urban cage: a mobile portable speaker that charges your smartphone and tablet
all images courtesy chang chieh

 

 

 

as modern life distances itself from the natural environment and gradually merges closer with technology, electronic devices such as mobile phones and tablets find ways to accompany us for up-to 24 hours – like a form of an intimate partner or a family pet. as a response to this social phenomenon, taiwanese industrial designer yi-ting chen created a series of smartphone and tablet docks that take form as a minimal bird cage. built using steel and a selection of hardwood, ‘ urban cage’ also serves as portable speaker that according to chen, ‘mimics the elegant movements and the sound of birds, a symbol that highlights the status of fine cage breeders.’ the delicate docks also feature bluetooth connectivity, allowing users to connect to the speaker system when not in use.

urban cage: a mobile portable speaker that charges your phone and tablet

the dock functions as a portable bluetooth speaker

urban cage: a mobile portable speaker that charges your phone and tablet

the dock supports iPhone and iPad connectivity

urban cage: a mobile portable speaker that charges your phone and tablet

urban cage: a mobile portable speaker that charges your phone and tablet

the dock can charge two devices simultaneously

urban cage: a mobile portable speaker that charges your phone and tablet

an ‘urban cage’ for tablets

urban cage: a mobile portable speaker that charges your phone and tablet

the docks have also been designed to be used as ornamentation

 

 

 video courtesy chau hao yang

 

 

project information:

 

product design: yi-ting chen
photography: chang chieh
illustration: ya shin
animation: chao-hao yang
app programming: hung-chi lee

 

 

[h/t] artnau