Bodum Bistro toasters look great, toast even greater

Ask me to name any one "gadget" that has only been absolutely utilitarian and rarely good-looking, and I would answer in a blink - the toaster. Really, the toaster is the last appliance I would expect to possess great beauty. Perhaps the reason lies in the fact that its job of toasting bread is an absolute necessity and not one that people can be excited about, compared to say, the iPhone that does your communication, photos, videos, music, what not. But this Bistro toaster from Bodum challenges the underdog status that has been assigned to toasters, and manages to bring elegance to the mundane task that it is assigned with.

This two-slice toaster commands total attention with its sprightly, heat-resistant rubber exterior that always stays cool to the touch. Take your pick from 8 bright colors to suit your kitchen decor. And be assured that the bread will be toasted to perfection with its powerful 900-watt capacity. The Bistro also features adjustable-width slots, variable browning function, built-in warming rack, cancel and defrost settings, and pull-out crumb tray. Personally, this device gets a thumbs up because of its great looks plus a sensible, sturdy design. Priced at $79.95 from Sur La Table.

Via OhGizmo.

What's your favorite (imaginary) gadget?

After 15 happy months, my time at Popgadget has come to a close (I know, I'm sad too. But I won't cry. *sniffsniff*)

In that time, I've loved writing about the weird and the wonderful in the world of tech. I've seen some inventions that made perfect sense (every home should have a disco coffee table) and others that boggled my mind (USB breast warmers - enough said).

So this article in The Guardian about household gadgets that haven't been invented but should be got me thinking. I hate taking showers (and don't get me started on baths) but obviously I have to, or I wouldn't have any friends. And no-one would serve me in shops and restaurants and stuff.

Why has no-one invented the dry shower yet? Haven't we been taunted for years with the notion that we would one day be vibrated dry (which sounds like fun and possibly a new weight loss idea)? Get onto it engineers, please. I may not be blogging about gadgets anymore, but I'm still keeping an eye out for great inventions of the future.

What would you like to see?

Hourglass coffee maker drips coffee as you doze

What caught my attention about this Hourglass Coffee Maker was not its looks. Not even that it is an ingenious idea to use the hourglass to churn out great coffee. But that you need to use cold water to make a cuppa with this fella. Now that is not something that is wired into our brains, is it?

The portable Hourglass coffee maker has two sections - the upper one where you put in the coffee grounds, pour cold water and leave overnight. And expect "uncommonly smooth gourmet" coffee to collect in the lower section as you walk in the next morning. Apparently, the cold brewing cuts out the acidity in the coffee by almost 70%, and gives a brew that's "distinctively smooth with a full bodied rich flavor and a sweeter taste profile" than when hot brewed. That also means you can refrigerate and reuse the coffee, simply because there's little acid to ruin the taste over time. The coffee maker is spill-proof, shatter-proof and uses a permanent stainless steel filter inside so you don't have to buy paper filters either.

Just make sure you set up your coffee before you pop those lights off, or you might miss your morning cuppa. Costs $69.95.

Via The Gadgeteer.

Sharp NetWalker: Not Quite a Phone, Not Quite a PC

What do you get when you combine the simple operation of a cell phone with some of the performance of a PC? According to Sharp, you get their new NetWalker PC-Z1. Smaller than your average netbook, this smartbook takes the best features of your mobile phone, PC, and e-book, creating a new mobile internet tool we never knew we needed.

The 5-inch NetWalker has a 1024 x 600 LCD touchscreen display with a quick response feature that allows the smartbook to launch at a blistering 3 seconds. There is also a full QWERTY keyboard which will come in handy for emailing as well as creating spreadsheets and documents. In addition, Sharp plans to provide unique content for the device including specialized dictionaries, comics, and other literary fare turning it into a e-book/electronic dictionary.

The PC-Z1 runs on the Linux Ubuntu OS and is powered by a 800MHz Freescale i.MX515 CPU and has 512MB of RAM. It also has approximately 10 hours battery life and 4GB worth of memory that can be supplemented via the microSD Memory Card/microSDHC Memory Card slot.

Set to launch in Japan on September 25th for $478, there's no word on whether this little beauty will be reaching U.S. shores anytime soon.

