The Weird and Wonderful Dual-Purpose Devices at IFA 2022

We went to Europe's big tech showcase, where party fridges and supercharged water bottles ruled the floor.

SMARTPHONES HAVE LONG offered near-endless functionality at your fingertips. Now, more product makers have decided that doing just one thing isn’t quite enough for them either. At Europe’s big tech showcase in Berlin, IFA 2022, brands big and small have introduced a bunch of dual-purpose products. Tech gimmicks, you cry? Some certainly make a lot more sense than others.

AeroTower takes things in a slightly different direction. The company has whacked a tabletop on the noggin of an air purifier. It’s a less subtle take than Ikea’s Starkvind ($259). But, we say, why not? It offers 360-degree air purification capabilities and, as part of LG’s Puricare Objet Collection Aero Furniture range (snappy!), offers up bold colors with names like Crème Rose, Crème Yellow, and Crème Grey. You can control it all in the LG ThinQ app, and there’s wireless charging as well as some mood lighting too. No pricing or release date for this hybrid bit of kit just yet though.