By Andrew Liszewski

Whether it’s the tryptophan in the turkey that’s made you too sleepy, or the 15 helpings of pumpkin pie that’s increased gravity’s hold on your enormous posterior, this Power Assist Seat Cushion is the ultimate Thanksgiving accessory if you’re having trouble getting up from the dinner table. A handle on the side is used for elevating the cushioned seat to any height, and the contraption supports up to 300lbs if you really overdo it at dinner today. $169.95 from Hammacher Schlemmer.

[ The Power Assist Seat Cushion ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Looking for a compact way to connect an HDMI cable to your DisplayPort-equipped laptop? Well this DP-HDMI2 dongle from Kuroutoshikou is probably as small as they’re ever going to get. According to Akihabara News it also supports HDCP (hooray?) and allows for audio pass-through. The only downside? While the dongle’s compact, you’ll still have to bring an HDMI cable with you at all times for it to be of any use.

[ DP-HDMI2 DisplayPort To HDMI Dongle ] VIA [ Akihabara News ]

By Chris Scott Barr

Have you ever been sent a package, only to wonder where exactly it is a few days later? Sure, you can look up the tracking number and have the carrier give you an idea. However, that isn’t exactly up-to-the-minute information. It also doesn’t tell you what pitfalls befell your poor package during transit. FedEx has decided to solve these issues by introducing a gadget that will tell you everything about your package during its journey.

Aimed at the medical industry, SenseAware is a device that can be dropped into any package to monitor the transit. During this time it uses an accelerometor, light sensor, cellular transmitter and a GPS receiver to gather data about how the package is treated, whether it was opened and its exact location. You can then log onto the corresponding website and check this information at any time.

Right now the service is too pricey for most people, however the $120 per month fee isn’t too outrageous when you’re shipping out fragile and irreplaceable items like transplant organs. I imagine that the cost will go down over the next few years, and you’ll start to see more businesses take advantage of it.

[ Fedex ] VIA [ Dvice ]

By Evan Ackerman

This cube from high end audio manufacturer LessLoss claims that it will make your audio gear sound better. How? It’s so simple, I’ll just have them explain it:

The Blackbody is a high-tech audio accessory which greatly enhances your audio playback experience by addressing the interaction of your audio gear’s circuitry with ambient electromagnetic phenomena and modifying this interplay. The Blackbody takes advantage of the quantum nature of particle interaction, and is therefore able to permeate metal, plastic, wood, and other barriers to affect the circuitry inside your components. This altered electromagnetic influence results in profoundly improved sound quality.

Got it? No? Well, let’s dumb it down a little bit for ya:

Quantum electrodynamics has established that photons in enormous numbers and at very low energy levels interacting with electrons account for what are called electromagnetic fields. Photons (regardless of wavelength) interacting with electrons likewise affect the electromagnetic fields in our gear, having a direct influence on signal quality. It is in this interaction that the LessLoss Blackbody functions.

Still don’t get it? Geez, what’s wrong with you… We’ll have LessLoss give this one more try, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

By Andrew Liszewski

Invented by husband and wife team Farah and Jim Shaikh, the Yoomi bottle could seem like the greatest thing since sliced bread for parents who are tired of having to find a way to heat up bottles for their infants when they’re not at home. The secret is a sealed warming unit that sits just below the teat. Pushing an orange button activates the heater, and 60 seconds later, after the milk has had time to flow through a series of channels, it reaches the comfortable temperature of breast milk.

The warmer will maintain that temperature for up to an hour since it uses chemicals similar to a warming gel pack, and it can be recharged around 100 times before needing to be replaced. The Yoomi bottle costs around $37 and a set of two teats is about $7.50, so while it’s not cheap, it’s not necessarily designed to be used every single day.

[ The Daily Mail - The baby bottle that heats itself up in 60 seconds ] VIA [ Gizmo Watch ]

By Andrew Liszewski

Hm, what could make the whole experience of standing around a luggage carousel at the airport waiting for your bags to hopefully arrive intact worse? Oh I know, if every other person in the crowd has decided that this talking luggage locator tag is a great idea.

It comes with a remote you keep with you that triggers a set of 6 flashing LEDs on the tag, as well as a 30 second message you’ve prerecorded that will help you locate your bag up to 45 feet away. Exactly the type of thing I want to hear while standing around after a long, annoying flight. And it’s just $14.98 from Things You Never Knew Existed so when luggage handlers inevitably destroy it, you won’t feel so bad.

[ Luggage Locator ] VIA [ The Red Ferret Journal ]

By Andrew Liszewski

In my experience there’s no structure on Earth more stable than a tent, oh wait, I mean just the opposite, which is why I’m really intrigued by Tamrac’s new ZipShot tripod. It uses tent pole-like legs to make it ultra compact when folded (15 inches long when collapsed) and light (just 11 oz.) but at the same time it opens in just seconds, and can apparently support even DSLRs up to 3 lbs in weight. Now I have to assume Tamrac has ensured the whole thing is stable when setup, since they’re not exactly an unknown brand when it comes to photography, and if it works as promised the $50 price tag doesn’t actually seem too unreasonable.

[ Tamrac ZipShot Tripod ] VIA [ PopPhoto ]

By Evan Ackerman

What with my mildly sexual love affair with my netbook and all, I was excited to see Liliputing’s list of 5 recently released games that will run on a netbook. It’s a worthwhile reminder that you don’t need a huge amount of processing power and a dedicated graphics card for some satisfying gaming… Sometimes a $300 netbook can get the job done. Here’s the list:

1. Torchlight
2. Puzzle Quest: Challenge of the Warlords
3. Sins of a Solar Empire
4. Trials 2 Second Edition
5. World of Warcraft

Not that I play WoW, but if I did, which I don’t, I would be able to personally attest to the fact that if you crank the graphics way down, you can get playable framerates as long as you don’t take on multiple mobs or get into areas with a lot of player traffic. That’s my guess, anyway. ::cough::

Of course, there are tons of other games that your netbook won’t choke on… My three picks, after the jump. Read the rest of this entry »

By Chris Scott Barr

It’s amazing what can be accomplished by changing a bit of software, such as the firmware on a device. When optimized properly, a firmware upgrade can increase performance and sometimes add completely new features. Well Amazon has just announced a firmware upgrade for the Kindle that is going to blow your mind (if you already own one, that is). Not only does this bring native PDF support, but they also claim that your battery will now last 85% longer than before.

The boost in battery life applies to users who leave their reader connected to the internet at all times. You can now expect to go a full week between charges, as opposed to only four days before. If you leave the wireless turned off, then expect it to last about two weeks. Native PDF support is probably the most exciting thing, as before you needed to go through Amazon to have such documents converted to their proprietary format. If you’re still interested in converting them, you’ll now be able to do this yourself.

[ Amazon ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]