Oh! Gizmo

By Andrew Liszewski

Of all the Star Wars characters I think R2D2 gets the least respect, at least in terms of product tie-ins. But I guess it’s mostly because he’s shaped like a garbage can on wheels, and once you remove all of the electronics inside he can be re-purposed for a wide array of demeaning tasks. This time R2D2 will be the hit of your backyard barbecue while he serves as an ice bucket keeping your refreshments cold. As an added bonus he appears to come with a really cool ‘Han Solo frozen in carbonite’ ice cube mold that can be used to make miniature facsimiles of Harrison Ford in hibernation. They’re probably not going to fool Jabba The Hutt or anyone else Han Solo owes money to, but they’ll definitely make you the king of the Star Wars geeks for at least a night.

At one point the R2D2 ice bucket and Han Solo mold were available for pre-order from ForbiddenPlanet.co.uk for about $33, but the item has since been removed. So if anyone knows where to find one, please post a link in the comments.

[ The Green Head - Han Solo Frozen in Carbonite Ice Cube Tray with R2-D2 Ice Bucket ]

By Andrew Liszewski

The only thing better than having your own robot servant is having a robot servant you can actually ride. RINGBO is kind of a hybrid between the Radio Shack bots of yesteryear, and those electric carts used by the elderly and disabled. Unfortunately it’s specifically designed for kids aged 2-3, so if you’re thinking it would make those long walks to the copy machine at work a bit more bearable, be aware that it has a 66 pound weight limit. RINGBO is controlled via a pair of joysticks mounted on its head, and also features what I assume to be a touch-screen LCD. What it’s used for though, I have no idea. On a 6-8 hour charge your kid can spend an hour crashing into furniture and terrorizing the family pets, since I’m pretty sure they aren’t protected under Asimov’s 3 Laws of Robotics.

If you happen to be in New York on May 14 or 15 you can check out RINGBO in person at the Koreannovation Trade Show.

[ RINGBO Riding Robot ] VIA [ Gearlog ]

By Evan Ackerman

Your weird USB combination of the day comes in the form of a this little dog-shaped 4 port USB 2.0 hub. It’s not just any dog, though… It’s a cycloptic dog, with a giant glowing LED in the middle of its head. If this freaks you out a little bit, don’t fret, just pull the head off of the body and you’ve got an auto-tuning AM/FM radio with an integrated speaker that runs off of 2 AAA batteries. How cool is that? Yeah, you’re right, not especially. At only $20, though, it’s hard to get past the “why the heck not” factor.

[ USB Smart Dog Hub ] VIA [ Nerd Approved ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m still not sure why anyone outside of an educational setting would need to buy a standalone calculator these days. And even if you’re still in school, the odds are you need one with advanced scientific functions, not just basic arithmetic. I’m particularly perplexed why someone would also want a basic calculator that’s styled after a mobile phone.

While I can’t deny that it looks slick, even the lowest end of real mobile phones have a calculator already built-in. And most carriers are practically giving those away these days. In its defense though, the slim design of this model does allow it to be used single-handled. And it includes a 12 or 24 hour clock on the LCD display, a contoured ABS plastic housing and even comes with a black felt pouch.

You can get it from the MoMA Store for $28.

[ Mobile Calculator ]

By Evan Ackerman

Have a Nalgene bottle? No? What’s the matter, you’re not cool and hip and sporty? You should totally get one, if for no other reason than you’ll need it to get this solar powered LED lamp cap to do what it’s supposed to. The LightCap 200 weighs only 2.6 oz, and the four super bright white LEDs inside will shine down through your water bottle (it works on anything with a 2.25″ mouth) and turn it into a lantern. The LEDs are solar powered, and the waterproof cap has both a switch and an ambient light sensor. There’s no information on charge times, but it looks to be a pretty effective lamp.

It comes in either black or clear plastic and costs a reasonable $20.

[ LightCap 200 ] VIA [ Likecool ]

By Luke Anderson

When I take my laptop out somewhere, I have a backpack which it slips into. The backpack also conveniently carries a variety of other gadgets including my camera and extra lenses, which can be rather bulky and heavy. Most of the time I like to have all of these things on me, however, sometimes I just need my laptop, and something smaller to carry it would be nice.

