Electrolux recently sponsored a design contest, and this Cocoon was the winner. You might be wondering what it is, it is a cooker that can “grow” meat and fish by heating animal cells.
Yes, that does sound like something from science fiction, and it probably will stay that way at this point. The Cocoon is planned to heat pre-mixed food packets containing muscle cells, oxygen, and other nutrients to grow meat, which sounds like Jetsons-style technology. That, or the Black and Decker Rehydrator from Back to the Future II.
I mean, what is that, Salmon? I just had some salmon last weekend that was caught fresh, and it was a complicated process of getting it. I suppose if I could just shove a packet in this guy, it would be better.
I believe that many people are calling this product “controversial”, but I don’t really see the fuss. Unless there is some cloning involved, then I think the only people who should be offended are vegetarians. Of course, I’m not looking forward to the day when Soylent Green is available.
Rickard Hederstierna is the designer of this product, and he has won a huge cash prize and a chance to work a six month paid internship at the Electrolux design center.
What you are looking at here isn’t some miniature all-in-one desktop computer with printer, but the Epson Address Expert.
This is a printer that is set up to postcards, and that looks like all it can print. I have to admit that it has been a while since I have sent a postcard, but they are still popular in Japan, so I’m told.
The Epson Address Expert series come in two forms: the E-800 and E-600. Each of them have a 7-inch LCD display with 5760 x 1440 dpi resolution, and are PC and Mac compatible. The E-800 includes a wireless keyboard so you can compose your well-wishing messages.
I wouldn’t mind having one of these myself, because I think I should start a new habit of sending postcards to people. I guess in the age of email, nobody really uses them when you can just send a JPG. That, or post pictures of your vacation on your blog.
Yeah, we’ve just about phased postcards out of our technological online society. Perhaps this is why we should bring them back, they would be so old that they would be new.
Unfortunately, I have no word of availability or price, but I am guessing it will probably be released only in Japan.
My source called the StressWatch “the mood ring of the 21st century”, but all I can say about it is that someone should have invented it a long time ago.
After all, we live in an age where people wake up at ungodly hours, go to demeaning jobs, come home to face family issues, and barely have time to wind down before they go to sleep. In short, we live in age where everyone is under stress. And if that doesn’t stress you out, then you don’t need the StressWatch.
As you can see from the pic, there is a black bar graph to show your stress levels. The blues and greens that you see there means that you are mellow, but pink, red or orange means you’re one stressed out fellow. I am going to assume that it reads your pulse, sweat from your wrist, or something.
Not only that, it can also tell the time. So that way you can get to your next appointment, so that you can always stay ahead and…I suppose that deadlines are the source of our stress, isn’t it? Just breathe deep and think calming thoughts to get back into the safe zone.
Well, this device is merely concept as now, but it deserves to be made reality. I could use a little reduced stress now.
Alright so this clock does look a touch different and it’s bound to get you some strange looks, but this has to be the most brilliant design I’ve seen lately. Digital bedside clocks are always designed to be easily readable when you’re sitting up looking squarely at the clock, which is ridiculous once you think about it. This clock is made so that you can easily read it while laying in bed on your side.
Plus this clock has the perk of being mounted to the wall, that in turn will free up space on your end table. It’d be especially great for those that don’t actually own an end table. The LED clock has all of your normal alarm functions, as well as being able to mount on the wall sideways. It’s made out of 5/8†walnut wood construction with brushed aluminum casing. You can purchase the Emily Alarm Clock for $129 from Generate, which admittedly is definitely pricey.
I’m not sure why, but just from glancing at the picture, I thought for sure this was a silly handmade job. Instead though, this is a mass produced item that likely isn’t even remotely handmade. This card reader will make sure that you’ll always have a portable method to pull things off of your memory card. Plus, it is disguised as two keys. Alright, so that part isn’t going to fool anyone, but it does give a slightly more geeky design to a fairly normal gadget.
These card readers will read MicroSD, T-Flash and Micro SDHC. It’ll deal with all of those without the need for any kind of adapter. It’ll of course work with both PC and Mac users. These come in two different colors, you can pick up the blue or go with the slightly more normal white. White of course makes it look a lot more like just a classic keyboard key. Each one of these will cost you $12 from USB Geek.
For those of you trying to change your ways as far as your water consumption goes, you know it’s not always an easy task. It’s especially not easy when you have a full family you’re trying to make more aware of their water usage. There are various gadgets out there to help with that sort of thing. A lot of which are more worried about how long you’ve been in the shower and on occasion they shut off the water for you. Well this gadget goes for a subtle approach and tries to gently persuade you to cut down on the amount of water you use.
