Gadgets Blog

Anyone who has ever taken leftovers to work for their lunch knows that it can be a pain at times.  First of all you have to decide if you trust your coworkers enough to leave the food in the fridge.  Then you have to deal with a line to the microwave at some places.  I have worked at places before that don’t exactly leave me feeling encouraged to keep bringing food from home.  Well with this lunchbox, it might make things a lot easier and give you more time to relax on your lunch break.

The design is an insulated lunchbox, so it should keep your food cool up until you’re ready to warm it up.  Instead of taking the food to the microwave to heat it up though, you just plug in the box itself.  It also will make it so you don’t have to keep a stash of plastic silverware at your desk, since it comes with some that stay in the lid.  The inside compartments all pop out and can be put in the dishwasher to be cleaned.  This design by Alex Cheong comes in several colors.  It’d be a nice gadget to have around if it ever gets to be created.

Source: Gearfuse

I understand the need to add color to your gadgets, a lot do tend to be missing those bright colors a lot of us enjoy so much.  However, the 3rd Gen Shuffle is such a tiny device, it’s a little ridiculous attempting to justify buying a case for it.  I understand it a little more with a device as small as the Nano, but for the Shuffle, it just seem like a bit much. Either way though, iLuv has released cases for the new Shuffle

Even iLuv is feeling the same to some extent, because instead of selling these cases individually, they’re selling them in packs of four.  It was quite nice of them to do so, but that’s still indication of how small these cases would have to be.  The silicon cases will protect your new Shuffle from scratches and scuffs, which is always a serious perk, no matter what the size of the device.  It also leaves access to all of the ports and switches that you would need to get to on the Shuffle. The silicon set has them in pink, blue, black and white.  There is also a different set you can purchase that comes with a transparent case that is tinted black.  The sets will cost you $12.99 from iLuv.

Source: ChipChick

What appears to be just a very chic and modern light is actually an eco-friendly pendant light.  It uses old water bottles to create the light, which after you know that, it’s quite easy to tell.  The light is currently being exhibited in a competition at the Ideal Home Show London.  It’s trying to win concept of the year, but it is up against 25 other designs.  The great thing with a concept like Sarah Turner’s is that it could easily be done by a common person who is great with DIY projects.

Even if her light doesn’t win, it’s highly likely that some people will attempt to make their own versions of the light.  You can vote for her online if you’d like to try to help her win.  While you’re there you can also check out the various other concept designs.  The other designs range from furniture, to kitchenware and of course lighting as well.  All are making an attempt at keeping the world eco-friendly.

Source: Inhabitat

The thing about poolside furniture is that it’s generally uncomfortable for lounging and it sinks like a stone. And inflatable loungers may float, but they aren’t much more comfortable and can leak under the weight sitting on it. Bean bag chairs are very comfortable and stylish, but aren’t very waterproof. Until now.

The Slack Amphibious Lounger is like a bean bag chair, except that they can float, making it a very nice poolside lounger. And although heavy, the design of the lounger lets in water which then interacts with the beans to create a stable buoyancy.

The Amphibious Lounger took ten months and several prototypes to perfect but it is now declared to be the “first shapeable, floating pool lounger.” No word yet on pricing or availability, but you can bet with summer coming, it’ll be for sale all over the web sooner, rather than later.

Hat Tip - Like Cool

A while ago, I reported on the Oboe, a concept robot that does nothing but stand and record the experiences of someone you love with its fancy spherical hard drive. I remember thinking that someone should make a robot that should assist the elderly now, and not just preserve their memories for later.

Someone has apparently heard my wishes and created the ApriAttenda robot, which is intended to assist the elderly. This little one-meter tall robot has the astromech droid appearance of R2D2, but with the arms of C3PO.

Its arms are versatile, and can open doors and refrigerators, as well as handle things that senior citizens might not be able to lift anymore. You have to wonder if you are looking at an age where the elderly are being cared for by robots.

Of course, why stop with having robots take care of the elderly? I mean, couldn’t these guys be nanny-bots as well? Is it possible that these robot arms could gently lift and cuddle newborn babies? I don’t know if I would want to offer my children to this ApriAttenda for their care.

Well, we are obviously looking at a robot age, where the robots will do all the jobs that no one else really wants to do. Does anyone want to know the repercussions of that era? Leave that to science-fiction writers.