If you’re really worried about the extra bulk, and need only the bare essentials, this neoprene laptop backpack from BUILT might be a perfect fit. There’s really only room for your notebook, the power cord and a couple of accessories. You can find them in two sizes and three different colors for $80 each.

[ BuiltNY ] VIA [ CrunchGear ]

By Luke Anderson

I don’t have any children of my own, so perhaps I’m not the best person to judge a product like this, however, I couldn’t resist. This Tote-a-Tot is a device that turns your child’s car seat into a piece of roll along luggage.

There’s just something about dragging an infant behind you that just seems irresponsible. Instead of keeping the child in a stroller in front of you, just drag it along as if it were a bag full of clothes. Seriously, look at that picture, the lady looks as though she could care less about that bundle she’s pulling behind her. What if someone wanted to snatch your baby? While I like to think that wouldn’t happen to most people, it does make it much easier for someone to get close to your child without you seeing.

If you’re interested in something like this and don’t mind people pointing at you and speaking in hushed tones, you can get one for $30.

[ Tote-a-Tot ] VIA [ UberReview ]

By Andrew Liszewski

It seems the radio just isn’t enough to satisfy today’s tech-savvy passengers. So while adding a mobile entertainment center is a solution offered on a lot of new vehicles, retrofitting one into an older ride can be kind of messy. Unless of course you manage to cram everything into a package that can easily replace the passenger side sun visor. Not only does this replacement visor include an actual DVD player with a 7-inch 16:9 display, but it also serves as a classic gaming machine with a built-in emulator. I’m not sure what classic games it can actually play (I’m assuming it runs MAME) but I know it does include a disc that’s already full of titles you just know will be amazing.

There’s also a remote control if you can’t reach 2 feet, or happen to be sitting in the back seat, as well as an integrated FM transmitter so you can play the sound through your car’s stereo. On the side you’ll find an SD/MMC slot for loading games, videos or MP3s via a memory card, but the DVD drive can also handle mixed media discs. For gaming the visor includes 2 controllers that connect to mini USB ports, but anyone playing in the back seat will have a distinct disadvantage because of the 7-inch display.

It’s available from Chinavasion for about $100.

[ Sun Visor DVD+Game Player ] VIA [ technabob ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I rarely watch videos or movies on the go, but it’s mostly because I can’t be bothered reformatting or converting them into a format that’ll play on any of my devices. The Aigo Patriot MV5920 however appears to play all formats including VOBs, Divx, MPEG etc. at a resolution of up to 1280 x 720. Unfortunately the display is just 480 x 272, but being able to play back a file that large without you having to downconvert it first is pretty convenient.

All of your media is stored on the MV5920’s 160GB hard drive, and it can also serve as a mobile DVR capturing over-the-air D1 video streams. You can even use the device to stream audio and video since it includes Wifi, but I doubt it has a web browser given the lack of keyboard and touch screen. Other features include a 2-megapixel camera, support for most digital audio formats (no FLAC), a 2300 mAH rechargeable lithium battery and as always, an e-book reader that only supports the TXT format. If you can find one, it will set you back about $429.

[ Aigo Patriot MV5920 ] VIA [ PMP Today ]

By Andrew Liszewski

I’m not entirely sure how Wile E. Coyote could afford everything he bought from the ACME company over the years, but I do know there were plenty of gadgets and contraptions I would have loved picking up myself. I mean who can’t find a use for a Do-It Yourself Tornado Kit, Rocket Powered Roller Skates or even the pinnacle of ACME engineering, the Giant Rubber Band.

The Illustrated Catalog Of ACME Products website has pretty much every single ACME product I’ve ever seen in a Looney Tunes cartoon, and plenty I haven’t. It also lists what episode or episodes the product appeared in (I remember the Giant Rubber Band being used again and again) as well as a handful of screenshots for each one. Looking back you think ACME would have opened up a division to sell insurance. Though I guess the claims would have probably bankrupted them in a week.

[ The Original Illustrated Catalog Of ACME Products ] VIA [ OpticalPoptitude ]