The gadget has several bright blue LED lights. Every single time you use 5 litres of water, one of the pretty blue lights will kick on. It lets you know just how much water you’re tossing down the drain. The design was built for a scientific paper researching the effect of ambient displays on water usage within the shower. It turned out that it was actually pretty successful, people used about 10 litres less on average. They did discover that they only reduced the amount of water they used while this was in the shower. Once it was removed they went back to their same old habits. If this ever did become an actual product, it might be nice to have around.
Due to travels and conferences CGOTW has had 2 weeks off, but we are back now with a dozen new cool entries. So take your pick and vote for which you think is coolest (leave a comment for a chance to win a $50 AmazonThink Geek gift voucher.
A simple solution to keeping track of your child should they go missing with this fairly standard looking children’s digital watch that is actually equipped with a GPS tracking system, which will also alert you if the watch is removed by a third party.
The Personal Oxygen Bar is a portable, convenient and comparatively inexpensive way to get yourself a dose of relaxing oxygen therapy, right from your own home.
The bronze Smart Solar Powered Table Lamp doesn’t simply shed light, it has 10 bright light and 10 soft amber glow LEDs to choose between. The base’s button switches between off and two color settings. A natural light charge produces 8 hours of use and at a size of 11.2 x 11.2 x 13.4″, it comes with rechargeable Ni-MH batteries.
Created by Modder Gup, the pyramid case mod is an art piece that features moving panels and lights that are activated by remote control. You won’t find any treasure inside the pyramid, but what you will find is a PC that includes a Core 2 Duo processor.
Certainly not the symbol of the recession but the Lamborghini brand is synonymous with luxury and the Reventon Roadster maintains this tradition. The open top sports car is capable of 0 to 62 in 3.4 seconds and has a top speed of 205mph.
The Spring Loaded Walking Shoes feature patented shock-absorbing and energy deflecting embedded springs for a propulsive boost when walking or jogging.
Philips intends to clean up your home theater cable clutter with the Wireless HDTV Link, a small box capable of transmitting 1080p/30 content to any major brand HDTV from up to 30 feet away. Small enough to fit behind a standard wall mount, the Philips Wireless HDTV Link also has 2 HDMI ports and 2 component slots. Costing the equivalent of US$850, the Wireless HDTV Link is expected to ship soon (probably in Europe).
Now not only your baby need baby sitter take care your child but your pets as well. Recently mintpas has introducing their newest product, they call it Mint Robot ( The Pet Care Robot ).
NovoThink has come up with the new hybrid solar charger case designed to fit iPhone 3G, 3GS and iPod 2 Generation. You could practically recharge your iPhone or iPod device while you are at school, workplaces or when you are in the city park or anywhere expose to direct sun light.
Draw your design or write a message on your chest using the T-sketch. Make yourself a ‘Hi my name is…’ tag, or write something really random that people are guaranteed to ask you about or simply doodle. Then through the use of cunningly concealed AAA batteries (remove before washing!) you not only get to project your innermost thoughts but you get to make them flash too. Wherever the specially designed pen hits the wipe clean board, lights below the surface are activated. You can then set different vibrancies for the design- anything from a dull glow to a flashing strobe. Great attention grabber on drunken nights out!
The Heavy Duty Foldaway Utility Cart is a highly-portable carrier for jobs around the home that holds 150lbs and folds down to 10 percent of its original size.
A real “My Doraemon” is now available in Japan for those who are fans of the robot cat. Although it cannot walk, it does have a 1,300 word vocabulary to carry on a conversation, but you had better know Japanese. ePaper eyes interact and its expression changes. With built-in heat and light sensors, it can also track movement and note temperature changes and, if you turn off a light, it will tell you goodnight. Doraemon will set you back Â¥30,000 to 40,000 (~$375.00) and is available for pre-order now.
Thanks again to all the sites for their submissions now over to you guys for voting (don’t forget to leave a comment with your reason for a chance to win a $50 Think Geek voucher).
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You know you’ve more or less have one of those weird phones when it comes with an extremely long name – how about the Beatle Quadband Touch Screen Dual SIM Wi-Fi Media phone for starters? This has nothing to do with the Fab Four, although it seems to cram in as many features as possible including Wi-Fi connectivity, Google Maps to help you get around, a variety of instant messaging programs, Bluetooth support, dual SIM card slots to make sure you can be contacted around the clock and global quadband GSM connectivity, perfect for those who travel from one time zone to another all too frequently. You also get a 2.6″ touchscreen display, a microSD memory card slot and an accelerometer among others to get you started. Best to buy this in bulk if you want a good price, otherwise it is going for $124.59 a pop.