Via Akihabara News

Aroma USB drives away memories of bad odors

Remember that old office prank when a bunch of guys would get mean and present the smelly office colleague a bottle of deodorant on his birthday? Though deodorant would be passe´ in this day and age, situations warranting one still flourish aplenty. What you could perhaps do now is to buy a bunch of Aroma USB thumb drives and distribute them to the needy folks - which can include both the injured and the offending parties.

The Aroma drives have no internal memory, but serve the single purpose of spreading the finest fragrances once they are connected to an USB port. They are refillable and the preloaded fragrance (lavender, lemongrass, or orange) lasts upto a week of continuous use. We know the idea of having a drive without memory sounds quite airy to geeks, but the drives look so good that it is hard not to be impressed with the whole scheme. Plus, if you must have the additional memory, head on to Scent-Drive.com to get the best of both worlds.

Via Gearlog.

Undercover Laptop Sleeve looks too worthless to be stolen

The easiest way to discourage thieves from getting at your laptop? Stash it away in a case that looks so worn out that no one can ever guess the little treasure that is hiding within. Reminds me of my grandmother's advice for undertaking a peaceful trip - to hide jewelery and money within balls of crumpled newspaper and then carelessly (seemingly) toss them into the luggage. Which has worked for me to this day.

The Undercover Laptop Sleeve does exactly that for your laptop. Since it resembles a worn-out postal envelope, it is not only easy to camouflage your laptop, but also protects it from damage as it is actually a well-padded laptop sleeve by design. The sleeve is waterproof and tearproof. And to add that extra touch of reality, you can even write on the envelope. Genius or what?

I just hope that there aren't enough well-informed thieves to get around this one. Get yours for a worthy $33.

Via Slippery Brick.

HotCans prove that canned food need never be cold-n-stale

If you have been forced once too often to eat cold food, you will duly appreciate what self-heating can mean to the world of packaged, ready meals. HotCans is a revolutionary invention that shines a ray of light on this great human need called hot meals. And quite literally too. All you do is place the can on its lid, pop a hole in the jacket using the included key, and wait exactly for 12 minutes while your meal is getting steamed up.

Let it suffice to know that the heating happens via a totally safe exothermic reaction - though that's a detail you would be least concerned about when you are stuck in the middle of nowhere with stubborn camping gear to handle. The canned food within has a shelf life of three years and is calorifically and nutritionally balanced. Though the three available choices rule out a king's gourmet (Beef Casserole, Sausage and Beans, and Vegetable Chili), the idea of self-heating is so absolutely radical that canned food might never be the same (read: cold and boring) again.

Hear ye all, here's hot food at $8.

Via DVICE.

Smell Like Star Trek

Comic Con may be over, but you can keep the aroma of awesomness alive long after the last display has been packed up and the last wanna-be Kirk has crawled back into his basement until next year. Fragrance maker Genki Wear, has made it's mark on geeky pop culture with their Star Trek-themed colognes and perfumes.

The company unleashed a new cologne on the smelly masses to commemorate Comic Con 2009. The fragrance dubbed KHAAANN!! (no, this is not a joke, this is the actual name of the cologne) after the glistening-chested, revenge seeking Khan Noonien Singh, one of Ricardo Montalbán's greatest roles. While the limited-edition fragance is undeniably cool, no woman wants to go around smelling of Star Trek and Fantasy Island.

REW Headphone Cord Wrap is from that summer of '69

The Walkman era with the big hair, cool jean jackets and soulful music might be gone, but memories if it are still hanging around like the smolder left over from a mighty flame. And it is made fresh with this lovely REW Headphone Cord Wrap that looks like mini tape and can, if nothing else, hold your dangling earphone wires in place. They will be available in different colors from Perpetual Kid in late September, for $4.99 a piece.

Hey I want to entertain my inner child too.

Via Chip Chick.

Kodak and Facebook: So Happy Together

With the battle of the pocket camcorders fully underway, Kodak is swinging for the fences with the latest addition to it's mini-camcorder Z series, the Zi8 Pocket Video Camera. Set to release in September, the zi8 has a 4x digital zoom and takes video in 1080p HD. Still images aren't too shabby at a respectable 5 megapixels.

