01. 6.2007
Environment friendly gDiapers
Parents who have used cloth diapers know that that they are not really a viable option for the night or during travel. Not to mention, the messy leaks and the hassle of washing them all at home. This is where the disposable ones step in as a convenient alternative. However, the disposal of these diapers is a great environmental concern. Statistically, almost all of over 20 billion diapers sold annually (or 3.5 million tons of poop and plastic ) go directly into a landfill somewhere in America. And if that isn't shocking enough, try this - a single diaper can take over 500 years to decompose in a landfill!
So when I came across gDiapers, apparently the world's first flushable diapers, it struck me as being innovative (the product is not new however, it has been in the market for over a year now). The design is completely eco-friendly - the outer layer of each diaper is made of a natural water-absorbing polymer, extracted from trees. And the inner layers are made of soft, elemental chlorine-free fluffed wood pulp. The biggest advantage however, is apparent - the diapers are 100% bio-degradable and can be flushed down the toilet. This could be a boon when you are outside home and when cloth diapers could become quite messy to handle.
The starter kit retails at $24.99. Along with the starter kit, you will have to buy the flushable inserts (a small pack costs $14.49) in order to flush the diapers. Choose from among the cute little designs online.
Via Lifehacker.
Posted by kanchana
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01. 6.2007
Sneaker Cozy Tunes Pillow
I must be obsessed with strange speakers...how else to explain the red mice, the piggie speakers (tweak the tail to adjust the volume) , not to mention the pillow with speakers built in so you can be lulled to sleep with tunes. But this Sneaker Cozy Tunes Pillow may take the prize as the silliest speaker pillow yet.
The 10? pillow has a built-in speaker and a pouch for your iPod or other mp3 player, and it comes with a 50? cord with a volume control. Why would someone want to use a Converse sneaker as a pillow is my question. Do you ever think, "I need a nap, where are my sneakers?" The pillow is available in pink or red at a starting bid of $19.99 on eBay. I couldn't make this stuff up.
Via Chip Chick.
Posted by Evan
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01. 5.2007
Pleo designer pets
I know that the January issue of Wired had a big fancy cover story on human enhancement, but the real treasure was Clive Thompson's piece on page 160. Caleb Chung, the freelance toy designer behind the Furby, is working to create a designer robotic pet with natural movements, a learned personality, and distinctive age cycles. Cross a Tamagotchi with an Aibo with a ballerina and you'll have captured what Chung is trying to accomplish with his Pleo designer pet.
Chung chose to model his pet after a dinosaur because the long neck and tail helped add to the range of motions available, and the large noggin was great for hiding sensors and gears. The Pleo prototype has 38 embedded sensors for sensing infrared, light, touch, sound, tilt, and physical feedback. Pet a Pleo and it will purr, but it will also learn what it takes to get that kind of attention.
When first powered on Pleo starts with the mindset of a puppy, and over the course of a few weeks gradually grows into adulthood. The permanent personality of the Pleo is defined in these first few weeks; be nice and you'll have a loving dinosaur, but treat it mean and you won't have a robo buddy to play with. During the puppy stage Pleo can learn tricks that will remain resident in memory, and there's a memory card slot for the homebrew scene to create custom personality and movement programs.
Preorders are projected to begin February 3rd, and street price is going to be in the $250 range. That's quite a bit cheaper than the four digit Aibo, and with community software development and all those sensors we should be able to get some interactive sophistication quite a bit better than an Aibo blog. Just FYI, Mr. Chung: Hurry up so I can have my own Pleo.
Posted by Johnny
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01. 5.2007
First Dark Restaurant in Asia opens in Beijing
A couple of years ago, I heard about a dark restaurant in Paris, where diners have their meals in complete darkness. Though my immediate reaction wasn't "Wow, I can't wait to try that," I did think it was a fascinating concept, espcially given that so many foodies I know say that they eat with their eyes as much as with their mouths. The first dark restaurant opened in Zurich in 1999, followed by openings in other large cities around the world, including in the U.S. The first dark restaurant in Asia opened last month in Beijing, with diners being escorted through blackness without even the light of their cell phones (egads! -- no cell phones?), by waiters making their way in the dark with night vision goggles. The idea, of course, is that with your vision shut down, you experience greater heights of pleasure with your other senses. My mother would not get this at all.
Via Spluch.