Are you rather bored at work that you can’t seem to find an impetus to step up your game or offer something new to the organization? Guess you might want to fill up your time with the 1.3-megapixel Portable Digital USB Iriscope for PC & Iridology Camera then, where it will hook up to an available USB port, capturing an image of your iris using the capture software for fun. Of course, modifying it through a graphics editing program might just yield some unusual results especially when you apply a wide range of filters available, but those who want to know about their health status might just see what the included software says through analyzing your iris. Heck, you can even be the toast of your department by running a private personal clinic during lunch break, giving out diagnosis one after another with the most frequent one being, “You’re in the wrong job” so that you have the chance to be top dog soonest possible without any competition left hanging around. Impossible? Best find ways to make back the $120.69 you spent on this, then.
Irex Technologies aim to introduce the world of reading to even more people with the introduction of their new Irex DR 800SG e-book reader that offers a multi-mode 3G wireless connection to keep you hooked up to its store just about round the clock, allowing you to download tomes of your choice wherever you are and whenever you like. This sleek looking device comes with a 8.1″ touchscreen display to help you get started, and you are able to purchase a range of reading materials including books, newspapers or magazines from a wide variety of sources. Apart from that, Irex has made sure that their DR 800SG will support a wide range of formats including the industry standard ePub format alongside multiple DRM solutions compared to being restricted to a single, “closed” proprietary format that locks content to a specific device.
Key partners for the Irex DR 800SG will be Barnes & Noble, Inc., Best Buy, Qualcomm and Verizon Wireless, where they work in tandem to offer unbridled access to the content and retail presence, all over the “most reliable wireless network in the country”. Through the Barnes & Noble eBookstore from Barnes & Noble, users are able to gain access to over 750,000 titles, and these won’t be old releases but include new books and bestsellers that retail for $9.99. If you’re a voracious reader, then going the e-book way might be just the thing since it helps save on paper, although we’re not sure the carbon footprint generated by these devices might be more detrimental in the long run.
Avid readers will find the generous 8.1″ touchscreen display to be extremely suitable for reading, where the DR 800SG employs the latest electronic paper display technology in order to deliver an experience that is closer to reading ordinary paper than possible with a netbook or tablet device. Apart from that, you will find it a snap to use, even for first timers thanks to its intuitive user interface and straightforward buttons. Expect the Irex DR 800SG to arrive later this October for $399.99 a pop. All downloads via wireless access won’t require a contract, which is always a good thing.
The Allio LCD HDTV-PC has just entered its second generation life cycle, where just like its predecessors, the Allio 2.0 products will come in 42″ and 32″ high-definition LCD form factors, although you can be sure that the internals will boast a change for the better. Within the chassis, Allio has thrown in a wide range of integrated PC configuration, where you can choose from the all-in-one Allio Lite and Allio Media Center.
The Allio Lite will see the integration of an Intel Atom-based PC architecture into the HDTV, paving the way for a cost-effective point-of-entry into the converged PC TV experience right smack in the middle of your living room. These basic models will come with modest processing power that is on par with that of a netbook, although you do benefit from a far larger display while sacrificing portability. Netbooks these days are powerful enough to handle everyday computing tasks including checking email, surfing the Web, or performing other lightweight Windows-based computing tasks. These can be done with the TV running in the background thanks to a similar interface, allowing you to catch the latest, breaking news as it happens without missing a beat. For those who want more juice, the all-new more powerful version of the Allio Lite HDTV PC will offer Blu-ray support and an integrated nVidia GeForce 9400 chipset for improved graphics performance that is able to handle some games as well.
The Allio Standard will come with Dual Core SKUs based on Intel’s PDC E6300 and Core2Duo E8400, and if you need to squeeze out additional processing firepower, you can always drop more dough by settling for the Core 2 Quad Q8400 option, turning the Allio in to a machine that can not only work well, but give you the opportunity to unwind with a round of World of Warcraft after a long, hard day at the office. You won’t find a tray loading optical drie any more, as it will now come with an elegant slot loading DVD/Blu-ray solution. A third HDMI port and a second set of AV and audio inputs were also thrown in on the side access panel for better convenience when it comes to hooking up to Allio to your home theater system. Expect prices to start from $1,299 for the entry-level 32″ Allio Lite, while those who want all the bells and whistles can settle for the $2,999 42″ Quad Core all-in-one Allio Media Center with Blu-ray.
I got to try out this one product that feels like it was made for the label “as seen on TV”. I’ve never seen a commercial for it, but it certainly works.
So what does it do? The DynaFlex Powerball is designed for hand and wrist exercises. Go ahead and read that last sentence and see if you can figure out why I didn’t use that as a headline. Perhaps I should have forgotten the innuendo and gone with it, and I might end up on Jay Leno’s headlines section of his new show.
Seriously, the Powerball has a gryoscope built in that can spin at 18,000 RPM. As a result, it generates 40 pounds of torque which helps exercise the wrist and prevent repeated wrist injury and Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS). I have included a video after the jump so you can see how it works, but I’ll do my best to describe it.