It also has a 2.5 inch LCD screen, image stabilization and face detection. Additional features include built-in microphone, 128 of internal memory that can be expanded upon thanks to the SD/SDHD expansion slot. And like the Flip mini-camcorder, it can upload videos to YouTube with ease.

So what's sets it apart from the Flip Ultra HD? The Zi8 has Facebook support which means you can upload all your cinematic antics to Facebook with the same ease that you can upload video to YouTube.

Available in black, red, and blue the Zi8 is selling for $179 so if you're a Facebook fanatic, you might want to check this out in September.

Buddy home computer offers to be your handy, geeky companion

While netbooks have successfully changed the concept of a computer being a bulky, traditional storehouse of data, touchscreen phones have done a similar makeover for the cellphone market. And industrial designer Guy Ceder’s “Buddy” home computer system promises to bring all under one roof. Buddy is the concept for a new 3-part mobile computing system that features a compact and ultra-portable touchscreen unit with hook, a larger touchscreen display with integrated projector, and a base-station with the basic hardware and recharging elements.

The entire system makes use of fabric for casing, which not only looks amazing, but also presumably provides for a better tactile experience. Both the touchscreens (Wi-Fi enabled) can be used for surfing while you are on the move, for in-depth content reading and for larger-scale film and video projection. Little else is known about other areas of the specs, and we can only hope that none of them is too limiting to let Buddy actually make it into our homes in the near future.

Catch a demo after the break.

Via Slashgear.

The Incredible Folding Vase

It's always good to have a vase or two around for all those random flowers from our many admirers, but more often than not, those big elaborate vases can monopolize a lot of space. Ohio-based company VazuUSA has come up with a clever and environmentally friendly solution. Unlike like traditional glass vases, the Vazu vase is an expandable piece of furniture.

Created from layers of heat-welded Polyethylene and Polyester, Vazu vases have the unique ability to be folded for easy storage and transport. By heat-welding the layers, the result is a material that has a bright glossy look similar to glass, but is virtually unbreakable. The manufacturing process used to make Vazu is less taxing on the environment than a regular glass vase.

The Vazu vase comes in a variety of colors and styles. With prices starting at $4.99, they make great gifts and are a inexpensive way to decorate the home.

Via Craziest Gadgets

More on e-books: Project Gutenberg and Barnes & Noble

And while we're on the subject, David Pogue has just done a thorough job of comparing Amazon's and Barnes & Noble's e-book services.

B&N won't introduce a Kindle-like reading device until next year. Meantime you can not only read B&N books on your iPhone, you can read them on your computer--a first for commercial e-book services.

Of course, for many years that service has been available--free--from Project Gutenberg, always on my Top Ten list of 'Net freebies. If you don't always have your computer with you but do have a Palm PDA or Smartphone, there's a free app, called plucker, for reading any of the thousands of free Gutenberg books. Get plucker versions of e-books from the Gutenberg site.

Bing, not your neighborhood pharmacy

If you've been playing with Bing, Microsoft's new search engine, the word is to be very very careful about using Bing to fill your prescriptions for meds.

Two Web policing agencies, LegitScript and KnujOn, have teamed up to report that rogue pharmacies--online drug stores that fill prescriptions illegally--are grabbing most of the ad space on that coveted first page of Bing hits. The study found that the sites were selling drugs without a prescription and also supplying counterfeit drugs.

Rumor & Qix: an Eco-Sci-Fi book for Young Adults

Kathleen S. Wilson's Rumer & Qix: The Race to Terra Incognita traces the adventures of Rumer, a outgoing and curious 16 year journalist, and her robotic animal companion, Qix. Set in Nanjing in the year 3010, Wilson creates a world which has become entirely synthetic, until nature tries to make a comeback. In this eco-themed science fantasy story, we find our heroine bored of her beat covering Alfa, the largest and most successful company on the planet. However, Rumor quickly finds herself stumbling onto an adventure where she takes on global corporate conglomerates, as well as, solving secret family mysteries.

Although Rumor & Qix is Wilson's first novel, her is writing style is crisp and straight forward. Wilson is able to move the story swiftly move across many themes and sub-plots without losing the reader, even younger ones. Adding a strong female lead character and an eco-message, that avoids heavy handedness, is greatly appreciated and bodes will for Wilson future books.

