Matt Kennedy June 27, 2018

Cemtrex might not be well known in the world of office kit, but that hasn't stopped it launching what it regards as "the most advanced workstation on the market." And with everything it's shoehorned in – including a gesture control system dubbed the "Stark Gesture System" – it may well be.

Cemtrex's SmartDesk sports three 24-inch multi-touch/gesture controlled screens

Drones

Japanese drone shoos overworked staff out the door with music

Michael Irving December 7, 2017

Many of us don’t need any extra incentive to clock off after work, but in Japan the intense business culture means many workers put in too much overtime. Now, two companies have unveiled a quirky solution: a drone that flies around the office at home time, blasting music to annoy staff into leaving.

Japanese companies have unveiled the T-FREND, a drone that flies around offices at knock-off time and ...

Computers

Acer announces new laptops for work and play

Michael Irving May 25, 2017

Computex kicks off next week, but Acer has jumped the gun and announced a couple of new laptops that will be at the expo. The Nitro 5 notebooks are designed as entry-level portable gaming rigs, while the new model of the Acer Spin 1 is a more work-focused machine for creative types on the go.

Acer has announced two new notebook lines: the Nitro 5 (left), an entry-level series of portable ...

Good Thinking

Workplace "traffic light" knows when you don't want to be bothered

Ben Coxworth May 5, 2017

Manually putting up a Do Not Disturb note at work can be a hassle. With that in mind, a scientist from the University of British Columbia has invented a desktop LED light that automatically switches between green ("It's OK to talk to me") and red ("Leave me alone").

The Flowlight is green, so it's alright to bug her

Electronics

Sony sketches out an upgraded Digital Paper tablet

Michael Irving April 11, 2017

A few years ago, Sony released a business-focused e-paper tablet, and now the company has updated the device with higher resolution, bigger memory, NFC and Bluetooth connectivity, a new pen-friendly screen and a few bonus workflow features.

Sony has unveiled an upgraded version of its office-focused Digital Paper tablet

Architecture

Himalayan retreat offers remote working, literally

Stu Robarts September 5, 2016

A great deal of co-living and co-working spaces are located in cities, but that doesn't always need to be the case. An extreme example of this is Carlo Ratti Associati's planned Pankhasari Retreat, which aims to let people work online from the Himalayas.

The Pankhasari Retreat will be located in a valley in the Darjeeling region of West Bengal, ...

Architecture

UK phone boxes to become mini work pods

Stu Robarts May 13, 2016

Mobile phones have rendered the UK's iconic red phone boxes largely redundant, but the mobile lifestyle that they have helped usher in is now seeing them repurposed. New York-based co-working outfit Bar Works is fitting out the phone boxes as mini work pods for people on the go.

Old British phone boxes like these could find new life as work pods

Automotive

Volkswagen rolls out 3D smartglasses to factory workers

Stu Robarts November 25, 2015

Volkswagen is presenting 3D smart glasses to workers at its plant in Wolfsburg, Germany. The Google Glass Explorer Edition glasses will be used by plant logistics operators to help with order-picking for parts such as windshields and driveshafts.

The glasses present relevant information within the user's field of vision, and have an integrated barcode ...

Computers

Saent halts productivity distractions at the push of a button

Stu Robarts August 18, 2015

Staying productive at work can be tricky, with emails, social networks and news websites among the distractions vying for your attention. Saent is aimed at helping users to remain focused by minimizing minimizes the potential for distraction and encourage a better working rhythm.

When pressed, the Saent controller launches a distraction-free work session via an accompanying app on the ...