02.26.2009
New water-powered alarm clock adds style to functionality
Posted by Diane
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02.26.2009Could the Bra Dryer save your lingerie?
I've set up quite a niche for myself here on Popgadget as the "weird breast-related items" writer (see Exhibit A: solar-powered bras and Exhibit B: the USB bust warmer). I see no reason to discontinue the trend, but this new invention might actually be (gasp!) useful. The Bra Dryer does exactly what the name suggests, drying individual bras using infra-red technology. Adjustable settings mean it can be used for any style of bra and it is made in a range of sizes. The woman-shaped design means this is a much better option than shoving your bra in the tumble dryer where it will probably get mangled and not last half as long. Of course, environmentalists would probably prefer it if every woman in the world wasn't painstakingly drying every bra this way, but for a special occasion or a special item of lingerie, this is a nice idea. Via Crave. Posted by Diane
Category:
body
| wearables
02.26.2009Phantom oxygen backup can be your underwater superhero
Since my earliest memories of water-related casualities were mostly influenced by the "Jaws" movie and had the ten-year-old in me firmly believing that any water body (even the harmless ponds near our home) was to be resolutely avoided, I paid little attention to the fact that drowning is a far more realistic possibility than tête-à-tête with a great white shark. Sobering up since then, I've focused on more practical fears - which means, I can so totally appreciate a device like the Phantom Compressed Air Backup System by Ricardo Baiao. Seriously, this design is something to take note of - the Phantom comfortably rests against your wet suit while you are underwater and holds a precious 5 minutes of oxygen that can be a lifesaver during an emergency. It scores high on usability as well - the oxygen is released into the mouthpiece when you simply press the side-buttons on the device. Not to mention that it looks pretty sleek too, even if you never need to use it. The Phantom is definitely one of those designs that we hope will see its way into production. Via Yanko Design. Posted by kanchana
Category:
body
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| wearables
02.25.2009Eco-friendly Sodastream's Pure homemade soda system
A few years ago, we covered Sodastream's Peguin, a homemade soda system. Last December, Sodastream released their newest model, the Pure. It still produces homemade soda in 30 seconds using reusable BPA-free plastic bottles and carbonators filled with CO2 gas. You can then drink it plain or add anything you want to make flavored carbonated beverages, like pomegranate-orange-ginger soda. Being able to control what goes into your carbonated beverages has obvious health benefits, by replacing or reducing sugar and corn syrup with real fruit juice and other natural ingredients. Moreover, there are ecological reasons to make your own soda and sparkling water. The recent wave of attention over plastic water bottle was important, but soda and sparkling water seemed to get an easy out in the discussion. The average American drinks over 600 cans of bottles of soda and sparkling water each year, of which 55% aluminum cans and 66% plastic bottles fail to get recycled and end up in landfills. There is also the issue of imported sparkling water, which must often cross continents and oceans to get stores in the US. The Pure uses one canister of CO2 to make 110 liters (30 gallons) of soda (without batteries or electricity,) which has a vastly smaller carbon footprint than transporting all those cans and bottles to the store and then into your home, not to mention all the material and energy that goes into creating those containers themselves. It's rare that a product is healthier, reduces consumption, and allows for increasing ways for creative experimentation, but Sodastream has achieved it. Posted by Ray
Category:
eat/drink
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02.25.200910 top technologies for 2009, from Technology Review
One of these new technologies, currently called Siri, is that personal assistant software they've been promising me for ages. This year's model, they say, will be a mobile app that responds to either voice or typed commands and will do only relatively simple things like making restaurant reservations and checking flight status. Bring it on--and please figure out a way to connect it to my Roomba so I can order up a clean kitchen floor before I get home. Posted by Tam
Category:
culture
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02.24.20092012: The year of the universal cell phone chargerAccording to the Daily Green, the average lifespan of a cell phone is about eighteen months, with about 130 million retired annually in the US alone. That's a lot of cell phones. That's also a lot of phone chargers. Unless you're replacing your phone with an identical model, odds are good that you must also replace your old charger with one specific to your new phone. It's terrible for the environment, of course, to have so many different types of chargers out there - so many resources wasted designing and manufacturing all those different chargers - but it's also highly inconvenient. Accidentally leaving your charger at home during a trip generally means you'll have to live with not having a usable phone for a few days, or picking up yet another charger at a mobile phone store. Wouldn't it be fantastic if, instead, all phone chargers used the same shaped connectors and the same amount of power? If you could just ask to borrow your colleagues' and family members' chargers? Thanks to the GSMA (Groupe Especiale Mobile Association), this may happen in 2012. The GSMA, an influential global group whose members include cell phone manufacturers, wireless companies, software companies and internet providers, has brokered a deal with cell phone makers. Virtually every one of the major phone makers have pledged to create a universal cell phone charger by 2012, possibly using a micro-USB plug. This is great news for everyone except iPhone users; CNET is reporting that Apple is not among the companies who have agreed to use the new proposed standard. Perhaps a little bit of pressure from consumers will help? Posted by Shelley
Category:
eco
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02.24.2009Wishwrap - For the Gift-Challenged
For the hapless lover who doesn't have a clue; the frantic business-woman with no time; the person who wants to give a gift "just because"...Wishwrap is your kind of site.
Unlike many sites, they offer some luxe gifts and unusual home items, and the final packaging is striking. Give them a challenge, ie "unusual house warming gift" and they'll come up with a multitude of gift suggestions, in every price range. Posted by Evan
Category:
on the web
02.22.2009DYI Arduino Wristwatch
Posted by Ray
Category:
accessories
02.21.2009The job stimulus plan: Where is US taxpayer money going?
The new US president Barack Obama promised transparency and accountability from the just-passed economic stimulus legislation--aka the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act and slated to cost in the neighborhood of $800,000,000,000 (that's billion). "Transparency" and "accountability" meant his Administration would show how, when, and where the money--which is intended mostly to create jobs while also triggering future economic growth--is spent. He also vowed to publish data that will allow citizens to evaluate the Act’s progress and provide feedback. Steps have been taken to keep that promise with a just-launched web site known as Recovery.gov. I leave it to the economics experts (and politicos) among you to tell us in the comments whether there's useful stuff here--besides the chart (above) showing plans for divvying up the money and a nice large video of Obama himself. You can also contribute your own tales of economic woe and sign up for email updates. You'll doubtless be hearing evaluations from other media sources too, in the coming days and weeks. And maybe even years, to the world's woe. Posted by Tam
Category:
on the web
02.20.2009Juke Tower helps w(h)et your gadget appetite
We deliberately refrained from letting you know what the Juke Tower digital devices actually are. If your guesses included alarm clock, speakers, tissue dispenser or communication devices used by aliens, we say - congratulations. Though you got nothing right, you alteast upped the ante on your creative visualization skills. These sleek devices pictured above are, in fact…waterproof MP3 players. Now that the secret’s out, also be informed that these waterproof MP3 players from Tokyoflash perform the dual function of playing out the music (via a flash drive stuck into the port beneath the case), and letting you know if you have spent too much time in water (via the LED clock on its display). You can control the MP3 player-cum-clock through the soft-touch buttons located on the top surface. Finally to leave no more to imagination, the small cone that juts out at the bottom is where all your music is being belted out from. If $145 sounds a bit too expensive to get this baby home, think about how many flash drives you would ruin if you were to dunk it into your pool for a lazy afternoon. Or take our advice and just stick to the shower if you will. Via Technabob. Posted by kanchana
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entertainment
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