05. 9.2008
Did you know the average person spends about 47 seconds brushing their teeth, less than half the 2 minutes dentists recommend? Or that you can brush too hard, which can contribute to early gum recession? Scary stuff.
Now, this may not seem like a perfect gift for Mother's Day but if you consider that the "mouth is the gateway to health" and that moms don't spend money on themselves, it makes sense.
The new Oral-B features Smart Technology which enables the brushhead, handle and visual display to work together to give you visual cues that help you brush better. The brushhead and handle, which are embedded with microchips, communicate with the wireless display to signal when you are brushing too hard, when to move to the next quadrant of the mouth, when you have brushed for two minutes, and when it is time to replace the brushhead.
At first, I was discouraged by all the pieces (it comes with a unit to attach to a wall) and the instructions, but it's actually an easy one-step process, and since the display unit is wireless, you can put that anywhere.
Oral-B Triumph with SmartGuide is available for $149 at Amazon.
Just throw in some Godiva chocolate and you're golden.
Posted by Evan
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Tags: mother's day
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04.29.2008
If Tom Cruise had this gizmo when Katie was preggars with Suri, she never would have made it out of the house. Remember how he bought the fetal ultrasound machine for use at home and took photos almost every hour? (According to National Enquirer, and you know how they fact-check all their stories.)
KickTrak does just what you think it does. The non-invasive handheld device counts your baby's kicks to track his movement and assure you that he's doing well. Ultimately, its real goal is to prevent the risk of stillbirth. Starting at 24 weeks, the kickTrak records and stores the time it takes for your baby to complete 10 movements, including kicks, rolls, jabs, and turns-- once a day, at the same time, when your baby is usually most active.
Continue reading "kickTrak - baby kick counting"
Posted by Evan
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Tags: babies health
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04.28.2008
If it weren't enough that it's pollen season, here comes the news that some of us may also be allergic to our cell phones and other gadgets we come into contact with. Lately, I swear my ears itch when I've been talking on my cell phone for a long time, but it hasn't occurred to me until just now that it might be an allergy. I'm reminded of the time when my earlobes swelled to the size of great big cherries from wearing earrings made of an identified metal.
According to an article in I4U News, those of us sensitive to the metals used in manufacturing portable electronic devices, particularly nickel (used in cell phone batteries) which is one of the leading culprits, may suffer from rashes from contact with these gadgets.
Unfortunately, while it's easy to avoid skin allergies from contact with cheap jewelry (just don't wear it, stick with gold), it's not as easy to avoid allergies to our gadgets. Those for whom money is no object have the option to buy gold-encased cell phones - like these 24 carat iPhones - but the batteries are probably still made of nickel.
Via textually.org.
Posted by lydia
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Tags: health
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04.11.2008
If you're taking part in an Indian celebration, have a kid who wants a tattoo but is waaaaaaay too young, or you're just a mad crazy fan of henna, then Henna Penna is for you. As the name strongly implies, this product is henna... in a pen. Which is a godsend, as anyone who's tried to do anything with henna (multiple hair dyes, here) knows how messy the darn thing can be.
Henna Penna pens are available in a range of colors including emerald and traditional brown and black, and can be used with stencils or freehand. At $25.75 per pen (from Nonstop Bazaar) they're not dirt cheap, but they are all-natural and not tested on animals, so you your kids can play without fear. (Although I must advise some caution: designs fade, but can't be erased, so not something to play with on the face, perhaps...)
This would have kept me quiet for hours when I was younger (hey, it still might today) and let's face it, it's a bit more fun than the last pen I wrote about.
Via Crafty Crafty, where they have made a rather nifty video about the whole process.
Posted by diane
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Tags: tattoos
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03.27.2008
I might get kicked out of the girl club for admitting this, but I get more excited (probably too excited) about a new episode of Geekbrief than the latest Vogue and while I can find a hundred reasons to buy another MP3 player, dropping a hundred bucks on the latest face cream would make me want to cry.
However, I do like the occasional spree at Sephora (eyeshadows a specialty) so I had a little interest in news of a new beauty gadget for the eye area. Crystal Clear's eye pen is a battery-operated serum delivery system (which sounds a bit rude, but isn't). You gently rub the pen around the eye area to simultaneously stimulate circulation and ensure an even application of serum. (Again, sounds rude, but really isn't.)
According to Crystal Clear, the pen "helps with dark circles, puffiness, lines and wrinkles and can also help lift and firm the skin around the eye." It looks a little high-maintenance for my liking (I'd rather just wear sunglasses when I leave the house) and I could easily fund a second iPod with the £135 ($267) price tag but if your crow's feet are your bete noir, I'd consider this before rushing straight to the botox doctor's door.
