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Pininfarina Xten Ergonomic Office Chair Makes Sedentary Look Speedy
Posted by Jack Loftus at 12:00 AM on August 18, 2008
Believe it or not, this Pininfarina Xten office chair is only three degrees of separation away from failed Gizmondo exec Stefan Eriksson. But before we begin that game, let's delve deep into this US$3,000 office chair, shall we? The seat cups your nether region with "Technogel," which the designers claim reduces spreadsheet and coding fatigue by 60% (fatigue? from sitting down?). The gel is coated with Dynatec fabric, an Olympic games staple that wicks away sweat from the bodies of today's athletes. No swamp arse for you! The chair also comes in a range of colours. Feisty. I like that. But what of Eriksson? Here's a hint: Ferrari.
The degrees of separation go thusly:
The xten chair is the spawn of Pininfarina, an Italian design firm. Pininfarina designs many things, like cell phones and alarm clocks, but chief among them is the ultra-rare Ferrari Enzo. Eriksson is probably best known for wrecking his Enzo on a highway, sawing it in half, and walking away relatively OK so he could continue to make shitty portable gaming devices. And scene.
We have no idea whether or not Eriksson has an xten in his office, but if he does, we're certain its days, like Gizmondo's, are numbered.
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Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
strider_mt2k
Posted 12:44 AM 18/8/08
I think they actually use pieces of THAT car in these.
Now excuse me while I escape into the hills...
strider_mt2k
snowy_coke
Posted 12:41 AM 18/8/08
still doesn't circulate air through your bums.... blah
snowy_coke
bung
Posted 12:17 AM 18/8/08
That's a nice chair.
bung
OMG! Ponies!
Posted 12:49 AM 18/8/08
The real question is how will it fare in Office Hockey. Will it help me dominate those jerks from Accounts Payable? Sweat-wicking? Bah! I want to know things like how it handles a variety of flooring options ranging from painted concrete to linoleum to berber to that horrid industrial carpeting.
It's all about speed and turning, man.
OMG! Ponies!
eblingmis
Posted 1:41 AM 18/8/08
That metal arm support sure doesn't look comfortable.
eblingmis
laio
Posted 1:38 AM 18/8/08
i'd rather a NASA chair. they should be faster.
unless they just fail on you and explode. but that would be awesome too.
laio
DisposableInterloper
Posted 2:06 AM 18/8/08
Err, I meant to say Humanscale Liberty. Come to think of it, though, the Freedom might well be a contender too.
DisposableInterloper
DisposableInterloper
Posted 2:04 AM 18/8/08
If this were a Battlemodo between this chair, the legendary Herman Miller Aeron, the Humanscale Freedom, and one of HAG's offerings, and said Battlemodo would take into account price, comfort, and durability, I'd bet my money on this chair ending up dead last.
DisposableInterloper
JuanX
Posted 3:59 AM 18/8/08
Thats a fancy chair. Looks like one of those rocket propulsion chairs to scape odd situations in a movie. lol However, I will rather stay with mine, than wasting $3,000 on that office chair.
JuanX
silence04
Posted 3:35 AM 18/8/08
I'll stick with my Areon
silence04
sam_i_am
Posted 5:54 AM 18/8/08
One thing this has over the Aeron - fart absorption capabilities.
You can't plant a fart tree in an Aeron - it passes straight through the mesh and into the nostrils of your disgusted co-workers.
The heat map of that Technogel looks like it could handle some serious fart suppression. Thats definitely worth a few thousand bucks.
sam_i_am
DisposableInterloper
Posted 7:31 AM 18/8/08
@sam_i_am:
Heat maps don't suggest anything about how it responds to farts, and that's not a heat map but a pressure map. Considering that the Xten's seat cushion is made of glorified gel, like so many other products out there, I wager it would flap against your fart in tandem with your glutes, making the fart that much more embarassing.
If you have a problem with farts, just put an activated charcoal pad in or over your underwear, or buy some (notably harder to find) underwear made of fibers impregnated with activated charcoal. It'll soak up all the stinky poo particles, so people won't have to smell it.
DisposableInterloper
Brau
Posted 5:27 PM 18/8/08
For $3000 I expect an F1 wireless steering wheel (with paddles) driving powered wheels, along with a personal ventilation system blowing cool air around my body.
Brau
ninjamurf
Posted 3:56 AM 19/8/08
Rest in peace Andrea. Rest in peace.
ninjamurf
Shnyzx
Posted 12:45 AM 20/8/08
I sat in one at the annual boat show in Miami this february. It was at the contender booth to show of the new Pinifarin boat design. Its more on design and less on function. Has like 20 differnet adjustments for optimal discomfort. You are better off buying a $20 chair and taping the other $2,800 to it.
Shnyzx
mattb4rd
Posted 2:39 AM 18/8/08
Sort of reminds me of that Cadillac he designed. I think it was called "Allante'"
mattb4rd