The book is perfect for young people (girls and boys,) who have an interest in the sci-fi genre in these waning days of summer.

Rumor & Qix is available at amazon.com.

Liquid Wood could soon nudge out plastic from homes

Soon, it maybe easier to "green" up your home by doing away with plastic and bringing in household items made from a natural alternative. Scientists at the Fraunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) in Pfinztal, Germany are hard at work trying to make a substance called "Liquid Wood" a reality for household use. This substance, whose actual name is Arboform, is derived from a material called lignin that is leftover during the paper-making process in cellulose industries. Lignin is then mixed with fine natural fibers made of wood, hemp or flax and natural additives such as wax to derive a plastic-like material that can be use to create household items.

It seems that Arboform is already used in car parts and other durable items, but its foray into homes had been blocked by its high sulphur content. With the current research, it has been possible to reduce the sulphur content in Arborform by about 90 percent, making it much safer for use in everyday items. And eco supporters can also be happy to know it is highly recyclable. We are living in truly exciting times.

Via Core77.

Beambox MiLi Universal Charger mixes utility with personality

How does it feel to be alone in a strange country, and to realize that your trusted charger cannot keep your devices alive simply because you were wuss enough to forget the required adapter? Now that we made it sound pretty dramatic, here's the happy news. Beambox, makers of pocket projectors, have released the uber-cool MiLi Universal charger for charging your devices in precisely similar situations.

The universal charger comes equipped with different adapters to charge your devices (two at one go!) on UK, US, Australian, and European shores. This compact charger features two USB ports to enable you to plug in your device's original USB adapter if available even as you are charging another device simultaneously. Each port has an LED that indicates whether the connected device is fully charged. Quite sensibly, there is over-current and short-circuit protection as well. If that wasn't enough, there is also the flip-out in-car plug which ensures that you can charge within your car while you are on the move.

You will not be left wanting for choice as the charger comes in 9 bright colors - need we say pink is also in? Available for pre-order now at $37, MiLi will start shipping in August.

Via Slashgear.

Flatshare fridges are stackable like lego blocks

Where I come from, it is believed that a peek into the refrigerator always reveals a little bit of the owner's personality. If you can discern personality types based on leftovers, that is. But seriously, for me, the fridge is one appliance where innovation is all welcome. Especially if it is so unique and promising as the cool stackable Flatshare Fridges designed by Stefan Buchberger, a student at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna.

This design proposes clever solutions under three different categories - lessening the cold air that escapes from the fridge while it is open, storing different food groups under customized environments to save energy, and having stackable compartments for different people sharing the same fridge. That's accomplished with style by the Flatshare as each fridge brick (resembling a Lego block) is much smaller than a traditional fridge, thus not only requiring lesser input energy to cool but also allowing lesser cold air to escape each time you open the door. And the bricks are stackable, meaning different compartments can be assembled (each fridge can hold up to 4 stackable compartments) and allocated to different people, say room-mates, making food storage personal and hassle free.

Best of all? This is perhaps the most good-looking and efficient fridge you can ever lay your hands on. If ever, as the Flatshare fridges are not available to us hungry masses yet.

Toxel, via Inhabitat.

Portable Toilet Speakers offer you relief of the music kind

People, the next time you use that flush, it might sound like music to your ears. Well, not quite. And thank God for that - just imagine how many of your neighbors would know your condition if the same song were to play 10 times a day, assuming the toilet would sing each time you pull the flush.

Leave that nightmare alone and take this next one. The Toilet Speakers are small, 2-watt portable speakers shaped like toilet seats. Close the lid and you muff out the speaker. They cost around $15 a piece and are available in four colors. Even my two-year old would call this a bad idea.

Via Gizmodo.

From Table to Speakerbox: K-Box Transforms Any Surface into a Speaker

Speakers with all their wires and complicated set-up instructions may go the way of the dinosaurs if multimedia company Kerchoonz has its way. The Scottish company recently went to market with the K-Box. About the size of a standard cell phone, the unassuming black and purple device can turn any flat surface including tables or windows into a speaker.

