It turns out that scrolling down a web page doesn’t provide as much of a physical workout as I had once hoped. So my dreams of getting in shape while doing nothing but surfing the web now solely rely on this fitness-friendly office chair known as the GymyGym. Besides providing a comfortable place to sit through the use of a “flat-bungee seating system” which promotes proper posture throughout the day, the GymyGym also incorporates 4 different ‘exercise stations’ for lack of a better description.
Underneath the seat are a few extra lengths of the aforementioned bungee cord attached to handles and velcro straps that allow you to do a series of strengthening exercises for your legs, arms and other muscle groups. The different routines are performed while standing or sitting, depending on what part of your body you’re working out, so you may not necessarily be able to get a full body workout while browsing your favorite website. But thanks to a couple of tension control systems also located beneath the chair, you can crank things up to 11 and really feel the burn when you do manage to sneak in a couple of reps. At $599 the chair is a bit pricey, putting it in competition with more lust-worthy models from Herman Miller, but the fact that it’s made from 95% recycled materials should appeal to eco-minded fitness enthusiasts.
It’s most definitely not the first passive speaker system for the iPhone that relies on physics to boost the performance of its built-in speaker. But I’m pretty sure it’s the first specifically designed to mount on the handlebars of your bike. The iCarry Bike L from Germany-based OZAKI includes a mounting arm that keeps your iPhone in easy reach when riding, yet fully protected, and a seashell-like bottom that both amplifies the sounds coming from your phone and those going to it. So in theory it should improve its speakerphone performance as well. But for the $50 they’re asking for it (according to The Gadgeteer) you’re probably just better off getting a Bluetooth headset and keeping your iPhone in your pocket.
In an effort to promote Vantage, a stain remover that competes with the top brand in Brazil, the company hired São Paulo-based ad agency DPZ Propaganda to create this clever campaign. Apparently Ketchup is the leading source of stains in Brazil, so they created Ketchup packets shaped like stains with an ad for Vantage on the back with the tagline: “Stains. Hard to avoid, easy to remove.”
Was it effective? Well 100,000 of the custom-shaped packets were distributed in snack bars and restaurants in and around São Paulo, and in just three days they had all disappeared. Either that city consumes a lot of condiments, or the citizens saw the opportunity for a cheap keepsake. Either way, I think they got their message across.
We’ve already brought you colorful Wiimote covers designed to look like Sesame Street favorites Elmo and Cookie Monster, but now Grover is finally getting some love thanks to this new accessory included with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment’s upcoming Wii title, Sesame Street: Ready, Set, Grover!. Designed for the preschool demographic, the game is another one of those titles that uses the Wii’s motion capabilities to teach kids about physical fitness and staying active. And like the previous Wiimote covers, the Grover one is supposed to make the Wiimote easier and possibly ‘funner’ to grip, while revealing only a minimal number of buttons to keep things simple. Available sometime this Summer.
There’s nothing stopping you from using it in your tiny new Fiat 500, but you’ll probably appreciate Rand McNally’s new TripMaker RVND 5510 GPS navigation device even more if you’re behind the wheel of a hefty recreational vehicle. When it comes to mapping out your route, the RVND 5510 will actually take into consideration the type, size and length of the RV you’re driving and will direct you to routes that are safe for travel with a large vehicle, even so far as to prioritize right-hand turns.
The RVND is also considerably larger than your standard GPS device, including a bigger screen (480×272 resolution), larger on-screen buttons and a speaker with a bit more kick. And judging by the product shot, it also includes a pop-out stylus. On the software side you have access to 14 million points of interest (in the U.S. I assume) including 13,000+ RV parks and campgrounds with necessary RV-friendly amenities. There’s even listings for 24,000+ pet-friendly locations like animal hospitals since you’re probably not going to leave any pets at home during a long vacation. Available starting in June for $349.99.
I’ll tell you where it was: Trapped inside the head of Japanese designer Yoshiki Matsuyama since the Flora is nothing more than a design concept entered in designboom and Fujitsu’s ‘a life with future computing’ contest. The idea behind the Flora is simple, and lifesaving for those who live far away from their mothers. It involves 2 vases that not only each feature an internet connection, but also a built-in 3D scanner and projector. So when a real flower is placed inside one of the vases, a digital version appears in the other, accompanied with messages of goodwill or desperate requests of forgiveness for forgetting an important holiday.
The condition of the flowers are also linked, so unfortunately if the person on the sending end doesn’t take care of it, the digital version will wilt and eventually die as well. It’s kind of like some natural version of DRM from Teleflora that ensures the digital copy won’t last forever so that fresh flowers always have to be purchased every few weeks.
Good news for all of you iPod haters. The Zune may have gone the way of the Dodo but Sony is continuing strong with updates to their Walkman line of MP3 players. The smallest members of that family, the NWZ-B160 series, features a USB stick type design meaning you never have to worry about losing a proprietary docking cable. You just uncap the player and jam it into an available USB port for syncing and charging.
On a full charge with with all of the battery saving features switched on (and the backlit LCD display turned off) you can expect to get up to 18 hours of playback, but if you’re pressed for time a mere 3 minute charge will provide you with 90 minutes of music enjoyment. A Bass button adds an extra bit of kick to your music by boosting the low-end, while also causing the light-up power indicator to pulse and flash in time with your music. And in true Sony fashion, the NWZ-B160 series even has a ‘scan’ mode which skips through your music playing tiny snippets until you find something you like. But since it’s a Sony ‘feature’ they refer to it as their ‘ZAPPIN song search technology’. What an innovation! Available in June in 2GB and 4GB capacities.
Do you know how many people it takes to change the lightbulb on the Peg lamp designed by Steffi Min? Just one dammit! It’s shaped and works like an over-sized clothespin so there’s no screwing or anything like that involved. You just squeeze it open, stick a bulb inside the clampy bit and then close it. The bulb’s metal base will then touch the necessary electrical contacts inside making it light up. It also seems impossible to break the bulb when installing/uninstalling it because the usual forces from screwing are completely gone. And since it’s part of Steffi Min’s industrial design senior thesis, it’s also impossible to buy since I’m sure this version is just a one-off.
If you’re keeping score, humanity loses another few points today with the creation of the S’More To Love rack which manages to simplify a ‘cooking’ process already easy enough for monkeys and dolphins to follow. And if your kitchen isn’t already filled with enough unitasking contraptions, the S’More To Love will be a welcome addition, particularly if the act of heating a marshmallow, a piece of chocolate and graham crackers has you completely befuddled.
I’ll agree that starting a small camp fire in the kitchen sink just to make s’mores hasn’t always turned out the way I had hoped, but as an alternative the microwave does just as good job at heating the aforementioned ingredients without the risk of burning. Well, with less risk of burning. Of course as always I’ll leave it to you to decide if the $19.95 asking price is worth it, and it just might be if you think you’re as hopelessly inept as the actors appearing in this promotional video.
Related Tags: Fitness, Furniture, Health
Permalink | 
No Comments
