Dedicated to inspiring designers, inventors & the creative spirit in all of us.

Apples are at their prime this time of year, and there are countless ways to enjoy this delicious, healthy fruit. But preparing apples for snacking and baking can be a chore if your tools and utensils are outdated. Here are a few gadgets and tools to make it easier to prepare, store and enjoy the year’s best apples, whether picked fresh at a local orchard, neighborhood farmer’s market or corner grocery store.

This apple slicer adjusts to a variety of widths to get the most wedges from each of your apples for snacking, or to cut a few thick ones for baking a recipe.

Coring your apples can be a big task when baking; you might as well do it in style with this stainless steel version. 

Thinly sliced, uniform twists make this spiral cutter unique for serving up fresh apples this Fall. 

Some picky eaters have to remove the skin before they eat, and this hand-cranked countertop contraption will do the job (it also cores the apple simultaneously). The design is very industrial, implying a perfect peel every time.

For those of you who like overkill and all-in-one machines, I think this may be the one for you. Formerly marketed as the Spirooli, this shredder, slicer, chopper claims to maim any vegetable or fruit you can stuff into it.

Why not have your apples and eat them too? The design of the dehydrator is simple, and it makes storing foods for later use so easy to do.

I will argue with anyone who disclaims the validity of culinary creations as art. Having said that, here is a great way to prepare your fresh apples after you have cored, skinned and sliced them to enjoy.

Thinking outside of the box has been used so many times to describe an approach toward design. I really do think that the designers who worked on this touchpad case were thinking outside of the box. When slipped onto the bottom of an iPhone, this tactile guide gives boundaries to your fingertips, allowing for more than just a visual line between pressing a ‘D’ and an ‘S’ on your QWERTY touch keyboard.

Dahon has debuted an ingenious gadget for bicycle riders at this year’s Eurobike Show. The Biologic FreeCharge, a kinetic powered bicycle adapter, harnesses the energy created as your wheels turn while you ride. This is a means to an end for diehard cyclists who travel great distances and want to avoid having to charge GPS, cell phone or electronics at hotels or public places after a long day’s ride. Available in 2010.

Simple ideas are the best, and this is an example of one – a reusable lid for plastic bags. Buy in bulk, or cut open a bagged package of food and then use this to snap it closed without a twist tie or chip clip. Copoc Bag Clips can be used on big bags of M & M’s, bulk grains, sugar; the possibilities are endless.

At first glance, this appears to be an illusion, perhaps an invisible table with a clear table cloth. At second look you can see it is an actual table, supported by legs created from the draping of the ‘fabric.’ A fantastic idea, cleverly executed with precision.

This design is an award winner from Japan’s Ryoji Takahashi that offers a new look and feel to shredding. The tube-like paper shredder can be held over a waste basket and is less obtrusive than the traditional rectangular electric paper shredder. Seems to be a desk-friendly redesign; now we have to wait until it comes to the States.

Did you change out old bulbs with CLF’s or go digital with your photos? Making a camera planter or light bulb pot is a great way to find a second life for some old objects around the house.

What about those old books, ruined books, or doubles you may have stored around the house, in the garage or attic?

And those old vinyl records you can’t listen to anymore?

And, of course, there is always the option of trying to reuse the old phone booth lying around!

I think it is so cool when people find ways to transform everyday objects. The inventor of this folding bicycle has found a way to condense the size of the bicycle into something that can travel indoors with you after you arrive at your destination. Way cool design!

This may look like an electronics device, but it definitely isn’t. It is a wallet that secures your personal items from being compromised electronically. RFID theft, or radio frequency identity theft, can happen without you even knowing. This clamshell of a storage space blocks any person who may try to grab your information from the Visa, Mastercard, and American Express cards in your purse or pocket. Now you can forget about hackers in crowds electronically taking what is your’s.

Here is a creative and smart way to feast on your take-out pizza. This new design for the traditional pizza box tears apart into four square paper plates and then folds over to store whatever pizza may be leftover. It seems like the perfect way to save on plates and fit a pizza box in the fridge when you’re done eating!