Using a patented "Gel Audio" Technology, the K-Box passes sound through the surface making it resonate producing some impressive bass. It has speakers to produce mid and high range frequencies. With a standard 3.5mm audio jack you can simply plug it in to your laptop, iPod, phone or gaming system and get some amazing sound.

Retailing at $74.99 plus shipping and handling, the K-Box has approximately 20-hours of battery life and can be recharged via a USB cable.

Soundblock iPod speakers look like LEGO blocks

Elecom has brought out a series of docks for the iPod Nano called Soundblocks that are perhaps the most good-looking ones in the mini-dock category. They measure only 2 x 16mm, and are available in atleast a dozen appetizing colors - just so that you can match your iPod with the appropriate one. Seriously, what more could you want? Well, I for one, would like to know if they sound as good as they look.

The speakers are priced at around $42.

Via TechFresh.

Bomb USB flash drive will not harm your data

Any guesses on why the heck would anyone think of making a bomb-shaped USB flash drive ? We got no clue either.

But apparently this design by Joel Escalona Studio was intended to create a “metaphoric and conceptual object designed to be shown on a desk or a work place, not so much to carry around”. Just as well. Imagine carrying this thing around, say when you are aboard a flight. And God help you if you were daring enough.

It is still a concept that is looking to explode - oops - find producers.

Via OhGizmo.

Kingston creates record, releases monster 256GB thumb drive

Seven years down the memory lane, I still remember the times when at the end of a day's work at office, I would have to erase the paltry few MB of data on my 256MB thumb drive to accommodate a few files that I would take home to complete pending documentation. That seems like eons ago as I sit here, seeing a picture of this monstrous 256GB thumb drive from Kingston - the first ever in the world - with shivers of excitement down my spine.

Kingston has just released the Kingston DataTraveler 300 - a 256GB thumb drive which will allow a whopping 51,000 images, or 54 DVDs, or 365 CDs, or a database of documents which in an analog world would translate into a 1km paper tower. This beast is plug-n-play, has a 20 MB/sec. read and 10 MB/sec. write speeds, with a "Password Traveler" security software for Windows, and supports Windows ReadyBoost on Windows Vista systems.

Well, not everyone can rejoice just yet though since the release is only for Europe and the UK. And for those of you who can, it won't be unreasonable if you expect to win a lottery to be able to buy one - it is priced an equally monstrous $924.

Via Engadget.

Cineman Swivel: A Sweet Tech Treat

Wow wee, a new pico projector! No, seriously WowWee Technology just announced that its latest product is available for pre-order in the U.S. and Europe. The Cinemon Swivel, their new pico projector is just as sweet as the name suggests.

Like most pico projectors, the Swivel is a portable multimedia device that allows users to watch everything from movies to slide shows anytime or anywhere. What sets the Cinemon apart from the pack is its ability to pivot on a 90 degree angle making it easy to project on almost any surface. It also uses DLP projection technology courtesy of Texas' Instruments which is supposed to give t a clearer, crisper picture than using LCD.

Kidizoom camera provides for safe toddler entertainment

I often have to make the choice (read million times a day) between letting my toddler satisfy his curiosity on how my gizmos can contribute to his growing need to know everything, and extending their shelf life by that one more day by keeping them out of his reach. Taking the latter option almost always means that I get to savor my toys only when he is at school, or is blissfully asleep. Both of which happen to be the shortest events of the day.

Being the hassled, deprived mother that I sound like, it is always relieving to see the growth of the kiddies' gadget market. The latest in the little world of digital cameras is the Kidizoom series for pre-schoolers from VTech. Take your pick from two models - the Kidizoom Plus which sports a 2x digital zoom, a movie mode (with sound), 256 MB of memory, an optical viewfinder plus a preview screen that works with a D-pad and an SD memory slot, or the 0.3-megapixel Kidizoom which has all of the former, except for the viewfinder.

Both cameras include a photo editor (Mac/Windows), a crude auto flash, U.S.B. and AV cables to connect to your computer or TV, and run on four AA batteries. The Kidizoom Plus is priced at $60, and the basic Kidizoom $20 cheaper at $40. Wait for them to hit the stores next month.

Via NYTimes.