When I’m reading a book late at night in my bed, there are times when I want to write down a fleeting thought or a mini-review of my current reading companion. But when a notebook or phone is not near me or I’m too tired to get up, I just tell myself “I’ll write it down in the morning” only for me to eventually forget. A device that can help me with that would be very welcome.
Designers: Yujin Je and Hanyoung Lee
This new product concept called Tlas may be the answer to that particular problem of mine. Basically, it is a book place holder that is also a speaker and a recorder. The name itself means “to listen and speak” and so you get the best of both worlds, whether you’re reading a physical book or listening to an audiobook, plus it also gives you the ability to record your thoughts if you don’t have a notebook or a phone nearby.
The renders of the device look like any other Bluetooth speaker. It’s obviously bigger than most that are in the market now but when you place your book on top of it, you’ll realize why it’s that size. There are book lovers who will cringe at the thought of breaking the spine and spreading the book over it but those who don’t mind this and who don’t have a bookmark handy will find it useful when reading in bed. You just have to lean over and place the book, go to sleep, and pick up where you left off when you wake up.
Aside from it being a placeholder for your book, it also has speaker capabilities. Supposedly, you can listen to your audiobooks on it but it seems like it’s only through the app that should come with it. It wasn’t really mentioned if you can connect it to other audiobook apps like Audible. You can also record your thoughts on a specific chapter or record a quote that you would like to remember later on. There isn’t much info about the connected app so we don’t really know how it will work.
The Tlas device also has a mood light function so it can serve as your light source at night whether reading or sleeping. You can also adjust the volume as you listen to your audiobook or as you record your thoughts. I would still need to know more about how the device actually works if it does become a reality before deciding whether I want to have one beside my bed or if I just continue falling asleep on my book and forgetting about what I wanted to write down the next morning.