Posted by diane
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Tags: beauty
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03.22.2008
In the fitness arena, companies never seem to tire of offering up products with the supposed ability to exercise our bodies without requiring us to actually do anything - and the market will continue to thrive as long as the gullible and lazy among us keep feeding it. Vibrating belts designed to trim our waists while we watch tv and exercise machines that promise to give us glutes of steel in just 4 minutes a day seem very compelling during bouts of insomnia at four in the morning.
Oh, but these muscle tone garments from Japanese sportwear maker Asics are different (until proven otherwise) because they assist you in toning your muscles during exercise. They're made of elastic materials that pull your muscles together so that, for instance, with the upper body version, your shoulder blades are pulled toward the spine to correct posture. The lower body version pulls at the muscles in your butt and thighs. I suppose the idea is that the additional resistance resulting from this pulling makes exercising those areas of the body more efficient, like carrying weights in your hands while jogging.
The company makes eleven different versions of the muscle tone garment, some made of mesh for hot summers.
Via The Nikkei Weekly (subscription)
Posted by lydia
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Tags: exercise fitness
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03.21.2008
If you think the ubiquitious spider head massager looks ridiculous, then you haven't yet seen this face massager from Japanese company Akaishi. The device has four little arms, with a roller on the end of each arm. You move the rollers over your cheeks and chin to relax your tense facial muscles. The model pictured above seems to be using this and the other version made by the same company, which is used for the ridge of the nose and scalp.
Seems rather primitive compared to the electronic device marketed by Suzanne Somers, the FaceMaster, which stimulates your facial muscles with electricity to whip them into shape, though I suppose the rollers have a different purpose (relaxation as opposed to beauty enhancement).
The roller arms sell for 1,575 Yen (about $16).
Via The Nikkei Weekly (subscription).
Posted by lydia
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Tags: beauty
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03.13.2008
If it's true that a forced smile on your face will eventually penetrate into your soul, then this new cosmetic device may work miracles for that person in your life who is always unhappy. And how about those people who are happy on the inside but have faces that don't know how to smile properly and could benefit from a little smile training?
While this looks like a little dental torture device, the "Yumi," is a mechanical gadget that you insert into your mouth to "train" your facial muscles to smile (a nice, upward smile, not a downturned smile which may confuse people). According to Tokyo Mango (and I'll have to take their word for it, as I can't read the product maker's website), it comes in three colors and three strengths, normal for men, soft for women (why?), and rehabilitative for "seniors and children" (which would mean even softer?).
So what if the smile trainer makes you look like a monkey 4 times a day for 3 minutes? It's non-invasive and cheap - just $50 at this website. Those of us in the U.S. may have to wait until it comes to Amazon.
Via Tokyo Mango.
Posted by lydia
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Tags: beauty
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03. 7.2008
The Wave is Neutrogena’s newest foaming face product, intended to simulate a very affordable facial/dermabrasion-like experience. The starter kit includes a hand-held vibrating wand with two trial packs of pre-soaped pads, and an AA battery. Much like I do with my toilet wand, the Wave’s head is designed to “grab” the pads. If you spend your days out on the farm, playing the jungle, or mucking out the horse stalls at the tracks, this might be a cheap way to reveal those gorgeous freckles of your’s.
Or keep using your fingers, working them in small circles around your face, and washing with your favorite cleanser.
When it comes to your toilet bowl though – make waves, stick with the wand!
Price: $14.69 at Amazon.
Posted by chrissie
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Tags: beauty
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03. 6.2008
I have a girlfriend who will only hit the gym if she has an appointment with her trainer, or take a run if she has a partner. (And I have another girlfriend who's a gym rat but we're planning an intervention, so that's a different story.)
Girlfriend #1 needs the new Adidas miCoach system which is like having a coach or trainer constantly pushing you to new levels ("Come on, just one MORE MILE!").
Unlike the devices that collect data for your workout, miCoach claims to be the the first system that actually coaches by turning your data into a personal training plan based on your fitness level and goals ("LAZY BONES, speed it up!").
Created as a partnership between Samsung and Adidas, miCoach uses your cell phone as a personal trainer, the first "fully--featured, fully-reactive and adaptive personal trainer mobile phone." This means there are some unusual features such as a heart rate monitor, a pedometer which works by attaching a "foot pod" to your laces (or if you bought the matching runners, there's a spot specifically for it) and measures the distance you’ve travelled and how fast you’re going.
Meanwhile, since you inputted all your data, the domineering phone is supposedly motivating you by pushing you to your own personal fitness plan. Perfect for people who need a personal trainer or coach. Me? I would have trashed my phone after the first mile.
Scheduled to be released next month, there's no pricing information available yet.
Posted by Evan
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| cell phones
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Tags: fitness
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