Posted by Hoyun
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01. 5.2007
RoKy² wireless fabric keyboard
If, like me, you do a lot of unplanned word processing on the go, you probably wouldn't want to lug a laptop everywhere. PDAs are much handier, but Graffiti and similar writing tools just aren't meant for heavy text input, and built-in keyboards are too tiny to be comfortable to use. When I first started using a PDA, I contemplated buying one of those portable keyboards that fold up, but felt that it would still be too bulky, compact as it was.
However, with Mobis's RoKy² keyboard, I might have to rethink my position on this. This is a Bluetooth-enabled fabric keyboard that rolls up into its own little pouch. It uses two AAA-sized batteries, is water repellent and comes with a stand that will hold your mobile phone or PDA upright while you type. Rolled up, it measures just 124 x 48 x 32mm.
Via CNet Asia.
Posted by saresha
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01. 5.2007
Mock Sock
These days, what you carry your gear in makes as much of a statement as the latest gadget you're carrying. (I'm not saying that's a good thing; just stating a fact.) As the name suggests, this is a sock for your cell. There are a variety of rock n' roll designs to choose from. They pretty much fit any phone, and while they'll protect your cell, you have to fumble to get it out of the sock to even take a call, like the socks for the iPods.
"Sorry, I couldn't get my sock off."
�3.00 at Red5.
Posted by Evan
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01. 4.2007
2007 Bloggies: nominations due by January 10th
It's time to get nominations in for the Annual Weblog Awards -- the 2007 Bloggies. Last year, Popgadget was a finalist in the "best computers or technology weblog" category, and we'd love to have your votes again this year. The last day for nominations is January 10th. Finalists in each of the 10 categories will be announced on January 22nd, at which point voting will be open again to select the winners until January 31st. Thanks to those of you who voted for us the last two years -- we really hope you do it again.
To submit your nominations, go to the 2007 Bloggies site, read the simple instructions under "how it works," scroll about two-thirds of the way down the page until you get to the "best computers or technology weblog" category, and nominate www.popgadget.net (not dot com). You can submit nominations in all the categories or just a few of them, but the minimum number of blogs you have to nominate to get your submission through is 3. While you're there, don't forget to nominate we-make-money-not-art under "best european blog." Just one more thing -- you'll need to verify your nominations by responding to the email confirmation you get from the Bloggies site.
Wish us luck -- and nominate us here.
Posted by Hoyun
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01. 4.2007
Digital paper gets a shot in the arm
I've been following Plastic Logic for quite a long time and can't wait to get my hands on their flexible E Ink displays. The company got a shot in the arm this week when venture capitalists provided another $100 million to help the company produce their products in house. Originally, the company was planning to sell licenses to use their technology, but with this massive infusion of cash, the plan has become one of manufacturing. The company will produce the basic screens and provide them to OEMs as well as sell their own branded products. CNET has a few photos of the newest prototypes, but we won't be seeing any products in stores until at least 2009.
I have to soapbox a bit to say that I'm very excited about this technology. Laptop screens that roll up are all well and good, but I'm really excited to see portable reader prototypes. I love getting books in PDF format, but reading on my laptop and PDA is awkward. Sony's Reader was a dissapointment in execution, and $350 is too much money for a single purpose device. A neat-o piece of technology like these Plastic Logic prototypes should be all that's needed to convince textbook publishers to offer digital copies; I can't count the number of times I wanted to CTRL-F my Price Theory book last year.
Posted by Johnny
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01. 4.2007
NYC Taxi Sound Alarm Clock
If you miss the dulcet tones of New York, this NYC Taxi Sound Alarm Clock could wake you up in a New York minute with honks and sounds of city traffic. But does it cuss at you? Cut you off on the way to the bathroom? Watch out when the alarm goes off the meter.
$19.99 from this adorable site called Karma Kiss.
Posted by Evan
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01. 4.2007
NukAlert
More than just a detector, the NukAlert� is a "patented personal radiation meter and alarm." Small enough to attach to a keychain, the makers claim the device operates non-stop, and will promptly warn you of the presence of "unseen, but acutely dangerous levels of radiation." Supposedly, the performance has been verified by Nat'l Radiological Laboratory and each unit has been individually tested. It starts to beep like mad when you've been exposed to high levels of radiation, in which case you can just kiss your a - - goodbye.
$160.00 at NukAlert.
Via Uber-Review.
Posted by Evan
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