Source

Just try and picture that guy with the deep voice who used to do the movie previews when you read this. “This summer, the world will be rocked…by an e-book reader. Prepare yourself for the thrill of…Papyrus!”

Yes, it would appear that Amazon’s Kindle 2.0 will have another competitor jump in the ring for the e-book market. The Samsung Papyrus resembles that one device from the World’s biggest bookstore, and it has a touchscreen made for A5 paper size.

Other features include a truckload of applications including a memo pad, scheduler, calendar, a world clock, contact list, and a calculator. It has a stylish stylus as well as 512 MB of memory.

The Papyrus is expected to hit the market sometime during the summer, but only in Korea. It should hit the UK and the U.S. sometime after that, for a price of about $300. The screen itself doesn’t look it has capacity for color, but how much color do you really need for an average book? As for the exterior color, it comes in three colors of white, black, and an odd shade of sea green.

I mentioned the Kindle earlier. On a somewhat related note, you might have caught last week’s episode of Dollhouse when Patton Oswalt substituted the word Kindle for “book”. It was an odd, to say the least. You’d have to see it to believe it, and I recommend you catch last Friday’s episode on Hulu. I realize that I have badmouthed Dollhouse before on this site, but the last episode made me believe that the show could actually go somewhere.

Source

I love reporting on the latest in weaponry. I’m sure that a lot of people will call me a little twisted, but I just can’t think of a cooler gadget than the latest weapon.

This particular stun gun, the X12 Taser LLS, had me when it was described as a “wireless taser”. Perhaps I also have an affinity for all things wireless. I mean, we have wireless computers and phones, why not wireless tasers? After all, those wires that zip out of most tasers can tangle very easily.

The LLS stands for Less Lethal Shotgun, and it is able to fire a charged round from up to 88 feet away. According to a Press Release, “it can pentrate clothing and transmit electrical impulses, causing the body to be temporarily paralyzed, unlike conventional stun guns which cause immobility by causing pain”.

In other words, someone might have you in their sight before you say “don’t tase me, bro”. I’m sure that you really don’t want to get hit by one of these guys, really.

The X12 Taser LLS is due to come out in June, but I’m guessing that it won’t be available to the general public. Hopefully, it won’t be too expensive, because SWAT teams in today’s economy might opt for cheaper and more lethal rifles.

Source

Nintendo President Satoru Iwata has unveiled yet more goodies for consumers in the coming year, and among these include SDHC memory card support for the Wii home console alongside a new Legend of Zelda game for the Nintendo DS. One of the more interesting key initiative is launch of the Nintendo DSi as well as its seamless connectivity to the Nintendo DSi Shop, where one can use the free 1,000 Nintendo DSi Points to redeem it for downloadable Nintendo DSiWare games and applications. In order to snag these free 1,000 DSi points, just access the Nintendo DSi Shop by October 5, 2009, and you’re good to go. There are four different price categories to choose from - free, 200 points, 500 points, and 800+ points, and you know where the quality stuff is at simply by looking at the figures. Guess Nintendo has really mastered the art of printing money!

Press Release

Karaoke is one invention that some love while others loathe, as it is very easy to see/hear your friends butcher your favorite tunes. If you happen to love to sing the top of your lungs off but know on the other hand that you would never make it as a candidate or representative of your family or office as a singer, then the Lucky Voice Karaoke Party Box is just the device for you.

Thanks to its squawk-disguising echo effect, Lucky Voice makes even sub-Scooch singers sound vaguely bearable. Think of it as a magic box that transforms your computer into the ultimate karaoke machine. If that’s too taxing think of it as the most hilariously entertaining gizmo you’re ever likely to buy. Once guests have downed a few shandies you’ll be amazed at the notes they hit and the poses they strike (and that’s not necessarily a good thing). To get started simply create a playlist (or choose a preselected one) on Luckyvoice.com, turn up your speakers and get wailing. Rammed with over 6000 songs, from Amy Winehouse to Abba, the Lucky Voice website is a doddle to use. Just type in a title or artist and before you can say ‘Bismallah, no!’ the search engine will do the biz (sans vocals, of course). You even get the lyrics bopping out of your screen in true karaoke fashion. ‘And through it aaall…’

Have a rip-roaring good time at your next party with the £49.95 Lucky Voice Karaoke Party Box.