If internet radio is your thing, and you often find yourself befuddled by buttons, dials and knobs, design and development firm Cambridge Consultants has just the thing for you! Their recently unveiled Q2 Cube Internet Radio features no visible controls, but instead relies on gravity to change its settings. To select from one of four preset stations, you just turn the cube onto one of its four sides, and to adjust the volume up or down, you just tilt it forwards or backwards. At the moment pricing info hasn’t been revealed, but the company expects to at least have the Cube Radio available in the U.K. in time for Christmas.
I’m all for the pros when it comes to compact fluorescent lighting, but most people don’t realize just how dangerous mercury vapor can be when a bulb breaks. Not the people at ClearLite though. They’ve created a new CFL bulb called the ArmorLite (SRP $7.99) that features a silicone safety shell preventing broken glass and mercury from escaping if the bulb breaks. Unfortunately while it’s a clever solution to the problem, it’s not a perfect one. The silicone shell will require extra steps when it comes to disposal, and it will no doubt have an adverse affect on the lumen rating and color temperature of each bulb. But it’s a step in the right direction.
Designed by Alyce Santoro and Julio Cesar, these rather dapper Sonic Fabric Neckties are made from 50% colored thread and 50% recorded audio cassette tape which means you can sacrifice an old Walkman to make a ’sonic fabric reader’ (see the video below) allowing you to hear remnants of what was originally on the tapes.
The Sonic Fabric Neckties are available from Supermarket in black, dark brown and grey for $90 a pop, plus the cost of a Walkman if your curiosity gets the best of you.
Lite-Brite is one of those toys that has managed to withstand the test of time with very little innovation. You jam plastic pegs in a hole, they light up, you get art. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. Sketch Art from a company called Hi-Tec Art is a lot like Lite-Brite, but instead of clear plastic pegs it uses individual LEDs that stick to the background and light up on their own.
Each set comes with 100 3mm LEDs of assorted colors, and while I’d like to say that magnets and induction are the secrets to how this works, the mention of ‘LED Insertion’ and ‘LED Extraction’ tools in the ‘What’s in the Box’ list makes me think that’s not the case. $49.95 from Hi-Tec Art’s website.
There are some people in this world that need to be connected to the internet at all times. Sure, I’m an internet junkie, but I don’t think I’d ever go so far as to install a permanent WiFi hotspot in my car. GM announced that they will soon start offering Autonet, an always-on wireless internet solution for your car.
The device can be installed in your new van, SUV, truck or crossover starting later this month. Installation will set you back $499, while service is going to cost $29 a month with a 1GB cap. There is also a 5GB package, though no price was listed. The WiFi signal will reach up to 150 feet away, so you won’t be limited to using it just in your car. Great, now kids can check their Facebook and watch YouTube on long car rides. All my brother and I had was one GameBoy to fight over.
If you’ve ever purchased something at an Apple store, you’ve probably noticed those handy little devices they use to ring you up. If you’re using plastic, they just scan your purchase, swipe your card and send you on your way without stepping behind a register. If you’re observant, you’ll also notice that the handheld device is a Windows-based PDA. How embarrassing. At least they are taking steps to eliminate these handhelds from their stores.
Apple has decided to start rolling out a new system which has similar functionality, but instead is built around the iPod Touch. They will simply be hooking up a barcode scanner and credit card reader to iPods running their special POS software. They’ve started rolling this out at one of their stores in California, and should have them at all of their stores for the holiday season.
These days it seems like everything has a digital camera in it. Okay, maybe not everything, but you’ll be hard-pressed to find someone that doesn’t own at least one device that functions as a camera. Of course if you aren’t using a dedicated camera, the lack of an optical zoom can limit your shots. Then again, that’s what crazy accessories are for.
Nyko has announced that they will soon be offering cases for your DSi which will let you attach an 8x zoom lens. I suppose if you carry your DSi everywhere, and enjoy taking a lot of pictures, this might be worth looking into. Sure, you’ll look like a dork, but at least your snapshots will look a little better. Not to mention the $25 price tag certainly can’t be argued with.
If you didn’t get invited to any good Halloween parties (or are just a complete misanthrope), then you might well be planning to spend Saturday night hunkered down behind the sofa with the lights off, hoping that sugar-crazed trick-or-treaters don’t suss you out and start making outrageous demands for confectionary and money in exchange for not smashing your windows or causing you actual bodily harm.
In case you do get rumbled, you may wish to follow Glenn Derene of Popular Mechanics’ lead and create some hi-tech surveillance pumpkins to capture the little darlings on tape while they ransack your house and/or break your legs.
Derene made himself two different video system sporting jack-o-lanterns - one with a cheapo infrared camera and receiver set and another with an Aavek Vue wireless camera system, which can be monitored remotely via a password protected website. Check out step by step instructions here. Take that you pesky kids!
Believe it or not, in some parts of the world you just can’t find a bidet when you need one. Thankfully the Travel Bidet from Sanicare (which absolutely should never be mistaken for a product from Sonicare who makes toothbrushes) can be used whether you’re sitting in an airplane lavatory at 30,000 feet, or simply squatting in the forest.
A small reservoir can be filled with water as needed, and it comes with 3 different spray heads depending on what you intend to clean. The pump is powered by a single AAA battery which is included, and you can get it directly from Sanicare for $39.95.
Related Tags: Audio, Innovation
Permalink
By Andrew Liszewski