You see, the gyroscope has to be spun, and I found it was best done with a string that you pull like a motorboat motor. Once the gyros are spinning, it is like the ball has a life on its own. The user must move his or her wrist in order to keep it spinning, and a light inside of it that glows brighter the faster it spins.
If you like to find out more about it, click here for more information. Or you could go to the DynaFlex website and pay $45.95 for it now.
What I like about the Joytron Singibigi is that it is very much old school. Not only does it bring back the days when video game controllers were actual joysticks, and buttons were concave and very big, but it brings back the wooden look.
Have you ever noticed that things made of wood are generally considered antique? I’m not talking about that Wal-Mart faux wood furniture which is nothing more than pulp with a plastic sticker over it, real nice solid wood.
It was about time that someone took that look and applied it to video games. I guess since video games took place in the age of plastic, we don’t ever consider ever giving them a wood finish.
Perhaps this is the appeal of steampunk, those science fiction look that combines the high-tech of the future with the low-tech of the past. You may notice that most of the steampunk contraptions that you see are metal, but their frames are made of wood.
So how much would you pay for this classic Victorian look for your video games? How about $39? The Joytron Singibigi can work with PS3, PS2, and PCs with a USB. You might want to insure that you have either Mortal Kombat or Street Fighter before you make this purchase.
Once again, another new perfectly balanced riding vehicle such as the PUMA and eniCycle has caught my attention. I don’t know what it is about these things, I feel like I’m eight-years old looking at pictures of sports cars and longing for the day when I can drive.
Yes, I want to ride those things really bad, and Honda has fulfilled my dreams with the U3-X. There is a wonderful video of it that you can see after the jump, just don’t ask me why there is no sound.
The U3-X has the ability to fold up compactly into a boogie board that is shaped like a figure eight. It is quite light at 22 pounds, and Honda used technology learned from Asimo to make it work.
For example, it uses balance control technology, which means the rider uses leaning to control speed and direction. It has the Honda Omni Traction drive system, which means it can go backwards, forwards, as well as sideways.
Not only that, but its downright sexy too. Well, this is one of those devices that I will probably never ride, but will always want to. At this present time, it is just a concept for now. Even the video looks like it was made entirely out of CG, including the rider.
Luxury USB drives come in all different types, some are of course over the top and look ridiculous. These little USB Men manage to actually look refined and even cute. All the while still definitely being a higher end USB drive. These little guys bend so that you can have them sit patiently at the edge of your desk, just waiting for their chance to be useful once again.
They come in both silver as well as gold forms. No matter which one you choose though, these are still going to be the exact same price. Admittedly, the price isn’t too pretty either. Each one is going to cost you £55.00 or about $88. For that price, one might hope for at least 4 or even 2GB of memory. Sadly though these will only get you a whopping 1GB. For those that aren’t so put off by the price and lack of space, you can find them through the Gift Library.
Most people are perfectly happy with normal sized table lamps, but if you’re an overachiever, you’ll need something a little extra. Well this lamp is shaped like something that would sit nicely on an end table, but instead is much much larger. This actually may stand taller than your current end table. No longer will you have to rely on a normal table lamp to light the room. With this you’re bound to get a conversation going and I’m sure that price will be somewhere within that conversation.
The lamp actually stands just shy of 3 feet tall. It’s not likely to provide a powerful light, instead it’s supposed to be one of those lights that puts off an atmospheric glow. In other words despite that you’ll end up paying $910, you still can’t read by this light. That seems a little harsh, they could at least make it more powerful at that price. Well at least the light will work for either indoor or outdoor use, giving you a little more flexibility as far as usage goes.
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You know you’ve more or less have one of those weird phones when it comes with an extremely long name – how about the 
Irex Technologies aim to introduce the world of reading to even more people with the introduction of their new Irex DR 800SG e-book reader that offers a multi-mode 3G wireless connection to keep you hooked up to its store just about round the clock, allowing you to download tomes of your choice wherever you are and whenever you like. This sleek looking device comes with a 8.1″ touchscreen display to help you get started, and you are able to purchase a range of reading materials including books, newspapers or magazines from a wide variety of sources. Apart from that, Irex has made sure that their DR 800SG will support a wide range of formats including the industry standard ePub format alongside multiple DRM solutions compared to being restricted to a single, “closed” proprietary format that locks content to a specific device. 
The Allio LCD HDTV-PC has just entered its second generation life cycle, where just like its predecessors, the Allio 2.0 products will come in 42″ and 32″ high-definition LCD form factors, although you can be sure that the internals will boast a change for the better. Within the chassis, Allio has thrown in a wide range of integrated PC configuration, where you can choose from the all-in-one Allio Lite and Allio Media Center.
